Having determined in her decade at BC's NorthWest Community College that "colonialism" had been "unknowingly perpetuated" on that campus, she ensured that RRC would get a head start at rooting out such snobbish attitudes. And so, a summer course to teach employees about being open to all cultures and tolerant of all opinions, was convened at the Notre Dame campus. Unfortunately, it was a little less impressive in practice than in theory, according to one insider.
On day one, the instructor may have uttered less than flattering things about the City of Winnipeg from the get-go, surely an embarassment for Forsyth as she seeks to ingratiate herself among business and political leaders. No less embarassing was the revelation that said instructor apparently disregarded prohibitions against texting on the celphone while driving. An exercise in having participants define "My Multicultural Self" was followed by an overwrought PowerPoint presentation that lost their attention.
On day two, the heavy anti-colonialist artillery was rolled out -- teaching the basic tenants of Aboriginal belief, if lining up guest speakers and having students present the textbook is considered teaching. Participants learned about the Aboriginal 4 Principles of "kindness, caring, sharing, truth"; of "life comes after water" such as thunderstorms, crying, and childbirth, and of "the Medicine Wheel"; were made to take part in a smudging ceremony; and watched the film "A Day Without a Mexican" before more lecturing from the instructor about tolerance.
Alas, the teachings of that day came too late to impact Cathy Rushton.
For Rushton, it appears, did not put acceptance of the principles of 'Diversity and Inclusiveness' at the forefront when it came to the radio station funded by the College, Kick-FM.
Internal emails acquired under Freedom of Information laws reveal that Rushton, the campus Vice-President who was also treasurer of licensee Cre-Comm Radio, shared a very different attitude towards a broadcaster, who last November dared to challenge the cancelation of The Great Canadian Talk Show by Rushton's now-discredited "Executive Committee".
Less than 12 hours after Kenny Atamanchuk blasted holes through the cover-up story designed to hide the involvement of Winnipeg Free Press editor Margo Goodhand and Forsyth in stifling the freedom of speech of the community via TGCTS, Rushton sent a link to an audio recording of The Kenny Show to another member of the Kick-FM Board involved in the cancelation, RRC Dean of Business Graham Thomson.
She also included College lawyer Robert Buisson in the conversation. He has claimed to have had nothing to do with the radio station prior to succeeding Rushton as Forsyth's representative on the Board on December 14th.
"This rant by Kenny certainly reinforce (sic) the decision to get Marty off the air before he could do his own rant" she huffed, forever obliterating any denial of the fact that Marty Gold was silenced in an abrupt and arbitrary manner without cause.
Not satisfied with merely finding an excuse to justify her censorship of that radio program, Rushton, a resident of Wellington Crescent, went on to look down her nose and sniff:
"And if this is an example of the quality of the people we have on the air ..... " (that's right, 5 dots)
Ken Atamanchuk is a Red River College graduate, who came into the Kick-FM fold 4 years ago as a listener wanting to volunteer with TGCTS. He contributed important stories about the floundering 511 emergency warning system and about which media moguls pocketed Spirited Energy campaign advertising dollars from the NDP, before starting his own eclectic Sunday afternoon broadcast.
When he learned of the email to College officials attacking him, 'Spirited Kenny' went directly to Rushton about her actions and demanded accountability.
From: spirited_kenny@hotmail.com
To: crushton@rrc.mb.ca
Subject: Explanation of Comment From Nov 14th 2010 Required.
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 22:39:39 -0500
Ms. Rushton: I have sent you a copy of an email you wrote on November 14. I am astonished that this is your attitude towards volunteers of Kick-FM.
I will start by insisting you explain exactly what you meant by your comment about the "quality of person" I am, and telling me why the remark was included in the link to my podcast sent to Robert Buisson and Graham Thomson.
I also demand an explanation why you would have sent this about me to Mr. Buisson at all, and to tell me what other conversations you had with him about me.
According to his own emails, he had nothing to do with the station in November, and I certainly had nothing to do with him.
