Whistle Blower Legislation needed in N.S. ?
Re the article about the firing of the Nurse Practitioner on Digby Neck and the Islands On my reading her offence, a small piece in the local newsletter 1)informing citizens of a mandated cutback by the Health Authority of her clerical support because of a budget issue(resulting in the closing of the office by 230pm each day - no one to answer calls, take referrals , and organize patient services after that time) and 2)expressing her hope that that Authority would be able to “ see the error of this decision” given the volume of service needs ie over 1500 patients for one nurse practitioner ,I thought “ whistle blower” ( defined in the website CanadianLaw.ca as “ those who disclose information about something they believe to be harmful to the public’s interest, occurring in business or in government. It includes disclosure to authorities within the organization, to outside agencies or to the media”) New Brunswick has such protection, alas not NS. In Britain whistle blowers qualify for good citizenship Honours awards , the law even voiding contract gagging. Laws being developed in the US distinguish between “groundless complaints and ethical complaints” – were Karen Snider’s ethical ? groundless? Carol Littleton Annapolis Royal
Monday, November 30, 2009
Denmark and Wind Turbines were supposed to be "Green"!
Blogger's Note: This is what my guests were saying: wind turbines do not reduce the use of fossil fuels.
From the Globe and Mail Nov. 30, 09
"Oil still fuels the green state of Denmark"
Something is rotten: Despite wind power, fossil fuels still dominate electricity production
By Eric Reguly
Published on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 11:24PM EST Last updated on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 7:52AM EST
Denmark oozes green.
Its capital, Copenhagen, won the moral right to host next month's climate change summit in good part because Denmark seems to have found the winning balance between growth and carbon reduction. Wind power is coming on strong. Its citizens are willing to pay sky-high electricity prices to encourage conservation. Its hot-water-based district heating system is considered a marvel of energy efficiency.
Denmark's green efforts have won praise from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the World Bank.
But this small, wealthy Nordic country – population 5.4-million – may not be as green as advertised. The fine print in Denmark's Energy Agency data paints a paler picture.
While Denmark has made considerable progress in moving toward clean energy, it is still tethered to the grubby old carbon world.
In reality, the Danish economy is more dependent on fossil fuels and the wealth they create than at any time in the country's history. The fuels come from the North Sea, whose reserves gave Denmark its first oil production in 1972.
In 1990 Denmark's oil production was 7-million cubic metres (one cubic metre equals 6.3 barrels). Production peaked at 22.6-million cubic metres in 2004. In 2007, the figure was a still-hefty 18.1-million. Natural gas production has doubled since 1990.
Most of the oil and gas is exported. “Denmark's economic success story is dependent on other nations increasing their carbon-dioxide footprint,” said Aldyen Donnelly, president of Vancouver's WDA Consulting, a greenhouse-gas emissions management consultancy.
Of course, Denmark also exports green technology, such as wind turbines made by Vestas, the world's biggest wind-energy company. But clean-tech exports, combined with exports of electricity, are still well below the combined value of its exports fossil fuel and fossil-fuel technology, such as oil-drilling equipment. In 2008, for every dollar of exports in the clean-tech and electricity category, $6 worth of exports in the fossil-fuel category left Denmark. On the export front at least, Denmark is still very much an oil economy.
Another myth is that Demark's electricity production is ultra-clean.
There is no doubt that the Danes are world leaders in the development of wind energy. Wind power generated 18.3 per cent of Denmark's electricity last year, up from 11.6 per cent in 1990. (Solar power has a near zero share of the market.) “They broke every barrier in the wind market,” said Jonathan Coony, an energy technology specialist at the World Bank. “They were pioneers in that area. No one thought they could go beyond 5 per cent. But they went to 10, then 15 and kept on going.”
But coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, is still the most popular electricity-generating fuel. Last year it supplied 48 per cent of Denmark's electricity, a ratio that has varied little this decade. Since coal plants are used as backups for wind generators when the wind doesn't blow, the plants are unlikely to be phased out.
