Puma organization estimates five cougars call Island home

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-Should a stepped-up effort on the part of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to identify Ontario's elusive cougar population lead to one of these secretive felines being verified on Manitoulin, it will come as no surprise to a non-profit group dedicated to studying the cagey cats.

"We've had many, many sightings on Manitoulin," says Stuart Kenn, provincial research coordinator for the Ontario Puma Foundation. "Based on those purported sightings and patterns, we estimate there's a population of four or five cougars on the Island."

Mr. Kenn formed the puma foundation 30 years ago, and has been tracking cougar prevalence in Ontario ever since. When a sighting strikes his group as legitimate, he places another dot on a map that shows the distribution of these creatures across the province.

That map is now stamped with literally hundreds of dots, with many sprinkled through southern Ontario and dense clumps of them occurring in the central and Near North parts of the province. They grow thinner as you look farther north, where moose are more abundant than deer, but there's a bunch around Kapuskasing and Hearst and a few as far north and west as Longlac and Sioux Lookout.

Manitoulin has six, and five of those owe to sightings that were communicated within the past 10 years.

This, says Mr. Kenn, is a conservative estimation, and one that would go up if more recent information were taken into account. "That map hasn't been updated for about a year," he says. "If I were to update it now, there would be another half-dozen dots on Manitoulin, and the rest of Ontario would be flooded."

In all, his organization now estimates that "there are 550 to 600 cats across the province," he says, with the biggest concentration occurring in a geographical swath that has been nicknamed the "cougar corridor." This area runs roughly from the Ottawa Valley to the Soo, with Owen Sound and the Kawarthas representing the southern limit, and North Bay and the North Shore being the upper boundary.

Manitoulin lies right in the path of this puma parade, and directly adjacent to what may be the most conducive country of all for cougars. "The LaCloche Mountains are ideal cougar habitat," notes Mr. Kenn.

This band of rugged quartzite hills might have even been the species' final refuge when it neared extinction in the late 1800s, suggests Mr. Kenn. "I believe they were holding out in the LaCloche Mountains, because they could live undetected there for years," he says.

Manitoulin may not have such craggy, unpopulated terrain, but what it does have, in abundance, is deer. And "where you find deer, you find cougars," says Mr. Kenn.

The cougars on the Island may have wandered down from the LaCloche country to the north, although the puma researcher suspects they may just as easily have come from the west, via Drummond and Cockburn Islands. "They can swim up to four kilometres," he points out.

Either way, he firmly believes that several specimens are currently resident on the Island, and that it might support as many as a dozen. Cougars are solo travellers, with each one marking out vast territories (65-500 square kilometres for a female, and 150-1,000 square kilometres for a male), so it might seem like we'd be maxed out with four or five of these wide-ranging loners, but "their territories also overlap a bit," says Mr. Kenn.

One of the more convincing accounts of a cougar on Manitoulin came from an elderly trapper who saw one in Wikwemikong, Mr. Kenn relates. Another solid report came from Misery Bay in the late 1990s. On this occasion, the cat itself wasn't seen, but a clear impression of its paw was documented.

West End resident Steve Hall, one of a group of people hiking that day at the alvar park, says Sudbury biology professor Gerard Courtin was "giving a talk on winter ecology, and there was 18 inches of snow" on the ground. "We were on a ski trail that had been groomed by a snow machine, and we saw these tracks, with two or three feet between each footprint, and (Mr. Courtin) identified them right away."

Nature authority Judith Jones was also part of this outing, and confidently shares Mr. Courtin's assessment. "They were more than 10 centimetres across and round in outline (whereas) wolf tracks are oblong," she communicates in an email. "It was March and the tracks were in deep but mushy snow, so the tracks were deeply imprinted and the toes of the animal had been spread wide."

In such soft snow, "we definitely would have seen toenail marks if this had been a wolf, since wolves can't retract their toenails," notes Ms. Jones. "But there were no marks from toenails in any of the tracks, so this was definitely a cat."

Ms. Jones took a photograph of a print, placing a pen alongside for scale, and sent it to the MNR office in Espanola, where "it was confirmed as (that of) a cougar," she indicates.

Lyle Dewar of Providence Bay has nothing so tangible to prove his own brush with a long-tailed beast-and has consequently endured a fair bit of ribbing from people who figure he must have been hallucinating-but there's no doubt in his own mind that he saw one.

