I m simply doing my job, said O Connor. But I really appreciate the recognition.
He said he was stunned to find out he was receiving the award, though he doesn t see himself as a whistleblower, rather an advocate.
O Connor, who worked as a physician in Fort Chipewyan, said people in the community would tell him they were concerned about how sick people were getting. O Connor said he started to notice that a disproportionate number of people were getting both rare and common cancers.
Elder Alice Rigney said people would talk about the health issues at a community level, but O Connor spoke out for us.