THE TIRES HAVE LEFT THE ISLAND!

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation can move out of the spotlight

by Jim Moodie

ZHIIBAAHAASING-Aerial photos taken six months ago at the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation show winding heaps of black stuff strewn across a clearing larger than a football field, while trucks 50 feet in length appear like Dinky Toys next to these unnatural eskers.

Last Friday, all that was left at this site were a few idle shredding machines and one small pile of chopped rubber that should be gone by the time this paper hits the stands.

As the small First Nation community geared up for its annual powwow on the weekend, the tire removal operation, considered to be the largest cleanup effort of its kind in Canada, was gearing down.

"We're 99 percent complete," said acting chief Kevin Mossip, while standing between the building that has served as headquarters for the cleanup crew and a large truck scale that has weighed each rubber-laden vehicle to leave the community. "We've had close to 500 truckloads, leaving daily for the past couple of months. There's still a little cleaning up to do, but the tires are gone."

As Mr. Mossip spoke, a tri-coloured kitten twisted around his feet and cavorted on the steps of the project office. Workers have playfully dubbed the cat 'Empire,' after the name of the recycling company engaged by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to carry out the $4 million tire removal contract.

Mike Vagi of Empire Recycling and Disposal was still on site last week, as was partner Cliff McFadden, to oversee the final stages of the work. Mr. Vagi noted that his firm, based in Harrow, Ontario, has utilized a variety of equipment to conduct the cleanup, notably four Barclay shredders that suck tires up a conveyor belt and through a series of blades to reduce them to small chunks about the size of a hand.

The tires, estimated to have numbered two million in total, had accumulated in three separate stockpiles, said Mr. Vagi, and large loaders with Grapple buckets were employed to haul them to the shredding site. One photograph on his computer depicted a Komatsu loader retrieving tires from a pool of stagnant water. A smaller Bobcat loader was used to dump the tires into the shredding machines.

"We had all kinds of equipment," said Mr. Vagi. "Almost three million dollars' worth."

Mr. McFadden added that "we did both primary and secondary shredding," meaning that after an initial coarse chopping, the material was rid of rocks and passed through another set of blades to achieve a finer grade.

All the material, as per the contract terms, has been delivered to the massive Ridge Landfill operated by BFI Canada near Chatham for use as alternative daily cover.

The bulk of the shredding work was completed by mid-May, said Mr. Vagi, but the transport of the tire chunks off the Island took a longer time, since "the half-load season was in effect until the end of May, and then summer is when the trucking companies get so busy."

Vanroboys Trucking of Thamesville provided most of the haulage, with trucks leaving both via the swing bridge and the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, but this company also subcontracted to other haulers, said Mr. Vagi.

Mr. McFadden said that of the roughly 500 trucks to cart material from the site, "easily 150 went across on the ferry." And since the fare for a truck of that size is about $400, he reckons the Owen Sound Transportation Company pocketed about $60,000 from such traffic.

Other businesses also benefited from the operation, said Mr. Mossip. "A lot of money was put into Manitoulin from this-guys staying here (Empire workers rented rooms at White Sea Resort in Meldrum Bay), restaurants, grocery stores, fuel. I bet if you tallied it up, $200,000 went into Manitoulin's economy."

Some Islanders, such as Burpee-Mills reeve Ken Noland, contend that Manitoulin has also paid a price for the cleanup effort, arguing that the fleet of trucks has exerted a toll on local highways. Mr. Mossip believes that's an exaggerated complaint. "The paved road through Sheshegwaning just has one layer of asphalt on it, and it seems to have held up fine," he said.

For Zhiibaahaasing and nearby Sheshegwaning, the activity this summer was likely the most seen in these parts since the Cockburn Island Tire Recycling operation ground to a halt a couple of years ago as a result of equipment malfunctions and mounting pressure from the broader Island community, which balked at the buildup of unprocessed tires on the reserve.

On Friday of last week, a truck with a bright red cab bearing the name 'Cockburn Island Tire Recycling' was still in evidence, but Mr. Mossip said there are no plans to revive this initiative. "We sold all our recycling equipment," he indicated. "We'll use the site for something, but not that."