"It was about four years ago, just east of the Providence Bay dump," he says. "It was three or four days before Christmas, and I was coming along with a Christmas tree in the back of the truck when it blew out, so I got out to get it."

Just as he was returning to his vehicle with the conifer in his hands, "I see a mountain lion there on the road!" he relates. "All I could think of at the time was Snaggletooth, or the Pink Panther, because it had that big long tail. My eyes nearly popped out of my head."

Mr. Dewar said he "didn't say much about it because of that look people get when they roll their eyes," but he did share his experience with a few folks, and not all of them were immediately skeptical.

"I've been a trapper for a long time, and I don't drink, and I'm not on pills," says Mr. Dewar. "I saw this in broad daylight. I know what I saw."

He's since heard stories from others that have only added to his conviction. One couple reported "seeing two in a field that had eaten a dead calf," he says, and another individual saw one last summer at Dominion Bay, chasing a deer.

And after his own encounter with Snaggletooth, he found two sets of tracks at Timber Bay, not far from the sighting of the beast itself.

Mr. Hall was intrigued enough by his glimpse of the cougar track at Misery Bay that he signed up as a member of the Ontario Puma Foundation, and while he hasn't seen any evidence of the West End wild cat since, he figures this owes mostly to the creature's capacity to roam over a wide area. "From what I understand, they're pretty good ramblers," he notes.

As for the alleged den on the Island's West End, Mr. Hall says there's a section of "high bluff along Elizabeth Bay, where rocks have fallen off, and I'm pretty sure that's where a den was supposed to have been seen."

Mr. Kenn of the puma foundation hasn't visited this cougar covert yet, but says he hopes "to get up there soon and do a little more exploring." He's also heard from some Island folks that "there's another place where there's a den on the south shore."

His organization has a number of trail cameras that could be set up in a promising cougar locale, and Mr. Kenn says he'd make one available on Manitoulin if the site seemed likely to yield a result.

"We like to set them up in hot spots," he says. "We just need a volunteer to go out with a laptop and plug cables into them to download the images."

The cougar enthusiast is pleased that the MNR is finally devoting similar resources and attention to the study of this slippery species, and his foundation has been sharing information with the ministry in the interest of clearing up the mystery, he says.

"Hopefully when we have enough information we can get them off the endangered species list and then help in the recovery of the animal," he says. "Once that happens, we'll have accomplished our goal."

Former Manitoulin sea cadet on ship battling Somali pirates

SOMALIA-A Haweater was among the crew of a Canadian naval vessel that is being lauded for intervening in a trio of Somali pirate attacks and bringing supplies to refugees earlier this month.

Four years ago, Able Seaman Jeremy Cosby, formerly of Little Current, was a new graduate of the Manitoulin Sea Cadet Corps. On April 4, he experienced active combat for the first time when he and the crew aboard the HMCS Winnipeg, a Canadian Forces frigate based out of Esquimalt, BC, encountered Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea.

The HMCS Winnipeg was escorting another ship along its course when it received a call for help. After sending out a Sea King helicopter to investigate and watching three smaller ships bearing down on the Indian merchant vessel Pacific Opal, the Winnipeg intervened, displaying a red sign hanging from the side of the helicopter that read "stop" in Somali. The pirates ceased the attack immediately.

The next day, the ship was again called on for assistance when it delivered supplies to a boat carrying Somali refugees.

Since then, two additional incidents have required the help of the Winnipeg. The vessel was called into action on April 8 and again on April 10, when, on two separate occasions, civilian vessels reported being fired upon.

In 2005, Able Seaman Cosby was one of the first graduates of the Manitoulin Sea Cadet Corps, where he had achieved the rank of coxswain, the highest attainable rank in the corps. He completed his basic training at CFB Borden before being stationed on the Winnipeg, where he serves as a marine technician.

Piracy along the Somali coast has become more common in the last few years as impoverished Somalians take hostage ships travelling through the Horn of Africa until ransom is provided. However, the pirates are deterred by military interference, since they know they can easily be overtaken.

The HMCS Winnipeg, which includes a crew of 240, arrived in the Gulf of Aden on April 2, where it is engaged in Operation Allied Protector, an anti-pirate mission with NATO. The ship's role involves patrolling the area and ensuring safety and security of lawful maritime commerce in the area.

"Deterrence and presence are key aspects of counter-piracy," reads a synopsis at the ship's website. "Our mission will also include escorting merchant ships across the Gulf of Aden and building awareness of all shipping traffic in our area of operations."

