Letter to Base Commander: visit to Joint Task Force (North) Yellowknife

17 January 2022

 

Brigadier-General J.P.P. Godbout
Commander Joint Task Force (North)
Box 6666, Station Main
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2R3

 

Dear Brigadier-General J.P.P. Godbout:

I would like to personally thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu Gauthier and Lieutenant (Navy) Mary Louise Gordon, for extending such hospitality throughout our visit. We were pleased to virtually meet with and listen to concerns and constructive feedback from military personnel, civilian employees, caregivers, and family members. We left with valuable information about working and living North of the 60^th parallel, and the specific challenges it brings.

The purpose of this letter is to expand upon the briefing I provided you on 3 December 2021, and to highlight some of the concerns and positive feedback that we heard during our visit. Some of these issues may already be known to you and your staff, but I thought it would be helpful to detail them nonetheless and to offer you our assistance should you wish to follow up on any of these matters. I am a firm believer that collaboration can lead to long-lasting, positive change for the Defence community.

This letter focusses on issues particular to Joint Task Force (North) (JTFN); issues particular to the 1^st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group (1 CRPG) Headquarters and its patrols are addressed in a separate letter to the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Chiasson.

Medical Staff Pressure and Mental Health Access

Yellowknife is categorized as a type 2 clinic (under 2,000 persons). This does not seem to take into account members from Whitehorse, Iqaluit, Canadian Rangers, and other CAF members who come to the Northwest Territories on exercise and also access medical care. Despite this, the number of support and medical staff positions remains unchanged.

I am concerned that the current situation is unsustainable for both the care of your CAF members and for the staff themselves. This issue was also noted during our last visit in 2016.

We know that the pandemic has highlighted the need to adopt more proactive measures in dealing with the shortage in staffing levels and newer methods for delivering patient care have been put in place such as the Maple virtual care. However, it was noted that there have been issues accessing this service.

As a COVID-19 support, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) has provided virtual care access through Maple to all military families since May 2020 and the difficulties accessing this service in Yellowknife was brought to their attention. We have since learned from CFMWS that the Maple support team has committed to reducing shortages of physicians through active physician recruitment and offering higher billing fees for NWT visits. In addition to this, they are working to add NWT Nurse Practitioners to their roster of available healthcare professionals for families.

There is also no pan-Canadian approach to licensure for any health provider group allowing practice across the country under one license. This is a systemic challenge that has been broached by DND/CAF at the Seamless Canada events, as it has contributed to military families in rural and remote locations not being able to fully leverage virtual care.

We also heard that some members and their families are having difficulties accessing mental health services in a timely manner and that there are lengthy waitlists for specialized services such as physiotherapy and speech therapy. It was mentioned that better access to virtual care may help address some of these needs.

Childcare

Childcare remains a major stressor for families of young children. The absence or rarity of childcare for infants and toddlers makes it challenging for spouses who work outside the home or who are currently working from home.

In addition to the pandemic and the challenges that go along with virtual learning, when schools are open, not all offer before and after school care; members raised their concerns regarding the difficulty to balance early work schedules and school-aged children. Our office is aware of these concerns and other challenges facing military families who must relocate and find childcare. This is a key topic in the Seamless Canada initiative, which was raised at the most recent meeting of 8 December 2021.

Screening, Sponsors and Information on postings to North of 60

In many of our meetings we heard about the need for a more vigorous screening process. It was noted that there continues to be challenges related to CAF members who have certain medical or family needs that cannot be adequately supported in Yellowknife or, that present greater challenges in accessing required services. It was also noted that the high cost of living was particularly challenging for junior ranks (the private rank is particularly difficult) and that this should be considered in the screening for this area.

We were advised that members can access the Joint Task Force North & North of 60 MFRC Handbook online; that can help with the expectations and transition to living in the north. In addition to the handbook, there is a sponsor assigned to members being posted into Yellowknife during the screening process who could help navigate life North of 60. It was noted that although the sponsor program is helpful, it’s dependent on the effort given by the sponsor. Any effort that can be made to support coordination of the sponsor program between the various units under your command would be beneficial.

North of 60 Military Family Resource Centre

MFRC’s are mandated to work with military members, their spouses and family members. There is confusion amongst members over the structure of the local MFRC (OUTCAN vs NPF model) and what types of programs and activities should be offered. Some members and their families felt that the programming and activities at the MFRC are not addressing the needs of the CAF community in Yellowknife. We were advised that the MFRC is currently working on updating their handbook that will provide helpful information related to programming and life in Yellowknife and, you and your team will also ensure that messaging about these services are communicated to your members.

Personnel Support Programs (PSP)

A posting to Yellowknife or North of 60 is unique. Certain difficulties in “the South” are only multiplied and exacerbated in the North and the months of darkness and cold takes its toll on some individuals more than others. Add on to this the global pandemic and the challenge is even greater. Most members and families we heard from do their best to make the most of their experience and had positive points to raise regarding the services and programs offered by PSP. The busy social calendar is certainly one of the points highlighted as being uplifting for members, staff and families alike who are in Yellowknife.

Housing

Military families posted to Yellowknife have the option to access government housing, rent or purchase a home in the community. The high cost of utilities during winter as well as the quality, affordability and smaller size of the housing available on the market have been raised by families as constraints specific to Yellowknife.

Government housing in Yellowknife is provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), who also provide housing to multiple other Government departments. We heard that there are no longer one- and two-bedroom housing units; this has a financial impact on single or unaccompanied members posted to Yellowknife as the cost of living and heating a larger home can become unmanageable, especially during the winter.

The position of the housing clerk is undoubtedly an essential one and we were elated to find out that Ms. Evelyn Keeping still occupied the position. In our last visit in 2016, we received numerous positive comments from members and their families about the excellent client service she provides; we are pleased to say that this continues to be the case.

In our discussions with various policy authorities, I will continue to make the case that simply transferring southern polices for implementation in the North without due consideration for Northern issues is not appropriate.

In closing, I would like to thank you and your staff for your help in the organization and the execution of a highly successful constituent engagement visit. It gave me a better understanding of the challenges and needs related to being posted and living in Yellowknife. It also provided me with a brief overview of the Canadian Rangers of 1 CRPG constituency and the needs of your formation personnel.

Sincerely,

 

Gregory A. Lick
Ombudsman

 

c.c: CEO CFMWS

CMP

CFHA