Author name: Pontiac Journal

First steps to private healthcare?

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Tashi Farmilo
Local Journalism Initiative

QUEBEC – The Quebec government’s recent decision to entrust management positions at the new Santé Québec agency to business leaders from the private sector has sparked concerns among experts and the general public. The agency, which will oversee the public health system, will be led by individuals recommended by other business leaders.

The government’s intention is to implement the business community’s vision of the health system, which coincides with its own. The move is reminiscent of the 1980s when the government entrusted a working committee, dominated by businessmen, tasked with evaluating government organizations, including the health care system. Among the committee’s recommendations were the privatization of hospitals and the abolition of CLSCs.

Critics of the new agency argue the private sector cannot save the public system, given its historical opposition to the creation of the system and its relentless efforts to erode it.

Pontiac MNA André Fortin has criticized Health Minister Christian Dubé’s plans to create the Agence santé Québec, calling it a “civil servant’s solution” that will allow Dubé to shift the responsibility of healthcare onto others.

Fortin’s criticisms come as Dubé suggests that an additional box on the organization chart of the Ministry of Health will help alleviate long wait times in emergency rooms. Fortin expressed his disagreement with this suggestion, and also criticized the government’s other proposals for improving the healthcare network. According to Fortin, the government’s focus seems to be on the structure of the healthcare network rather than on patient care, attracting healthcare professionals, and ensuring that Quebecers have access to adequate resources when they need medical care.

Dr. Alain Vadeboncoeur, a Canadian emergency physician and science communicator, recently shared his thoughts on the new Agence santé Québec in an appearance on the Les débatteurs de Noovo television program. According to Dr. Vadeboncoeur, the agency is not a separate crown corporation and will report directly to the Minister of Health, meaning it is not an independent agency but rather a centralization. He also noted that the agency’s focus seems to be on achieving good results through action and that there may be some benefits to this approach.

Dr. Vadeboncoeur further stated that this type of centralization has never been attempted before, and it could be worth trying to see how it works in practice.

The fact that the government has chosen to call on companies such as IBM, Google, Energir, Pharmaprix, and KPMG to rescue the public system is worrisome but not surprising, given the current composition of the Cabinet. Anne Plourde, a researcher at IRIS and author of the book, Le privé, c’est mauvais pour la santé (Écosociété, 2021), warns that the business community and their political allies bear an undeniable historical responsibility for the degradation of public health care services. The government’s decision to entrust the management of the new agency to business leaders raises serious concerns about the future of the public health system in Quebec.

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Municipal website audit

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Quebec Municipal Commission performs municipal website audit

Sophie Demers
Local Journalism Initiative

MRC PONTIAC – The Quebec Municipal Commission did a performance audit of municipal websites recently and published the results in March, specifically looking at information availability and content management, demonstrating a number of shortcomings for many municipalities. Twenty municipalities across Quebec were audited, but L’Ange Gardien was the only Outaouais municipality included.

The objective of the audit was to assess whether municipalities are transparent in providing information and if their website communication management practices support transparency. The Commission states that providing clear and easily accessible information on municipal websites fosters transparency.

The audit highlighted significant issues with municipal compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Less than half of the audited municipalities disclosed wages and allowances of elected officials on their website, and a quarter did not comply with the regulation to disclose awarded contracts. However, almost all municipalities provided information on their activities, services and participating in democratic life.

Pontiac municipalities fall short

In terms of content management, the audit found most policies for updating content were informal and most municipalities had undocumented quality control procedures.

The audit’s findings are consistent with what can be found on local municipal websites like Shawville, which provides proper information on tourism and economic development, bylaws, waste collection, and contacting the municipality; however, there are few public documents concerning finances.

Shawville’s website is also missing elected officials’ contact information, lists of awarded contracts, council meeting minutes, annual budgets, and the salaries of elected officials and their allowances. A member of the municipal administration says they send the minutes to residents who request them.

Comparatively, Campbell’s Bay’s website has the budget and three-year capital program documents as well as council meeting minutes and recordings available to the public. However, like Shawville, the website did not include complete contact information for councillors or a calendar of upcoming events.

According to the Commission, transparency is providing accessible, clear, reliable, and timely information to the public. Access to this information allows residents to better understand services and decision-making processes and encourages participation in democratic life.

