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 November
2006
Feature Stories
Best in Show - Who will take the Tory Blue Ribbon?
iCare: A
no-brainer - New centre will apply research to improve
health care delivery
Best in Show - Who will take
the Tory Blue Ribbon?
by Les
Brost
Political leadership contests have a lot in common with
big-time dog shows. Both are intensely competitive and burn up big chunks of
time, energy and money for the folks involved. Success at dog shows and
political leadership contests doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of
the breed of the contestant, the pedigree, the skill of the handler, and the
depth of the pockets involved.
It’s leadership selection time for the Progressive
Conservative party in Alberta, and the PC Big Dogs are competing to be Best in
Show. The current champion—Canada’s longest reigning top dog—Ralph Klein is
slowly making his way to the exit, and the crowd is busily appraising the
contenders for the show trophy.
It’s going to be a heck of a show. The first round of
voting will happen on November 25th. If no competitor wins a simple majority on
the first vote, a second, preferential ballot will be held on December 2nd.
Who are the contenders? What breed are they? What are their
pedigrees? What are their strengths and limitations? What are their show-ring
styles?
Edmontonians presents a comparison—somewhat irreverent, but
without malice—of the temperaments of the declared candidates to the strong
suits of various popular breeds of dogs. We leave it to the card-carrying
Progressive Conservative members to determine who will assume the alpha
position.
The Show-Ring Lineup...
Jim Dinning- Breed of competitor: Golden Retriever
 Golden
Retrievers are powerful, active dogs that are sound and well balanced. They can
be an ideal sportsman’s companion, family pet, an excellent gundog, and guide or
service dog. Golden Retrievers possess a personality that is eager, alert and
self-confident.
Pedigree: Jim Dinning was first elected to the
Legislature in 1986. He served as Minister in the portfolios of Community and
Occupational Health, Education, and Provincial Treasurer.
His handlers: Dinning’s “brain trust’ is a
blue-ribbon panel of Alberta’s business and political heavyweights. Thirty-four
of the 62 PC MLAs are wearing his colours. Chief handler Alan Hallman’s show
ring strategy closely mirrors the image of the candidate: a smooth, professional
campaign that only rarely wanders into “slick”. Its website—
www.dinning.ca —is top-notch. The campaign’s
biggest challenge will be to provide an error-free tour of the ring that gives
little opportunity for the others to present an alternative.
Show ring strengths: Dinning is poised and polished
in the show ring. His track record and ability to focus on goals explains his
current status as Top Dog-in-Waiting. His record and his ability to stay
connected and relevant to the grassroots in the party have kept him in the front
of the pack.
Show ring limitations: Front-runner status has
brought Dinning the attention of the other show dogs. It’s very hard to hold a
lead in a long race when you start out ahead of the pack—unless you can build up
an overwhelming lead in points. Particularly in front of rural groups, he tends
to “play down” to his audience.
Show ring style: Dinning’s sense of focus keeps him
square to the judges at all times. He is quick, upbeat and attentive to his
handlers’ instructions in the show ring. They have worked hard to position him
to be seen as a winner who has earned the right to wear the blue ribbon.
The odds: Dinning will not win a majority in the
first round, and will move on to the second round of judging. In a three-dog
field, it all depends on how the judges set up the competition. In a centre-left
vs. hard right showdown, he wins in a walk.
Victor Doerksen: Breed of competitor: American Eskimo dog
 The
American Eskimo Dogs—formerly known as German Spitz—are intelligent, alert and
friendly, although slightly conservative. They are neither overly shy nor
aggressive.
Pedigree: Victor Doerksen began his political life
in 1993 as MLA for Red Deer South. In 2001, he was appointed Minister of
Innovation and Science.
His handlers: Doerksen’s team came into the race
late, and have been playing catch-up. Led by Dwight Dibben, they are working
hard to help their candidate catch the eye of judges. The website —
www.voteforvictor.ca —is
straightforward and user-friendly. The challenge for his handlers will be
twofold: to overcome the late start and to carve out a niche for their candidate
in a field that already has strong social conservative candidates.
Show ring strengths: Doerksen has a strong record of
involvement with the science and innovation file, which will play an important
role in tomorrow’s Alberta. There is also evidence of support from Central
Alberta judges who are weary of “big city” politicians.
Show ring limitations: Doerksen is not the most
charismatic of the contenders. His late entry into the race is not helpful,
particularly as he was not originally perceived as a “top-tier” candidate.
The odds: A long shot. His candidacy now will raise
his profile for future shows.