Oil and natural gas, meanwhile, are still doing yeoman's work in the Danish electricity market. In 2008 the two fuels accounted for 22 per cent of total electricity generation. Coal, oil and gas together account for a not-so green 70 per cent of total electricity generation.
Other than wind power, Denmark's big environmental success story is district heating, hailed as a model of energy efficiency. District heating takes the surplus heat thrown off by coal and gas plants and uses it to create hot water that travels through pipes to heat homes. Today, some 2.5 million Danish homes are connected to the vast underground heating grid.
The Danish government says the system reduces fuel consumption by 30 per cent compared with the amount that would have been consumed in home furnaces. Ms. Donnelly says district heating can reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions from home heating by as much as half. But she notes the system was built well before the 1997 Kyoto climate change accord, and had nothing to do with Denmark's green halo. Developed in the 1930s and greatly expanded in the 1980s, district heating was the national effort to reduce energy costs after the twin oil shocks of the 1970s.
District heating is a consumer bargain. What is not a bargain is Denmark's electricity price. At the end of last year, according to Energy Regulatory Authority, the consumer price had reached the equivalent of 46 cents a kilowatt hour. That's more than three times the typical Canadian and American price. Only 30 per cent of the charge represents the actual energy cost. The rest comes from taxes, transmission costs and other fees.
The prices have worked in the sense that they have kept a lid on electricity consumption in recent years. But they seem to have failed to create an alternative energy revolution; fossil fuels still dominate electricity production.
Still, international organizations like the World Bank and the UN praise Denmark's green efforts and hold it out as an example to be followed as the world lurches towards a difficult carbon-reduction summit in Copenhagen. But Denmark, in spite of its best efforts, shows how hard it is to make significant progress on the carbon-reduction file. Said one energy executive: “It's not all sunshine and rainbows in the Danish energy market.”
From the Globe and Mail Nov. 30, 09
"Oil still fuels the green state of Denmark"
Something is rotten: Despite wind power, fossil fuels still dominate electricity production
By Eric Reguly
Published on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 11:24PM EST Last updated on Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 7:52AM EST
Denmark oozes green.
Its capital, Copenhagen, won the moral right to host next month's climate change summit in good part because Denmark seems to have found the winning balance between growth and carbon reduction. Wind power is coming on strong. Its citizens are willing to pay sky-high electricity prices to encourage conservation. Its hot-water-based district heating system is considered a marvel of energy efficiency.
Denmark's green efforts have won praise from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the World Bank.
But this small, wealthy Nordic country – population 5.4-million – may not be as green as advertised. The fine print in Denmark's Energy Agency data paints a paler picture.
While Denmark has made considerable progress in moving toward clean energy, it is still tethered to the grubby old carbon world.
In reality, the Danish economy is more dependent on fossil fuels and the wealth they create than at any time in the country's history. The fuels come from the North Sea, whose reserves gave Denmark its first oil production in 1972.
In 1990 Denmark's oil production was 7-million cubic metres (one cubic metre equals 6.3 barrels). Production peaked at 22.6-million cubic metres in 2004. In 2007, the figure was a still-hefty 18.1-million. Natural gas production has doubled since 1990.
Most of the oil and gas is exported. “Denmark's economic success story is dependent on other nations increasing their carbon-dioxide footprint,” said Aldyen Donnelly, president of Vancouver's WDA Consulting, a greenhouse-gas emissions management consultancy.
Of course, Denmark also exports green technology, such as wind turbines made by Vestas, the world's biggest wind-energy company. But clean-tech exports, combined with exports of electricity, are still well below the combined value of its exports fossil fuel and fossil-fuel technology, such as oil-drilling equipment. In 2008, for every dollar of exports in the clean-tech and electricity category, $6 worth of exports in the fossil-fuel category left Denmark. On the export front at least, Denmark is still very much an oil economy.
Another myth is that Demark's electricity production is ultra-clean.
There is no doubt that the Danes are world leaders in the development of wind energy. Wind power generated 18.3 per cent of Denmark's electricity last year, up from 11.6 per cent in 1990. (Solar power has a near zero share of the market.) “They broke every barrier in the wind market,” said Jonathan Coony, an energy technology specialist at the World Bank. “They were pioneers in that area. No one thought they could go beyond 5 per cent. But they went to 10, then 15 and kept on going.”
But coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, is still the most popular electricity-generating fuel. Last year it supplied 48 per cent of Denmark's electricity, a ratio that has varied little this decade. Since coal plants are used as backups for wind generators when the wind doesn't blow, the plants are unlikely to be phased out.
Oil and natural gas, meanwhile, are still doing yeoman's work in the Danish electricity market. In 2008 the two fuels accounted for 22 per cent of total electricity generation. Coal, oil and gas together account for a not-so green 70 per cent of total electricity generation.
Other than wind power, Denmark's big environmental success story is district heating, hailed as a model of energy efficiency. District heating takes the surplus heat thrown off by coal and gas plants and uses it to create hot water that travels through pipes to heat homes. Today, some 2.5 million Danish homes are connected to the vast underground heating grid.
The Danish government says the system reduces fuel consumption by 30 per cent compared with the amount that would have been consumed in home furnaces. Ms. Donnelly says district heating can reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions from home heating by as much as half. But she notes the system was built well before the 1997 Kyoto climate change accord, and had nothing to do with Denmark's green halo. Developed in the 1930s and greatly expanded in the 1980s, district heating was the national effort to reduce energy costs after the twin oil shocks of the 1970s.
District heating is a consumer bargain. What is not a bargain is Denmark's electricity price. At the end of last year, according to Energy Regulatory Authority, the consumer price had reached the equivalent of 46 cents a kilowatt hour. That's more than three times the typical Canadian and American price. Only 30 per cent of the charge represents the actual energy cost. The rest comes from taxes, transmission costs and other fees.
The prices have worked in the sense that they have kept a lid on electricity consumption in recent years. But they seem to have failed to create an alternative energy revolution; fossil fuels still dominate electricity production.
Still, international organizations like the World Bank and the UN praise Denmark's green efforts and hold it out as an example to be followed as the world lurches towards a difficult carbon-reduction summit in Copenhagen. But Denmark, in spite of its best efforts, shows how hard it is to make significant progress on the carbon-reduction file. Said one energy executive: “It's not all sunshine and rainbows in the Danish energy market.”
Write Your Own Letter-Form Below
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 5:17 AM
Subject: Letter to Minister of Health
Here is a form letter that we are asking people to sign and send on
to the minister of health. This doesn't preclude people writing their own
letters, or adding their own comments to this one. But we want to swamp the
minister in the next couple of days with this letter. Maureen MacDonald's
email is health.minister@gov.ns.ca I have attached the letter as a MS Word
document, or you can just cut and paste from the letter below. Please ask
people to sign their own name at the bottom. Could you please pass this on
to all your email contacts.
Thanks,
Andy
Honourable Maureen MacDonald
Minister of Health, Province of Nova Scotia
Veith House
3115 Veith Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 3G9
November 30, 2009
Dear Honourable Minister,
The residents of the Islands and the Digby Neck are shocked by the
recent actions of the Southwest Nova District Health Authority (DHA) in the
matter of Karen Snider. The DHA actions totally contradict your earlier
indication to the community that a positive resolution would be reached.
In good faith, and based on discussions with you, and those of your
Deputy Minister, The Islands' Health Liaison Committee and the residents of
the area expected that Ms. Snider would be reinstated as nurse practitioner
for the area. We respected your request for patience and time to work
through the necessary processes. You had indicated that, while the DHA and
not Department of Health had primary responsibility for resolving the
situation given the employer/employee nature of the issue, you remained
committed to a positive outcome.
The document prepared by the DHA and presented to Ms. Snider for her
signature as a condition of her reinstatement is slanderous in its nature
and contains errors and misinformation, which would make it impossible for
anyone to sign. That, together with the DHA's intention to publish it in
three newspapers and post it on the door of the community clinic, further
reinforces the incompetence and bullying management style of the DHA. One
must question whether the DHA really wanted to reach an agreement with Ms.
Snider.
