Cormorant summit set for April 27

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-Islanders will soon have a chance to hear the Ministry of Natural Resources' side of the cormorant story, and pose what are sure to be a few pointed questions, all prior to the illegal cull planned for the Victoria Day weekend.

"Manitoulin residents are invited to attend a public information meeting on April 27 at Manitoulin Secondary School (from 7 to 10 pm) to learn more about Ontario's cormorant research and experimental control program," a release issued last week by the ministry states.

Whether the information that the MNR shares at this meeting will be enough to head off the illegal cull remains to be seen. If it isn't, though, the ministry is being clear about its position on the action of civil disobedience.

"Anyone who harasses or kills cormorants may be arrested and charged," related MNR communications specialist Don Mark last week. "It is the mandate of this ministry to uphold the laws as outlined in the fish and game act."

Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, cormorants are not considered game species. And as the release from the MNR points out, "the maximum fine for illegally harming or harassing cormorants is $25,000, and violators could also face one year in jail, seizure of equipment, and possible related charges under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Firearms Act."

Members of the United Fish and Game Clubs of Manitoulin (UFGCM) have been complaining for months that results of a five-year study on cormorants undertaken by the MNR have not been made public, and they have been miffed that an earlier meeting with ministry biologists slated for March was called off.

Asked why the ministry had not yet released the study, Mr. Mark replied, "Some findings have been released. For example, almost 40 percent of known nesting sites have seen experimental egg-oiling. The number of cormorants on Lake Huron Canadian waters has dropped by 10,000 over the past three years."

Mr. Mark also noted that "research and monitoring is continuing in a multi-year program. Our information session at the Manitoulin high school on April 27 will focus on results and planning."

Cormorant numbers, based on the MNR's study of nesting sites, have declined from 29,000 in the year 2000 to 19,000 in 2004, Mr. Mark pointed out. "It has been a steady decline and scientists expect the trend will continue. Again, that is why this is a multi-year program."

While a cull was authorized for Presqu'isle Provincial Park on Lake Ontario near Belleville "because of the impact cormorants were having on vegetation and identified species (such as egrets) at risk," Mr. Mark gave no indication that a similar cull would be immediately sanctioned for the North Channel. He merely indicated that the devastation wrought at Presqu'isle, where "one of the islands was turned into a virtual moonscape...points out the need for this multi-year program of research and monitoring to continue on Manitoulin and the North Shore."

You can already hear local fishermen groaning, "great, more studies," but the MNR is not apt to announce any drastic control measure before it is confident there is the need. As Bruce Pollard, senior avian biologist with the ministry, told Toronto's Now Magazine in late March, "We are unwilling to intervene until there is evidence of significant effects" on Lake Huron's fish and other ecosystem elements. "It's a really complex issue, and there are certainly polarized views on this."

The Now Magazine article, titled "Killer flap on Leslie Spit," focusses on the birds' impact in the Toronto area, but makes mention of the Manitoulin situation. "If the government doesn't act, others say they will," it reads. "A group called the United Fish and Game Clubs of Manitoulin says it has more than 1,000 volunteers ready for their own unsanctioned Victoria Day weekend cull, escalating the vigilante raids that have brought fire and slaughter to a number of Great Lakes colonies over the past decade."

The article is far from an endorsement of such actions, however. While it airs the concern of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters-as expressed by OFAH representative Greg Farrant-that "when these birds move in, they destroy everything in their path," it gives equal space to the concerns of naturalists. Glen Coady, of the Toronto Ornithological Club, speaks about earlier culls that were carried out in the late 1940s, and the subsequent impact of DDT, which decimated the cormorant population on the Great Lakes, leaving just 10 nesting pairs by 1973.

"Basically, the rebound of this bird is a good-news story," Mr. Coady tells Now Magazine.

The article notes that overfishing, along with the introduction of sea lampreys, alewives and rainbow smelt, have contributed to the decline in fish stocks and the rise in cormorant numbers. It further points out that, as the number of alewives (and, by extension, cormorants) has dwindled in recent years, the number of native lake herring (or cisco) has rebounded.