David Hancock - Breed of Competitor: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
 Chesapeake
Bay Retrievers are responsive and industrious... devoted to their families and
make excellent hunting and guard dogs. Generally considered a country dog rather
than a city dog, but will adapt to urban living if given exercise and space.
Pedigree: Now in his third term as MLA for Edmonton-Whitemud,
David Hancock has served as Minister of Advanced Education; Justice and Attorney
General; and Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs. He chaired the
government’s Strategic Planning Committee.
His handlers: Hancock is a bit of a “policy wonk”,
and so are his handlers. The campaign website—
www.davehancockcrew.ca — is
well organized and congruent with the personality of the candidate. The
challenge facing the Hancock team, led by Brian Mulawka, is to mobilize his
natural constituency—the people in Alberta’s education community, particularly
young people.
Show ring strengths: Hancock is an articulate,
intelligent man with a long record of service to the party and government. As a
former party president, he is very well respected by members, and appeals to
those “Capital P” Progressive Conservatives who are looking for a fiscally
conservative, socially liberal approach to government. Hancock is also the only
metro-Edmonton-based candidate who is currently seated in the Legislature.
Show ring limitations: Hancock’s reputation as a
policy wonk does not endear him to those Alberta Conservatives who are looking
for an “Arnold Schwarzenegger” clone to lead them. The perception of him as a
social liberal will not be an easy sell to the hard right of the party.
Show ring style: Hancock is working hard to convince
the judges that he wants to win this show. He is showing a feisty side in the
candidate forums and is positioning himself to the judges as the only
alternative to the front-runner.
The odds: He has the ring smarts to win. The
challenge will be to make the final three. In a three-dog showdown, anything can
happen. If Hancock can make the cut—and if the other two competitors are
polarized—he will be the next leader.
Gary McPherson - Breed of competitor: Bulldog
 Bulldogs
are low to the ground, mastiff-type dogs with power. They are an ideal pet that
loves the companionship of its entire family including children. While bulldogs
are more than capable of taking care of themselves; they are not troublemakers
but, as a last resort, will retaliate.
Pedigree: Gary McPherson has not held elected
office. Cabinet appointed him chairman of the Premier’s Council on the Status of
Persons with Disabilities. He served as executive director, Canadian Centre for
Social Entrepreneurship in the School of Business at the University of Alberta.
His handlers: Campaign manager Deb Hagman of
Mayerthorpe leads an eclectic mix of individuals on the McPherson team. They
personify the can-do leadership style of the candidate. The website—
www.teammcpherson.com —is
straightforward and compelling… without the bells and whistles possessed by some
of the competition, but it quickly tells you what this candidate is all about.
Their campaign challenge is to ensure that their message is clearly heard by the
party.
Show ring strengths: McPherson epitomizes the
Alberta spirit of perseverance and tenacity when confronted with obstacles. His
reputation as a successful businessperson and advocate for people with
disabilities gives him a tremendous amount of respect within the party.
Show ring limitations: The present power players
within the party do not share the policy positions he advocates. His first time
in the show ring, but not the public eye.
Show ring style: McPherson will enter the ring the
same way he approaches life: full speed ahead. He will not shrink from sharing
his values and platform with the judges.
The odds: The longest shot in the bunch—but he will
win the respect of everyone.
Ted Morton- Breed of competitor: Greyhound
 The
Greyhound is a swift as a ray of light and graceful as a swallow. One of the
oldest and purest known breeds, it has been used on practically all kinds of
small game, but the hare is its natural quarry. While gentle with children, the
breed does have a natural tendency to chase anything small that moves, and it
may be aggressive to small dogs.
Pedigree: Albertans chose Ted Morton as
Senator-in-Waiting for the Reform Party in the 1998 Senate “election”. He won a
seat in the Legislature as a Conservative MLA in 2004.
His handlers: Morton has a highly skilled team of
handlers who operate under the guidance of Sam Armstrong. They have conducted a
brilliant strategic campaign, running early and running hard. The campaign
focuses on identifying and energizing Morton’s natural constituency on the
right. The website— www.tedmorton.ca —is
the class of the field. The challenge is to overcome the deep reservations about
his candidacy held by centre and centre-left Alberta Tories.
Show ring strengths: Morton is a smart, articulate
spokesman for the political “right wing” in Alberta—underscored by his
endorsement by Alberta Alliance leader Paul Hinman. He has the enthusiastic
support of the heavy hitters in the province’s ultra-right wing media. The show
judges who support Morton will crawl over 17 miles of gravel road to cast
ballots for him.