There were some welcome, if relatively short-lived, jobs as a result of the cleanup effort. While the initial workforce consisted mostly of people brought in by Empire, eventually "about 15 to 20 guys from Cockburn and Sheshegwaning got work," said Mr. Mossip. "A couple were allergic to the shovel," he admitted, but most appreciated the opportunity, even if it did involve a lot of heavy spade work.

Mr. McFadden said that, "by the end of the job, we had four (local) guys trained on the equipment," and the company, which has contracts in Quebec as well as Florida, will consider taking on some of these same people for other projects if they're willing to travel. "A couple of guys inquired about full-time work if there's another job," he said. "One guy was just a machine, he worked so hard, so we'd take him for sure."

As for the work left at the Zhiibaahaasing tire site, it basically amounts now to cosmetic touches and tying up loose ends. "We're just doing the final clearing and grading, and have one load of rubber to go," said Mr. Vagi.

Final approval from government agencies is also pending, according to Brock Worobel of INAC. "The final step would be to issue a certificate of completion, meaning they have met all the stipulations as set out in the terms of reference from INAC and the guidelines of the cleanup required by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act."

While all the tires are now essentially gone, "the file is still open until the certificate of completion is issued," said Mr. Worobel.

That said, the INAC spokesman feels that the work has proceeded pretty much to expectation, and doesn't anticipate a problem. "It went a bit over (the scheduled completion date), but overall, the cleanup has gone well."

As for the number of tires that were finally removed from the site, it remains a bit unclear at this point, except to say that previous estimates were almost surely conservative.

In late July of 2005, the Toronto Star reported that "an estimated 850,000 tires" were stockpiled on the First Nation-a figure scary enough to spark concern not only on Manitoulin, but among other corners of the province where the memory of the Hagersville tire fire were still vivid.

As the Expositor began to write in more detail about our homegrown tire dump, the estimate grew to one million tires, and then 1.4 million. At last count, based on information supplied by the tire removers themselves, the guestimate was 1.75 million.

Speaking on Friday, after all the tires (save for a small pile of them in shredded form) were gone, Mr. Vagi said that his company has a pretty good sense of the number based on weight. "We know by tonnage. You get 100 passenger tire equivalents per ton."

So how many tons were shipped out, then? Mr. Vagi smiled, and said he wasn't able to divulge that number without the blessings of INAC.

When we put the question to Mr. Worobel of INAC, the department rep said that "we haven't seen the final report from the contractor, so we don't have the final number. It was estimated to be 2 million, but it could be over or under."

Mr. Worobel further explained that such information can only come from the department, since "the contract with Empire is that they focus on remediation, while we focus on the media."

One more mystery to clear up in the endless tire saga, it seems. But maybe somewhat beside the point. Whatever the precise number, it's clear that there were way more tires amassed at this site than was healthy, whether you assessed that hazard in terms of a proliferation of mosquitoes that could carry West Nile, or, as most did, in terms of a potentially devastating fire.

While discussing the completion of the project in Zhiibaahaasing on Friday, a puff of smoke suddenly appeared nearby. A couple of the Empire Recycling guys noticed the fume and expressed mild concern. Grass fire?

It wasn't that. Much less tires burning. It was the ceremonial start to the powwow. "That's supposed to happen," said Mr. Mossip.

Manitoulin's tourism sector has held its own this summer

by Alicia McCutcheon

MANITOULIN-As the summer draws to a close, tourism operators across Manitoulin are checking their numbers, comparing this season to seasons past, and while some businesses saw little improvement over 2006, most are calling 2007 a bumper year for visitors.

According to Ian Dean of the Owen Sound Transportation Company, the Chi-Cheemaun has seen a rise in traffic of 2 percent this sailing season. However, he added, the 2006 season was down about the same amount from previous years, putting the traffic at an average amount for 2007.

"We're not back to where we were in 2005, though," Mr. Dean noted, as 2005 was a particularly good year for the ferry. He said the Chi-Cheemaun's dinner cruise traffic has also proved popular this year, with patrons up 2 percent over 2006 too.