As I have already officially complained about Buisson and Thomson to the Kick FM Board, do not even try to speak with them about my inquiry. In other words, keep it confidential.
This is between you as a College official and me as a graduate and I expect you to respect my privacy and answer my questions as you alone are accountable for what you wrote about me.
Regards,
Ken Atamanchuk
A week went by without a response, however local media reported that Cathy Rushton had been appointed to the Manitoba Immigration Council to advise the NDP government.
Kenny well understood what was taught to RRC officials only last week, that there are no words in Cree for "coincidence".
I will start by insisting you explain exactly what you meant by your comment about the "quality of person" I am, and telling me why the remark was included in the link to my podcast sent to Robert Buisson and Graham Thomson.
I also demand an explanation why you would have sent this about me to Mr. Buisson at all, and to tell me what other conversations you had with him about me.
According to his own emails, he had nothing to do with the station in November, and I certainly had nothing to do with him.
As I have already officially complained about Buisson and Thomson to the Kick FM Board, do not even try to speak with them about my inquiry. In other words, keep it confidential.
This is between you as a College official and me as a graduate and I expect you to respect my privacy and answer my questions as you alone are accountable for what you wrote about me.
Regards,
Ken Atamanchuk
A week went by without a response, however local media reported that Cathy Rushton had been appointed to the Manitoba Immigration Council to advise the NDP government.
Kenny well understood what was taught to RRC officials only last week, that there are no words in Cree for "coincidence".
Subject: Follow up to your comment about me
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:33:10 -0500
Ms. Rushton,
Surely by now you have refreshed your memory about what you said about me in that email on November 14th, what you meant by the remark about my role as a volunteer broadcaster on Kick-FM, why you sent the email to Mr. Thomson and especially Mr. Buisson, and what else you said to them about me.
In light of your new appointment by the NDP government, my complaint regarding Mr. Buisson and Mr. Thomson's improper handling of an NDP "complaint" about my broadcast (sent to the College only one month after your email about me to those officials) takes on new importance.
I would like to know exactly what you meant by "the quality of people" I am ?
-Ken Atamanchuk
RRC Grad 2001
Kick-FM Volunteer Since 2008
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:33:10 -0500
Ms. Rushton,
Surely by now you have refreshed your memory about what you said about me in that email on November 14th, what you meant by the remark about my role as a volunteer broadcaster on Kick-FM, why you sent the email to Mr. Thomson and especially Mr. Buisson, and what else you said to them about me.
In light of your new appointment by the NDP government, my complaint regarding Mr. Buisson and Mr. Thomson's improper handling of an NDP "complaint" about my broadcast (sent to the College only one month after your email about me to those officials) takes on new importance.
I would like to know exactly what you meant by "the quality of people" I am ?
-Ken Atamanchuk
RRC Grad 2001
Kick-FM Volunteer Since 2008
No reply was received from Rushton. Ever.
So on May 11th, Kenny filed a formal Ethics Complaint with her boss, Stephanie Forsyth, about Rushton ignoring his emails and her use of a "prejudicial tone" in correspondence about him.
"As a graduate of the College, I wish to file a complaint against Rushton for investigation under the College Ethics Policy... I have brought this Ethics Complaint to you, their superior.
Accordingly, I will need to be advised of who this investigation will be assigned to, and to make arrangements to meet with them to review my documentary evidence.
I request the courtesy of a response within 7 days as time is of the essence."
Atamanchuk got no response from Forsyth within 7 days, or ever. And he could not have known, how true his remark about time being of the essence was.
Exactly two weeks after his complaint to Forsyth, Rushton packed up her desk and left the Notre Dame campus - seemingly without any investigation into his complaint about her possible breaches of the College Ethics Code being commenced.
Last week, instructors and employees of Red River College taking the course preaching 'Inclusiveness', learned of another word in the English language that does not have an equivalent in Cree.
Sacred.
Certainly to those instructors and employees, and to graduates of Red River College and volunteers at the College-funded Kick-FM , the College Ethics Code was supposed to have been.
Until it came to Cathy Rushton, and "the quality of the people" complaining about her, it seems.
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