Show ring limitations: See all of the above through
the eyes of the centre-left wing Alberta Tories who have deep reservations about
a Morton-led Alberta PC party. He may have trouble staying on track in the
competition because of the show ring’s oval shape and his natural tendency to
run hard and to the right.
The odds: The odds are good that Morton will make
the second round of the competition. There are some who are betting that he will
either be the next leader of the PC party—or the next Leader of the Opposition.
Mark Norris - Breed of competitor: Border Collie
 Border
Collies are highly intelligent, hard-working dogs that respond quickly and
eagerly to training. They are the world’s premiere sheepdog in terms of
patience, agility and stamina. They thrive on games and are willing to please.
Pedigree: Mark Norris ran against and defeated
Liberal Leader Nancy MacBeth in the riding of Edmonton-McClung in 2001. He
served as the Minister of Economic Development, with responsibility for Tourism
and Industry. He lost to the Liberals in the 2004.
His handlers: The Norris team is a hard-working team
guided by campaign manager Tim Shipton. The front-office group is very skilled
at making visitors feel welcome. They have the support of some of Edmonton’s
corporate leaders, which is reflected in a very business-oriented campaign. The
website— www.MarkNorris.ca —is congruent
with the perception of the candidate: businesslike, informal and hard working.
The biggest challenge of the campaign is to overcome the impact of Norris’s loss
in the 2004 election.
Show ring strengths: Norris is a very, very good
salesman, a trait that made him an effective Minister. He is also extremely
focused, particularly on the “bigger picture.” Those who are looking at
continued economic expansion will give Norris a long look in the show ring. He
doesn’t have to defend the PC record over the past four years, and can appeal to
those Tories who are looking for a fresh face to lead the party. Norris also has
the ability and energy to be able to use the word “passion” in a political
context without appearing insincere, or “overly leftish”—the kiss of death in
current Alberta Tory politics.
Show ring limitations: Norris’s political ambitions
suffered a setback when he lost his seat in the last election. The first rule of
parliamentary leadership is that a leader delivers his own seat. Tories deeply
concerned with environmental protection do not all see him as a champion.
Norris, Hancock, McPherson and Ed Stelmach will go nose-to-nose for the
attention and support of the judges from the Edmonton area.
The odds: As a sitting MLA, Norris would be going
head-to-head with Dinning. Now, he has to do the selling job of his life to make
the final three. If he makes the cut, anything is possible.
Lyle Oberg - Breed of competitor: German Shepherd
 German
Shepherds have a very high energy level. They are versatile working dogs, highly
intelligent, fearless, self-confident and make excellent watchdogs. They are
very willing to learn and want to please their owners.
Pedigree: Dr. Lyle Oberg was first elected as an MLA
for Brooks in southern Alberta in 1993. He has served as Minister of Family and
Social Services, Minister of Learning, and Infrastructure & Transportation.
His handlers: Ivan Bernardo and his team have run a
campaign very different from the other competitors. They proved their
flexibility early when Oberg clashed with his colleagues in caucus and was
relegated to the backbenches. The ability to stay in the show despite that
setback showed their depth and perseverance. The website—
www.obergforalberta.ca —is in the
top three. The challenge will be to show the warm and caring side of Oberg.
Show ring strengths: Oberg understands the nature of
the competition very, very well and is not afraid to take risks. His
understanding of the current unhappiness bubbling under the surface of the
Alberta PC party led him to challenge the Premier’s retirement strategy. He is a
smart, articulate campaigner.
Show ring limitations: Oberg’s candor and quickness
to respond can get him into trouble. Southern Alberta is also home turf to
Morton (the current poster boy for Alberta’s political right wing) and to
perceived front-runner Dinning.
Show ring style: Oberg is smart, hard-nosed and can
get in the face of the other competitors... He is flexible and capable of a high
level of strategic thinking. He’s not be afraid to do the unexpected.
The odds: If Oberg makes the top three, he could
come up the middle to win the competition, particularly if Morton is also in the
final three.
Ed Stelmach - Breed of competitor: Smooth Collie
 Smooth
Collies are considered to be one of the most beautiful breeds because of their
elegant appearance. They are intelligent, gentle and social. They are considered
very good family pets—ideal with children and other pets around the house.
Pedigree: Ed Stelmach was elected as MLA for
Vegreville-Viking in 1993. He has served as Deputy Whip, and as Government
Caucus Whip. His ministerial portfolios were Agriculture, Infrastructure,
Transportation, and International and Intergovernmental Affairs.
His handlers: Stelmach’s team wins top marks for
their personable and friendly approach. Operations manager Elan McDonald has
been very astute in positioning the candidate to take maximum advantage of his
attributes. His website— www.stelmach.ca —is
excellent and mirrors the perception of the candidate. The challenge will be to
broaden his appeal to urban voters.
