Former Nunavut health director faces nursing sanctions

A former health manager in Nunavut is facing a number of conditions on her nursing licencefollowing a complaint filed against her last winter.

Heather Hackney, the former director of health services for South Baffin, is facing a five-year condition preventing her from applying to any temporary or permanent position as a nurseincharge, a supervisor of community health, or director of nursing in either the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.

The nursing association overseeing the two territories said a complaint was received Dec. 18, 2015 against Hackney.

"The nature of the complaint was related to management and leadership," said Donna Stanley-Young, the executive director of the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, who did not provide further details.

The association's professional conduct committee referred the complaint to alternate dispute resolution in January 2016.

In May, Hackney"entered into a settlement agreement, so it was mutual," Stanley-Young said.

Hackney is also required to complete an ethics course and write a reflective paper. Aletter of reprimand has been placed on her file.She is currently listed on a Government of Nunavut directory as a community health nurse working in Igloolik.She was unavailable for comment.

Stanley-Young said this is the first condition placed on Hackney's license.

Workplace grievance

In January 2012, Gwen Slade, a nurse working at the Cape Dorset health centre, filed a workplace grievance against Hackney for abusing her authorityby covering up complaints.

Months later, Hackney filed a complaint with the nurses associationagainst Slade.

"Given the timing of this complaint, and the circumstances preceding it, the complaint has a distinctly retaliatory or punitive flavour," wrote Katherine Peterson, who was hired by the Government of Nunavut to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of Makibi Timilak, a three-month-old from Cape Dorset who died in April 2012 after allegedly being refused treatment at the community's health centre.

Hackney was the director of health services for South Baffin at the time, responsible for supervising five southern Baffin Island health centres.

The territoryis planning to holdaninquest into Timilak's death.