Mr. Pollard tells Now that "we don't think (the alewife collapse) is attributable to cormorants. We think it's the other way around." And the avian biologist adds that cormorants are likely running out of ideal nesting sites. "It may be, like any species occupying a new habitat, that after initial rapid growth, as they fill up their new environment, they reach carrying capacity."

Mr. Pollard will be one of the MNR personnel present at the April 27 meeting at Manitoulin Secondary, along with fisheries biologist Mark Ridgeway, and several other scientists.

AOK cultural committee protests cut in powwow funding allocation

by Michael Erskine

AUNDECK OMNI KANING-A determined group of about 50 Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) residents camped outside the band office last week to draw attention to what they say is an inadequate level of funding for the powwow committee, an assertion the current chief and council dispute.

At the crux of the issue is the amount of funding that has been allocated for the powwow by the band's governing council. The committee had requested that $20,000 be allocated to the event's budget, and be continued for at least three years, but the council, say organizers, only allocated $8,000.

"We had a difficult time last year," said powwow co-chair Don McGregor. "A lot of volunteer effort went into making that powwow a success. A lot of volunteers came out to help build the new grounds. We spent twice as much time on it last year that we usually do. It was quite an effort because we all have jobs, other things to do in our lives. We do it because we care."

Mr. McGregor claimed the committee had called a community meeting to discuss the issue, but that none of the current council deigned to show up.

Chief Patrick Madahbee said that he was disappointed in the route the committee chose to take in resolving the funding issue.

"They gave us less than two days notice of the meeting," said Chief Madahbee. "I was in a meeting with the town of NEMI and our partners, Streetwise Development, over the hotel site plan."

Other council members also had commitments, he noted, and the issue calls for a meeting with the entire council. The council had responded to the powwow committee's demand for a community meeting in a written letter outlining their position, added Chief Madahbee.

"We had a council meeting on April 4 and we had a special meeting this past Monday (April 11) and nobody brought this up," he said. "Instead they chose to go this route."

Chief Madahbee pointed out that the band council had recently leveraged over $215,000 from various sources to support cultural projects and initiatives in Aundeck Omni Kaning. That funding was directed toward language programming, cultural revitalization, support for a community drum group, the new powwow grounds, and the annual powwow, as well as cultural enhancements to health and social service programs. The council also supports a wide range of sporting and homecoming events as well as a large number of other activities.

Mr. McGregor retorted that the language and cultural programs the chief cited were short-term employment initiatives that have little or no long-term viability once the government funding runs out.

In a signed release entitled 'Setting the record straight,' the entire band council endorsed the chief's stance.

"We provided an annual contribution to the powwow," said Chief Madahbee, "but we have also encouraged them to fundraise as well."

The band, he notes, has provided additional support in the way of band equipment and resources during the event.

"We have also told the committee if they need additional support, we would still assist with additional help, but we want them to fundraise as well," said Chief Madahbee.

The powwow committee came forward with a request for a substantial increase in funding without providing a written budget or any justification for the increased funding.

Mr. McGregor pointed out that the band has $1 million in Casino Rama money, funds the band receives as profit-sharing from a Native-run casino located in Mnjikaning First Nation.

"We all believe in economic development," said Mr. McGregor, "but you can't ignore the cultural needs of the community and just put everything into economic initiatives."

Other bands, Mr. McGregor maintains, have given over part of the funds received from Casino Rama to cultural enhancement projects like the powwow.

Elder Ernest McGraw delivered a prayer at the demonstration outside the band offices calling for healing and reconciliation.

"I hope God will open the hearts of the people," he said. "Stop this before it is too late."

The elder expressed dismay over what he perceived as a lack of action to preserve the community's traditional way of life.

"It is not right," he said. "It is not right with God and it is not right with the community."

Mr. McGraw also said he was unsettled that the band's resources were being allocated strictly for the building of a new hotel in Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands. Some of those moneys, he said, should be set aside to preserve the community's heritage.

Cries of "it's our money" could be heard thoughout the crowd, and that sentiment was also to be seen on some of the signs being held aloft during the demonstration.

Mr. McGraw said he has been involved in band issues for over 40 years, he said, adding that he has never been shy about taking a stance on matters of concern to the community.