Show ring strengths:Everybody likes Stelmach. He
puts people at ease and conveys empathy and understanding—and he is a master
schmoozer. His background in agriculture, small business and the Ukrainian
community are all assets. If pedigree and people skills count, Stelmach will be
a strong candidate.
Show ring limitations: Stelmach has to prove he
understands the concerns of young urban Tories. His warm yet laid-back style may
cause some judges to question the depth of his passion and vision for Alberta.
He’s hampered by the perception that he is “too nice a guy to be premier”.
Show ring style: Stelmach will show well in the
ring. His personable approach will keep him centred to the judges, and his
people skills and pedigree will make him one of the sentimental favourites as
the show begins.
The odds: Can Stelmach peel off enough rural support
from southern Alberta and combine it with his support from Edmonton and area to
make it to the second round? If he can, and if the other two competitors are
polarized, he will be the next leader. After all, everybody likes Ed.
Do you have a story idea? Contact:
editor@edmontonians.com
iCare: A no-brainer
New centre will apply
research to improve health care delivery
 by
Barb Deters
Imagine being rushed into the emergency room at an Edmonton
hospital and being attended within mere minutes of arrival… of being given an
acute care bed within a few short hours of diagnosis. It could happen—sooner
rather than later.
Finding out why the wheels fell off the ER trolley and
figuring out how they can be put back on—and keep rolling smoothly—is the first
major investigative initiative of iCARE. It’s conducting a comprehensive
examination of ER wait-times, and the development of a definitive solution that
will improve the movement of patients through the system and—ultimately—the
quality of health care delivery.
iCARE is the Integrated Centre for Care Advancement through
Research, and is being touted as Canada’s first health outcomes research centre.
Finally, someone is going to blow the dust off volumes of
brilliance. Instead of conducting research destined for publication in
respected—although, oft-times, obscure—health care journals, findings will be
applied to improve real-world situations.
That this is a necessity is a no-brainer... that this is
happening in Edmonton is exciting... that this has taken so long is a mystery.
“Edmonton will be a unique national laboratory for studying
the best ways to treat patients and facilitate changes in practice,” says
iCARE’s scientific director, Dr. Shoo Lee, a world-renowned neonatologist and
Harvard-trained health economist.
The centre will examine issues at the macro level to
influence policy changes and address accountability, and at the micro level to
improve efficiencies in units of care at hospitals.
For example, at the macro level, one of the problems is the
rising cost of delivering care: At nine percent annually, not even Alberta’s hot
economy is growing at that rate to keep pace. iCARE will identify cost pressures
and develop strategies for implementation. Currently, the system is geared to
supply with no control on demand. Can consumer awareness increase knowledge of
preventive actions and/or associated costs of treatment to lessen inappropriate
or over-use of services? Maybe the centre will find out.
At the micro level, it will focus on health care
productivity. It will assess new treatments and technologies, look at
effectively reducing infections, and determine ways to increase patient
satisfaction.
 Created
in partnership by Capital Health and the University of Alberta, iCARE promises
to fuel the advance-ment of progressive solutions for patient care over a broad
scope… to change the way health-services research is done... to harness the
expertise and synergies of both organizations to improve the health system and
the health of the community.
“This will be the first centre of its kind to unite
researchers, care providers and health administrators together to ask questions
about how to make services work better and then apply the answers to real-world
programs.”
Such collaboration represents the bridge of opportunity for
iCARE’s success: Traditionally, advancements in research end with a published
paper and fall short of being put into practice at the clinic. This “knowledge
transfer gap” is not only frustrating to researchers and care providers, but it
slows progression in an integrative system. Dr. Lee laments the predominant lack
of relevancy: “Research—while dear to the heart—is not necessarily important to
health care delivery.
“We are changing the paradigm in research and health care.
We want to create a single organization that does research and implementation as
well.”
Dr. Lee has a track record that proves it can be done. As
the founder of the Canadian Neonatal Network that now includes members from 27
hospitals and 16 universities from across the country, he worked with
multidisciplinary teams on a three-year, evidence-based project that
concentrated on infection rates in neonatal intensive care units. His efforts
led to a 40-percent decrease in infection rates and changed health policy. This
patented risk prediction and health informatics system raised the bar for
neonatal care around the world, and was recognized with the knowledge
translation award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2004.
In a strategic move to continue this level of excellence,
Dr. Lee agreed to come to Edmonton in the fall of 2005. His expertise in
applying research to real-world programs will serve as the framework in building
Edmonton as the national centre for health—a framework made possible by the
vision and commitment of Capital Health and the University of Alberta.