Following this handling of this matter, who would ever want to work as
a Nurse Practitioner or another health professional under the DHA? This at
a time when the country and the province faces a dearth of doctors, nurses,
nurse practitioners and other health professionals. One wonders what
leadership and competences exists within the DHA to manage issues such as
doctor recruitment retention, keeping ER's open, etc.
The DHA's mismanagement of a simple employer/employee issue is
effectively destroying a health care model which has been recognized
provincially and nationally as a model for a collaborative practice health
care and has left the 1500 residents in this area without health care.
Minister, as you yourself stated in the provincial legislature on September
22nd, the health care model here "is a fine example of the kinds of
innovation that we can bring to our health care system, and the use of both
paramedics and nurse practitioners in that area is something that we will
seriously look at expanding into other parts of the province." With the
recent dismissal of Ms. Snider effective last week, your hands are no longer
tied, as the employee and employer relationship no longer exists. This
clears the way for you, as Minister of Health for the Province of Nova
Scotia, to resolve this urgent matter and reinstate Ms. Snider.
Ms. Snider has the complete support of the community. During her time
as nurse practitioner, she saw an average of 24 patients per day, compared
to six patients as per her predecessors. At no time has the DHA indicated
that the dismissal of Ms. Snider had anything to do with her medical or
clinical skills.
Minister, this community has lost all confidence in the leadership of
the Chief Executive Officer of the DHA. We are certain that you do not
support the lack of leadership demonstrated by Blaise MacNeil and his senior
management team in the handling of the matter of Karen Snider.
We kindly ask you to do the following:
1. Immediately reinstate Ms. Snider, as Nurse Practitioner
2. Meet with the residents of the Islands and Digby Neck in Freeport
during the week of November 30th, 2009.
3. Direct your Deputy Minister and Senior Officials to work with the
community to develop and implement a new reporting relationship for this
particular geographic area to an authority that is more farsighted, creative
and committed to the health of the residents of this area.
Kind regards,
Subject: Letter to Minister of Health
Here is a form letter that we are asking people to sign and send on
to the minister of health. This doesn't preclude people writing their own
letters, or adding their own comments to this one. But we want to swamp the
minister in the next couple of days with this letter. Maureen MacDonald's
email is health.minister@gov.ns.ca I have attached the letter as a MS Word
document, or you can just cut and paste from the letter below. Please ask
people to sign their own name at the bottom. Could you please pass this on
to all your email contacts.
Thanks,
Andy
Honourable Maureen MacDonald
Minister of Health, Province of Nova Scotia
Veith House
3115 Veith Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 3G9
November 30, 2009
Dear Honourable Minister,
The residents of the Islands and the Digby Neck are shocked by the
recent actions of the Southwest Nova District Health Authority (DHA) in the
matter of Karen Snider. The DHA actions totally contradict your earlier
indication to the community that a positive resolution would be reached.
In good faith, and based on discussions with you, and those of your
Deputy Minister, The Islands' Health Liaison Committee and the residents of
the area expected that Ms. Snider would be reinstated as nurse practitioner
for the area. We respected your request for patience and time to work
through the necessary processes. You had indicated that, while the DHA and
not Department of Health had primary responsibility for resolving the
situation given the employer/employee nature of the issue, you remained
committed to a positive outcome.
The document prepared by the DHA and presented to Ms. Snider for her
signature as a condition of her reinstatement is slanderous in its nature
and contains errors and misinformation, which would make it impossible for
anyone to sign. That, together with the DHA's intention to publish it in
three newspapers and post it on the door of the community clinic, further
reinforces the incompetence and bullying management style of the DHA. One
must question whether the DHA really wanted to reach an agreement with Ms.
Snider.
Following this handling of this matter, who would ever want to work as
a Nurse Practitioner or another health professional under the DHA? This at
a time when the country and the province faces a dearth of doctors, nurses,
nurse practitioners and other health professionals. One wonders what
leadership and competences exists within the DHA to manage issues such as
doctor recruitment retention, keeping ER's open, etc.