"Right now the powwow is in jeopardy," he said. "The chief and council should not be prejudiced against our own culture."

As a solidarity pipe was passed from hand to hand in the circle, a drum song rang out across the band council parking lot. Children were very much in evidence, running about with oblivious abandon during the peaceful demonstration.

The council's statement on the matter was direct: "We also disapprove of the disrespectful tactics used in seeking additional funding, tactics such as misinformation being distributed to the community, selective solicitation of households which does not represent the total community, trespassing on private property, personal harassment, disrupting key services to our membership, involving young children in a hostile environment, causing undue stress on our elders and creating general animosity in our community." In bold type, the missive continues: "This is a very disrespectful behaviour from a group which is supposed to be promoting traditional values and beliefs."

In addition to the band council's statement chastising the demonstrators for their disrespectful approach to the issue, Chief Madahbee ordered the band offices closed for the Friday afternoon because of what he characterized as disruptive behaviour of some of the demonstrators.

"They are upsetting our staff, making them nervous," he said. "They shouldn't have to put up with that sort of thing."

The organizers of the event were critical of the closing of the band offices and disruption of services. They alleged the decision was made simply to discredit the demonstrators and to isolate people who would normally come to the band offices for their cheques on Friday afternoon.

"Most of our employees get their pay cheques through direct deposit," countered Chief Madahbee, who was in Sudbury attending previously-scheduled meetings during the protests on Friday.

The band council, however, wasted little time in reacting to the demonstrators' threat that there could possibly be no powwow this year due to the funding issue.

"We will be reassigning the hosting of this event to another group which has come forward indicating an interest to organize the 2005 powwow," reads the band's statement. "We welcome anyone interested in assisting with the organization of the powwow."

Community members expressed mixed emotions about the demonstration. Some spoke in support of the actions and expressed concern over the band's current economic initiatives, while others expressed dismay at the tactics being employed by one or the other or even both sides in the issue. One resident even pointed out that this is an election year in the community and suggested that the motives behind the demonstrations could be as much political as cultural. Others simply said they just did not want to get involved on any side.

"Sitting on the fence is a legitimate position in something like this," said resident Matt Madahbee, who said he refused to be pulled into the debate. "I don't get involved in the cultural stuff, but I don't like seeing police cars swarming all over the place either." 

Final resolution possible in M'Chigeeng election drama

Community voting on custom election code

by Michael Erskine

M'CHIGEENG-It has been a four-year odyssey for the M'Chigeeng custom election code, but that journey may be nearly complete.

Members of the community had an opportunity to discuss the code during a Saturday, April 16 meeting in the M'Chigeeng Community Centre that was closed to the press. Chief Glen Hare and M'Chigeeng lawyer Susan Hare held a press conference following the meeting.

The turnout for the meeting was good, with over 120 people showing up for the 10 am meeting to express their views, both in support and against the new code.

The new code is not perfect, said Chief Glen Hare, who noted there were provisions in the code that he was not happy with, but the code does address the concerns of Ministry of Indian Affairs and most of the community's concerns as well.

The most contentious part of the code is a provision that band employees must take a leave of absence from their jobs if they wish run for the position of band councillor. A band referendum determined that most in the community do not want band employees sitting on council while continuing in their jobs.

"I think it is only common sense that you can't be your own boss," said Chief Hare.

During the meeting, Chief Hare went through the highlights of the code with members of the community and tried to answer all of the questions posed.

"You can never please everyone," said Chief Hare, "but I think this is a good place to start from."

Chief Hare noted that the election code, although being presented to the community for ratification, is not 'written in stone.'

"We can change later to meet the needs of our community as we see fit," he said. "It will be our code, not Indian Affairs'."

The code provides a process to amend its provisions and will, if passed, remain a working document to take the band's electoral process into the 21st century. The code, and any subsequent amendments, must be ratified through a vote by a majority of band members.

The next step is a ratification vote by on and off-reserve band members. That vote will be held on May 21 for on-reserve members and there is a deadline of May 20 for off-reserve members to receive their ballots. Off-reserve ballots will be accepted through the mail until May 26, after which the ballot counting will begin.

