This Friday I turned to Facebook and Twitter to find out what people are doing this weekend in Saskatoon. While I didn’t add watching Hunger Games and hosting a party for 12 two-year-olds and 20 parents to the master list,  here are three days of recommends brought to you by Facebook friends.

Friday:

1) Vancouver’s Yukon Blonde are kicking off a Canadian tour after their recent trip to SXSW. Amigos, 11 p.m., Sold Out.

2)  Pirate Fridays with Indigo Joseph (from Regina) and Alissa Arnason, Vangelis, 10 p.m., $5

3) Ness Gen and Tonight It’s Poetry present an all-ages poetry slam with guest poet Isaac Bond. PAVED arts, 7 p.m., Free.

Saturday:

1) Last time I saw Hamilton, ON artist BA Johnston play he played the encore in the lady’s washroom. He’s a wild man. BA Johnston with The Seahags and Ride Til’ Dawn, Amigos, 11 p.m.

2)  Octoberman (Toronto) with Young Benjamins (Saskatoon), Vangelis, 10 p.m., $5.

Sunday:

1) Bring your merch money! This promises to be a banger of a Sunday night show, brought to you by Motivational Speakers. The Famines (via Edmonton and Montreal) are joined by fuzzy, newly anointed Pitchfork buzz band The Ketamines (Lethbridge) and locals Haunted Souls. Walkers, 10 p.m., $8.

Bullies are bad. We’ve always known this. We all agree on it. Bullies hurt people who don’t deserve it. This is unacceptable.
There was a time when you had to put up with bullies. They were inevitable, like elections or drum solos. But society has changed over the past few years. We’ve started caring more about vulnerable people. And bullies, particularly the ones who harass their victims to the point of self-harm, have provoked a worldwide backlash.
Now is a really bad time to get into bullying. Every school has an anti-bullying policy. Experts are condemning bullies left and right. Celebrities are pitching in to give comfort to the people being picked on. Special events, like the upcoming Pink Shirt Day, further the anti-bullying cause.
An important weapon in the fight against bullies is the Internet. Their offences can be publicized and denounced by millions. And the initiatives to fight them can be adopted globally, spreading faster than ever before.
Yes, we’ve made great progress in fighting bullies. This would be a really good time to pat each other on the back. Good for us. Look how much we care.
If only it were true. Do you know what I caught myself doing last week? I was standing in front of a computer screen with five or six people and laughing at an embarrassing video clip featuring a local TV anchor.
The Internet calls these bloopers “anchor fails.” This one was big enough to go viral and end up on one of the big U.S. late-night talk shows.
The clip consisted of a show host telling a story about how her teething toddler liked to soothe his gums with her toothbrush. She didn’t realize it in the moment, but her expression and gestures made it look like she was talking about something else entirely.
Unlike many anchor fails, you can’t even call this a mistake. She didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t misspeak. She didn’t blurt out an f-bomb. She didn’t announce to the world, as one anchor once did, that “Obama” was dead when it was actually “Osama.” In this case, the humour was supplied by the audience — specifically, by the dirty minds of the viewer.
Our delight in the clip had three parts. One was the sexual double-entendre and how riotously inappropriate that gesture (our interpretation of that gesture, actually) looked on public airwaves. A second was the dramatic irony — seeing the joke emerge even as the person responsible for it was unaware.
A third, and the most unsettling, is imagining how humiliating the experience must have been for the person on TV. At the innocent end of the spectrum, the laughs come out of the feeling of “I’m glad that wasn’t me.” At the other extreme, it’s a sadistic enjoyment of another’s pain. “That’ll knock you down a few notches, Mr. or Mrs. Fancy Pants TV Star.”
The standard definition of bullying involves “unwanted behaviour” and “repetition.” In “social bullying,” as opposed to physical bullying, the definition also includes “hurting someone’s reputation.”
I can’t imagine anything more unwanted, more repeated and more damaging to someone’s reputation than to be part of the group effort that turns one televised misstep into the most watched Internet clip of the week.
Lost on us, in the midst of our LOL-ing, our Facebook link sharing and our Twitter tittering, are the damaged feelings of the person who provided us with a moment of mirth in an otherwise drab day.
It doesn’t matter at all how they feel. Not when our primary concern is forming a big circle in the worldwide playground and taking turns making fun of the dupe du jour. What matters is our need to be in on the joke, part of the group. The cool kids.
One of our least flattering traits as Internet bullies is our need to be in on the ground floor of every trend. The trick is to be one of the first in the know when a video clip is gaining momentum. It’s practically a physical addiction. Every time you show someone what the fuss is about, you get a little shot of adrenalin.
“Did you hear about so-and-so? No? Well, you gotta see this, it’s hilarious!” It boosts one’s self-esteem to lead the parade. High self-esteem is a common characteristic of bullies, some research suggests.
The Internet is not a bully-free zone and it never will be. But bullies thrive because they hold the balance of power, and we give the world wide web power with every mouse click.
If we really do despise bullying as much as we like to think we do, maybe it’s time to raise the standard of what we consider funny, grow some empathy and feel some shame once in a while.
It’s better to laugh with a person that at them. We learned that in kindergarten. Remember kindergarten? It’s the place where bullies aren’t allowed.