Coming off of the ferry, tourists pass the South Bay Resort, owned and operated by Roy Bryant. Mr. Bryant said that May and June were down from the previous year, but the season picked up again for July and August.

"Overall, I think it might even out," he said. "I figure the price of gas has something to do with it."

He noted that he had a number of American visitors to the resort, figuring the higher Canadian dollar hasn't been a significant deterrent.

In Mindemoya, Cynthia Moniz at the Mindemoya Inn said the opposite of Mr. Bryant and that the amount of American tourists her motel normally sees is down this year. Still, she says the summer has overall been "good."

"We've had a lot of tourists from Europe, southern and Northern Ontario," she said. "A lot of Ontario tourists."

Batman's Tent and Trailer Park in Sheguiandah is overjoyed at the summer they have had.

"It's been excellent," said Karen Miller, proprietor of Batman's. "We're way over last year."

She said the park has been full every weekend and often full during the week too.

"They've parked their tents beside our house," she laughed.

The cottages have been booked right from April and into September, she said, noting that the number of RVs they are seeing are also on the rise. Like Mr. Bryant, she too has noticed a large amount of US tourists as well as a great deal from Ontario and Alberta.

So far, the Millers have had double the people staying in the park from last year, she said, and 2008 is already looking busy.

Irene Cornish at the Providence Bay Tent and Trailer Park said the summer has been "fantastic."

"Our trailer and cabins have been booked until September," she said. "And our campsites have been just as busy."

Ms. Cornish said that by July 12 they were steady, a fact she contributes to the weather. "Sun equals people."

"We haven't had many Americans but lots of Europeans and Ontarians," she noted. "We end up tired but we survive."

Gordon's Lodge in Gore Bay has had an average season thus far, said owner/operator Rick Rusk.

"It was a slow start but picked up to above normal at the first of August," Mr. Rusk said. "This time of year goes in fits and starts."

In Little Current, Garry Elliot of Garry's Family Restaurant said this is the busiest summer he has had in 32 years of business. He too said his summer was a little late in starting but it's been steady since, and he has also noticed a number of American visitors to his restaurant.

"We thought last year would have been the best but we're up 15 percent from July of 2006," Mr. Elliott said.

He figures on a good fall season too, as bow season for deer has been extended by two weeks and will now begin the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Down at the docks, business has been booming. According to Northeast Town CAO Dave Williamson, the downtown docks are up 20 percent in traffic from last year-a remarkable feat considering the docks were up a whopping 80 percent last year thanks to the 44 new finger docks added to the town wharf.

"In a world with a diminishing market, we are actually increasing," remarked Mr. Williamson.

According to Jennifer Sayyae, manager of the Manitoulin Tourism Association, the Manitoulin Welcome Centre has had an amazing summer too. So far, between May 4 and August 22, upwards of 24,000 visitors have flowed through the tourist centre.

In June, 5,661 people stopped by, over twice the number of 2,744 from the previous year.

Ms. Sayyae attributes the big spring increase to bus tours and class trips.

"June was awesome," she said.

Blueberry bushes thrive in Little Current garden

by Lindsay Kelly

LITTLE CURRENT-When Denis Seguin read the recent article about the Expositor's-ahem-fruitless search for Manitoulin blueberries, he chuckled silently at the irony of the situation. And then he called us.

A recent visit to the Little Current resident's home revealed why he was entitled to feel a certain smug satisfaction in hearing of our plight: there in his backyard, lined up in two neat rows sheathed in anti-pest netting, were 15 highbush blueberry plants bursting at the seed pods with berries.

Mr. Seguin isn't a gardener or farmer by trade-although his childhood spent helping with chores at his family's dairy farm in Noelville probably gives him a better-than-average understanding of the ins and outs of agriculture-and yet, after planting his bushes in early spring, he and his family have enjoyed fresh, ripe and bulbous blueberries all summer long.

"We began in July and it's now the end of August," he said. "I pick every weekend, as much as I can, and I'd say I've had seven four-quart baskets all summer."