The ship is due back in Esquimalt in late August.

M'Chigeeng group urges band council to address violence

by Jim Moodie

M'CHIGEENG-A delegation of concerned citizens is poised to appear at the next meeting of M'Chigeeng band council to express alarm over violence in the community.

"We're trying to raise awareness to chief and council that this is not diminishing-it's escalating," said Sandra Bayer, whose son was hurt in a recent altercation that is being described as a pipe beating.

The incident occurred a couple of weeks ago, but Ms. Bayer's son is still feeling the effects. On Wednesday of last week, he had lingering dizzy spells and had to go to Sudbury for a CT scan.

"He's healing, but they recommend he doesn't get hit in the head again," said his mother.

The alleged beating occurred at a house party in a residential area of M'Chigeeng colloquially dubbed "The Bronx," and Ms. Bayer's son was not the only individual hurt, according to a friend who preferred to remain unnamed.

"He was trying to help someone else who had been beaten and knocked out," said this commentator. "He jumped in and then these two guys turned on him."

The alleged assailants have both been in trouble with the law before and served time for violent offences, according to this source. "They've been in and out of jail, and now they're both out at the same time," he said. "I have concerns about reoffenders who are released straight back into the public without a proper assessment."

While this individual was convinced that a call was made to the police on the night of the purported beating, Chief Albert Beaudin of the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service said he'd "gone through the occurrences for that night" and spoken with his officers, and "there was no call to our office that I'm aware of."

Police only learned about the incident on April 6, he said, and as of last Friday were still investigating. "If something happened, we need the co-operation of the public and witnesses to come forward," said Chief Beaudin. "If there are the grounds for it, charges will be laid."

Prior to the police being notified, a variety of people were already weighing in on the incident via a Facebook group titled "Banning violent reoffenders from M'Chigeeng First Nation before they kill."

As of late last week, this forum counted 185 members, and 57 comments had been posted to the "wall" of the webpage. The site also features a misleading photograph of an individual with lacerations on his back and legs which was lifted from elsewhere on the Internet, and does not represent either of the alleged victims of the M'Chigeeng incident.

"The picture I posted is not of them," admitted the creator of the Facebook group. "It's just there to show the community what a beating with a pipe looks like." He added that this distinction is pointed out at the site, but if it is, this is not immediately clear to a visitor to the webpage.

The group has been formed "to take action on the recent violent clashes in the community," according to a description at the site. "This is to bring awareness to council that we want something done as a community to help protect ourselves and our children."

The group's creator said he went this route because "people around here are basically hermits, and I want to get the ball rolling and get some action on this." He added that "we're not vigilantes-just a group of parents and concerned citizens."

In his view, more needs to be done to properly integrate past offenders into the community and to patrol their activities, and if they pose a danger, they should be banned altogether, he said.

"We're told that as Native people we don't throw away our own, and that these individuals have to go through healing circles," he said. "But what if they don't want to go through the healing ceremonies? It should at least be mandatory."

He also feels that more thorough psychological screening is required before convicted criminals are released back into the community. "I'm not a doctor, but even I know that these guys have to be medically assessed," he said.

The group founder worries that, left unchecked, violence in M'Chigeeng could peak in a fatal event, similar to what occurred in Wikwemikong in January, when Clarence Lewis was slain by gunfire. "Is it going to take an actual death in the community for something to change?" he asked.

Criminals who have served their time have rights too, however, and police cannot treat them differently without justification. "Unless they're put on probation or some kind of conditions by the court at the time of their release, we don't have anything to enforce," said Chief Beaudin.

The only time a name of an offender would be made public is "if there was a sexual assault and a concern for community safety," said the police chief.

That said, if a previous offender "got in trouble again," the individual's record would "be taken into consideration" and stricter punishment would apply, said Chief Beaudin.

While the alleged beating incident has been the impetus for the current upswell in community concern, it is not the only example of recent violence in the community.

Indeed, the very same night "someone else was beaten with a golf club," according to the organizer of the community group.

Ms. Bayer, whose son "still has a black eye," agrees that the event is not isolated. "These issues have been going on here for a while," she said. "It's a continuous circle, and nothing gets done about it. But if we don't curb it somewhere along the line, it will keep escalating."

She hopes the presentation to band council will spur a more concerted effort on the part of the whole community to address the situation.

"We need to look at the root problems," she suggested. "If it's a safety issue, maybe we need a Neighbourhood Watch, or more policing and patrolling in certain areas. And if police aren't hearing about these things, we need to teach people how to report it right away."

