CFN – The phone rings. It’s Darlene Walsh, a nurse at CCH who’s extremely upset as she’s been called in for a hearing about an interview she gave CFN a few weeks ago. LINK
She’s afraid that she’s going to be fired and asks that I come into the meeting as she’s having trouble finding some friends and family for support.
I get to the hospital and we chat outside the meeting room when VP Alan Greig shows up. He’s belligerent and aggressive demanding why I’m here and with a camera. I explain politely that I don’t like to leave my camera in the car and have not shot anything.
He asks how he knows this and I offer to hit display and allow him to look at its contents.
He demands I leave this publicly funded place that my tax dollars support that I was invited in for a specific purpose for.
Next thing I know two security guards show up. We politely go through the same story and I offer to let the security people take my camera away and hold it until the meeting is over.
Then one, two, three Cornwall police officers and one OPP officer show up followed by Mr. Greig who uses the exact same belligerent and aggressive tone in front of everyone as though he’s trying to bully me and make up rules on the fly. He says I’m trespassing on the hospital so now it’s not about the camera; but about my person.
Not having any criminal record nor wanting one I decide to acquiesce and leave. I’m escorted, or surrounded by the police as they walk me to my car. I’m sure some people would be nervous about being in an elevator with three armed people when you’re not packing.
This is a huge problem. This is why I won’t set foot in this hospital other than to visit a patient again ever.
For someone like Alan Greig to be sucking public dollars for behaving in this manner is utter insanity. He had very peaceful options and instead he chose to spend tax payers dollars on the use of police. What was it that the hospital feared by me sitting in and supporting in this meeting?
I personally will be boycotting any CCH funding until this is addressed. We do not live in China, Russia or even the US of A.
This is Canada dammit – escorting polite citizens without criminal records who are showing no disturbance or belligerence by four armed police officers is not fair dinkum. It’s not civilized. I felt bad for the police because they were forced into this and they didn’t look to happy about it either.
We’ll be updating Darlene’s situation as news becomes available. Hopefully a good nurse has not lost her job in Canada for speaking her mind.
Because it’s a dark blotch on our city, province, and country if that’s what happens and good people sit quietly by.
You can post your comments below.
This seems to be a habit in Cornwall…..that’s all I will say!
Great article by the way.
She has every right to have a witness at that meeting. She should have refused to sit down with them until she had someone with her. I don’t understand what grounds the police had to escort you off the property? This is crazy!
Just unbelievable! What has happened to the rights of citizens in this city?
It’s a crying shame!
It was nuts. I was shocked. It felt like Cold War Russia and in my opinion an utter abuse of power by Mr. Grieg. It’s shameful and frankly and embarrassment for the Hospital and our city. Gd forbid I fall ill and have to be rushed there? Should I have to worry about management at the hospital brow beating staff and suffering?
Not surprised at all Jamie. The actions of the hospital are the usual for treatment of staff……they bully and bully then trap you in a corner and eat their prey! Yes, we are talking their own good nurses and they have done this to nurse managers in the past too!!!
They do nothing but pay thousands, and thousands of dollars on radio ads to promote themselves but everything else they do is a cover up!
I was in emerg recently and I sat in the waiting area and watched one of the good emerg doctors tell a lady that she most likely has cancer…..yep, right in the waiting area!!!!
CCH has a lot of work to do to get itself in line, only then will they deserve the support of the community. New top management is a must!!!!!!!!!
Could this be an example of why people need to hide their identity when posting?
I am stunned just reading this, can’t believe it!
anyone should be welcomed to those meetings, to me Darlene was in her right by asking you to attend with her as a witness. Darlene, I stand behind you, your interview was wonderful!!! More power to you girl,
Shelley Boisvenue (nee Price) *S* we grew up together.
Hi folks ,
Thanks Jamie, let the truth speak for itself.
Darlene Walsh has not only a right to speak up ,but a responsibility as well .
You see folks being a Nurse, it is our obligation to be the advocate for the patient.
We must put all biases aside and advocate in the patients best interest ,though at times the patient may not agree or understand but that is what we are here for.
Darlene Walsh has advocated for the patients by speaking up as a professional to the media with concerns of the treatment of her patients.
Now she is will be reprimanded for her professional responsibility and speaking out in the interests of her patients.
Is the Hospital not payed for by YOU the taxpayer ,is it not in the public’s interest to inform them?
Would she be covered under the whistle-blower legislation or once again RIGHTS WILL BE LOST?
Cornwall Community Hospital already has a bad image problem .
Many people in the hundreds (I’ve lost track) will no longer donate or even go to Cornwall Community Hospital.