The code sets up the position of chief, supported by a council of 10 councillors, one of which (the one receiving highest number of votes) will be declared deputy chief. Quorum required to conduct meetings is set at six councillors. The chief casts the deciding ballot in the case of a tie and presides over the council meetings.

If there is a tie for the position, it will be resolved first in favour of a non-incumbent, then, if there is still a tie, the decision will be made in favour of moving the council closer to a 50 percent gender equality. If a tie still remains, the decision will then be made by lot.

General elections must be called at least six months before the expiration of the term of office and must take place no later than 30 days after the expiration of the term of office.

Chief Hare said he felt there was a strong will in the community to put the issue to rest and move on with the issues facing the community.

The code also spells out policy on filling vacancies, appeals, and the powers of the electoral committee.

As befits a First Nation code, the preamble is written in the original language of the people. "This will be our code," said Chief Hare, "and the opening of our code is in Ojibwe, as it should be."

Following a ratification vote, the results are submitted to the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, who will then arrange for an order in council to remove M'Chigeeng from the Indian Act's election rules. This process can take up to three months. The band hopes to encourage the minister to speed up the process during a meeting scheduled for May.

If the process can be completed in time, the first election under the custom code will take place in September.

Chief Hare said he felt there was a strong will in the community to put the issue of the band's election code to rest and move on with the issues facing the community.

That sentiment was echoed by band member Ron Ense as he left the community meeting.

"Let's just vote on this thing and get it over with," he said. "It's time to move on."

Assiginack granted funding for coveted 'Health Team'

Physician, nurse practitioner and registered nurse

by Michael Erskine

ASSIGINACK-You would be hard put to wipe the grin off Assiginack Reeve Les Field's face after Friday's announcement that her community would be the site of a new Family Health Team.

"Isn't it great!" enthused Reeve Fields. "This is going to mean so much for our community."

"I am very pleased that Assiginack is one of the first communities to be chosen for a Family Health Team," said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown in announcing the decision. "A Family Health Team is exactly what Assiginack needs, it will ensure that more people receive the health care they need closer to home."

The announcement that Assiginack is one of the first communities to garner a batch of 52 FHTs and three community FHTs approved by the government is much more than just a huge improvement in the health and well-being of the community, pointed out Reeve Fields.

"We are talking about providing stability and continuity," she said. "With our new nurse practitioner living within the community, along with a family doctor, nurse and support staff, we have the basis for a strong professional health team that will serve the needs for our community and serve as an anchor for other health services in the community."

News that the renovations for the community's health clinic will be receiving funding have also provided a boost to the community's morale, and with the inclusion of a full dental suite on the ground floor of the clinic, Reeve Fields said she felt confident the community may soon replace the loss of the community's dentist in the past year.

The new clinic will act as an anchor for the community's pharmacy as well, said Reeve Fields, helping to retain vital services within the community.

Family health teams include doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals working together to provide comprehensive care day and night, seven days a week. This includes access by phone to a registered nurse.

"The government has committed to making health care in Ontario more responsive to the needs of individual communities," said MPP Brown. "This commitment is very important for the North, where communities are often separated by large distances and may have very different needs."

Reeve Fields said that she did not know why her community was picked to have one of the first FHTs to be announced in the province, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

"If community support had an impact on the decision I could certainly understand it," she said. "We also have a very good team, both staff and on council, who have all been 100 percent behind this initiative."

Earlier this year the Township of Assiginack took the initiative in securing health care for their community by announcing the unilateral funding of their nurse practitioner program for a trial one-year period.

EDITORIAL 

An election call today would smack of opportunism

The likelihood of another federal election is rising alongside the electorate's blood pressure with each passing day of testimony at the Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal in Quebec-but in an almost perverse contradiction, the electorate is not the least bit interested in going to the polls.

The temptation to strike while the iron (or in this case public temper) is hot, must be near to unbearable for Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition and the only party likely to be able to form a government after a spring trip to the polls.

The problems associated with going to the polls are manifold, however, and it is little wonder that Mr. Harper is dithering about forcing the call.