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is publicly selling one of his prized cars.

An ad was recently posted on Wall’s Facebook page asking $19,000 for his 1967 Dodge Coronet.

Wall writes that he loves the car but has to let it go because he’s got his eye on another ride.

The premier is known for his hobby of collecting classic cars.

Hundreds of people have commented on his ad and shared it with others. One person offered a trade for a chainsaw, another asked if Wall would autograph the car and a neighbour in his hometown of Swift Current wrote that she will miss hearing its loud rumble.

Many said that Wall’s online ad shows he’s just a normal guy.

“How is it that you are a respected politician but you aren’t above putting up an ad to sell your car, just like anyone else?” wrote Jeffrey Wells.

Michael Drumm wrote that he’d love to buy the car. “Unfortunately I’m an unemployed rigger, maybe when I get back to work.”

Wall responded: “I sure hope that is soon Michael. All the best.”

Tamara Delorme was wearing shorts and sandals when she was arrested last August, so when she was released from Pine Grove women’s jail in February, the only clothes she had were the institutional grey sweat pants and sweat shirt she’d worn inside.

“I came here to Elizabeth Fry and they gave me decent winter clothing I can wear. It builds up your self esteem if you have nice clothes to wear,” Delorme said.

The non-profit advocacy organization for women involved with the court system and corrections is now building on its practice of helping women find donated clothing when they’re released or when they’re going to court, said executive director Sue Delanoy.

They’ve worked with Pine Grove director Michelle Gaudet to expand a small clothing depot at the institution and formally create institutional jobs for inmates who sort, fold and repair the items if necessary, Delanoy said.

“For us it’s all about employment. It’s one thing to do time, but if it’s really corrections then let’s make the best of it. So I can go and find clothes for you, but why not empower women to have their own clothing shop … The women need skills and references and a place to get experience with work, so jail isn’t a waste of time,” Delanoy said.

Elizabeth Fry receives clothing donations, which until now, were kept at its office, where women could look through them. But that service takes a lot of space the busy organization needs for other work, Delanoy said.

Having clothes that fit and are stylish and appropriate for job interviews or work is essential to a woman’s reintegration to society, she said.

“It’s important when you don’t have anything,” said former inmate Melissa, who preferred not to give her last name. “For women, it’s the self confidence. You want that nice pair of clothes, especially coming out of that institution, you want to have something nice to wear. You want to feel good about yourself,” she said.

“For women, just doing their hair, their nails, lipstick, their clothes. It means a lot to us, it really does,” she said.

Having work experience and job references is equally essential, because they can make the difference for a woman who doesn’t want to go back to same old lifestyle that got her into jail in the first place, Melissa said.

There are probably fewer than two dozen paying jobs in Pine Grove, where 160 women need money to pay by the minute for long distance phone calls, which can add up to thousands of dollars a year as mothers try to stay connected to their families, Delanoy said. 

Most jobs in the jail pay about $3 per day. Besides the laundry and limited kitchen work, inmates can work for Prism Industries inside the institution, where woman can sew or bead items.

Ricki’s, Penningtons, Sears and Pink Tree stores donate clothing to Elizabeth Fry, including new underwear, which is not included in the request for public donations.

Women need shoes and boots, socks, coats, sweaters, tops and bottoms. Those attending a recent Elizabeth Fry support group said they want stylish, current clothes, including items like yoga pants and fitted T-shirts. They’re also pleased to find purses or other useful bags.

Donations can be brought to Elizabeth Fry’s office at 600-245 Third Avenue South.

badam@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/SPBAAdam

Ed.’s Note: Contents may be disturbing to some readers.

A 36-year-old man who sent a photo of his penis to a 13-year-old girl on Facebook has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.

Robert Hawkins pleaded guilty to luring a child by using a computer to facilitate the commission of a crime between April and June 2014.

