Wild final

by Cheryl Waugh

MANITOULIN --- The Manitoulin Wild experienced some on-ice success this year while winning 15 games, but the brightest development for the franchise has been the off-ice success its achieved in its inaugural season, as the Wild drew an estimated 20,000 people to it games.

"We are especially pleased with the fan turnout," said Larry Leblanc, one of five owners with the team. "Nobody in the league thought we would draw, but we ended up second in the league in fan turnout."

A result that was of no surprise to Mr. Leblanc. "I've been coaching hockey here for 30 years, and over that time the fans have proven that they like - love - hockey here. They love the game. We were able to draw from around the Island."

In fact, Manitoulin fans earned praise from Northern Michigan Black Bears' fans after a large contingent from the Island drove to St. Ignace for game three of the teams' first round play-off series.

"There were about 60 Wild fans there and they were loud," said Mr. Leblanc. "We've been able to draw fans to other teams' buildings, and I think other teams have come away very impressed with that."

"The fans have supported us here all year," said Wild Coach Stephane Soulliere. "It was nice to see the fans come out (to Northern Michigan)." He said the team tried to give the fans a good product on the ice. "We'll be better next year," he promised.

The bottom line will likely be better for the Wild next year as well. While Mr. Leblanc said the team didn't have a complete financial picture yet for the 2003-2004 season, he did acknowledge that the team had about $60,000 to $85,000 in start-up costs.

"The good news is those are first year costs, they won't reappear again," said Mr. Leblanc. "Every player we had we had to pay for their cards, but now we own about 20 players' cards, so that's it. Remember, we started from zero this year."

On top of paying for players, there were numerous other purchases the Manitoulin Wild needed to make in order to get the franchise up and running, such as equipment costs. "Uniforms, gloves, helmets, pads...we bought all kinds of things. Sticks, trainer supplies, and some things that people wouldn't even think of, like a washer and a dryer," said Mr. Leblanc.

But at the end day, if the team does find it went into the hole financially in its first season, no one is going to be overly concerned about it, said Mr. Leblanc.

The ownership group expected, like any new business does, losses in its first three to five years as it builds capital and revenue sources while riding out the one-time expense of start-up costs, and getting a handle on expected annual expenses. After the three to five year mark has passed, Mr. Leblanc said the ownership group hopes to break even, or at best, make a small profit.

"$60,000 to $85,000, that's a lot of money, and we won't have to pay those costs next year," said Mr. Leblanc.

Next year, the team also hopes to have more businesses on board as sponsors. The team had no major sponsor this year.

"We didn't have a major sponsor, but at the same time we only had a few months to get everything organized. There was a lot to do just to ice a team, so we really didn't get out to a lot of the businesses on the Island. This year, we have a lot more time to do that," said Mr. Leblanc. "And, I'm really confident that we will (draw more business sponsors)."

He added that the businesses that did help out "really helped out."

There were many different venues for businesses to help out the team, whether it be taking out a board or ice ad, or in the instance of Gus and Loretta Debassige providing the team with cases of one litre bottles of water. The water was a staple on the bus on road trips, as were the subs and cases of pop provided by Ed Laidley at G.G.'s Foodland.

Mr. Debassige said he thought the team had had a strong first season. "It's a good franchise," he said. "I thought they did very well, and it's a good thing for the young people on the Island. This is a good area to be involved in hockey."

The attraction of young people, especially children, to Manitoulin Wild games was obvious to anyone who attended a Friday night game. Teenagers and children made up a large part of the crowd.

The Manitoulin Wild provided an outing for families in the area, said Kelly O'Hare, of the Anchor Inn. About midway through the season, the Anchor Inn restaurant started a give-away promotion whereby anyone purchasing two dinners either Thursday or Friday night got a free Wild ticket. It's a promotion that the restaurant will continue next year, she said.

"Towards the end, you could definitely tell it was Friday night and the Wild were playing," she said. "People would get down here earlier to eat and they'd be talking about going to the game."

A lot of those people were families, said Ms. O'Hare. "A lot of families came in, ate here together and then went out to the game," she said. "Honestly, I really do believe it was a great thing for the Island. People talked about it. When they came in here for coffee in the morning, there was always talk about the Manitoulin Wild. It wasn't just great for Little Current, or this end of the Island, but for everyone on Manitoulin."

Ms. O'Hare said she, as well as her staff, were also able to meet the hockey players on occasion when they came in to eat. "They were just nice young men, very polite," she said.

