2nd edition - EZ Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter

April 2021 / avril 2021 Nova Scotia Health / Santé Nouvelle-Écosse Eastern Zone Diversity & Inclusion “EQUITY IN ACTION” “Equité en Action” NEWSLETTER Bulletin A Message from our Chairperson Dear Colleagues, It is my pleasure to update everyone on the work of the Eastern Zone Diversity and Social Inclusion Committee. The committee met with the CEO of Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Dr. Brendan Carr, in November and discussed the opportunities and challenges for Nova Scotia Health in striving to become an anti-racist organization. A follow-up letter was sent to Dr. Carr with some specific suggestions, including our desire for continued communication with him and others at senior levels in the organization, and a recommendation for dedicated additional resources to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in NSH. We also suggested the need to create a position statement on anti-racism for the Organization with accountability and the need to develop a mechanism to report systemic gaps and racism in NSH. Committee members agree that action on racism is urgently required within our Organization as we know the harm it creates for our staff and clients. The larger committee now has two sub-committees, a communication committee that develops the monthly calendar and this newsletter and a committee that examines best practices. Committee members are also invited to provide feedback on work underway on various policies and initiatives. Our understanding is that work on the Equity and Employment policy continues. Participants throughout NSH were asked to complete an evaluation of the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety training. You can hear more about this training in the article featured in this newsletter. I want to thank all committee members who participate and willingly contribute to this important work in addition to their regular job descriptions. We are all passionate about diversity, inclusion and health equity. We hope to contribute to making Nova Scotia Health a safe space for all of our staff and clients. If you are interested in joining our committee or have questions, please reach out to me at: [email protected] Karen MacKinnon, Chair Eastern Zone Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee The Diversity & Inclusion Framework 1. Culturally competent person and family-centered care and services 2. Diverse Workforce 3. Engagement and partnership with diverse communities 4. Organizational leadership, decision-making and policy 5. Equity through data collection and research

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 2 In This Issue  A Message from Our Chairperson ……. 1  Education & Helpful Links …………… 7  My Story in a Few Lines ………………. 2  Best Practices ………………………… 8  Learning from Lived Experience .……... 4  Calendar ……………………………… 9  Notable Mentions .…………………….. 6  Committee Members .…………………. 9  Policies Simplified …………………….. 7 My S‫ط‬to‫خ‬r‫د‬y‫چن‬in‫در‬a‫من‬Fe‫ان‬w‫داست‬Lines By: Soroush Moghaddam My story begins in Tehran, Iran, where I was born, 14 years beginning of spring. It was a challenge to make Nowruz as before I immigrated to Canada with my family. Twenty-five exciting as Christmas and Easter for my children, since the years after immigration, now with a family and two young only place they hear or learn about it is at home, from me. To children, I am still learning how to properly maneuver around make this significant day special for my children, I cooked for certain challenges that face immigrant families. I am currently the whole family a traditional Iranian dish that is quite learning how to preserve my cultural roots for my children, popular on the eve of who were born and raised in Canada, without making it Nowruz, Sabzi Polo ba difficult for them. My children and my wife do not speak my Mahi (Herbed Rice with first language, Farsi, and my children are not familiar with Fish). cultural and historical days that Iranians celebrate. In addition, instead of passing out money to my kids, as the proper tradition goes, I decided to buy gifts and toys for them, wrap them, and place them under our Haftseen table. To make Nowruz feel special, I chose to make it similar to Christmas. Giving gifts and toys is not what Iranians commonly do on Nowruz. This is one example of a scenario that probably rarely crosses the minds of people, who are not immigrants with different traditions and ceremonies. While this example may appear small, there are immigrants who face challenges and barriers that are much more serious in nature. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Nowruz (Literally: Growing up in Richmond, British Columbia, I was “New Day”), the Iranian/Persian New Year, and the surrounded by diversity. My friends and co-workers, Continued on next page

