Tsawaayuus Staff Laid Off T I
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I1 rl / /. / I 'J u LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA Bib iotheque et Archives Canada N,3. ,NA a I I II II I I I I II III 3 3286 54264652 2 i 0 f r. >Jo Ha -Shi i thSa Canada's Oldest First Nation's Newspaper - Serving Nuu -chah- nulth -aht since 1974 Canadian Publications Mail Product Vol. 31 - No. 3 - February 12, 2004 haaitsa "Interesting New? Sales Agreement No. 40047776 a ]i 7._ tiil C'.- Tsawaayuus staff laid off t i A Long -term care facility claims improved services : and cost savings through contracted services .itta! 11 By David Wiwchar nulth Elders are going elsewhere, as irr:- Southern Region Reporter First Nations clients represent only half ,. ¡ -. of Tsawaayuus residents. a Port Alberni - Tsawaayuus (Rainbow All 54 positions at Tsawaayuus have Gardens) has announced their entire been terminated, including 'St1WAAYUUS 3 staff of 54 will be laid off as of April administration. Currently, 87% of II I funding goes directly to staff wages, 5th, as the Elder's Care facility switches leaving only 13% for feeding and ;1I1SSEut PlAtt from unionized to contracted staffing. providing services to their Native and The drastic action was taken to address -> ifs non -Native clients. It is hoped that the original mandate of the facility and t through contracting out, more money provide more funds to address client will be available for addressing client i; needs. -_ J needs. _ According to Watts, the re- posted I Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens) A. position will be good paying positions, Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens) employees Monica DeAdder, June has announced their entire staff and former employees will be invited to Billie, Pat Forsythe, Teresa Simmons and Barbra Anderson received of 54 will be laid off as of April reapply for their positions providing they their layoff notices last week, but hope they can remain employed as 5th, as the facility switches from have the proper accreditations. the Elder care facility switches from unionized to contracted staffing. unionized to contracted staffing. "Under Bill 29, the provincial government has allowed health employers to ignore contracts with Operated by the West Coast Native Central Region workers and contract out at will," said Chiefs Health Care Society, Tsawaayuus Mike Old from the Hospital Employees Rainbow Gardens was opened on July 2, Union. "Under the Labour Code they 1992, and is currently home to 30 Elders prepare to negotiate new have to meet with us, but at this point in need of close supervision and care. we still don't know what their intentions "Rainbow Gardens was founded by are," he said. "Consistency of care is some of our Elders, and their vision was Clayoquot Sound IMEA very important to elderly patients, and to ensure that we have quality care for it's not going to be good for the people questions about how another extension T our people, and I think we're working By Denise August, who live there if that connection to their to the IMEA might be negotiated. The with that vision and are moving forward Central Region Reporter long -time caregivers is lost." first major challenge is the change of with that vision," said board chairperson provincial government. No longer led Darleen Watts. "We've met over the past Tofino- With the Clayoquot Sound "Rainbow founded by the NDP, the original provincial few months discussing what is in Gardens was Interim Measure Agreement (IMEA) set the party to the agreement, the province is best interest of our clients. We had to by some of our Elders, and their to expire in March 2005 and the now led by the Liberal government who LI vision was to ensure that we have financial portion ending very soon, the look at increased flexibility and stability, seem to have different ideas about the Central Region Chiefs have been and we also had to look at the cost of quality care for our people, and I Clayoquot Sound Interim Measures delivering service meeting regularly in order to develop a to our clients," she think we're working with that Agreement than its predecessors. said. "The governments have made it collective strategy for the renegotiation vision and are moving forward Secondly, there is the Maa -nulth of an extension with the provincial hard for us through cutbacks, and they development. The Region with that vision," said board government. Central are trying to blend everything under one consists of five First Nations; Ahousaht, chairperson Darleen Watts. The original IMEA is a resource umbrella by holding back financially. Hesquiaht, Tla- o- qui -aht, Toquaht and management and economic development We don't want to be blended in with Ucluelet and all are party of the IMEA other facilities Echo "It's a very hard thing for all the people agreement negotiated between the such as