Sadly the management has lost focus – they are there for the community not the other way around.
Darlene keep your head up,be proud for standing up for your patients .Thank you for thinking of the patients first!
You are not alone in this.
Take care my fellow Canadians .
Christopher Cameron
Darlene is the most loving person I know. she loves the people she takes care of I’m sure she will have the city she loves behind her
and most of all GOD is on her side.
Talk about an abuse of power ,it is a public institution do they have any right to remove an individual if there was no provocation?
Darlene my best to you ,many will stand for you !
Lets hope your fellow staff take notice ,for you are standing up for them who fear of speaking up.
Wake up hospital staff …..Stand up for your rights -once again for silence means consent.
Thank you Darlene for speaking up! One of the few that had the strength to stand tall against the bullying at CCH! They cannot fire you for speaking the truth on behalf of the patient…..on behalf of being caring!!! CCH better be careful or they will dig themselves even deeper in do-do than they already have. Shame on Alan Greig!!!! Security and police….now really?!?!? Wow, they must really have something to hide to go to that extent at the expense of the taxpayer.
Today in the mail I received a glossy, full color newsletter about the CCH and how wonderful they are. The centerspread of the newsletter had only one message to convey – that the people of Cornwall needed to donate more money towards the hospital! I am outraged that this would happen anywhere in Canada, and especially here in our home town.
Thank You Darlene for having the courage to speak out ,it is your right as a nurse to be a advocate for your patients, I know Alan Greig & right now am so ashamed of him!!!
This latest incident, in my opinion is starting to be repetitive. It seems & appears that it’s one issue after another at the CCH !
I would sincerely appreciate that Ms. Perriard (Board Chair) give a full & complete accounting of this incident, to the press in hopes of difusing this potential powder keg ! We cannot allow this alledged type of behaviour to continue. The norm has always been, that an employee is allowed a representative or witness of their choice ? And to be fair,yes, we have only heard one side of the story, but if half of the stories being told by present & former nurses are true, “Houston we have a problem” !
The “CCH” is our hospital, and it needs our full support in every possible way, that is why it is imperative that the Board do it’s due dilligence and rectify this issue forewith .
Un-real !! It doesn’t say anywhere in the article if Alan Greig is French or not, but to be honest with you, I’ve never in my life ever heard of an English person behaving this manner toward another individual, and especially when it’s uncalled for. Darlene Walsh had every right to have support at this meeting, and I thank you for trying to do that; but my goodness, it must have been very un-nerving to have this happened.
I must say that Darlene seems to be a smart lady and very sympathetic, however, I feel she did the wrong thing in this case. Hold on before you jump the gun and have me in front of a firing squad.
Having worked on both sides of the isle, I can understand why the CCH had concerns. First of all, Jamie is not an employee of the CCH, that being said, he legally had no right to attend said meeting. If Darlene felt insecure, she could have asked for representation or a witness who is employed by the hospital to attend the meeting. They would have been obligated to fulfill her request.
Now….supposing you ran a company and one of your employees publicly complained about you and the way you ran your business, would you think that would be acceptable? As a manager or owner of a business would you not question their behavior? Be honest here….
When hired one owes respect and honor to their employer and if they are unable to do that, they should be looking for work elsewhere. That type of behavior clearly shows lack of respect and also discontentment. That being said, why would they stay at a job where they feel they are not happy with the way things are done?
Was calling the police the right thing to do…..nope absolutely not. Should it have been handled differently, absolutely.
sniff sniff…is that a lawsuit I smell? I suspect several Ottawa or Cornwall lawyers would be happy to take this case. The officers had no right to escort you off (they tried to do the same to Howard, remember? He wouldn’t budge and they walked away.)
I wonder the racist francophones and their supporters are in favour if these treatment of anglophones?
All wonderful comments (except Walsh…never mention God,. If there was one, He is sure as hell not listening to or taking care of us!) and I support you and Darlene 100%! If you need another voice, just let me know.
Jamie, what was the reason given for throwing you out? Was it because you represent the media and are in a position to report what you heard and saw? Darlene needed support and you were asked by her to accompany her to the interview? What’s wrong with that?
It seems that the CCH is acting in a fascistic manner when it threw you out of a publicly funded facility for no apparent reason. You were not threatening anyone or causing a disturbance – you had every right to be Darlene’s witness at this interview. Maybe that is why they would not let you go in with her – they couldn’t intimidate her with you around!!!
I hope you stood your ground, Darlene!!! You were just sharing your observation of what happened in the hospital (patients in hall-ways, etc.). Maybe someone should have taken some photos of those happenings. We know that this happens very often in hospitals that are over-crowded and have no room to accommodate patients. Maybe if they didn’t waste so much money paying for bilingual staff to come from Quebec, they might have more money to provide better service.
