Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 17, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba A6 local february 2001 special report the Price of a dream Money for natives to run their own health care has taken some unusual paths in Manitoba reporter Bill Redekop has been investigating the relationship Between the fed eral government and local aboriginal health organizations for the past three Here is his latest Bill Redekop Canadas aboriginal people had a dream in the Early 1990s to govern their own health benefits and it would be the essence of self government aboriginal people administering pro Grams for aboriginal Paul health Canada Assis Tant Deputy was going to make that dream a under Cochrane a total of 16 federally funded Pilot projects were ated across the country in the one Pilot Winnipeg based Anish Naabe Minoa Yazwin stood out above the Ama is a third party Agency that oversees Community health services and benefits such As dental and vision care on seven Interlake first health Canada has launched a full financial audit of Ama As part of health Canadas probe of first nation health spending in Ama is involved in several Large capital projects Worth More than million capital expenditures that other Pilot projects have neither the funding nor mandate to carry one capital project is the Renaissance building at 286 Smith in the Ama occupies one floor and rents out the others to a Vari Ety of other capital projects Are a Healing Lodge and conference Centre in the and plans for an digital printing health Canada officials cannot explain How Ama became involved in these Ama staff also had an International travel budget that was not made Avail Able to other first nations health Pilot that Money allowed Ama staff to travel to health conferences far and wide South Africa and new zealand four month period last the Ama also opened an Ottawa office staffed by Aline Cochrane former executive leading Force last a career civil servant who is not of aboriginal was scheduled to join Ama on secondment from his Post As head of the first nation and inuit Branch a division of health Canada with a annual Cochrane was a leading Force in get Ting Ama started in he was scheduled to join Ama As a special projects starting before departing Cochrane would be drawn into a health Canada investigation of his branches the department began a review of irregular and accelerated funding of first nation health programs in Manitoba that has now turned into a full scale audit and investigation involving the last health Canada launched a Sepa rate financial audit of Ama is the second federally funded first nation health office in Manitoba that has drawn attention for funding Levels that were out of proportion to those of similar groups across the the first Manitoba Organiza Tion was the Virginia Fontaine addictions foundation treatment Centre on Sage eng first which health Canada is suing for up to million in surplus funds it believes the treatment Centre May have the disparity Between Amas budget and other of Nib Pilot programs is while funding is difficult to compare because Pilot projects offer different services to various Popula Tion managers of the other Pilot projects said the nature of their work and the terms of their funding agree ments rarely provide them with Bud get wed like to have some but we never said Myles executive director of the big Stone Cree nation Pilot project located Northeast of slave which services about on Reserve first nation that seconded by Yousuf fed eral director of health Transfer relations for British overseeing three Pilot projects in that one of those projects is the Nuu Chah Hulth tribal near port the first aboriginal group in Canada to administer first nation Community health i dont think we have had any sur plus Ali Pilot projects in have also not been Able to invest in real estate or ancillary As Ama has a Man with a vision Paul Cochrane career the following is a chronology of Paul Cochrane positions at health Canada regional director for Manitoba with medical services the mob has since changed its to first nation and inuit health july mob regional director for May june mob regional director general for june May mob director general on uninsured of tilth May 2000 assistant Deputy nil faster and director general of the first nation and inuit health he went on paid leave at the end of August and resigned last personnel Haven even travelled out Side he except for a Day trip four years ago to Akwesasne first nation in Ontario to see How it runs its dental and drug theres always a Lack of said Warner executive director of the Carrier Sekhani Pilot project in Central British which pro Vides third party management of health care and no insured health benefits for about first nations Adam said he was surprised to hear of Amas recent our contribution agreement from the Federal government prohibits us from going out Side the Adam he was also surprised that Ama received for conferences last sum Money an Ama official said was used in part to fund staff trips to South Africa and new that Cote kind of funding has never been made available to car Rier Adam we usually dont get funding for and if we its but if Ama received More Money than other Pilot the organize tons other entities dont blame Ama they blame if there is a pot of funding available for International then it should be made available to All first said the audit of Ama operations is expected to touch on spending and ten Dering practices involving senior Man a consulting firm owned by Ama executive director Daryl has performed contract work for Ama and various first nations in Mani Cote across the i work with a num Ber of first and persons who work for me War for a number of first he Cote would not say what services Dasa Mead provided for the and ended the interview before he could be asked about the tendering in not going Down this path its a private its my own com Pany and we provide service on a con tract Cote Dasa Mead was established in Ontario by Cote and registered in Manitoba in the name Dasa Mead comes from taking the first initials of names of cotes family its corporate