Hawkins sent the girl numerous sexually explicit messages before the girl blocked him from contacting her, but she later removed the block. Hawkins sent more messages with “highly graphic sexual comments,” and the photo, Crown prosecutor Evan Thompson told court Wednesday in an agreed statement of facts.

Hawkins asked the girl to send him “dirty pictures,” and she sent two of herself in a shirt and underpants.

A relative of the girl learned about the ongoing messaging and notified the police. Some of the messages were captured but by the time police examined the computers, most of the messages had been deleted and could not be retrieved, Thompson said.

Hawkins admitted sending sexual messages and the photo. He said he never intended to act on the messages, but he did it “to scare her because there were sexual predators in the world,” Thompson said.

“He was in fact the predator,” Thompson said.

Hawkins’ wife left him when the matter became public but they have since reconciled. The couple have an infant son.

Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle said his client accepted responsibility, which prevented the girl from having to testify, and he never intended to act on his comments about sexual touching. The jail term means Hawkins will miss his son’s first birthday, which is a punishment in itself, Pfefferle said.

Provincial court Judge Pat Carey accepted the joint submission from Crown and defence for 15 months in jail and three years probation, during which Hawkins may not go to playgrounds, swimming pools or community centres, may not work or volunteer in positions of trust or authority with people under age 16 and may not use a computer to communicate with people under 16.

He is to have no contact with people under 16 unless he is accompanied by an adult who knows the nature of his conviction. And he must register with the national sex offender registry for 20 years.

badam@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/SPBAAdam

REGINA — A Saskatchewan man has been found guilty of uttering threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Christopher Hayes wasfined $500, given nine months probation — which includes not attending Trudeau events — and is prohibited from owning firearms for three years.

Hayes said on Facebook on March 6, 2016 that he was going to shoot Trudeau; in another post on July 8, hewrote that he wouldn’t physically harm Trudeau, but said the prime ministershould be shot dead.

Court heard that RCMP did not charge Hayes after the first post because the investigating officer believed Hayes understood the mistake he had made and would not do it again.

But in a statement to police after the second post, Hayes agreed when the officer said that he had crossed a line.

Provincial court Judge Ross Green wrote in his decision that he had no hesitation in finding that a reasonable person would find both posts constituted a threat towards the prime minister.

“I accept that Mr. Hayes did not intend to kill the prime minister and I further accept that he was frustrated by the economic problems he was facing when he made the posts on Facebook,” Green wrote in the decision issued Monday.

“But … I am satisfied that he intended the threatening words he used in both of his posts, regarding causing death to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to intimidate and to be taken seriously.”

What was intended largely as a gesture of support has now helped rescue a Saskatchewan nurse from financial peril over a post on her personal Facebook page about her grandfather’s care.

In less than two weeks, a fundraising campaign surpassed its $26,000 target to allow Saskatchewan nurse Carolyn Strom to pay penalties levied by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association for the Facebook post.

Strom, a nurse in the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, was found guilty of professional misconduct last October by the SRNA’s disciplinary counsel. In a written decision issued earlier this month, the SRNA ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine plus $25,000 toward the cost of the disciplinary process — which has already cost around $150,000.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 452 donors had contributed $26,150 to the GoFundMe campaign.

“It feels really good to be part of such a cool group of nurses and friends of the (nursing) profession who are so committed to allowing nurses to have a voice in health care,” said Natalie Stake-Doucet, a Montreal nurse and one of nine signatories to the GoFundMe campaign.

Strom was disciplined after posting on her personal Facebook page in February 2015 a news article about end-of-life care and commenting about what she described as the “subpar care” her grandfather received at a Macklin health facility. Staff at that centre filed a complaint with the SRNA, which sent her a notice of hearing alleging she failed to use the proper channels, that the post affected the facility and staff, that she failed to obtain all the facts first and that she used her status as an RN for personal purposes.

The SRNA gave Strom until July 1 to pay the $1,000 fine and three years to pay the $25,000 or face suspension of her nursing license.

Stake-Doucet said “not in a million years” did she expect the target to be met so quickly, if at all. Some donors contributed as little as $5, while others contributed thousands. Many donated anonymously.

“When we started, it was more of a gesture,” Stake-Doucet said. “We felt kind of powerless and we wanted to do something to show we stood with Carolyn.”

The SRNA discipline committee in its written decision said it “does not seek to ‘muzzle’ registered nurses from using social media or for that matter, any form of public comment. However, registered nurses making public comments and criticisms (in whatever forum) must do so in accordance with the Code of Ethics and Standards.”