His interest in the crop was spurred by a trip to Quebec last year, where he discovered the fruit growing in abundance, much to his surprise.

"Last year, I went to visit my sister in Quebec City, and she said, 'Let's go pick some blueberries in the backyard,'" he recalled. "I thought she was joking."

But behind her home on the dairy farm were bushes and bushes of blueberries, from which the family regularly enjoyed a bountiful harvest. The family filled pail after pail with the berries, and then went on to visit one of the nearby pick-your-own farms akin to the strawberry versions popular in Ontario. Mr. Seguin was amazed at the "fields and fields of blueberries" just waiting to be picked.

He was intrigued, and, always looking to try something new, the Island paramedic picked up 15 bushes to try his hand at cultivating the notoriously fickle fruit.

But his experiment involved far more than plopping a few trees in the ground and waiting for the fruit to grow. In fact, he spent weeks researching, and creating, the proper conditions to ensure his crop would succeed.

"First, I took a soil sample, because you need to know the acidity of the soil," he explained. "I sent it to the Ministry of Agriculture in Guelph and they said it had a pH level of 6.78-not acidic enough."

Fruit trees are happiest when grown in soil with a pH balance of between 4.5 and 5.5, so the less-than-ideal Manitoulin dirt posed Mr. Seguin's first problem. Determined, he began digging his planned-out plot to get through the layers of soil and gravel before creating holes measuring 1.5 feet wide and two feet deep each.

"They say there should be three feet between your plants," he explained. "The plants can last 25 to 30 years if you take good care of them."

The next step was to put down a gardening sheet to prevent weeds and soil getting through, and Mr. Seguin wove a soaker hose in between the roots of the plants so they would get an adequate water supply. A mixture of peat, black dirt and fertilizer covered the roots, and four inches of softwood mulch (hardwood is not acidic enough) was placed on top. Netting was added to prevent birds from pecking away Mr. Seguin's hard work, and the experiment was ready.

Maintenance of the bushes is fairly straightforward: lots of water, periodic pruning, and the addition of nutrients (phosphate, magnesium and potassium) twice a season, and that's about it. Mr. Seguin planted five different varieties, which, depending on the type, blossom in early-, mid- or late-season. Berries began appearing in July, and the family has enjoyed a steady stream of fruit since then.

So after all that work, how do the cultivated berries taste in comparison to their elusive country cousins?

"They're not as sweet," Mr. Seguin conceded. "But as far as sizing, there's no comparison."

When given a handful of the indigo fruit, some close to size of a gumball, this reporter-who grew up savouring the famously sweet wild Sudbury blueberries-had to admit that, on top of being big, they were delicious. Cultivated plants obviously have their merits.

Mr. Seguin's experiment has gained the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture, and he is now providing data from his crop to the ministry to help them understand the growing season of berries in this area of the North and assist others looking to do so. A true test will be to see what varieties survive the Island winter.

He is also experimenting with fish compost provided by the Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association to determine what benefits the fertilizer may provide to his crop.

These are just side projects, however, and Mr. Seguin's initial intent in cultivating the berries has already been rewarding. The promise of fresh berries every week has been irresistible, and Mr. Seguin said next year the family might make pies or jam, depending on their yield.

He estimates that the reward could be even more far-reaching, if an enterprising Islander had the inclination. "There's money to be made if someone could get a farm going," he hinted.

But when asked whether he might be the person to take on that challenge, he offered a wide grin, saying simply, "I don't think so-not now anyways."

Pair faces off for chief's job at M'Chigeeng

M'CHIGEENG-Two people have decided to stand for the position of chief in the M'Chigeeng election scheduled for September 15.

Incumbent Joe Hare will run for a second consecutive term as chief of the First Nation, while Isadora Bebamash will run against him for the top position.

In addition, 17 people will run for one of the 10 councillor positions. They include Brian Bisson, Kim Corbiere, Donna Mary Debassige, Kyle Debassige, Martin Debassige, Melanie Debassige, Nano Debassige, Terry Debassige, Glen Hare, Roman Hare, Elaine Migwans, Victor Migwans, Andrea Panamick, Henry Panamick, Stephanie Paul, Hazel Recollet and Grace Fox Wagoosh.