Village which serves as a `bridge to treaty'. who have worked here for so long, as Central Region Chiefs and the provincial because we'll just end up getting lost in Two of the First Nations, Ucluelet and we have put our heart and soul into that government in the early 1990's. the system. We have - been very Toquaht are pursuing a treaty through place and all the residents there," said Angered at the provincial government accountable in terms of our delivery of the Maa -nulth group, which will to Tsawaayuus employee, and union shop afor releasing their land -use plan for services our clients, and we can move probably mean that they will sign a forward steward Alice Mitchell. "We're really Clayoquot Sound without first consulting better by contracting the treaty at a time other than that of the concerned about our clients because we local First Nations, the Chiefs lobbied services out rather than with the union," three remaining First Nations. know the things they like, don't like, and international environmental she said. The Chiefs will need to negotiate an their little idiosyncrasies. They're part of organizations to get the province to the According to Watts, the inflexibility of `out' clause in the event that one or our extended family, and we were all negotiating table. the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) more First Nations reach treaty before just really heartbroken and stunned when The strategy worked, and after more has made it difficult to bring in newly - the others. certified Nuu-chah -nulth workers, the Board announced we were all being than 40 days of non -stop talks an and Central Region Co- chair, Shawn Atleo volunteer laid off," she said. agreement was hammered out that cultural workers to make says the federal government is Tsawaayuus Although Tsawaayuus has already allowed, for the first time, meaningful the First Nations' facility it interested in joining the renewal talks. issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for First Nations say in local land and was designed to be. Without that He said Federal Chief negotiator Eric a contractor to take over services at resource management. The IMEA is cultural connection, there is little to Denhoff admitted to never reading the differentiate Tsawaayuus (Rainbow Gardens), intended to protect land and resources Tsawaayuus from other IMEA and committed to do so and Mitchell is hopeful her union can until a treaty is in place. non -Native care facilities in the region, come to the next meeting to explore said Watts. As a result, many Nuu -chah- negotiate a continued role at the Elder's Recent developments have raised care facility. ways in which they can participate. If undeliverable, please return to: Ha- Shilth -Sa Ahousaht Ha'wlith retires Page 2 P.O. Box 1383, Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 7M2 TFN and Hupacasath sign agreement Page 3 I Hundreds laid off 4 (17) as Hake plant closes Page NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA NEWSPAPER COLLECTION Tseshaht fast becoming a force in the forests Page 5 395 WELLINGTON ST, Alberni garbage causes stink Page 8 OTTAWA, ONTARIO K1A ON4 t NEDC Business News Page 20 ISSN 0715 -4143 rid 6 - J Page 2 - Ha- Shilth -So - February 12, 2004 Ha- Shilth -Sa - February 12, 2004 - Page 3 4- Ha- Shilth -,Sa newspaper is LETTERS and KLECO'S Federal Throne published M the .Nuu -shah -nulth Speech Tribal Council for distribution to Ha- .5'hilrhSa will include letters remised from In readers. All letters SILS f be name, address phone number on it. the members of the fourteen Nan - signed by the writer and hase the writer's & Names can be withheld by request. Ananrmnus submissions will not he accented. pleases First I ïhah -ninth First Nations as well Nations We reserve the right to Mil submitted material for clarity, brevity, as ether interested groups and By David lint tot, participation. 'l't pursue this goal, the grammar and taste. We will J pearl)' Iles publish letters dealing with tribal individuals. Information & original good Government will work with provinces or personal disputes or issues that are critical of Nuu- chah -nulth individuals or Southern Region Reporter work contained in this newspaper is and territories and Aboriginal partners in -Cl groups. a wed Aboriginal human Resources copyright and may not be are purely those of the Ottawa - Prime Minister Paul Martin All opinions expressed in letters to the editor Development Slmlegy, Too often the reproduced without written o views the revealed the directions his government enter and will not necessarily coincide the or policies of Arno needs of Aboriginal people will be going last week with the off reserve per from: chuh -nalrh Tribal Council or its member First Nations. are up in wrangling. presentation of the throne speech, One caught jurisdictional Auo-tson shah -nulth Tribal Council These issues canna deter us.