Strom’s lawyer, Marcus Davies, called the financial penalty “absolutely devastating” and said Strom has “no choice” but to appeal. If she wins that appeal, Stake-Doucet said, the campaign plans to give the money to a seniors’ advocacy group — a way of honouring Strom’s grandfather.

— With files from Arthur White-Crummey, Prince Albert Daily Herald, and Andrea Hill, Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“We have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works. The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works: no civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. This is a global problem.

“We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection, because we get rewarded in these short-term signals — hearts, likes, thumbs up — and we conflate that with value and we conflate it with truth.

“It is fake, brittle popularity that’s short-term and leaves you even more vacant and empty than before you did it.”

— Chamath Palihapitiya’s reflections on Facebook

The recent Stanford business school speech by former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya is revealing.

While believing that Facebook “overwhelmingly does good in the world,” he expresses “tremendous guilt” for how social media is re-wiring our brains, our behaviour and threatening our intellectual independence.

Palihapitiya says Facebook and other social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are programming users through the combination of instant connection and sharing and then the instant gratification of feedback.

With two billon monthly users and growing, there is no doubt that Facebook has changed the way many people get their news, stay in touch and even curate their own social lives and important events.

Decades ago, after television’s arrival, Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan wrote that “the medium is the message,” suggesting that the medium of delivering a message — like television instead of radio — should be examined, rather than the actual content, because the medium is often embedded in the message and affects the way we perceive the message.

For example, he illustrated how watching TV is a cooler, more passive and detached experience than the “hotter” experience of listening to a radio, which requires users to be more engaged and use their imagination.

Coincidentally, in 1962 McLuhan also predicted the “global village” where the world would shrink as it was linked by communications.

And so it is with social media, which links us but does more than simply deliver information. It has become the message, often stimulating, exciting and bringing users to emotional highs with a rush of dopamine.

And we can’t seem to turn away from our newsfeeds.

Alternatively, moods can swing to despondency and even anger at how we view and actually participate in social media interaction and exchanges.

The first hint that our lives are being manipulated by social media is the emotional tenor. If Facebook is really just a tool, when was the last time you got this worked up using a rake or pair of scissors?

If we feel FOMO — fear of missing out — or rejection, inferiority and loneliness because everyone’s perfect life surpasses ours, it’s a sign.

Anytime something places itself between us and genuine happiness or tries to squeeze out family or authentic experiences or living in the present, there’s a problem.

The first step toward a solution is to acknowledge the problem, then resolve and plan to fix it.

In his critique, Palihapitiya did not have much advice beyond taking a hard break from social media or at least managing its use.

On my radio show, listeners weighed in with some interesting strategies to rein in social media.

To combat time wasting and impulsivity, some people have deleted Facebook smartphone apps and now only use social media at a computer; similarly, others have removed default settings and take the extra time to log in with user name and password; yet others ration a specific time of day for Facebook.

Some users tighten up privacy settings; others limit the number of friends and followers to something closer to reality; and one young woman at the beginning of each year deletes her past year’s posts, and drops or adds friends because “Facebook is not real life.”

Social media is here to stay. But it does need to know who is in charge.

John Gormley is a broadcaster, lawyer, author and former Progressive Conservative MP whose radio talk show is heard weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on 650 CKOM Saskatoon and 980 CJME Regina.

Treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons gaining support

On Dec. 10 the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in recognition of its work on the historic UN Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. The award was accepted by ICAN’s executive director, Beatrice Fihn, and Hiroshima bomb survivor Setsuko Thurlow, a Canadian with a long record of working for global disarmament.

I am extremely proud of ICAN and the huge amount of work that has been done to advance the cause of global peace. I am also extremely proud of Setsuko Thurlow, who has been a tireless peace campaigner. I am pleased Pope Francis has added his voice to the call for support of the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.

Hopefully, in 2018 the government of Canada will join the vast majority of countries supporting the ban on nuclear weapons. By doing so Canada will be standing with the majority of the world’s peoples who have had enough of war and the suffering it causes.

It is expected by the end of 2018 the Treaty will become international law.

Ed Lehman

Cupar, SK

Take a break from social media

As one who frequently uses social media as a means of connecting with my far flung friends and family around the world, I enjoyed reading “It’s time to rein in our use of social media” (SP, Dec. 15). I agree that we live in an era of instant gratification which may include the desire for “likes”/social affirmation by sharing intimate details of our lives for validation. George Orwell must be turning over in his grave.

