It’s finally the end of the Copenhagen climate change summit. I don’t know about anyone else, but I had my hopes up. After almost two weeks of high-level collaborative teamwork you’d expect something more to show for it than the sooty remains of a huge carbon footprint. To be fair, our world leaders have come up with an insight that is staggering in its implications (see #2… no pun intended): “Deep cuts in global emissions are required.” I thought we already figured that part out. Oh snap! But wait, there’s more! The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon tells us that, “although the accord may not be what everyone had hoped for, it is a beginning.” Apparently Kyoto is now passé; in 1997, I thought it was a beginning. In spite of my disappointment at the outcome of the conference, however, I can rest easy because Canada’s Minister of the Environment, Jim Prentice, assures me that this not legally binding accord is “an excellent agreement.” With Canada’s record of escalating carbon emissions each year since the Kyoto Accord was signed – a 27% increase from 1990 benchmark levels – how can I not feel good about this?
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Over and over, I hear British Columbia’s Minister of Health Kevin Falcon tell us he is following “best practices,” when he explains why certain services, such as six community based crisis lines on Vancouver Island, have been dismantled. The term is held up as a rationale for cuts to an existing and responsive tried and true system of delivery of services, particularly in regard to the Nuu-Chah-Nulth on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Under the guise of “best practices,” the existing crisis-line services that have direct ties in to each of the communities are being replaced with a central call centre. The easy to remember number 811, so goes the rationale, will make it more convenient for those in crisis to get through for the help they need. That the call centre will be staffed by the lowest bidder for the job will make for great savings in Falcon’s system. Anyone who’s paid attention to the abject failure of corporations such as Telus to deliver useful service to its customers through their outsourced call centres should quickly understand the fundamental differences in service that this shift by the Minister of Health implies. The difference is often inconvenient and frustrating when dealing with one’s phone or internet service; it can be a matter of life and death when dealing with a crisis line for those living in remote regions whose only contact is the person on the other end of the line. It can make all the difference for the individual in crisis if the voice on the other end of the line is familiar with the community, the situation, and the unique social narrative that defines small and remote communities.
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Now we’ve got Alberta’s health officials telling people to relax and take it easy if they’re not in a high-risk category; Dr. André Corriveau, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health went on to say, “…we plan to have everyone vaccinated by Christmas.” Hang on a second… did he say Christmas? BY CHRISTMAS! Holy Mother and all the Saints! What’s going on? I better check the Public Health Agency of Canada’s site. Oh my Lord! CHRISTMAS! It wasn’t a mistake.

It looks like Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and B.C. are all suffering from Glaxo-Smith Kline’s production “hiccup.” The vaccine producer is unable to keep up with the demand for its product. It’s hard to blame the people who are making the stuff for not keeping up with a demand that wasn’t even there a couple of short weeks ago, but what about the bunch who sounded the alarm?

I would like suggest something to the communications department of Health Canada in the event that we face similar future emergencies. Please think your messaging strategy through thoroughly before you carry it out. When dealing with a highly emotional/stressful topic (like the H1N1 pandemic) consider the most likely, as well as the less probable, effects that your words will have on the target audience – and then tailor your messages to dispel anxiety rather than provoke it. Oh yeah, one more thing: Never tell your audience to get vaccinated when there’s no vaccine in the larder; that’s just asking for trouble.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq

News of the Swine-Flu started drifting into the media back in April of 2009. It very soon began to seem like it was much noise about not much. Then it returned to the airwaves and started hitting all of us hard in early October as the date for the federal roll-out of a newly developed vaccine approached. One would imagine that the Ministry of Health would follow their own directives, as listed on their “About Mission, Values, Activities” page. Pay particular attention to the third sub-heading under “Core Values – Our Values in Action,” which is entitled, “Caring for the People of Canada.” (take a minute to click the link and read that one section). There’s talk about advancing the public good, as well as the provision of credible information and reliable advice – presumably to that same public. But what has actually happened falls rather short of the Ministry’s espoused ideals.

The Federal government, as represented by Canadian Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, told Canadians on October 21st, “I’m happy to say that today Health Canada has authorized the H1N1 flu virus vaccine,” and on October 25th, “I encourage Canadians to get the vaccine to stop the pandemic”. I live in BC where the H1N1 virus hit hardest, the clock is still ticking, people are still dying, it’s October 30th, and my family is still unable to get the vaccine. Unfortunately, or fortunately (I won’t know until the grim reaper has completed his grisly harvest), we’re not in a high risk category, so if we die, well, that’s just taking one for the team, don’t you see.
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