Aidan Jaager
Regina Leader-Post
The family of a Saskatchewan woman along with the First Nations Health Ombudsman are moving forward with formal complaints and demanding accountability from the Saskatchewan Health Authority after multiple cases of Indigenous patients’ hair being cut without consent.
“This is not an isolated incident,” First Nation Health Ombudsman (FHNO) board chair Heather Bear said this week.
On June 10, Corina Morin had her hair shaved without consent at Royal University Hospital while medically incapacitated. According to FNHO, hospital records show Morin was unable to provide informed consent and the decision was made by a registered nurse without a formal policy or assessment guiding the action.
Morin, who died while in hospice care last month, was distressed by the incident, her family says. It left emotional scars for her and the family.
“We hear how much treatment such as this one impacts the individuals and families,” Bear said.
“I would like to know how the Saskatchewan Health Authority is going to implement this policy and to ensure that it is being adhered to.”
FNHO ombudsman Dr. Dianne Lafond called the incident “a grave betrayal of trust and a violation of cultural safety.”
Added Lafond: “It’s deeply alarming. This is the second time in two years at this same facility, and the fourth case brought to our office. These patterns can not be ignored. This must end now.”
Earlier this month, the SHA announced a new policy requiring staff to get consent before cutting the hair of Indigenous patients.
That came nearly a year after Metis man Ruben St. Charles had his ponytail cut before receiving hip surgery in Saskatoon hospital without his approval.
Though SHA introduced the policy, the Morin family says it “remains without a formal apology or any meaningful follow-up.”
A decision has been made by the family to move forward with a formal complaint, while seeking accountability and justice, the FNHO said.
A newsletter sent to SHA staff says the new policy aims to respect the spiritual and cultural significance of hair to Indigenous people. ‘Staff must not cut the hair of Indigenous patients unless they have consent from the patient, family or decision-maker involving their health.
The policy also says hair should only be cut when medically necessary, such as for head trauma and brain or head surgery.
The policy is a step in the right direction but St. Charles still had not received an apology for his ponytail being cut, patient advocate Bonnie Marwood said earlier this month following the announcement.
The health authority needs to educate its staff on cultural norm and also needs to know who its patients are, Marwood said.
SHA invited St. Charles to a sharing circle at the hospital in March to acknowledge his hair being cut, Marwood said. At the ceremony, an elder gave him an eagle feather and a package of cigarettes, but St. Charles didn’t understand the cultural significance because he had never experienced such ceremonies before.
“I think it’s important to ask what people need in terms of reconciliation and what needs to be done so they actually feel whole again,” Marwood said.
There have been other cases of Indigenous patients having their hair cut at hospitals.
In December, the braids of Dexter Adams — an 84-year-old man from Pasqua First Nation — were cut at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital. His wife, Eve Adams, has said his eagle feather and some medicine were also found in a garbage can.
Alberta Health Services said it has taken a number of steps to train staff, including holding classes to learn about the cultural significance of hair.
— With files from The Canadian Press