The DHA's mismanagement of a simple employer/employee issue is
effectively destroying a health care model which has been recognized
provincially and nationally as a model for a collaborative practice health
care and has left the 1500 residents in this area without health care.
Minister, as you yourself stated in the provincial legislature on September
22nd, the health care model here "is a fine example of the kinds of
innovation that we can bring to our health care system, and the use of both
paramedics and nurse practitioners in that area is something that we will
seriously look at expanding into other parts of the province." With the
recent dismissal of Ms. Snider effective last week, your hands are no longer
tied, as the employee and employer relationship no longer exists. This
clears the way for you, as Minister of Health for the Province of Nova
Scotia, to resolve this urgent matter and reinstate Ms. Snider.
Ms. Snider has the complete support of the community. During her time
as nurse practitioner, she saw an average of 24 patients per day, compared
to six patients as per her predecessors. At no time has the DHA indicated
that the dismissal of Ms. Snider had anything to do with her medical or
clinical skills.
Minister, this community has lost all confidence in the leadership of
the Chief Executive Officer of the DHA. We are certain that you do not
support the lack of leadership demonstrated by Blaise MacNeil and his senior
management team in the handling of the matter of Karen Snider.
We kindly ask you to do the following:
1. Immediately reinstate Ms. Snider, as Nurse Practitioner
2. Meet with the residents of the Islands and Digby Neck in Freeport
during the week of November 30th, 2009.
3. Direct your Deputy Minister and Senior Officials to work with the
community to develop and implement a new reporting relationship for this
particular geographic area to an authority that is more farsighted, creative
and committed to the health of the residents of this area.
Kind regards,
To the Minister of Health #2
From: C. Littleton
To: health.minister@gov.ns.ca
Cc: stephenmcneil@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 8:41 PM
Subject: gag order on civil servants
Honourable Maureen Mac Donald
re the firing of the Nurse Practitioner on Digby Neck and the Islands
I have been listening to the discussions of this case of the firing of an employee within your department and have today read the offending piece in the local newsletter - the Passages. I am horrified at the cutback of clerical support services by 20% !! Surely with a budget as large as that of Health with many wasteful practices documented and top heavy with administrators you should be embarrassed by the SWRHA effecting savings at the cost of a much needed service in a very unserviced area. What is the savings on a clerical salary cut by 20% ? a maximum of $4000. per year ?
Surely the acknowledgment of this cut and what it will mean to the functioning of that clinic made by the nurse in the local newsletter was a principled and ethical announcement - irrespective of the gag clause in her contract. She is one of a highly valued group in our society - the whistle blower !She deserves protection not firing - a letter of reprimand would have been appropriate perhaps - reminding her of her contract ...but firing !!! what an ill advised action on the part of the SWRHA.
You are the health minister in a very special government for Nova Scotia. We expect the NDP to be more humanitarian and more fair. Think of the history of the NDP and the pioneers of health care and rights of workers - they must be " turning over in their graves", Tommy Douglas especially !!
Your action on this matter will signal what kind of just government the NDP are going to offer us - is it going to foster increasing cynicism in the population that once in power you are all the same - it doesnt matter - why bother to vote ?
I am requesting that you discipline your health authority representatives ,not this brave and much needed and wanted employee.
Carol Littleton
Annapolis Royal
Nova Scotia
902-532-0696
To: health.minister@gov.ns.ca
Cc: stephenmcneil@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 8:41 PM
Subject: gag order on civil servants
Honourable Maureen Mac Donald
re the firing of the Nurse Practitioner on Digby Neck and the Islands
I have been listening to the discussions of this case of the firing of an employee within your department and have today read the offending piece in the local newsletter - the Passages. I am horrified at the cutback of clerical support services by 20% !! Surely with a budget as large as that of Health with many wasteful practices documented and top heavy with administrators you should be embarrassed by the SWRHA effecting savings at the cost of a much needed service in a very unserviced area. What is the savings on a clerical salary cut by 20% ? a maximum of $4000. per year ?