Ms. Bayer has four sons, and admits the one who got hurt hasn't always been "a perfect angel," but believes there's a difference between occasional hijinks and tussles with friends and presenting a genuine threat to the public.

If the community has repeat offenders in its midst, who seem poised to do worse in the future, she would like to see "some changes made in the programs we have for prevention, because obviously some of these strategies aren't working."

The violence, or potential for violence, isn't widespread in the community, she stressed, but a case of "a few bad apples on the tree." But that alone can be enough to put an entire community on edge, and it additionally sends a discouraging message to visitors, who might avoid the area if they feel threatened.

"Tourist season is coming, and the last thing we need is a tourist getting robbed on one of our trails," she said. "That is not the persona of our population, but we could be perceived that way if something happens."

Her hope is that, by approaching chief and council, some open dialogue can occur on the issue of public safety, and some positive strides taken to control or weed out destructive elements within the community.

"We're hoping we can work together and develop strategies to make the community a safer place," she said. "We have to try to put an end to this violence."

Sudbury MP_wants autism services

enshrined in Canada Health Act

by Margo Little

GORE BAY-As World Autism Awareness Day (April 2, 2009) came and went, Canadian families affected by the developmental disability stepped up efforts to make the federal government respond to the crisis.

Hope has been rekindled since Glenn Thibeault, NDP Sudbury, introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons on April 3, 2009 calling for a national strategy to help families with autistic children. Bill C-360 would see autism treatment included in the Canada Health Act. Proponents of the legislation are working to have the matter debated at second reading and then referred to the standing committee on health. To become law, the bill would go for a third reading and a vote in the House.

Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities affecting Canadians. Classic autism usually appears in the first three years of life and is four times more common in boys than in girls. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects communication, social understanding, and behaviour. ASDs change the way the brain processes information and can affect all aspects of development.

This is not the first time an MP has proposed an amendment to the Canada Health Act. Previously, in February 2007, Shawn Murphy tabled a similar bill (C-304) that did receive substantial debate at second reading. However, the Conservatives and the Bloc voted to kill the bill and not send it to committee stage.

Although the process is time consuming and success far from guaranteed, autism advocates across the country are now devoting all their resources to shaping the outcome of Bill C-360.

Many families struggling with treatment costs believe that they are discriminated against in Canada's health-care system. Most support groups are calling for more funding of intensive behaviour intervention (IBI), a program based on applied behaviour analysis.

As the Families For Early Autism Treatment (FEAT) of BC puts it, "Medicare discriminates against those who suffer from autism by not providing the recommended core treatment." On the agency's website, they describe the current situation as "a catastrophic issue" for families since many are going bankrupt or disintegrating as they try to deal with the financial and emotional costs.

Closer to home, a Manitoulin family is watching the progress of Bill C-360 closely. Ken Blodgett and Pam McLaughlin of Gore Bay have joined other parents of autistic children in the campaign to push the bill past second reading. Their daughter Molly was diagnosed with autism in July 2003 when she was 26 months old.

"We are asking people to get the word out about what is going on and to contact their MPs," Ms. McLaughlin said. "It's such an important thing so please take a few minutes to send a letter to your MP."

In her view, the growing incidence of autism makes the passage of Bill C-360 imperative. Currently, one child out of every 150 is being diagnosed with some form of autism.

"The bill is a good first step in getting attention to the fact that autism is a serious thing and, unfortunately, it's not going to go away any time soon," she said. "Autism is so prevalent now, if it's not affecting someone you know directly, one of these days it will. It could be your child or your grandchild that will need the help some day."

She urges elected officials to look beyond present concerns about the economy and to anticipate the reality facing Canadians 10 or 20 years down the road. The school and health systems will be "outrageously overloaded" in the future if steps aren't taken now to provide intensive behaviour intervention for autistic children, she predicts.

"If the government can't afford it now, then they certainly won't be able to afford it in the future," she noted. "We need to help the families now so that autistic children can be contributing members of society. Autism is everywhere. Don't wait around until the prime minister's grandchild is diagnosed with it."

As for Molly Blodgett, now eight years old, family support and strong parental advocacy have made all the difference. She benefitted from two years of IBI up until age six. And in school she is reading at a Grade 2 level and "uses the computer like a whiz," according to Ms. McLaughlin. "Parents don't give up on their kids."

