Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 04/02) - Participants in a Southern-organized suicide prevention forum say they were ripped off.

Thirteen registrants from Northern communities as far away as Iqaluit were outraged on Wednesday after they spent up to $5,000 to attend a forum. The fee for the workshop itself was nearly $500 per person.

"It wasn't a forum at all, more of a workshop that wasn't that organized," said Karen Brown.

According to the 13 women attending the workshop, three different agendas were sent out for the event.

Brown said only a few people got the updated agenda and even what was listed as content on that agenda, was not what they received.

"We were all misled about the content of this forum," added Brown.

"This is one more example of how Southern firms take advantage of the North. It's time we start to say to enough is enough."

An example of the poor information offered at the workshop, according to Brown, was a resource sheet of suicide support services that listed support groups in Australia.

The sheet included a dozen groups with Australian phone numbers including a lifeline, a kids help line and a crisis centre.

The content was not what was expected and the participants said it was irrelevant and in some cases offensive.

"If he is going to present the information to our communities he has to know something about the culture," said Joyce Wasievna.

The group referred to topics like "Aboriginal Grieving" and "Canada's Bleak North, Fertile Ground for Suicide" as examples of not only racial, but geographical insensitivity.

"When is grieving specific to a certain culture," said Wasievna.

"We're all working with people that have (attempted) suicide and they are all aboriginal they need to be teaching from content, which is sensitive to our culture. From an aboriginal perspective we were totally ripped off."

Loss of time and money

The content did more than create a feeling of dissatisfaction it caused issues with the registrants who have small budgets for professional development.

"These are days that I have been away from my place of employment, we've got women here that are away from their families," said Gail Gerwing.

"He should have cancelled the workshop if he couldn't get it together."

Organizations like the Yellowknife's Dene First Nation brought all their employees.

With airfare, hotel, food and registration it cost Lissie Anaviapik, from Iqaluit, $5,000 to attend.

"I'm pissed off," she stated.

As well each of the people attending has to be accountable to their respective organizations. Some were sent in the hope they could bring back the knowledge and teach it in their communities.

Each of them said the content of the forum was so poor they won't be able to do that.

"After the Aboriginal Healing Foundation set aside $360 million to compensate for the pain my people have gone through organizations started popping up all over the place to provide training. They are taking advantage of us. We are a commodity," Wasievna said.

The women spent the last part of the day Wednesday drafting a letter to W. Zarchikoff & Associates Ltd., the Langley, B.C.-based company that organized the forum.

The letter expressed their disappointment, anger and a desire to be reimbursed.

Facilitator unaware

Tom Rippon, who describes himself as a "doctor of peace studies" and conducted the workshop, said he was left in the dark as well.

"I was contacted by Mr. Zarchikoff back in early June and asked if I'd be one of many presenters in a forum," said Rippon.

"I was contacted on Thursday (Oct. 24) and told I would be the only presenter in a workshop."

Rippon said he responded by changing the format of what he would be offering over the two days.

"My understanding was all of the participants were aware of the change of format.

"I share the frustration all these people have," he said.

Rippon added that he hadn't even seen the material that was to be presented until he arrived for the workshop.

"The first time I saw this was when the participants saw it," he said.

It's not the first time, Rippon said, he has had to deliver material on short notice.

It is the first time that he has had a problem working with W. Zarchikoff & Associates.

"I was quite surprised when I came up here," he said.

According to Rippon this will be the last time he works for the company.

"Once burned, twice shy," he said.

Former Yellowknife resident

Bill Zarchikoff, owner of W. Zarchikoff & Associates, said all the registrants were informed about the change.

"We were expecting a lot more people and we had hoped to get people from government as well," said Zarchikoff.

At first he said the workshop was to be cancelled, but it was later modified instead.

The modifications included reducing the number of speakers from four to one, which meant cancelling Lynne Panasiuk, a therapist from Saskatoon and Marlyan Van Bidder, an author and consultant.

"Each person was faxed the agenda. If they didn't receive it, it's through no fault of mine," he said.

As for the content, he is at odds with the comments of Rippon.

"I'm kind of in shock. The binder that they all got the material came from Tom," he said.

Zarchikoff, a former Yellowknifer, said his company does nearly 65 forums a year and has testimonials from a number of groups, including aboriginal organizations, regarding the effectiveness of his workshops.

He also faxed a copy of that material to News/North.

"It's a black eye on our organization. I'm not impressed," he said.