Surely the acknowledgment of this cut and what it will mean to the functioning of that clinic made by the nurse in the local newsletter was a principled and ethical announcement - irrespective of the gag clause in her contract. She is one of a highly valued group in our society - the whistle blower !She deserves protection not firing - a letter of reprimand would have been appropriate perhaps - reminding her of her contract ...but firing !!! what an ill advised action on the part of the SWRHA.
You are the health minister in a very special government for Nova Scotia. We expect the NDP to be more humanitarian and more fair. Think of the history of the NDP and the pioneers of health care and rights of workers - they must be " turning over in their graves", Tommy Douglas especially !!
Your action on this matter will signal what kind of just government the NDP are going to offer us - is it going to foster increasing cynicism in the population that once in power you are all the same - it doesnt matter - why bother to vote ?
I am requesting that you discipline your health authority representatives ,not this brave and much needed and wanted employee.
Carol Littleton
Annapolis Royal
Nova Scotia
902-532-0696
To the Minister of Health
The following letter was sent today to the Minister of Health, following the public meeting in Freeport on Saturday, Nov 28th. Andy
Honourable Maureen MacDonald
Minister of Health, Province of Nova Scotia
Veith House
3115 Veith Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 3G9
November 30, 2009
Dear Honourable Minister,
The residents of the Islands and the Digby Neck are shocked by the recent actions of the Southwest Nova District Health Authority (DHA) in the matter of Karen Snider. The DHA actions totally contradict your earlier indication to the community that a positive resolution would be reached.
In good faith, and based on discussions with you, and those of your Deputy Minister, The Islands’ Health Liaison Committee and the residents of the area expected that Ms. Snider would be reinstated as nurse practitioner for the area. We respected your request for patience and time to work through the necessary processes. You had indicated that, while the DHA and not Department of Health had primary responsibility for resolving the situation given the employer/employee nature of the issue, you remained committed to a positive outcome.
The document prepared by the DHA and presented to Ms. Snider for her signature as a condition of her reinstatement is slanderous in its nature and contains errors and misinformation, which would make it impossible for anyone to sign. That, together with the DHA’s intention to publish it in three newspapers and post it on the door of the community clinic, further reinforces the incompetence and bullying management style of the DHA. One must question whether the DHA really wanted to reach an agreement with Ms. Snider.
Following this handling of this matter, who would ever want to work as a Nurse Practitioner or another health professional under the DHA? This at a time when the country and the province faces a dearth of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health professionals. One wonders what leadership and competences exists within the DHA to manage issues such as doctor recruitment retention, keeping ER’s open, etc.
The DHA’s mismanagement of a simple employer/employee issue is effectively destroying a health care model which has been recognized provincially and nationally as a model for a collaborative practice health care and has left the 1500 residents in this area without health care. Minister, as you yourself stated in the provincial legislature on September 22nd, the health care model here “is a fine example of the kinds of innovation that we can bring to our health care system, and the use of both paramedics and nurse practitioners in that area is something that we will seriously look at expanding into other parts of the province.” With the recent dismissal of Ms. Snider effective last week, your hands are no longer tied, as the employee and employer relationship no longer exists. This clears the way for you, as Minister of Health for the Province of Nova Scotia, to resolve this urgent matter and reinstate Ms. Snider.
Ms. Snider has the complete support of the community. During her time as nurse practitioner, she saw an average of 24 patients per day, compared to six patients as per her predecessors. At no time has the DHA indicated that the dismissal of Ms. Snider had anything to do with her medical or clinical skills.
Minister, this community has lost all confidence in the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer of the DHA. We are certain that you do not support the lack of leadership demonstrated by Blaise MacNeil and his senior management team in the handling of the matter of Karen Snider.
We kindly ask you to do the following:
1. Immediately reinstate Ms. Snider, as Nurse Practitioner
2. Meet with the residents of the Islands and Digby Neck in Freeport during the week of November 30th, 2009.
3. Direct your Deputy Minister and Senior Officials to work with the community to develop and implement a new reporting relationship for this particular geographic area to an authority that is more farsighted, creative and committed to the health of the residents of this area.