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 3 throughout my high school and university years were from presence of viewpoint and representational diversities helps various backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. us move forward insightfully. A top priority of mine in my One of the many benefits of this was that I learned relatively role is to seek ways to diversify my volunteer team. early in my life that there are always multiple ways to view and understand a specific event or question. I also realized that my own views and beliefs are the result of my back- ground and life experiences, and that we all interact with our shared environments differently. I am thrilled to be a part of the Eastern Zone Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee. Our discussions are lively and educational, and our members are fervent about implementing meaningful changes in order to bring to light and put an end to injustices and inequities that are present in Growing up in a diverse environment, and being interested our systems. in politics and religion, I was drawn to philosophy and I bring a different perspective to the table and I hope to eventually acquired a Master’s degree in philosophy from the learn about other viewpoints that had not previously crossed University of Victoria. my mind. I have had the privilege of having positive Within a few years of arriving in Canada, I soon realized the experiences since the day I began working with Nova Scotia significance of volunteering in my local communities. I have Health. My colleagues, locally and provincially, have been always sought various volunteering opportunities to connect quite supportive and understanding of certain cultural with my local community, wherever I resided, including differences and practices, and accepting and considerate of when I moved to Antigonish a few years ago. The more I my dietary restrictions and fasting days. I look forward to volunteered, the more clearly I witnessed and recognized the effectively continuing this important work. value and the impact of volunteering. Consequently, I have Newsletter Committee become an enthusiastic advocate for volunteering, making my current role at Nova Scotia Health as the Volunteer Resources Consultant quite suitable.  Aron Ashton Throughout my academic, employment, and volunteering  Celeste Gotell years, one common theme that I have always  Danielle Murphy noticed is that when there is diversity of views around a decision-making table, the outcome that is ultimately  Karen MacKinnon produced is always, and almost certainly, more productive  Lisa McNeil-Campbell and effective. I have learned that it is quite easy to forget and not realize how much we do not know about ourselves,  Soroush Moghaddam the experiences of others, and our environments. The

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 4 Learning from Lived Experience By: Celeste Gotell Harmful Assumptions When I asked the others what one aspect stood out the most, all three shared how deeply moved they were of a first voice story. A daughter related that she had accompanied her mother to the hospital by ambulance. She told how her mother was treated by staff who automatically assumed that her mother was in alcohol withdrawal, disregarding the fact that her daughter explained her mother did not drink. Staff did not consider other possible reasons for her presenting issues. The San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training The daughter also shared that while she accompanied her Program, https://www.sanyas.ca/ developed by British mom in the ambulance, her sister went home, changed into Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority, Indigenous business clothes and presented herself as a professional. She Health Program consists of seven modules that cover topics explained that in the family’s experience, when presenting in such indigenous culture, the legacies of colonization and this way, they would be taken more seriously. Her mother continued to show agitation and distress, while staff still cultural safety in health care. made assumptions that she was detoxing from alcohol and moved her to a ward. Her daughters had to speak to several This online program was made available to 100 NSH different staff before they found someone who listened and employees in the fall of 2020; I was one of 24 employees in intervened. Someone who finally believed that the presenting Eastern Zone who completed this valuable training. Each issue was actually related to other underlying health module was rich in content. We viewed powerful videos of conditions; and that her discomfort was related to the fact Indigenous people sharing their stories, learned from the that her husband had died in the same room where staff course facilitators, had opportunities to share with others in insisted she be moved. the course, journaled and tested our knowledge. Learning to be an Ally I had the privilege of chatting with three other participants from the Zone who generously shared with me how they For Charlynn Cox, an RN that works in Perioperative Services, were impacted by the training. We all agreed that one of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital (CBRH) participating in this richer components of the training was hearing the personal training was part of her own personal journey to become stories shared by Indigenous people with lived experience in more educated about Indigenous culture. In the summer of the health care system. 2020 she also completed the Indigenous Canada course, a free online from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies; https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions- programs/online-courses/indigenous-canada/index.html that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. Charlynn shared that since taking these two trainings, she has been pushed out of her comfort zone and is now more comfortable having difficult conversations with others Continued on next page

