November 20, 2013
Hilton Garden Inn, Saskatoon SK
Our first Symposium, held in Saskatoon SK in November 2013, was held at a key transition point in the project. The first phase of “Assessing” the respiratory health and possible contributing factors was mostly complete, and the Symposium provided an opportunity to discuss the initial findings with key stakeholders including community partners, researchers, policy makers, and end users; to share knowledge from a variety of sources, and to discuss directions for the “Address” and “Redress” phases of the project.
The Symposium was structured in such a way to provide the maximum opportunities for interaction and input from all participants. Following an opening prayer by an elder from the community partners, the university based researchers presented key highlights from the “Assess” phase of the project in a round-table discussion format. Participants had an opportunity for knowledge transfer and discussion of issues at each of four different tables, with Table 1 focused on information from the initial adult questionnaire and lung assessments, Table 2 focused on the upcoming environmental assessments that were in the design phase, Table 3 focused on the preliminary results from the initial child questionnaire and lung assessments, and Table 4 focused on housing environments and health amongst Manitoba First Nations Peoples. An open discussion facilitated by co-chairs Jo-Ann Episkenew and Sylvia Abonyi, both co-principal investigators on the project, concluded the morning.
The afternoon session focused on “Addressing” and “Redressing” housing and respiratory health issues. Presentations on “Addressing” the issues were given on “What are community people saying should be done?,” “What we are doing to repair houses in Montreal Lake Cree Nation,” and “Building on success – celebrating smoke free homes.” Each presentation was followed by opportunities for discussion. Finally, a panel discussion on “Redressing” policy issues was held, with panel members representing both communities and medical, legal, and policy experts from around the province. The panel provided a diversity of perspectives on what can and should be done to address issues of health and housing in First Nations peoples and communities. The Symposium was concluded with a prayer from an elder and closing remarks from the co-chairs.
All of the Symposium sessions were captured on video, and the entire day has been divided into segments.
If you wish to obtain a free DVD copy of the Sympoisum videos, please contact Lynette Epp at lynette.epp@usask.ca or 306-966-7884.