“It’s rare. Nowhere else in the country do you have the
leadership and commitment of the research and health-service communities to
develop such a centre,” acknowledged Dr. Lee, “Our arena is the Capital Health
region… which provides tertiary services to Northern Alberta communities as
well. We’ll also collaborate with Calgary and other research networks. This is a
great opportunity to create a new model to solve health care problems.”
It is a vision shared by Sheila Weatherill, president and
CEO of Capital Health, who sees iCARE as a showcase model for how the academic,
administrative and policy arms of health care can work together. It is expected
that more than 200 people—health services researchers from the six health
sciences faculties at the U of A, plus managers, policy developers, clinicians,
statisticians, epidemiologists, political economists, analysts and
technologists—will regularly be involved in the diverse work necessary to
achieve iCARE’s objectives.
iCARE is also applying research for improved health
outcomes through electronic patient records. Dr. Nicola Shaw, iCARE’s first
endowed research chair in Health Informatics, is working with Capital Health on
a strategic level to enhance the efficient use of patient information to improve
the quality of care and personal experience for both patients and health
specialists. As Canada’s foremost expert on the subject, she also collaborates
with groups—such as Health Canada’s electronic medical record (EMR) toolkit and
Canada Health Infoway—to develop understanding around the implementation, use
and sharing of medical records.
Dr. Shaw was recruited from the Centre for Healthcare
Innovation and Improvement (CHIi), Child and Family Research Institute in
Vancouver, where she had worked with Dr. Lee. Under his direction, the CHIi
group contributed to more than 87 articles and $12 million in research funding
in its first year.
Most of the funding for iCARE will come from external
sources, agencies and private foundations.
The concept of a direct link between outcomes research and
the health system is not new. In 1990, when the Premier’s Commission on Future
Health Care for Albertans released its Rainbow Report, it quoted the University
of Alberta:
Solutions to some of today’s problems in health care have
appeared in the research literature but have not yet been applied to practice.
The reason for this is change requires some impetus or that energy to initiate
the change. Also, individuals tend to be conservative and avoid changes that are
disruptive to the normal or traditional ways of doing things.
It is recommended that incentives be provided to health
care organizations to incorporate research findings into their operations.
Some 16 years have passed since then… and Bill Sturgeon
passed away earlier this year. Nonetheless, there should be some satisfaction
among surviving members of the Premier’s Commission who shared his belief that
“you can’t manage if you don’t measure”. Perhaps, they would be even more
pleased if their recommendation that the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical
Research “…be expanded to include research into healthcare systems, health
status, intervention outcomes, and promotion and prevention,” particularly as it
related to funding those activities.
The creation of iCARE is long overdue. It has attracted
people of wisdom, integrity and commitment whose efforts would be better
directed at clinically applied research and measurement of treatment outcomes
than at fund raising.
 Sidebar:
iCARE Opening Symposium
Last month, with little fanfare, 200 of Edmonton’s
brightest leaders in health service and research gathered at the Jubilee
Auditorium to formally toast the start of operations at iCARE. The importance of
bridging the gap between research and relevant, practical applications in health
service was echoed by a national panel of leading experts in health outcomes and
policy research at iCARE’s inaugural symposium in October:
• Dr. Charlyn Black, a nationally recognized health-policy
researcher who oversees research and data-development activities at the Centre
for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR), spoke about the “power of data”
and the importance of translating data into information that leads to quality
improvement in health-service delivery and policy.
• Dr. Sarah Muttitt, acting vice-president of innovation
and adoption at Canada Health Infoway, focused on the process and importance of
evaluation to identify potential benefits when measuring the impact of the
electronic health record (EHR) on the quality, access and productivity of health
care.
• Dr. Anne Sales, associate professor in the nursing
faculty at the U of A, provided insight on the significance of evidence-based
nursing practice (EBNP) on the collaboration towards, and the improvement of,
patient outcomes.
• Dr. Gary Lopaschuk, Scientific Director for the
Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, identified iCARE as a critical
collaboration to ABACUS—the Institute’s Alberta Cardiovascular and Stroke
Research Centre—as it moves forward to research cardiac-patient outcomes in
population health.
• Keynote speaker Dr. Colleen Flood, director of the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Health Services and Policy
Research (CIHR-IHSPR) and Canada Research Chair in Comparative Health Law and
Policy at the University of Toronto, stressed the importance of health-services
research to the sustainability of Canadian health care and how multidisciplinary
collaboration enhances the success of health-services research.
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