The advance poll will be held this weekend, on Saturday, September 1 at the M'Chigeeng Community Complex from 12 pm to 6 pm.

The regular poll will be held on Saturday, September 15, also at the complex, from 9 am to 5 pm.

EDITORIAL
It's countdown time for new Little Current showerhouse

It's wonderful news to see that tourism, in general, isn't declining on Manitoulin. It's holding its own, with some indications of modest increases.

A case in point is the Little Current waterfront where the addition of finger docks in 2006 encouraged a great deal of additional boat traffic to tie up in that port. Remarkably, the trend has continued in 2007, with another increase posted.

The upgraded front street dock, the Little Current Yacht Club's morning "Cruiser Network" broadcast and, of course, the addition of the finger docks, already referenced, doubtless have each helped this process.

The icing on the cake is the decision of the Great Lakes Cruising Club to hold their 2008 annual rendezvous at the downtown Little Current docks.

This is the first time this major event will have been held in Little Current since 1984, the year the Spider Bay Marina was opened. That marina, still co-managed by the Northeast Town and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, was basically inaugurated by this rendezvous almost a quarter-century ago.

The Great Lakes Cruising Club has looked favourably at other Manitoulin destinations for their big get-together over the ensuing years: Gore Bay has been the host several times; Okeechobee Lodge had that honour about 15 years ago; and there have been countless other events at other North Channel marinas (and at wilderness locations) as well.

This is clearly a big event for its host community and it's equally clear that everything must be shipshape on shore so participants leave with satisfaction, ready to spread the news to their boating friends about how special a particular community is.

In the case of Little Current, though, there is still a significant facility lacking before a rendezvous of this magnitude can successfully take place in that community.

And that would be the phase of the waterfront improvements that includes the construction of adequate, modern washrooms and shower facilities.

Those can be teamed (and should be) with other needed new construction such as roofed accommodation for the Saturday markets.

But the "toilets-in-a-trailer" that was erected as a temporary measure in 2006 when the old showerhouse building was demolished are far from providing either an adequate comfort stop for the Great Lakes Cruising Club rendezvous (or for any other boaters who visit this port during sailing season), or building the image necessary for up-and-coming ports.

Somehow, sometime between now and the middle of next July, earlier if at all possible, the council of the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands has to plan and build new bathrooms and showerhouses adjacent to the first-rate new docks.

This town cannot make a successful bid to a club whose rendezvous setting is sought all over the Great Lakes and then ask visitors to use "temporary" facilities.

The fact is, this bathroom and showerhouse building had to be built sooner or later. Now it has to be built sooner.

It's as simple as that.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Parade of Lights participants congratulated for pageantry

They add joy and magic to anticipation of fireworks

To the Expositor:

Because it's never too late to express thanks, my husband and I applaud all the forethought, planning, expense, effort, hard work of decorating and disassembling of decorations as well as the energy involved by all of the boat owners and their helpers who participate in the Parade of Lights boat displays on Haweater Weekend. What joy they add to the anticipation awaiting the fireworks display. What a blessing these persons are as they creatively dress up their crafts, pipe up music, perhaps add dance to their floating homes for the entertainment of all these persons lining the shore.

Thank you so very, very much for all of the pageantry that you add to the magic of these Manitoulin moments and memories.

Lou Ann Shearer

Big Lake

Account of Anglican priest's 1890s experiences on Island recommended

This work and others are available at Canadiana website

To the Expositor:

Your article on St. Andrew's Church in Sheguiandah ("Picturesque church in Sheguiandah combines historical charm with recently applied artistry," August 22) reminded me of a book I came across a couple of years ago. It was entitled "Manitoulin: Five years of church work among Ojibwe Indians and lumbermen, resident upon that island or in its vicinity." The author was Harold Nelson Burden and it was published in 1895 in London, England. Rev. Burden was an itinerant Anglican priest based in Sheguiandah in the early 1890s. The book chronicles his exploits while serving the needs of his flock in Sheguiandah and other parts of Manitoulin and the North Shore. His territory also included places like Killarney and Collins Inlet to the east.