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 5 when comments are made that are inappropriate. While Peggy had previously participated a two day Cultural Safety difficult, she knows now she needs to speak up to be an training offered to all public health employees, which she ALLY. One of the biggest takeaways, according to Charlynn found very insightful. Although Peggy found taking the was “Hearing the story of the daughter and her mother made me reflect: San’yas training program somewhat challenging at this time, How many families and patients have come through our doors and have due to the operational demands of COVID and finding the been treated that way?” needed time each week to be intentional and reflective, she Understanding White agreed “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn more Privilege about the way that these issues present themselves in health care”. Debbie Glabay works as an Administrative Assistant, Emboldened to Take Action Spiritual Care and Chaplain at CBRH. Debbie grew up in Like others, I have also taken the two day Cultural Safety Sydney and through her family business and her grandmother training, participated in the Kairos Blanket Exercise, and had had many opportunities to interact with people from Mem- opportunities to learn about health inequities and racism. bertou. As a child, she recalled not being aware that people Taking this course has strengthened my resolve to be a viewed Indigenous people differently and did not understand stronger ALLY, to be bold to take action to address the the racism in her community. She shared the story of being a racism and systemic inequities in my role in Nova Scotia young child and her grandmother asking one of her Health. I think it is fair to say that all four of us, even though customers, who she sold Avon to, to leave her house because we each had some knowledge of the many issues faced by she made a racist remark about one of her other customers, a Indigenous people in the health care system, all recognized woman from Membertou. She recalls asking her we have so much more to learn. grandmother who told her it was never appropriate to say things like that about other people. Debbie shared that, “When I began the training, and failed the first test I was horrified, and it was a bit of a wake- up call”. Later, when I asked Debbie to name the most important learning for her, she shared, “I was living a life of white privilege and didn’t know it”. Learning about How Cultural Issues Impact on Health Care Peggy Vassallo is a Health Promoter with Public Health in  According to the National Housing Survey Sydney. In her current role and while in a previous role she had the opportunity to work with the Indigenous (NHS) (2016), conducted by Statistics Canada, communities on housing related issues, and the connection to there are 51,495 people of Aboriginal identity in poverty and homelessness. She witnessed the way in which Nova Scotia. The Aboriginal population makes Indigenous people were often treated differently. “One of the up 5.7% of the total population of Nova Scotia. things that impacted me greatly when I worked in housing is witnessing There are 13 Mi’kmaq communities in Nova how Indigenous women were viewed by men driving by as sexual objects Scotia. and subjected to cat calls and disparaging remarks in downtown Sydney”. This memory has always stayed with her.

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 6 Notable Mention Pearleen Oliver, a Trail Blazer in Health Care. She fought for the rights of Black nurses. Pearleen was born in 1917 in Guysborough County and from a very young age knew she wanted to be a nurse. At a time when few opportunities existed for young women, and even fewer for Black women, other than domestic service, Pearleen pursued her passion and soon found herself as a champion of civil rights crusader breaking down the barriers that stopped Black nurses from receiving training in Canada. Pearleen did all this while raising her young family, five sons with her husband Rev. Dr. William Pearly Oliver. Pearleen lived a full life and died in 2008 at the age of 91. A Nova Scotian that makes us Proud! We are so thankful for her service and contribution to the nursing profession and her commitment to civil rights. Listen to the interview on CBC Information Morning https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1866454083507  There are 21,915 African Nova Scotians according to 2016 National Household Survey (NHS) conducted by Statistics Canada. African Nova Scotians make up the largest racially visible group in Nova Scotia. They represent 37.4% of the racially visible population which constitutes 2.4% of the total Nova Scotian population.  The Acadian and Francophone community in Nova Scotia includes 29,370 people with French as a mother tongue (3.2% of the population), according to 2016 Census Data from Statistics Canada.  La communauté acadienne et francophone en Nouvelle-Écosse compte 29.370 personnes de langue maternelle française, soit 3,2 p. 100 de la population selon le recensement de 2016 de Statistique Canada.  According to the Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF), Indigenous women make $0.65 for every dollar, women living with a disability earn $0.54, racialized women make $0.67, and women who are new to Canada make $0.71 compare to men who are also new to Canada. Apr. 3, 2020.