This is the reason why most public servants are not willing to come forward to report poor service – the fear of reprisals is very real. The government has bottomless taxpayer pockets – the private citizen is too poor to defend him/herself. Shame on Alan Greig for using his position to intimidate an employee.
Waiting to get more details but, at the moment all i can say is, this seem A-typical of the old, “make one the example to hopefully scare off the others” routine. This must not stand as an effective tactic.
Can someone provide the email address for this hospital and Alan?
If so ,everyone should be emailing them to show their support to Darlene, if she loses her job for speaking the truth, they should know many Canadians are watching.
You have my support Darlene. Time for new management at the hospital. I’m calling my local counsel man to follow up on your case.
You got it girl Don’t worry Darlene Some Lawyer is going to pick this up probono. Bulling is an offence.Don’t give up you are right for speaking the truth and your patients will feel secure with their Health issues at CCH because of you Brovo.
Kim according the to police once Alan asked me to leave he could invoke trespassing. While there is a much bigger core issue here this particular instance I elected to be walked out by our law enforcement.
Stella we’ll agree. In this case Mr. Greig was aggressive and belligerent from the start. Yes, they could’ve delayed the meeting until Darlene had support. They could have handled it much better. They didn’t. And for that CCH has to act and resolve Mr. Grieg’s actions which were totally unacceptable under any circumstances.
This man should lose his job for this, clear and simple. He abused his authority in a manner that simply is not Canadian.
This wasn’t a protest. The camera was not on. And he spoke this way in front of many people including the officers.
There is no way I would of sat in a meeting without a witness or legal representation.I would of wanted everything said in the meeting to be recorded to protect myself from wrongful termination.
I AM APPALLED!
I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY. I JUST CANT BELIEVE IT.
I wasn’t there so I can’t speak to his behaviour – it’s sounds, though, like he was needlessly aggressive. However, he has every right to require you to leave. The employee also had no right to have you there. The employee may have a right to a job stewart being present but that’s it. Frankly, I would discipline this employee for inviting you.
This sounds and looks like Germany in the 1930″s . I live out west in B.C. and we support Darlene for being a good Canadian for speaking up for what she believes in and we in the west are behind here 100%. There is no way a small minority have the right to take over the worlds English language and put it in second place in our English speaking country. My grandparents came here from Germany iand now it looks like us great grand kids will experience Germany here in Canada.
This insanity has got to stop.
Dot Fuhrman
Darlene has every right to have someone as her counsel (not necessarily lawyer) to attend with her the administrative hearing to which she was called as an “offender”. She can sue the CCH for denying her this legal right.
CCH administration is out of control and feels they can get away with intimidating the vulnerable – nurses, Anglo nurses in particular. Why can doctors criticize CCH publicly but not nurses?? What secrets did Darlene reveal – that patients are kept in hallways? Common, Mr. Greig, be serious.
Well well well, this takes forced frenchification to a new level! Call in the police if you don’t agree?
The senior management at CCH is disgusting & needs to be replaced ASAP!
Our community hospital is falling apart at the seems, only YOU the people can do something to change this situation.
mayor@cornwall.ca Mayor Bob Kilger
President@accreditation.ca Hospital Accreditation Team
communications@cornwallhospital.ca CCH Communications
Email the above contacts & tell them what you think about CCH’s intimidating & bullying behaviour….Enough is enough!!!!
Alan Greig @ hospital 1-613-938-4240 this tyrant started at Levi’s Sewing manufacturing until it folded somewhere around 1995 or so, started at ground level at Hospital had office in the basement & worked his way up somehow,does not speak french
Helga, Darlene has no such right. Where on earth did you find this ‘right’? She might be allowed a job stewart but that is it. Period. And Jamie had no right to stay after he was told to leave.
I haven’t heard of or witnessed one union rep stand up for an employee at CCH when it comes to language and now……CARING!!!! It is appauling what is going on. Darlene most likely felt that she needed someone else who would represent the people. Staff there, union reps or not, are bullied and just cower to CCH tactics. It’s happened too many times before. My “old” best friend works there, she is very intelligent, assertive and always stands up for what is right…..well except when it comes to her job! Money talks and most will keep their mouths shut to keep their jobs.
Here is a link to report this to the accreditation team that apparently didn’t find fault at CCH……perhaps you may want to share your thoughts with them and well as Ms Perriard!!