Like many other Canadians, they are hoping that the current bill will advance to the committee stage and beyond. Once the bill is referred to the standing health committee, it can receive a clause-by-clause review.

Editorial

Tom_Peltier leaves cultural and artistic legacy

The late Tom Peltier was certainly a man of vision. He could not only imagine the big picture but also where that big picture might ultimately lead.

But he wasn't simply an idea man who moved from concept to concept, leaving others to put together the enabling bits and pieces that might see a concept or an idea through to realization.

For Tom Peltier was a hands-on idea man who mightily enjoyed not only conceiving a unique idea but also working diligently to see it through to completion.

Tom Peltier was a force, but a gentle force who leaves behind him an enormous legacy of accomplishments that will continue to touch people, in particular people of First Nations heritage, for a long time to come.

Here are some examples:

Those of us old enough to recall visiting Expo '67 in Montreal over 40 years ago-one of those international expositions similar to a Manitoulin Trade Fair, but where nations, not local businesses, strut their stuff-may remember seeing an Indian Pavilion as one of the major displays there. That was Tom Peltier's idea and it was also largely his execution. Tom had the idea and was by that time in his life well enough politically connected to gain access to the appropriate federal cabinet minister and deputy minister.

The Indian Pavilion (which was how Tom always referred to it) gave the Aboriginal arts scene an enormous international boost as visitors to Montreal that year who came from all around the world to visit Expo '67 in one of Canada's most exciting cities (definitely the most exciting city that year) left with a new appreciation of that aspect of the diverse First Nations culture in this country.

Another of Tom Peltier's giant hands-on dreams was the creation of a learning place for young First Nations artists.

Officially called the Manitou Arts Project and located on an isolated North Channel island (loaned for the purpose by Tom's brother-in-law the late Paul McRae, the MP for Fort William at the time), the notion was to bring together young, high school-age First Nations people from across Canada for a summer-long experience of living within their culture, with the expectation that this experience would lead to individual creativity.

It did this with a vengeance and many of the creative young people who took advantage of this experience have gone on to make their careers as artists whose work is based on their cultural identities. Spouses Blake Debassige and Shirley Cheechoo of M'Chigeeng (who met as participants in the Manitou Arts Project), Leland Bell of Wikwemikong, Isadore Toulouse, Mike Doxtater (now a professor at McGill University), and the late Martin Panamick are just a few of these individuals.

The emergence of so many talented artists, and the Island's renown as an ongoing hothouse of talent, are credited to this early stimulus provided by Tom Peltier.

The Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, which has provided artistic stimulus of its own and a gathering place for traditional stories, also owes its origins to the creative energy engendered by the Manitou Arts Project.

Similarly, Debajehmujig Theatre Group, founded 30 years ago by Shirley Cheechoo and Blake Debassige, flows directly from these influences, as does the current Weengushk Film Institute, still in its earliest stages but energized by the experiences of many of its board members and founder Shirley Cheechoo as participants in Tom Peltier's Manitou Arts Project nearly 40 years ago.

Thirty years ago, Tom Peltier wrote the best-selling book Bearwalk. He said he set it in northern Michigan for practical purposes: to make the story more appealing to US filmmakers should there be interest in a film version (there was).

But in keeping with the Manitou Arts Project credo to "create from your own traditions and experiences," Bearwalk is based on events in Tom Peltier's and his family's own life, so he practised what he preached.

Nearly 10 years ago, Tom Peltier had returned from a life and career in Ottawa to Manitoulin Island, but he continued a creative and productive life here from his home of Wikwemikong and was busy working hard on a pair of projects at the time of his passing.

He died from an apparent sudden heart attack. He had been sitting at his kitchen table reading a newspaper and sipping Scotch. He devoured three daily newspapers every day, so he died as he had lived-informed, in the moment and with an eye on the future.

Tom Peltier had given much and had much more to give.

He will be missed, but hopefully the myriad accomplishments of his life-about which he enjoyed telling humorous stories that significantly didn't cast him in any role than that of an enabler-will encourage other bright young visionaries to see what an incredible difference one determined person can make.

But he will be missed.

R.L. McCutcheon

Letters to the Editor

Highway 6 south of Manitowaning is indeed a bumpy ride

We should all stock up on ball joints and Tums

To the Expositor:

You have such a great paper that covers every conceivable topic. Of course, almost every week I think I'll write a Dear Editor letter, but then other business crowds out my impulsive letter-writing possibilities. However, this week, I must give praise for your in-depth reporting of the rough roads Issues. I fully support my cousin Pat Novak's description, along with businessman Robert Brown's notations, of the treachery of Highway 6 between Manitowaning and South Baymouth. We would all do well to stock up on ball joints and whatever they are attached to before GM's parts department goes under.