registry lists Cote As sole its web site describes Dasa Mead As a first nation healthcare consulting Dasa Mead works with first nations health Community membership and medical services Branch now the of Nib to achieve a satisfactory health trans Fer its web site health Canada spokesman Jeff pen Der said even though the Amas sole source of funding is from which provides about million Annu it does not have to abide by Feder Al conflict interest this is a private said there not Federal employ they May have their own guide its up to Howard Ottawa Federal ethics said that while Feder Al Law May not apply to some govern men funded any company that exists on Public funds should maintain strict conflict interest if you Deal with Public theres a great Deal of scrutiny brought to whether by internal the auditor general or by the its something you have to Wilson if Ama did fall under Federal Cote would have had to completely excuse himself from the bidding process and have that clearly recorded in the minutes of company Wilson it should also be demonstrated that the contract was compete Lively Wilson individual must show that he did not participate in any that he did not make any representations him self on behalf of the company he had an interest in in other that it was All done by others and that he was not part of the now this May be a bit difficult for an executive Wilson Cote has refused interview requests from the free press Gince the begin Ning of chairman Emery chief of Dauphin River first has also not returned Ama officials have also refused to answer questions about its involve ment in a experiential Lodge on Dauphin River first about 350 Kilometres North of win the first phase of construction is nearly the Lodge is a All log the same design As a Lodge built two years ago at Berens River first it is expected the facility would be used for native health conferences and sources close to the project con firmed a Central Lodge and two smaller Cabins have already been two More Cabins May be built to Complete the first the second and third phases Call for 10 Teepe shaped cab a Large Kitchen and eating area and a conference the sources the Lodge does not yet have Hydro electricity builders Are using a huge diesel it int accessible by the Reserve straddles the Dauphin River and there is no crossing to the Shore where the Lodge is being River first nation is lobbying the province to either build a Bridge or fund a ferry service to tra verse the 75 metres of River to get to the Ernie a former executive director of the Interlake reserves tribal is the Ama staff Mem Ber in charge of the Healing his name appears on the Amas web site As officer of the Dauphin River exp Daniels inter vie requests about the River is on6 of the reserves in Manitoba with an on Reserve population of just Over the Federal department of Indian and Northern affairs has put up of the funding for the a department official the seven Interlake bands that control Ama Are Dauphin Jack Lake Lake Martin and Little Saskatchewan aboriginal population the seven reserves comprise an on and of Reserve population of about or just Over 10 per cent of Man Tobas aboriginal a source familiar with the politics of the Interlake reserves tribal Council which has the same Board of directors As said a quorum of four longstanding chiefs tend to make most Ama decisions Louis Stevenson of Hector shorting of Little Saskatchewan River and David traverse of health Canadas Pender said his department was not aware Ama was involved in building a the Day today operations Are so there is that level of Pender it has been the longstanding aim of governments to be less paternalistic towards first encouraging self government and leeway in How funds Are Ama has two main it acts As third party manager for health ser vices for the seven Interlake providing support services for nursing and their various programs managing the staff for a Winnipeg based aboriginal health spent on the Down town Renais Sance building at Bot Ama hired9 Dasa Mead owned by Amas executive for consulting it receives a lion Transfer agreement that expires March in Ama receives Mil lion a year to manage no insured health the health cover mental medical supplies and vision dental prescription drugs and medical that agreement expires March 31 Cochrane initiative to parcel out no insured health benefits to some first nation groups started in despite opposition within his depart critics said the plan didst make 1 much economic sense because it Only created extra for third party insurance plans dont place pockets of staff across the country to deliver the insurance companies run centralized operations that Are run lean and enjoy huge economies of for health Canada to parcel out healt Benefit services around the country required a huge infusion of capital to pay extra administrative at there is a bureaucracy of about 30 Pepple to administer Interlake health and about 15 Field 30 of the 45 staff Are although executive director Cote is the no insured health Benefit pro Gram is similar to extended health insurance coverage offered Pri vate health insurance status aboriginal people do not have to pay premiums to Access in some no insured health benefits Are Superior to most extended health insurance offered by for a status Indian can obtain most prescription drugs and some overt counter drugs free of nonprescription such As headache relievers and cough medi Are free to status although a doctors note is the no insured dental care Benefit is about comparable to that in vate As is vision which pays for eyeglasses every year for children and every two years of plus the Cost of Eye examine tons and eyeglasses said make Federal manager of non insured health benefits in of nibs Are to fill in gaps where insured health services said its to bring first nation health care to a level comparable to the population As a no insured health benefits Cost million a year in Manitoba and about million status indians Access no insured health benefits by giving two numbers off their treaty their treaty Nuro per and another number that indicates if they live on or off As we As their name ;