The backlash from a disgruntled electorate forced to the polls would almost certainly put Mr. Harper in the driver's seat of an even more unstable government than that currently tottering in Ottawa.

Looking at the current numbers being reported by polling agencies, it is plainly evident that the majority of voters remain left of centre. Should Mr. Harper succeed only in bringing a minority government back to Ottawa, he would face a coalition of Bloc MPs who would dearly love to immediately re-topple the government, thus proving Confederation does not work, along with a stronger NDP contingent to whom Mr. Harper's core values are complete anathema, and a Liberal rump eager to seek revenge at every turn.

The collective parliament should turn their minds away from short-term political expediency and get back to what they were elected to do: govern the country.

There are bills to be made and bills to be paid, and the last thing we need to do is place the government's business on hold, once again, while the two big boys on the block duke it out yet again. We did this already and we have made it plain that we want it this way. Live with it.

Justice Gomery will complete his investigation in due course. The culprits who have broken the law will be charged-some might even be brought to justice and made to pay for their foul deeds. Watergate, the Canadian Pacific Railroad scandal, or any number of other scandals that have, over time, provided a glimpse into the sordid underbelly of politics, generally leave the public retching in disgust-but, one of the real dangers here in this point in our history is that most people no longer clearly differentiate between political parties. Parties are all tarred with the same black brush of corruption and (with the possible exception of the Greens) they remain discredited in the eyes of too many people, especially among younger voters, for the good of our country. The danger may be that so many people stay away from the polls in any snap election, that no matter who wins they will not have a credible mandate.

It is time to stick to the program, get some work done and let nature take its course. Mr. Harper will win a strong measure of credibility for not having taken an opportunistic shortcut to power and, with familiarity and a strong parliamentary record, the public may come to trust him enough to elect the Conservatives to power on their own merit, rather than as a barely-palatable alternative to a more-repulsive dish.

 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Cormorants fulfill important ecological role

Man has never taken the blame for anything!

To The Expositor: 

I know that as soon as people read the word cormorant in the headlines they do not read the rest of the story. Many of us are so sick and tired of hearing about how we have to get rid of the cormorants. Unfortunately, if you don't read these articles, you may not know the asinine things that are happening. For example how do you feel about having approx. 1000 people take the law into their own hands by going out to shoot cormorants on May 24 weekend?

First of all, do any of you read the facts about cormorants? It has been stated that anglers are more apt to impact the fishery than birds and any government measure to reduce cormorant populations would be misguided and unfair. These birds have done nothing except emerge from the verge of extinction. Cormorants are a native species that fulfill an important ecological role. Exotic species such as pacific salmon and alewives which have been introduced to Lake Huron contribute to the boom in cormorants and the decimation of native sports fish. There has been a 33 percent reduction in the cormorant population on Lake Huron since 2000. The decline is partly because of the egg-oiling initiative undertaken by the MNR, weather patterns, and a drop in the number of alewives, the cormorants' favourite food source.

Man has never taken the blame for anything. Could the lack of fish be caused by netting or the past limits of over 100 perch per day, per person? Even though experts have said the cormorants eat less than three percent of the sports fish, they are being blamed for wiping out the fish population.

Now we are going to have approximately 1000 people taking the law into their own hands and shooting anything that flies during the May 24 weekend. There are a lot of us out there that are appalled that a large group of people would take out their guns and start shooting, and don't tell me it will only be cormorants. I can see loons, hawks, crows, seagulls all being slaughtered. What right do you have to take the law into your own hands? Yes, there are good laws and bad laws but we have to obey them, otherwise anarchy would abound. Do we want to live in a world where we just do what we want to do, kill whatever or whoever we feel deserves it? No! We have laws that must be obeyed and hopefully through time and patience they will get changed.

I hope that the police and the MNR will be out in full force the May 24 weekend doing their jobs. 

Claire Cline

Spring Bay, ON

Funding options exist for Ojibwe immersion

Why not hire Ojibwe-speaking teachers?

To The Expositor:

After reading "M'Chigeeng parent group seeks Ojibwe school immersion program" (April 13) I felt that I must respond.

