‘Treaty Indian’ letter to be reviewed

AHS apologizes over culturally offensive wording

Alberta’s privacy watchdog is investigating after an Indigenous teen received an Alberta Health Services letter addressed to “Treaty Indian.”

In April, the health agency apologized to the 15-year-old girl, saying the address line of the letter contained inappropriate and culturally offensive language that should never have been used.

Alberta Party MLA Greg Clark wrote to Information and Privacy Commissioner Jill Clayton about his concerns.

On Monday, she confirmed she would be investigating.

Clark also raised the issue with Premier Rachel Notley during legislative debate in April, asking if other letters using offensive language were sent out.

“Let me take this opportunity to offer my personal apologies to the person in question who received the letter,” Notley said as recorded in Hansard on April 5.

“Should we discover that there are any others, that apology would be extended to them as well.

“We take this incident extremely seriously.”

The letter came to light after Indigenous artist Dawn Marie Marchand tweeted about it.

It’s “another example of how we are dehumanized in institutional situations,” Marchand tweeted, adding her friend’s daughter had been the recipient.

The error happened when “historical wording ” about treaty status was put into the wrong field on a patient’s record during a hospital visit over a decade ago, said an AHS statement.

“Following a more recent hospital visit, our computer system inadvertently copied that incorrect wording, and included it on an invoice which was then sent out to the person,” the statement said, adding that staff members were confident it was a one-off incident.

“It is not indicative of language used by AHS staff.”

(It’s) another example of how we are dehumanized in institutional situations.