"The team was a topic everywhere I went," said Mr. Leblanc. "We've had a lot of people contact us and thank us."

One of those people was Don McCulloch, of Breakaway Sports in Little Current. "I thought between Larry (Leblanc) and Sherri Debassige, well actually, the whole team should be congratulated," he said.

Mr. McCulloch was an avid fan all year, missing but a couple of games. He was surprised at the on-ice success that the team achieved in its first year. "Quite honestly, I thought if they had won six or eight games in their first year, they couldn't ask for any more. I'm already looking forward to next year. Hopefully, everybody is."

Off the ice next year has already begun said Assistant General Manager Sherri Debassige. Along with trying to draw more business sponsors, the team has already begun the 2004-2005 season ticket sale drive (for season tickets call Kenjgewin Teg at 377-4342).

The Manitoulin Wild sold 200 season tickets last year, and they would like to increase those sales to around the 250 next year, said Ms. Debassige. "We're hoping to have 250 for next season. We have more time to sell them this year, so we think that's a good target."

As far as attendance figures, Ms. Debassige said the 20,000 figure is a rough estimate. She explained the team drew very well on Friday nights early in the season, selling right out. However, attendance dropped off about around when Manitoulin minor hockey towns, such as Mindemoya and Manitowaning, started houseleague games. Their homes games were Friday night.

Sunday night games throughout the season never sold out. In fact, the team's lowest attendance of the season, 298, was a Sunday match. On average, the team had an attendance of 500-plus. Only the North Bay Skyhawks drew more fans than the Manitoulin Wild.

With 24 homes games in a 48 game season, the team also had to provide for ticket sales people and security during each of the games. All of the work was carried out by volunteers. "The volunteers who worked the games really made it all happen," said Mr. Leblanc. "But Sherri Debassige...we really appreciate the effort she put into it. She took care of every little detail that had to be taken care of. She took care of all the road trips, plus all the nitty, gritty stuff, the stuff which is a kind of a pain to do but someone has to do it. Well, she did it. I can't thank her enough."

As for his own work with the team, Mr. Leblanc was the team's general manager at the beginning of the season, but stepped down from the position with about eight weeks left over health concerns relating to heart disease. "I want to stay involved,  maybe as director of player personnel," said Mr. Leblanc, "but, I don't want all of the duties of the general manager again."

So a question mark remains about who will be the general manager next year, not to mention the question of which players will actually return to the fold. But, considering the numerous questions about the team heading into its inaugural season, Year Two is already off to a better start.

by Michael Erskine

SUDBURY---Facing a $5 million deficit and a net negative draw on resources, Cambrian College is reported to be looking to close its storefront operation in Little Current.

"No, no, no," said Cambrian President Sylvia Barnard, categorically denying that the campus was slated for closure. "We are not closing the campus. We are simply looking at changing the delivery model."

Although local staff refused to comment on the rumoured closure, Cambrian sources outside the Island community have indicated that plans have advanced to the stage that personnel have been advised they may be 'bumped' by transferring Island staff.

Mariette McGregor-Sutherland, chair of the Cambrian College Advisory Council, expressed surprise at the news that changes were being considered to the Island's 'delivery model.'

"No, I haven't heard anything yet," said Ms. McGregor-Sutherland, indicating that she would be contacting Cambrian on Tuesday to find out what is going on. "I would normally expect there would be something in my e-mail."

Ms. McGregor-Sutherland said that the advisory council normally meets "once or twice" a year, but she said she would consider calling an emergency meeting should the rumours of closure or a drastic restructuring of the delivery model appear to have foundation.

"That would seem to be an appropriate course of action," she said. "It is too soon to say for certain yet. I don't even know if there is anything to meet about yet."

Ms. Barnard said her office would be setting up meetings with the advisory council to seek their input on how the delivery model should be changed.

"We work with each individual campus," she said, noting that there is no set delivery model for the satellite campuses. "We will be looking at ways for the community to continue accessing our operations on Manitoulin, from an appropriate location."

Ms. Barnard said that those meetings would be taking place some time within the next few weeks.

Local First Nation chiefs Glen Hare, Patrick Madahbee and Walter Manitowabi, whose communities heavily access Cambrian programming were also surprised at suggestions of changes to the Island delivery model.

Among the programs it has been suggested will be moved to Espanola is the upgrading program currently run out of the lower level of the Manitoulin Tourism Welcome Centre.