Elizabeth Mason, BHSc, MHA
Quality Assessor
613-738-3800 / 800-814-7769 ext. 370
Elizabeth.Mason@accreditation.ca
http://www.accreditation.ca
ACCREDITATION CANADA: Driving Quality Health Services
This team certainly missed the boat on this last visit in September. I urge people to stand behind Darlene. We NEED to make this hospital the best that it can be. It has tons of potential, but not with the ones that are running it!
John you may be right. Here goes though. First off Mr. Greig should have been POLITE at all times. Second, if I was told that I could not attend then I would have simply waited until someone could be there for Darlene. End of.
There was no need for Mr. Grieg’s total abuse of power and acts of intimidation and bullying. And calling in the police was waaaaay over the line.
That’s not how you gain public support. He’s embarrassed the hospital and embarrassed my city. And for knowingly acting in this manner I think he needs to be suspended if not fired out right.
Concerned2, Mayor Bob Kilger? You cannot be serious…
I’d better copy it to local MPPs and MPs, Ottawa Sun and a couple of TV stations.
What exactly did Darlene do to get all this attention? NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! except give her opinion. Which apparently you can’t do these days. This is a very strange story. Doesn’t sound like the police were needed. “Slight overreaction” ? or some people have an agenda. and NO ONE’S gonna get in the way.
Eric, if you hide your identity, you will end up where they want you… underground or hiding like mice as they are. Do not let them intimidate you.
He shouldn’t have been rude, that’s for sure. But you don’t have a right to stay until someone could be there for Darlene. Once he told you to leave you were required to leave.
John Macdonald, why can doctors criticize CCH publicly but not nurses? Are nurses second class employees at Cornwall hospital?
VP Alan Grieg of the CCH is acting more like a Tin Pot dictator than a hospital administrator by his authoritarion behaviour. This is Ontario not Kebec and he too must follow the rules if he wants to keep his JOB.
@ anon_Nim
Thanks for the advice, here’s a few contacts of people who should be informed of CCH incompetent Senior Management!
Guy Lauzon MP info@guylauzon.ca
Jim Mcdonnell MPP jim.mcdonell@pc.ola.org
Bryan Lilley byline@sunmedia.ca
CTV news@ctv.ca
Nurses are employees of the hospital; most doctors are not. The law would therefore allow the hospital to place greater restrictions on nurses in regards to speaking to the media.
To John Macdonald:
“Administrative agencies (CCH is an agency of the provincial government) must follow proper procedure in arriving at their decisions. The various procedures stem from the basic requirement of the “right to be heard.” In some cases a statute or regulation will set out the basic procedures that govern the process of decision making, such as what notice must be given of a hearing and to whom, the right to have counsel, the right to call evidence and to cross-examine witnesses.
Where a statute establishes no procedures, common-law principles apply to ensure that all persons subjected to government action are treated fairly. These are …principles of “natural justice.” They have 2 basic objectives: to ensure that every person whose interests are at risk is entitled to participate in the process before a decision is taken affecting their interests, whether by hearing or otherwise, and that any decision made by tribunal is impartial and not biased.”
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/administrative-law
Helga, it’s LABOUR LAW that applies. Quoting from Administrative law makes absolutely no sense.
This is outrageous ! Because of OB and the FLSA we are in this ugly mess….political correctness and forced bilingualism !
VP Alan Grieg of the CCH is a coward ! Before Canada condemns human rights in other countries perhaps the Canadian gov’t should examine what is happening here !! Anglophones rights are being trampled on daily !!!
Please take a few minutes & watch Nurse Chris Cameron’s You-tube video about his experience with discrimination at CCH….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBl7ZOVfBg&feature=g-upl&context=G2ab7300AUAAAAAAAAAA
Honestly can’t believe P’s reaction and behaviours…unbelievable. Darlene should not have attended the meeting, without legal or union representation.
This VP of CCH is way out of line…the CEO needs to receive the complaints about this type of behaviour.
Hmmmm….this should do wonders for their funding raising efforts…NOT!
Darlene…we are behind you, let us know what has happened.
Darlene had a right to have someone in with her, a union steward. If no-one is available then the meeting is put off until there is. That is according to the union contract which both hospital and employees agreed to.
Though I was not there to witness Mr Greig’s behaviour I do believe it happened exactly as stated by “Admin” of the CFN.
In response to Lolochuck’s comment “I haven’t heard of or witnessed one union rep stand up for an employee at CCH when it comes to language”, didn’t know me. I stood up for and won English employees getting f/t jobs. One of them is an avid contributor to this site and an avid protester. I am proud of what I was able to do when I was active in the union but then again it was a different management and different union. I wouldn’t want what is there now, management or union.
I hope Darlene put the meeting off until she did have union representation.
@ John MacDonald, it’s steward not stewart!