The best thing about the book is that anyone with Internet access can read it. The Early Canadiana Online digital library is available at www.canadiana.org . Once you get to the search screen type in Sheguiandah and this should get you to Burden's book. Thanks go to Canadiana.org, which is a non-profit organization for preserving and providing access to early Canadiana publications. There are over 2.5 million pages digitized to date so why not have a look and see what additional historical gems you can find relating to Manitoulin Island?

Dave Hall

Whites Point

Getting to the root of the capitalist problem warranted

We have but a few years to end the propaganda system

To the Expositor:

Gary Fuhrman's August 15 letter, "We should not spread conspiracy theories," suggests we should stop "rooting" around for reasons to suspect each other. On the contrary, Gary, if we don't "root" the tree, i.e. capitalism, it will permanently fall on us and there will be no-one left to root.

Thanks to a few "rooters," ban-the-bombers, and CO2 opponents, some of us are aware that if we don't combat capitalism and its cycle of cheap labour, the Bush-Harpers of our day will uproot and destroy planet earth.

Canada's few teachers have the job of telling five-year-olds about Alice and Gulliver to commence an appreciation of our unjust judicial system and the suppression of giants by little people. By the age of 10 a student should have learned of Socrates, Darwin and Marx.

With a humanities-inspired interest in looking at single cell animals by way of a microscope, we may inspire enough giants to demand and produce public medicine (not the pill companies and their pill peddlers of today), including genetic research to cure defective genes.

In my rooting, may I say engineer Glenn Black, in his op-ed piece "What's wrong with our kids these days?," proves he's been engineer trained. It is not the teacher's job, including vocational teachers, to career train persons.

During my campaign for mayor of Toronto, I talked to victims of every Toronto school (elementary, secondary, college, university) and only one student of one school told me his teachers told him about Darwin. The victims across the city had no knowledge of Bethune, Morgantaler, etc. Evidence of a total wastage of hard-earned tax dollars.

We have but a few years, Gary and Glenn, to end our capitalist non-rooting, career-orientated propaganda system before it ends us.

Douglas K. Campbell

Little Current

Rick Jackson

Taylor Sawmill,

M'Chigeeng

I'm your neighbour

After living on Manitoulin for 33 years and labouring at the Taylor Sawmill for 13, Rick Jackson of Providence Bay has lost both his east-coast accent and his sensitivity to the scent of cedar. But the personable-and punctual-loader man wouldn't rather be living, or working, anywhere else.

"I like it here," he says. "I like working with wood, and I'd rather be outside than inside."

Mr. Jackson's responsibilities include carting rough lumber on a front-end loader from the sawmill to the planer, as well as providing customer service. He carries a radio with him at all times so he can be quickly summoned if a patron requires his help.

The sawmill was launched at its current location in 1990, and Mr. Jackson was hired on in 1994. He's now the veteran employee amongst a crew of about a dozen. Doug Lewis, a plane operator, is next closest in seniority. "I always tell him that me and him are the old people around here," laughs Mr. Jackson.

The loader man enjoys the camaraderie of his fellow workers, as well as the opportunity to meet customers. "I get along great with everybody," he says.

After a day's shift, the bachelor enjoys relaxing at home with a cold one and watching the news. He was an avid curler for a while, but found that the late nights at the rink were hard to balance with a job that requires early rising. Mill workers report at 7 am.

Prior to joining the crew at Taylor, Mr. Jackson logged two stints in the armed forces and worked out west for a spell, but feels he's found his niche. "I'm not leaving now," he said. "Until I can't do it anymore, I'll likely be here."

The boys call him 'Newf,' even though he hails from P.E.I. and doesn't have a discernible drawl. But Mr. Jackson doesn't mind. Nor does he seem to mind having lost his ability to smell the fragrant cedar in which his workplace is steeped. "You're around it so much, you just don't notice it anymore."

Patronizing local businesses like Taylor Sawmill provides lasting employment for people like Rick Jackson.