This certainly does affect our behaviour and at the very least can be extremely distracting. I remember visiting hotels in Europe many years ago when Facebook had recently started and watching the staff be totally engrossed in the novel medium to the point that paying customers were a nuisance removing them from their favourite pastime.

On top of that, I vividly remember walking down a large thoroughfare/walkway some years ago at the university where I teach (UNLV) and watching some 10 people (mostly students) — everyone near me — all deeply focused on their mobile phones, texting and reading texts, and not even looking in front of themselves as they walked along in the darkness.

This is deeply worrisome. Whereas social media have connected many of us on an electronic level, they are disconnecting us from reality and from each other on a physical level. I agree that there is a positive benefit to this global connectedness but as with any form of new technology, we can harm ourselves by overusing it. Perhaps we all need to take a break from our screens and enjoy nature/reality instead. 

Michael Pravica

Henderson, NV

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The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

As one who frequently uses social media as a means of connecting with my far flung friends and family around the world, I enjoyed reading “It’s time to rein in our use of social media” (SP, Dec. 15). I agree that we live in an era of instant gratification which may include the desire for “likes”/social affirmation by sharing intimate details of our lives for validation. George Orwell must be turning over in his grave.

This certainly does affect our behaviour and at the very least can be extremely distracting. I remember visiting hotels in Europe many years ago when Facebook had recently started and watching the staff be totally engrossed in the novel medium to the point that paying customers were a nuisance removing them from their favourite pastime.

On top of that, I vividly remember walking down a large thoroughfare/walkway some years ago at the university where I teach (UNLV) and watching some 10 people (mostly students) — everyone near me — all deeply focused on their mobile phones, texting and reading texts, and not even looking in front of themselves as they walked along in the darkness.

This is deeply worrisome. Whereas social media have connected many of us on an electronic level, they are disconnecting us from reality and from each other on a physical level. I agree that there is a positive benefit to this global connectedness but as with any form of new technology, we can harm ourselves by overusing it. Perhaps we all need to take a break from our screens and enjoy nature/reality instead.

Michael Pravica

Henderson, NV

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

Why everyone should care about the Strom appeal hearing

On Jan. 18, 2018, Nurse Carolyn Strom will appear before the court to appeal the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association’s (SRNA) decision that found her guilty of professional misconduct.

In 2015, Strom posted a comment on her personal Facebook page about the subpar end-of-life care her grandfather received, a post the SRNA considered to be in violation of its code of ethics and deserving of a $26,000 fine. Indignation followed among Canadian nurses, nursing students, experts, academics and the general public. Articles in the Globe and Mail, the StarPhoenix, and the Ottawa Citizen made clear that the SRNA’s investigation and decision were considered to be misguided and overzealous.

What is at stake? The Strom case reveals the unrealistic expectation that nurses should behave as nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when they are off duty. Her status as a nurse appears to trump her status as (and most fundamental rights and freedoms of) a regular citizen, which, according to the SRNA, denied her the ability to speak freely on her personal Facebook page.

The case also highlights the dangerous confluence of nurses’ professional and private lives. If nurses are not free to speak in their personal lives, how are they expected to speak out in their professional lives?

The SRNA’s decision is far-reaching and it has repercussions for all Canadian nurses who witness subpar practices ― and a number of them do, every single day. It is well known that nurses are muzzled in their professional ability to convey concerns about care, patient safety, harassment and bullying, workplace violence and even fraud.

In their professional lives, nurses are expected to follow strict communication channels, be loyal to their employers, and not speak to the media. And while in the workplace the muzzling of nurses is typically carried out by members of the organization (e.g. managers, senior administrators), nurses can now also expect reprisals from their professional college, whose mandate is to protect the integrity of nursing practice and the patients being cared for.

This case could constitute a serious turning point for nurses and the nursing profession. As co-founders of the Nursing Observatory, a collective working on issues related to the nursing profession, we take special interest in the outcome of this case and its potential impact on nurses’ ability to speak freely in both their personal and professional lives.

Freedom of expression is a critical condition for nurses to fulfil their professional and ethical duties, including protecting the public. For this reason, the outcome of Strom’s court appeal concerns all of us. We hope the court will see this case for what it is: a critical threat to nurses’ rights and, consequently, the safety of the public.

Amélie Perron

Marilou Gagnon

Co-founders of the Nursing Observatory, Ottawa

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The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

On Jan. 18, 2018, Nurse Carolyn Strom will appear before the court to appeal the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association’s (SRNA) decision that found her guilty of professional misconduct.