Kind regards,
Jim Thurber, Warden, Municipality of Digby
Andy Moir, Commissioner, Village of Freeport, Chair, Islands Health Liaison Committee
Cc: Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defense and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway
Premier Darrell Dexter
Greg Kerr, MP West Nova
Harold Theriault, MLA Digby-Annapolis
Janet Hazelton, President of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union
Honourable Maureen MacDonald
Minister of Health, Province of Nova Scotia
Veith House
3115 Veith Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 3G9
November 30, 2009
Dear Honourable Minister,
The residents of the Islands and the Digby Neck are shocked by the recent actions of the Southwest Nova District Health Authority (DHA) in the matter of Karen Snider. The DHA actions totally contradict your earlier indication to the community that a positive resolution would be reached.
In good faith, and based on discussions with you, and those of your Deputy Minister, The Islands’ Health Liaison Committee and the residents of the area expected that Ms. Snider would be reinstated as nurse practitioner for the area. We respected your request for patience and time to work through the necessary processes. You had indicated that, while the DHA and not Department of Health had primary responsibility for resolving the situation given the employer/employee nature of the issue, you remained committed to a positive outcome.
The document prepared by the DHA and presented to Ms. Snider for her signature as a condition of her reinstatement is slanderous in its nature and contains errors and misinformation, which would make it impossible for anyone to sign. That, together with the DHA’s intention to publish it in three newspapers and post it on the door of the community clinic, further reinforces the incompetence and bullying management style of the DHA. One must question whether the DHA really wanted to reach an agreement with Ms. Snider.
Following this handling of this matter, who would ever want to work as a Nurse Practitioner or another health professional under the DHA? This at a time when the country and the province faces a dearth of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health professionals. One wonders what leadership and competences exists within the DHA to manage issues such as doctor recruitment retention, keeping ER’s open, etc.
The DHA’s mismanagement of a simple employer/employee issue is effectively destroying a health care model which has been recognized provincially and nationally as a model for a collaborative practice health care and has left the 1500 residents in this area without health care. Minister, as you yourself stated in the provincial legislature on September 22nd, the health care model here “is a fine example of the kinds of innovation that we can bring to our health care system, and the use of both paramedics and nurse practitioners in that area is something that we will seriously look at expanding into other parts of the province.” With the recent dismissal of Ms. Snider effective last week, your hands are no longer tied, as the employee and employer relationship no longer exists. This clears the way for you, as Minister of Health for the Province of Nova Scotia, to resolve this urgent matter and reinstate Ms. Snider.
Ms. Snider has the complete support of the community. During her time as nurse practitioner, she saw an average of 24 patients per day, compared to six patients as per her predecessors. At no time has the DHA indicated that the dismissal of Ms. Snider had anything to do with her medical or clinical skills.
Minister, this community has lost all confidence in the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer of the DHA. We are certain that you do not support the lack of leadership demonstrated by Blaise MacNeil and his senior management team in the handling of the matter of Karen Snider.
We kindly ask you to do the following:
1. Immediately reinstate Ms. Snider, as Nurse Practitioner
2. Meet with the residents of the Islands and Digby Neck in Freeport during the week of November 30th, 2009.
3. Direct your Deputy Minister and Senior Officials to work with the community to develop and implement a new reporting relationship for this particular geographic area to an authority that is more farsighted, creative and committed to the health of the residents of this area.
Kind regards,
Jim Thurber, Warden, Municipality of Digby
Andy Moir, Commissioner, Village of Freeport, Chair, Islands Health Liaison Committee
Cc: Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defense and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway
Premier Darrell Dexter
Greg Kerr, MP West Nova
Harold Theriault, MLA Digby-Annapolis
Janet Hazelton, President of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union
Moratorium on Wind Turbines Wanted- Grey County
Here is an example of municipal leaders working with and for the people. As usual there are a few who are not but in this case the majority of leaders wish a moratorium on turbines until research is done.
The Collingwood Connection, November 26, 2009
Grey County wants wind turbine moratorium
BY CHRIS FELL
STAFF
The list of those demanding a moratorium on the construction of wind turbines in the local area continues to grow.