Today, I was able to determine by an unplanned scientific study that along many stretches, going south is worse than going north. Because I am totally addicted to eating while driving, I like to pack a lunch no matter how short the trip. Anyway, I have discovered that toast, or plain bread with butter, and possibly tea in a rollercoaster proof travel mug, is the best choice of lunch going north. Soda crackers with ginger ale are best going south. I make sure to be fully covered with a tea towel just in case a crater looms in a new location. Today, by chance, I had eaten my north and south snacks while going north. So I foolishly bought a burger in Espanola to eat while driving south and listening to 100.7 The Island. I realized just south of Manitowaning that I needed something fizzy but had no tums, crackers, ginger ale, etc. It dawned on me that I have needed far more Tums, crackers and ginger ale when driving that stretch of road than when travelling on other highways. It's really rough. But, it's still great. It leads to friends and family.

Marg Schwartzentruber

Manitowaning

Slashing regional CBC abandons the mandate of the service

Many residents of North have no other broadcasting alternative

To the Expositor:

The following is an open letter to Hubert T. Lacroix, president of CBC/Radio Canada.

Dear Mr. Lacroix:

I am writing to express my outrage and profound disappointment in your actions towards the people of Northern Ontario. In 40 years of public life, I cannot recall a more glaring example of public servants choosing to turn their backs on those they are mandated to serve.

In 1991, parliament passed the Broadcasting Act, which provides the direction for your services. It states unequivocally that the CBC must "reflect Canada to its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions."

As someone who sat in the House of Commons when this act was passed, I can tell you that these words do not mean that you should protect jobs in CBC Toronto, a market with a staggering number of for profit and non-profit media choices, while decimating staff numbers in regions like Northern Ontario that have no viable alternatives for CBC listeners. To follow through with these actions is to abandon the very reason for CBC's creation and to undermine support for continued public funding.

CBC Northern Ontario Radio has just celebrated its 25th anniversary as a full-fledged station. This service does indeed connect the residents of this region-an area as large as the three Maritime provinces plus the island of Newfoundland-together and it has helped many artists to reach regional and national artists. Your cuts will inevitably mean less opportunity and fewer connections for all of us.

Later this weekend, citizens will gather in Sudbury and Thunder Bay to raise their voices in opposition to your ill-considered cuts. But the listeners who will be most affected will not be there. In Northern Ontario, we can't jump on the TTC and come down to Front Street. Many of your most dedicated listeners live several hours from their regional stations in areas that have no real alternative to the public broadcaster. These are the people who will be devastated when the planned cuts come into effect.

The current economic times challenge all of us to come up with creative ways to maintain services and deliver them more efficiently. I suggest that you and your team go back to the drawing board and develop a new plan that respects the core mandate of the CBC and ensures that the vital programming of CBC Northern Ontario Radio continues to bring this region together.

I look forward to your response.

John Rodriguez

Mayor of Sudbury

Repaving Highway 6 stretch should be priority

Residents, professionals need safe roads to drive on

To the Expositor:

Re. "Highway 6 users bemoan bumpy state of pavement," April 1.

The answer to the state of the road from Ten Mile Point to South Baymouth could start as early as April 25. Rather than focus on Highway 6 north, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) should switch its emphasis to the southern portion of the highway.

According to Gordan Rennie, the regional issues advisor for the MTO, "the pavement condition on Highway 6 through Manitoulin Island is currently rated 'fair.'" I don't agree.

According to residents Pat Novack, Eric Stillwaugh and Robert Brown, who were interviewed in the article, and writer Heather Pennie, it's much worse.

Robert Brown's buses run daily to Manitowaning and elsewhere. We can't have our bus drivers having headaches because our schoolchildren in Grades 1 to 8 go to Manitowaning daily and our high school kids go to M'Chigeeng daily.

Our nurse practitioners, nurses, secretaries, doctors, EMS paramedics, court workers in Wiky, all our police vehicles and our farmers use these roads daily, as well as all residents and our families in Wiky and Manitowaning.

I'd like Heather to call our MPP and ask for the above to be completed before the ferry starts running this year. It's only a matter of picking up the asphalt and repaving.

Stan Allen

Manitowaning