In 2015, Strom posted a comment on her personal Facebook page about the subpar end-of-life care her grandfather received, a post the SRNA considered to be in violation of its code of ethics and deserving of a $26,000 fine. Indignation followed among Canadian nurses, nursing students, experts, academics and the general public. Articles in the Globe and Mail, the StarPhoenix, and the Ottawa Citizen made clear that the SRNA’s investigation and decision were considered to be misguided and overzealous.

What is at stake? The Strom case reveals the unrealistic expectation that nurses should behave as nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when they are off duty. Her status as a nurse appears to trump her status as (and most fundamental rights and freedoms of) a regular citizen, which, according to the SRNA, denied her the ability to speak freely on her personal Facebook page.

The case also highlights the dangerous confluence of nurses’ professional and private lives. If nurses are not free to speak in their personal lives, how are they expected to speak out in their professional lives?

The SRNA’s decision is far-reaching and it has repercussions for all Canadian nurses who witness subpar practices ― and a number of them do, every single day. It is well known that nurses are muzzled in their professional ability to convey concerns about care, patient safety, harassment and bullying, workplace violence and even fraud.

In their professional lives, nurses are expected to follow strict communication channels, be loyal to their employers, and not speak to the media. And while in the workplace the muzzling of nurses is typically carried out by members of the organization (e.g. managers, senior administrators), nurses can now also expect reprisals from their professional college, whose mandate is to protect the integrity of nursing practice and the patients being cared for.

This case could constitute a serious turning point for nurses and the nursing profession. As co-founders of the Nursing Observatory, a collective working on issues related to the nursing profession, we take special interest in the outcome of this case and its potential impact on nurses’ ability to speak freely in both their personal and professional lives.

Freedom of expression is a critical condition for nurses to fulfil their professional and ethical duties, including protecting the public. For this reason, the outcome of Strom’s court appeal concerns all of us. We hope the court will see this case for what it is: a critical threat to nurses’ rights and, consequently, the safety of the public.

Amélie Perron

Marilou Gagnon

Co-founders of the Nursing Observatory, Ottawa

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

In the 15 months since Saskatchewan nurse Carolyn Strom was found guilty of professional misconduct for writing on Facebook about her grandfather’s “subpar” health care experience, there has been “a weight” on all health professionals in the province, says Strom’s lawyer.

“There’s a bit of fear that, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t say that; maybe I can’t say that,’ ” Marcus Davies said Thursday outside Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench, where an appeal was underway against the decision by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association (SRNA) that found Strom guilty of professional misconduct and fined her $26,000 for her actions.

The one-day hearing wrapped up after about five hours of argument. The judge reserved his decision.

“Nurses are being silenced while they wait for (the outcome of the appeal) because nobody wants to go through what Carolyn’s gone through,” Davies said.

Strom, who works as a nurse in Prince Albert, was on maternity leave in February 2015 when she posted an article about end-of-life care on her personal Facebook page and commented about her grandfather’s care at a health facility in Macklin. Staff at the facility complained to the SRNA, which found Strom guilty of professional misconduct in October 2016. The association later fined Strom $1,000 for violating the organization’s code of ethics and ordered her to pay $25,000 to cover some of the costs of the investigation and hearing, which cost in the ballpark of $150,000.

Lawyer Marcus Davies is representing Carolyn Strom at her appeal.

Davies told reporters outside court that if the SRNA’s decision is not overturned it will be “very frightening.”

“For anyone who practises in a self-regulating profession — and I’m not just talking about nurses; we’re talking doctors, psychiatrists, chiropractors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, architects, anybody who practices in a self-regulating profession — if this precedent stands, (they) can be gagged by their regulatory body if they make a public comment about a public issue,” he said.

“We’re really concerned about the effect this will have on the health care system across Canada, because if you take from the discussion the people who know that system, then the discussion becomes less valuable for the rest of us who rely upon that system.”

Lawyers representing the SRNA’s investigative committee told the judge that Strom’s post on Facebook harmed the reputation of nurses at the Macklin facility. They said the SRNA encourages nurses to advocate for their patients, but that they must do so through proper channels.

“The discipline committee composed of nurses decided that there is freedom of speech, the charter protects that, but it doesn’t protect the right to defame someone else,” SRNA lawyer Roger LePage told reporters outside court.

Roger LePage is a lawyer representing the investigation committee of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association.

Even though Strom was on maternity leave, she identified herself as a registered nurse on social media and members of the public could reasonably assume she was speaking in a professional capacity, he added.

