Final Webequirk continued

I’m back for the second and final instalment of the Webequirk to end all Webequirks.

Now, we must tackle the issue of corruption, financial and otherwise. This one is a huge problem in the community and there really isn’t much that one can do about it. When talking about financial corruption, there is the fact that First Nations people do not pay any income tax, yet on the reserve they often work, get paid under the table and also collect unemployment insurance at the same time. I know of one such local teacher who got paid more than me, did not teach full time, paid no tax and also collected EI. It’s hard not to be pissed off about that.

There is also the issue that the government tends to fund different programs for the community, but they do not monitor the finances to make sure the money goes where it should. The department of Indian Affairs gives the education authority a sum of money each year as part of an incentive program for teachers who have relocated to the North to teach. The money is to be divided amongst non local teachers and staff only, which would consist of about 12 people in Webequie. Instead, the education authority divides the money amongst all of the staff hired by the board, including support staff such as janitors and even the board members and education director take a share of it. It isn’t even so much the loss of money as it is the principle of the matter that upsets me. Other financial issues (in my opinion) include the fact that they consistently overspend their budget so much so, that teacher’s reimbursement cheques for flights bounce. I was told by a colleague that the band previously had a third party accountant who managed their money, but that there was so much backlash from the community about how the money was handled, they went back to doing it themselves. Money is sometimes literally dropped off the roof of the school in balloons at the end of the year and multiple times throughout the year, dances are held where top prize for best dancer will be $500+. Yet, everyone claims the problem is lack of funding.

Disorganization in Webequie is a way of life. It is very common to wake up and find out school has been cancelled because the heat isn’t working or someone’s Uncle’s brother’s dog died. Or, better yet, is when I would sometimes go to work and then later find out school was cancelled after being there for a while first. We would be told whether or not we were going to have holidays (like a week off) only a few weeks in advance. When you live on an island and it’s $1000 to come home on short notice, that is a big problem. I would often be woken up early or told last minute that I needed to...cook something for an event, have up to three or four people stay in my house (oh and by the way, they will be there in 10 minutes), or that I was expected to help out with a community event that ran till 3am on a Saturday night. Of course, they cannot force you to do any of these things, but with the looming threat of a lack of contract renewal hanging over people’s heads, they do it. Also, the teachers are helpful and accommodating people. I was when I was there too, but now is my time to complain about it.

Lack of leadership is probably at the stem of many of the problems I have already talked about. As I have mentioned, there is a serious drug addiction problem in the community. A prescription drug abuse committee was formed and school was cancelled so staff and students could attend. At one of the meetings, a community member stood up and said she had lots of practical ideas for what to do about the PDA problem in the community, but that she had attempted to contact the Chief and Council several times (leaving messages, visiting the office, emailing) and no one ever got back to her. The Chief of Webequie was present at the meeting, sitting at the front. She directly addressed him, saying something like “I want to ask you a question. Why do I get no response when I try to talk to you?” The Chief sat there, literally twiddling his thumbs, starring at the table in silence for several minutes. The woman stood there, and everyone silently, awkwardly, sat there until the meeting manager moved on. My blood was literally boiling in my veins, so I got up and left. This is the exact opposite of leadership! No wonder the community is falling apart. So the Chief ignores the people-crime goes unchecked, 7 year olds get high on white out on the playground, the school administration does nothing about violent students...the list goes on.

I take a great risk here at being accused of being racist by saying this, but I think the issue really is that you have people leading the community who lack the communication, organizational skills, education, professionalism, public speaking skills and confidence to effectively lead. First Nations people and communities often reject the “white” way of leadership, citing that their type of knowledge is more effective in managing their own community. I fully support the fact that traditional knowledge is very valuable and important, but I am pretty sure that it is not tradition to drug yourself into a stupor and neglect your family, work and social obligations. So, what do we do? When a community out rightly rejects innovative business, education and leadership models as the “white man’s way”, where do you turn? Even trying to meet the community half way (aka teachers from the south going up to the community to embrace and include both sides of education) is still faced without outright resistance-simply not coming to school or supporting/caring about education.

Addiction is probably the most threatening problem for the present and future of Webequie. I won’t get into the reasons behind the addiction because I think that is informed by a complicated history. What I will say is that the majority of the community is addicted and using drugs in Webequie. Many people are actually quite functional drug addicts, but some not so much. Very few people ever leave the community to get treatment and if they do, they relapse almost immediately because nothing has changed in the community. The community is concerned and is trying-but is held up in the meetings about what to do about the drug problem by a lack of organization and leadership (ie. spending almost an hour trying to decide how to form groups to discuss the issues). The drugs come into the community through the mail, through grocery orders, in people’s bags at the airport and the winter road. The teachers brought up suggestions of creating actual borders at the airport and winter road, checking all mail that comes through and installing RCMP and police dogs. All of this was met with a seeming disinterest or resistance. I guess it seems too hard. To me, it seems harder to watch the community wither away.

That brings me to my last point: resistance. Resistance can be a good thing when it is informed and not merely a way of trying to get out of responsibility. Youth don’t see that by resisting the education system that is set up in Webequie, they are truly only hurting themselves. They spend so much time resisting that they forget their own potential. The same goes for many of the adults in the community.

I could say so much more, but I need to stop somewhere. Teaching in Webequie certainly changed a lot of my perspectives, helped me in a lot of ways and made me very sad and angry in some other ways. All I can say is that this is a group of people that truly does need help- a way out- I am just not sure how to do that.