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 7 Policies Simplified Education & Helpful Links Respectful Workplace  Respectful Workplace Policy Education Session By: Aron Ashton This session outlines the NSHA Respectful Workplace policy The purpose behind the policy is to: including information on respectful behavior, harassment, formal and informal complaint procedures and helpful resources. This  Establish a culture of shared responsibility and session is intended for employees who are not in a management or cooperation in promoting a positive work leadership role. environment free of all forms of offensive behaviour;  The Government of Canada  Create an understanding of what is considered Offers an Anti-racism learning series: Building Awareness and offensive or disrespectful behaviour; Changing Attitudes. It provides access to tools, job aids, courses, workshops and events on topics such as anti-Black racism, uncon-  Promote prevention and prompt resolution of scious bias, disaggregated data, mental health and the challenges offensive and disrespectful behaviour. faced by visible minorities in the public service. See what else they have to offer by clicking on this link below. NSH is committed to raising awareness of staff rights and https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/anti-racism-eng.aspx responsibilities and ensuring an appropriate process for filing, assessing, investigating, and resolving complaints.  Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Training General Offensive or disrespectful behaviour in the health care workplace has a negative impact on patient care, as well This interactive workshop is designed to support employees, as the health, safety, morale, and productivity of staff. physicians, learners and volunteers in exploring what diversity and inclusion mean, in the context of providing excellent Respectful behaviour is a requirement of all staff and an person-centered care and an inclusive work environment in the expectation of all patients, families, visitors, and others health care system. within NSH. Senior leadership, managers/supervisors, people services, and all staff play a role in adhering to the Lisa Densmore, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, respectful workplace policy. [email protected] LMS Module – 30 minutes; or 3hr interactive workshop Like any policy, there are procedures and like any procedure there are actions to follow if/or when a  Tamarack Institute situation occurs and if/when people need to be educated. For example, all staff have access to resources to increase Equity, Engagement, and Civic Leadership: How Does Your their capacity to address offensive or disrespectful Community Rate? behaviour in the workplace. In communities, citizens are making their voices heard through formal and informal networks and movements. Many of these The administration policy goes into detail, the movements are having a powerful impact on issues of equity, appropriate processes to follow if formalizing a justice, and inclusion. How can deep, durable, and sustainable complaint and the instructions necessary to resolve the change in our communities be the result of citizen movements. situation along with a glossary of definitions to ensure Webinar FREE, online Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | people have the necessary information available to be 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST fully informed. https://events.tamarackcommunity.ca/webinar-equity- engagement-civic-leadership-david-chrislip-patti-schmitt-liz-weaver More information can be found on the OP3 (Policy) Speakers: David Chrislip, Patti Schmitt, and Liz Weaver website, and LMS training in the links below:  Roots of Inequity Respectful Workplace Policy A Web-Based Course for the Public Health Workforce: “The Respectful workplace policy education session Roots of Health Inequity” learning collaborative offers a starting place for those who want to address systemic differences in health Another very important document to consider, and and wellness that are unfair and unjust. As a participant in this guides the NSH policy falls under workplace rights is the course, you will explore concepts and strategies by working Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Every Nova Scotian has through five units that describe different aspects of social justice as the right to be free from harassment and it relates to public health. discrimination . Free Online as a group or individually http://www.rootsofhealthinequity.org/about-course.php