“Just because you’re off duty doesn’t mean that you can hang up your professional hat; you still have to be careful about what you say, how you say it, through what channels you say it, because you’re on 24/7 and that’s part of the obligation of being a professional,” LePage said.

“You can’t simply say, ‘Well, I’m not at work today,’ or ‘I’m on mat leave so I can do or say whatever I want.’ That’s not how it works. That’s not what would protect the public because the public doesn’t know if you’re at work or not.”

Strom, who was joined by family to hear the arguments in Saskatoon, told reporters that she has endured “a very taxing three years.”

“It’s been really stressful and it takes its toll, so we’re just hoping that the right decision is made and that we’ll be able to move on from this.”

Carolyn Strom is appealing the decision by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association that she was guilty of professional misconduct for posting on Facebook about her grandfather’s care.

Lawyers from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) also presented arguments at Thursday’s appeal hearing. 

Dan LeBlanc, the lawyer representing SUN, told court that the fact the SRNA draws no distinction between nurses’ on-duty and off-duty obligations is “unreasonable” and leads to “absurd outcomes.”

BCCLA lawyer Kara Moen argued the SRNA should not be trying to restrict the ability of its members to take part in important political conversations on social media.

A date was not set for when the decision on the appeal will be issued.

ahill@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/MsAndreaHill

Related

• 'All nurses can be affected' by outcome of Strom appeal: Judge
• Letter of the Day: 'Facebook nurse' Strom case about more than nursing
• Sask. nurse facing $26K fine for Facebook comments launches court appeal

Cost of new arena complex

Here we go again. Shades of the Remai Modern cost narrative.

Some movers and shakers have begun talking up the need for a new arena and convention centre with a price tag of “between $330 million and $375 million” (SP, March 21).

In this city, that pretty much means it’ll be built. It also means that we can count on the cost rising to well north of $400 million. Which means that our city debt, which itself now exceeds $400 million, would rise to — what? — $600 million? $700 million?

The StarPhoenix reports that Bruce Urban, owner of the Saskatoon Rush, says he is willing to contribute $20 million toward the new facility. The new complex, he says, “would take Saskatoon to a new level.”

No doubt it would. But even Urban asks: “ … but who’s going to pay for it? I’m mixed, because I can see both sides of it.”

That is one unblinkered, fair-minded individual, folks.

It seems obvious that Saskatoon taxpayers would/will be the ones paying for the new centre, or for the lion’s share of it.

Many calling in to John Gormley’s radio program seem as much or more concerned about the problem of parking, if the facility were to be built downtown. Are these people indifferent to the prodigious cost, punishing debt, and inevitable cost over-runs this new structure would incur?

The bottom line, and I know it sucks, is that we can’t afford this new arena/convention centre. But will it proceed regardless?

Wayne Eyre

Saskatoon

Facebook

People are really upset about how Facebook is distributing your personal information. I’m sure Facebook has been doing this for some time. How many times have you looked something up then days later you were bombarded with ads for similar products? I wanted to buy a Ford Escort and you wouldn’t believe the kind of ads I was slammed with.

I’m all for trying to keep personal information private, but when you look at the kind of information people might get, it boils down to your name, address, phone number and maybe a birth date.

Some of the people, that are upset with that will turn around and actually pay someone to take the most personal information we have as humans, our DNA. It doesn’t get any more personal than that. There are many companies advertising that they want your DNA. You send it in and you get a nice little pie chart. The question is, what do they do with the rest of it? I’ll let you imagine.

It’s like giving away the Coke recipe or finding out what’s in KFC’s 11 herbs and spices. Some things are meant to be secret, like your personal building blocks. If you don’t want to play with the Facebook genie … don’t rub the bottle.

Bryan Cox

Saskatoon

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

People are really upset about how Facebook is distributing your personal information. I’m sure Facebook has been doing this for some time. How many times have you looked something up then days later you were bombarded with ads for similar products? I wanted to buy a Ford Escort and you wouldn’t believe the kind of ads I was slammed with.

I’m all for trying to keep personal information private, but when you look at the kind of information people might get, it boils down to your name, address, phone number and maybe a birth date.

Some of the people, that are upset with that will turn around and actually pay someone to take the most personal information we have as humans, our DNA. It doesn’t get any more personal than that. There are many companies advertising that they want your DNA. You send it in and you get a nice little pie chart. The question is, what do they do with the rest of it? I’ll let you imagine.