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Petition calls for international check on nuclear waste projects

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Deborah Powell
Local Journalism Initiative

CHALK RIVER – A new House of Commons e-petition opened for signatures December 11. Initiated by Ole Hendrickson, ecologist and researcher for Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, and authorized by Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel, the petition calls upon the Government of Canada to direct the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to make no decision on licensing of a radioactive waste disposal facility unless Canada’s obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) are met. The petition also calls for a review by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ major projects involving permanent disposal of the government’s legacy radioactive waste.

The explanation in the petition states that project approvals for nuclear waste disposal facilities could violate UNDRIP Article 29(2): “no storage or disposal of hazardous materials shall take place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent.” This point had been adamantly made most recently at the CNSC hearing on the proposed Chalk River near surface disposal facility (NSDF) last August when Kebaowek First Nation, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and the Mitchikanibikok Inik (the Algonquins of Barriere Lake) gathered in Ottawa to make their presentations.

Regarding the call for an IAEA review, the petition specifically requests ARTEMIS, which is the IAEA’s integrated expert peer review service for radioactive waste and spent fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programmes. CNSC’s own Departmental Plan 2018 included asking for an ARTEMIS review mission to go over the safety cases for Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ proposed major projects but the CNSC never made the request. Instead, there was a request for an Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRSS). The report from this review was released by the IAEA in early 2020 and found that the Canadian national policy or strategy related to radioactive waste management was severely lacking in substance.

Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area and other interested groups have asked for a meeting with MP Chatel as soon as possible. In his request, Hendrickson wrote “As this issue is of high importance and time sensitive, we would like to initiate the process of identifying government officials to meet with to ensure that an ARTEMIS review, which would be to the benefit of all Canadians, takes place” and that an  “independent examination of current proposals for disposal of federal radioactive waste could reveal better alternatives that would address environmental concerns while saving money for taxpayers.”

Chatel’s authorization of the petition does not necessarily mean she agrees with the opinions or request set out in the petition. The petition is open for signatures until January 10, and can be found at: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4676

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United by the Heart: Access Squad acquires EVAC chair

Local Journalism Initiative / / / ,

Carl Hager & Grace Richards
Local Journalism Initiative

SHAWVILLE – On November 15, the Access Squad, together with the Beacon Network, held their United by the Heart event at St-Paul’s Anglican Church. The Access Squad hopes to create positive change in the community, and proof of these positive changes can be found in glowing reviews given by members of the Squad. One member, John Petty stated, “We all go through tough times; many of you have been there. It’s very hard and desolate. What the Access Squad does is help you pull yourself out of it. The power of people, kind words, community.”

A very positive atmosphere of about 50 people at the church hall known as the “Hub” highlighted the Access Squad’s purchase of a special chair lift. The Access Squad, a group of volunteers spearheaded by the occupational therapist Olga Ouellette, has raised the necessary funds to make the chair a reality. She gave a moving presentation on the importance of community and the goals at the center of their work, saying, “We started this group wanting to do something positive for the community. We are always striving to promote accessibility to make communal spaces more inclusive. Kindness is the only rule of the Access Squad.”

The Beacon Network co-hosted the event, and they announced that they are continuing their partnership with the Access Squad this winter. And, a psychotherapist will be hosting a support group focused on coping with various forms of loss, such as job loss, divorce, or loss of mobility. The Anglican Church also announced it would be further improving the accessibility of the community hall thanks to grants provided by the MRC.

Many establishments in the Pontiac are not wheelchair friendly. The chair, called the EVAC Chair, allows people with mobility issues to enter premises that are not ordinarily accessible to them. It will be carried on a Transpor-Action Pontiac bus to be used as needed. The person using the chair sits in it and, guided by the driver, uses traction over the steps, allowing upward and downward movement over the stairs. Before the chair becomes operational further training will have to be taken by the drivers who will be working the chair.

The Access Squad has held several fundraising events including last winter’s radio play adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” featuring Carol and Rick Valin, and well-known Montreal actor Howard Rhyshpan. Artworks, including photos by popular photographer Harry Foster, have been sold by auction. The Shawville Lion’s Club donated $2,500, the Quyon Legion contributed $500, and the Clarendon Women’s Institute also offered a $500 donation, making the purchase of the new chair lift possible.

Other speakers included the Beacon Network’s Kim Laroche who spoke about the community tools needed for positive mental health and psychotherapist Ali-Jonn Chaudary, a specialist in sibling estrangement.

Photo: L/R: Steven Sutton, Terry Campbell, Paul Piché, Olga Ouellette, and John Petty with a cheque for $2500 presented by the Shawville Lion’s Club to the Access Squad towards the purchase of an Evac Chair.

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