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 8 Best Practices The Best Practices committee, with the support of shaped and how it interacts with this system (operational library services is currently conducting a literature framework within which the society functions). It allows for the structural advantages of whiteness to be seen and search on anti-racism practices in health care organizations. We will use this knowledge to bring examined. In addition, it brings to our attention that new ideas and practices forward to our committee whiteness is not neutral in conversations about race. One way to converse about race and race-related issues and the organization as a whole. Critical Whiteness Perspective through the Critical Whiteness perspective is to reject the Colour-Blind Approach. This approach speculates that the best way to end racism is by treating individuals as equally as In her paper on diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism, Anne possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. It is Flintoff, introduces and elaborates on an important often by statements such as, “I do not see race” or “I do not theoretical perspective that would be necessary in all see colour.” However, this position is founded upon the conversations and debates on race and race-related issues. misguided and tacit assumption that, “Everyone can do well! She labels this perspective Critical Whiteness and defines it as They just have to put in the effort!” It silently rejects and being conscious of being white and seeing whiteness as a dismisses the reality that everyone cannot do well, regardless system of privilege. In her paper she explains that an of how much effort they put in their work, since the system uncritical and unexamined approach to conversations on is constructed to favour and elevate some at the expense of race-related matters reproduces and perpetuates inequalities others. Consequently, this approach results in the refusal to and inequities. see and the rejection of structural inequities and systemic She brings to attention that in common conversations on racism. It contributes to the reproduction and perpetuation race, white people tend to position themselves as racially of systemic racism since its presence is denied or ignored. “unmarked” and “others” as “named”. They place Other consequences of this approach are as follows: themselves “outside” of debates and conversations about 1. Racism gets defined as an individual’s problem and not a race, and are rarely conscious of their own race, its 2. systemic problem. implications, and its interactions with its surroundings. It is Talking about race becomes difficult because no one this invisibility of whiteness to white people that she 3. wants to be found to be complacent or supportive of a identifies as White Privilege. Avoidance to confront the racist system. effects of whiteness or denying its significance, itself, is the If white educators, trainers, and decision-makers cannot privilege that white people have but racialized groups do not. see how whiteness impacts their own identities and The latter cannot pretend that they are not racialized positions, they cannot expect their white students or staff (non-white). Their attention to their race and its implications members to see it either. is an everyday necessity, at the forefront of their minds. While whiteness is often invisible to white people, BIPOC In closing, Critical Whiteness perspective brings our common (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) minorities are always thoughts, assumptions, and statements to the forefront of conscious of being non-white. They cannot not be aware of our minds. Statements, words, their meanings and use create their non-whiteness as they are often reminded of it through certain possibilities for thought and action. On the same their regular interactions with their surroundings. In other note, words and statements not said as a result of the words, \"Racialized Others\" are seen through their races; their colour-blind approach can keep certain possibilities out of thought and action. race becomes the first and foremost identifier, whereas non-racialized whites are seen without any consideration for Racism, in all of its forms, needs to be explicitly recognized their white race and white norms. and named. Explicit recognition and naming of racism allows The privilege of invisibility functions to obscure and make it for inequities to be understood at community and systemic difficult for white people to see and acknowledge the levels. Critical Whiteness perspective assists us to become structural advantages of the system in their favour at the conscious of the presence of systemic racism in our expense of other racialized groups. workplaces and beyond. Critical whiteness perspective studies how whiteness has

Volume 2 Equity in Action Newsletter / Equité en Action Bulletin Page 9 Dates to Remember - April 2021* Date Holiday/Observance Link to Further Information 2 Good Friday (Christianity) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Good-Friday 2 World Autism Awareness Day https://www.autismspeaks.org/world-autism-awareness-day 4 Easter (Christianity) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday 5 International Day of Conscience https://www.un.org/en/observances/conscience-day 7 World Health Day https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2021 7 International Day of Reflection on the https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/day-of- 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in reflection.shtml 8 Yom HaShoah (Jewish) https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/remembrance- day/index.asp https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious- 13 The Month of Ramadhan Begins (Islam)** dues/when-is-ramadan/ 14 Vaisakhi (New Year) (Sikhism) https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/holydays/vai sakhi.shtml 15 Yom Ha’atzmaut (Jewish) https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yom-haatzmaut- israel-independence-day/ 20 Chinese Language Day https://nationaltoday.com/chinese-language-day/ 22 International Girls in Information and https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Digital-Inclusion/Women-and- Communications Technology Day Girls/Girls-in-ICT-Portal/Pages/Portal.aspx 23 Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network https://www.glsen.org/day-of-silence 23 English Language Day https://anydayguide.com/calendar/1432 23 Spanish Language Day https://anydayguide.com/calendar/1928 ** The starting of the Month of Ramadhan, depends on citation of the new moon. * Prepared and produced by the Eastern Zone Diversity & Inclusion Committee Diversity & Inclusion Committee Members Aron Ashton Celeste Gotell Christine Villneff Dana Tracey Danielle Murphy Debbie Glabay Karen MacKinnon Krista Smith Linda Parris Lisa McNeil-Campbell Melanie Newell Soroush Moghaddam Verna MacDonald