When M'Chigeeng took over education in the 1980s, I was an Education Committee member and so I know what the original direction for education in our community was. The first step we took was training as an Anishnabe Education Committee and what that meant, and one of the first things we were told was the importance of language and culture and teaching the language to our children. But even before the '80s, a group of parents headed by Grace Fox, Melvina Corbiere, the late Mary Lou Fox and the late Angie Debassige put Ojibwe immersion at Lakeview School into several grades at the time. This group had no money from Indian Affairs, but they persevered at their own personal expense. Indian Affairs did fund French language at Lakeview. A second wave of parents concerned with loss of language began the N'ungosuk program in the mid-'80s for daycare age children and did push for and receive Indian Affairs funding for three years. So, now we have another group of parents on this honourable quest of attempting to preserve our language.

Your newspaper article says that "funding remains uncertain largely due to the status of M'Chigeeng First Nation due to its custom election." Does this mean that the Director of Education Dan Simon made an application to Indian Affairs and Indian Affairs refused because of the Custom Code? I would like to see that application and the refusal letter. Otherwise, blame is being thrown around recklessly. This parents group has been working in the community on this for the last several years, so Education Director Dan Simon (who is also a band councillor and chair of the band's finance committee) has had ample time to solicit and receive funding for this valuable program. As well, Indian Affairs is not the only funder in the world. The N'ungosuk program in the mid-80s got money from private foundations to begin their immersion program.

I am quite surprised at the statement by Principal Neil Debassige that there are no teachers at Lakeview who speak the language! Our first priority when we took over education was to hire Ojibwe-speaking native teachers-some non-native teachers at Lakeview at the time tried to tell us that that goal was racist. Had succeeding Education Committees and principals maintained the goal of hiring Ojibwe speaking native teachers, there would be a surplus of Ojibwe-speaking native teachers at Lakeview now.

Neil Debassige's other ramblings about problems with standardization, oral versus a written language and different dialects, are only diversions and obstacles. The answers to each of Principal Debassige's problems have been previously discussed and overcome.

Principal Neil Debassige sounds lukewarm to immersion in even his most hopeful statement that "what may happen is that we take steps towards immersion." He wants to train the teachers to speak Ojibwe first? Why not hire teachers who can speak Ojibwe? It is interesting to note that one of the last Ojibwe-speaking teachers at Lakeview School was let go by council this past year. I sure hope Mr. Simon spoke up to keep this teacher in view of his knowledge of Ojibwe language needs at the school at the time.

The Custom Election Code leads the way to Custom Governance which is a broader and inherent authority and which can strengthen our funding abilities. 

Andrea McGraw

Former Education Committee member

M'Chigeeng First Nation 

Harvesting info a 'draft' UOI stresses process is ongoing

To the Expositor:

The Union of Ontario Indians (UOI) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) have been engaged in the process of relationship-building for several years with respect to the management of natural resources in Ontario.

During this time the UOI and the MNR established the Anishinabek/Ontario Resource Management Council (AORMC) to assist with this process.

The AORMC is supported by several working groups in the areas of water, forestry, lands, enforcement and fisheries.

This letter comes in response to an Expositor article published on April 13, 2005 ("First Nations and MNR collaborate on hunting initiative") that included draft information from an AORMC Enforcement Working Group document entitled "Anishinabek Harvesting in Ontario."

The UOI wants to emphasize that this information, which was clearly labelled "draft," is not a legal document, and represents the product of preliminary discussions with regards to harvesting rights and responsibilities in Ontario. The AORMC Enforcement Working Group is currently conducting information sessions to obtain feedback and input from Anishinabek Nation communities represented by the Union of Ontario Indians.

Endorsement from all of our 42 member First Nations is essential to the Union of Ontario Indians advancing these discussions, to enable us to create a document with our provincial government partners that is truly reflective of the issues and concerns of UOI member First Nations.

The Resource Management Council's goal is to improve resource management relations between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Anishinabek Nation. It is hoped that the document created from our discussions will educate all people of Ontario about Anishinabek rights and reduce incidents of conflict that arise over misunderstanding of these rights.  

Allan Dokis

Director, Intergovernmental  Affairs

Union of Ontario Indians

North Bay, Ont.