Grey County Council joined the chorus of folks demanding a moratorium on the construction of wind turbines at it's regular meeting held on November 24th. County council asked for the provincial government to study the health affects turbines have on people more comprehensively before allowing them to be built.
Former Warden and the longest serving member of county council Howard Greig brought forward a resolution asking for the province to impose a moratorium immediately until health affects are clearly studied.
"There's no denying - in my mind - these can affect your health if you're too close to them," said Greig, the Mayor of Chatsworth. " We need an independent, third party study to say where these turbines should be so there is no affect on the health of our citizens," he said.
Greig's resolution received immediate support from Grey Highland's Mayor Brian Mullin. Currently there is a large - scale wind turbine proposal for Grey Highlands and citizens in that municipality have been fighting for the province to study the health affects of the massive machines.
"There is a wealth of information out there. Before our landscape is covered with large numbers of these turbines it's time the province sorted out the wheat from the chafe," said Mullin, who said provincial regulations on wind turbines aren't based on any data from what he can tell. "The province has imposed a setback of 550 metres for them. I have not seen the studies used to determine that setback number. I think that number was just pulled out by the bureaucrats," he said.
The moratorium received wide support from the vast majority of county councillors at the meeting. In a recorded vote it passed 76 - 15. Grey County council has now joined local Bruce - Grey - Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch in calling for a moratorium on the construction of industrial wind turbines until studies about their affects on people living nearby are completed. The province recently rammed through the Green Energy Act that takes away local planning authority on energy projects deemed to be "green".
Southgate Mayor Don Lewis objected to the county's resolution. Lewis said Southgate has a large wind turbine project right next door to it near Shelburne and he hasn't heard about too many problems with them.
"Do we have any authority or any right to ask for this? What's the point? Other than to make us feel warm and fuzzy, " Lewis questioned.
Both Meaford Mayor Francis Richardson and Deputy Mike Traynor also voted against the resolution proposed by Greig.
The Collingwood Connection, November 26, 2009
Grey County wants wind turbine moratorium
BY CHRIS FELL
STAFF
The list of those demanding a moratorium on the construction of wind turbines in the local area continues to grow.
Grey County Council joined the chorus of folks demanding a moratorium on the construction of wind turbines at it's regular meeting held on November 24th. County council asked for the provincial government to study the health affects turbines have on people more comprehensively before allowing them to be built.
Former Warden and the longest serving member of county council Howard Greig brought forward a resolution asking for the province to impose a moratorium immediately until health affects are clearly studied.
"There's no denying - in my mind - these can affect your health if you're too close to them," said Greig, the Mayor of Chatsworth. " We need an independent, third party study to say where these turbines should be so there is no affect on the health of our citizens," he said.
Greig's resolution received immediate support from Grey Highland's Mayor Brian Mullin. Currently there is a large - scale wind turbine proposal for Grey Highlands and citizens in that municipality have been fighting for the province to study the health affects of the massive machines.
"There is a wealth of information out there. Before our landscape is covered with large numbers of these turbines it's time the province sorted out the wheat from the chafe," said Mullin, who said provincial regulations on wind turbines aren't based on any data from what he can tell. "The province has imposed a setback of 550 metres for them. I have not seen the studies used to determine that setback number. I think that number was just pulled out by the bureaucrats," he said.
The moratorium received wide support from the vast majority of county councillors at the meeting. In a recorded vote it passed 76 - 15. Grey County council has now joined local Bruce - Grey - Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch in calling for a moratorium on the construction of industrial wind turbines until studies about their affects on people living nearby are completed. The province recently rammed through the Green Energy Act that takes away local planning authority on energy projects deemed to be "green".
Southgate Mayor Don Lewis objected to the county's resolution. Lewis said Southgate has a large wind turbine project right next door to it near Shelburne and he hasn't heard about too many problems with them.
"Do we have any authority or any right to ask for this? What's the point? Other than to make us feel warm and fuzzy, " Lewis questioned.
Both Meaford Mayor Francis Richardson and Deputy Mike Traynor also voted against the resolution proposed by Greig.
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