As residents, and health care recipients of Port McNeill, we feel we must comment on the front page article in last weeks Gazette.
How it made the front page begs belief, and does not give any information on what the discipline was about. This leaves your readers to come up with their own interpretations of what went on. We were interested to see on the same page, websites that sponsored links following this article advertising for drug treatment places (which were in the United States by the way).
The dastardly deed was apparently a prescription for Haitian refugees via Dominican Republic, nothing else. Against the rules, yes, but a criminal offence, no.
Believe it or not disciplinary conditions are not uncommon, and rarely make the front page of the local rag. There was no personal gain in any of this, and the insurance company has survived.
The article also makes us wonder what has happened to journalism? Was Dr. Jane Clelland called for comments? Couldn’t see it in the article. It used to be that reporters would check everything instead of just copying the facts from source, which again leaves the reader to use their imagination.
Having known Dr. Clelland for many years it is dismaying to see this front page news. She has gone out of her way for these Northern communities putting in many, many free hours of work, especially with the more under-privileged of our communities. She does not blow her own trumpet around this caring work, and does not appear in the Gazette regularly shouting how good and caring she is. Jane has taken on, and continues to take on, people who have been given up on, whether it works or not does not matter, but it can make a difference in people’s lives.
It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and you have used the pen to do an injustice. So then, let this pen be used in defense of Dr. Jane Clelland. We hope others will do the same.
Pat and Trevor Haselton
Port McNeill