It’s like giving away the Coke recipe or finding out what’s in KFC’s 11 herbs and spices. Some things are meant to be secret, like your personal building blocks. If you don’t want to play with the Facebook genie … don’t rub the bottle.

Bryan Cox

Saskatoon

SHARE YOUR VIEWS

The StarPhoenix welcomes letters, which are limited to 250 words and must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number.

Submissions will be verified and edited before publication.
We publish the names and community of all letter writers.
Do not send email attachments.
Writing more than one letter a month is discouraged and “open” letters are not accepted.
Send to: 204 Fifth Ave. N., Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2P1

Fax: 306-657-6437

Email: letters@thestarphoenix.com

What if Netflix decided to stream every TV show and movie in the world, regardless of who actually owned it?

Well, (he said somewhat sarcastically) if Netflix did that, they’d be Facebook. Because, isn’t that what Facebook does, albeit in passive way? Facebook doesn’t create content any more than Uber owns taxis or Skip the Dishes owns restaurants.

Instead of buying anything, Facebook lets its users supply content, everything from really bad photos of food (which, as I’ve said before, always look like poo or puke) to links to news stories taken from sources ranging from Pulitzer-Prize-winning to Pure-Crapola.

It’s a brilliant business model, particularly if you’re a leech. Once your platform is teeming with donated content, you can sell advertising on it. And cha-ching: In 2017, Facebooks’s worldwide ad revenues were more than $28 billion, according to statista.com.

But how incredibly galling if your livelihood came from one of those content sources and it depended on its own advertising customers to survive — advertising that Facebook is Hoovering up faster than you can say “What’s with Zuckerberg’s hair, anyway?”

Oh, how we played into their hands. Newspapers like mine post their stories on Facebook every day because that’s where the eyeballs are. It costs a lot of money to create that content, and we give it away because we can’t afford not to.

And that’s how things seem to work in the age of nothing making sense anymore. Tesla is bigger than General Motors. Tesla sold a measly 76,000 cars in 2016 compared to GM’s 10 million. Tesla has had only two profitable quarters in its history. GM earned a profit of $9 billion in 2016, according to cnbc.com. And yet, it’s worth less than Tesla.

But back to Netflix, which, unlike Facebook, can’t sponge up member-generated content and sell it for profit because the hounds of legal hell would descend on them from every TV and movie studio on earth.

Instead, Netflix has to fund its own shows (it planned to spend $7 to $8 billion in 2018 to do so) or pay the rightful owners a fair price. How old fashioned. Couldn’t possibly pay off. Oh, but I’m forgetting this week’s news that Netflix shares are up 60 per cent this year. If you invested US$1,000 in 2007, you’d have $102,000.

And to think I used to feel sorry for Netflix. I did. When it started, the company rented DVDs by mail. How pathetic. Why wouldn’t you just go to Blockbuster? In fact, Blockbuster offered to buy Netflix for $50 million in 2000. The offer was declined. Fast-forward to now and Netflix is reporting revenues of $3.7 billion in the first quarter of this year.

Unlike Facebook, I don’t begrudge Netflix the fortune because they buy their content and create their own. I just wish I’d taken them seriously and got in on the ground floor.

Wisely, I don’t invest in individual stocks. That’s too risky. Rather, I let mutual fund managers use their expertise and investment acumen to lose my money for me. The nice thing about this arrangement is that they still get paid, even if they’re terrible. It’s win-win. Well, not for me, but I just devoured the second season of Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix and I’m tearing through season two of A Series of Unfortunate Events and it’s enough to take my mind off the fact that I can’t afford to retire — and that’s a good thing because if I did, all I’d do is watch more Netflix.

A video has surfaced on social media showing an argument between a Saskatoon taxi driver and a passenger that resulted in the driver being charged with assault.

The video appears to show the taxi driver pulling items out of the car and tossing them onto a nearby lawn while talking to someone inside the cab.

Soon after, the driver can be seen pulling away with the rear passenger door still open, and someone’s feet can be seen hanging out of the car.

A spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service said they received a call shortly after 7:15 p.m. on April 27 regarding an altercation between a taxi driver and a female passenger near the intersection of Diefenbaker Drive and Confederation Drive. The taxi driver was charged with common assault.

In a statement released on Friday, Comfort Cab said the footage was of an April 27 incident involving one of their taxis. The statement also said the driver has been suspended by the company and the city’s taxi bylaw manager.

“No matter what the circumstances, the action taken by the driver as seen in the video is not acceptable,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for the police said the driver was scheduled to appear in court at the end of May.