"Can you imagine trying to get to Espanola from Evansville in time for classes," said one source. "It's ludicrous."

The upgrading program in Espanola currently has 25 seats and a waiting list, although full time utilization of the course is roughly comparable to the 16 full-time client spaces in Little Current.

"Who will determine the who goes where on the waiting list?" asked one concerned individual.

The Manitoulin-Sudbury  District Social Services Administration Board is reportedly being sounded out as to the possibility of sponsoring a bus from the Island to Espanola for clients seeking to access upgrading services.

Part of the problem is that upgrading classes are a 'tough-sell' in the current tight education budget atmosphere. HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada, or its successor spin-off organizations, and LDMS (Local Delivery Mechanisms, accessed by First Nations) do not fully fund such programs, although Worker's Compensation generally does.

'At risk' youth, the people most likely to access upgrading programs, are normally difficult to access and those who work with such youth both within the First Nations and the larger community say any reduction in accessibility of services will see many slipping through the cracks into a life-long dependency on the system for support.

"The changes, cutbacks, whatever you want to call them are certainly a surprise," said Perry Anglin, a former member of the Cambrian Board. "The college has two new student residences and a large new student centre located at the main campus in Sudbury, which are great for the students there. But it is unfortunate that they seem to come at the expense of established services on the Island."

Sources said they were pleased to learn that Ms. Barnard had staunchly denied that there would be any closure of the campus on Manitoulin, but wondered what level of service a revamped service delivery model would bring, and from where?

by Michael Erskine

MANITOULIN---Rarely does Easter, the 'special time' of Christian worship, come as much to the fore as it has with the hype and media attention being lavished on Mel Gibson's movie highlighting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, 'The Passion of the Christ.'

"It brings attention to the fact that Christians, or most Christian traditions at least, have a special season in preparation for Easter," said Jean-Louis Plouffe, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. "Just as the Muslim community has Ramadan, and the Jewish community has Passover, Christians have Easter."

Bishop Plouffe noted that in an interesting coincidence, the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church on the timing of Easter, as well as the Jewish Passover, all coincide closely this year.

"It doesn't happen very often due to the differences in our calendars," he said. "But it has this year."

Bishop Plouffe has seen the movie, and said he intends to see it again.

"You always seem to miss some important things the first time out," he said.

Bishop Plouffe may be forgiven if he appears biased just a little bit towards the production, its producer is also a devout Catholic, a matter that was central to much of the negative hype and concern that preceded the release of the movie.

The bishop does not feel that the concerns voiced in the days preceding the movie's release have come to fruition after the fact.

"I saw no sign of any anti-Semitic slant to the movie," he said. "If anyone comes out looking bad it would have to be the Roman soldiers who appeared to take such delight in their work."

While the scenes in the movie were violent, and Bishop Plouffe said he agreed with the over 18 rating of the production, he did not feel the violence was gratuitous or exploitive.

"The director used flashbacks quite effectively to give a deeper meaning to the acts of violence," he said. "So they were not so drawn out, and the response of the Christ was one of restraint and silence. It was violent," he added, "but it did not incite to violence."

The message was consistently portrayed as one of peace and love, he said.

Canon Bain Peever, of the Island's Anglican churches in Mindemoya and Manitowaning, had not had the opportunity to see the movie yet, and he was uncertain if he would, although that was more a factor of availability than of predilection.

"If I was in Sudbury and it was playing, I might go to see it," he said. Judging from the hype surrounding the movie, Canon Peever said, the ongoing challenge of portraying biblical scripture and the mysteries of faith are well illustrated.

"We have tried with words, in the Gospels, with music and with art," he said. "Now we are trying with film. I don't know if we can ever get close to the full expression of the mystery with the tools available to us."

Les Cramp, of the Church of Christ in Ice lake has also not seen the film, but that reflects more his personal 'hands on' approach to life than any aversion to the subject or media.

"I am not much of a movie person," he said. "I don't know if I will see it, but it is not a deliberate plan. I am so busy getting ready for the camp."

As to the issues surrounding the film, Pastor Cramp said not having seen the film he was reluctant to comment on it or its content.

Pastor Ray Kloestra, of the Mindemoya Missionary Church, has seen the film however, and he was enthusiastic about its message and its delivery.

"It was violent," he admitted, "but the impact of the violence was lessened by the use of flashbacks to explain what was happening in the present."

Pastor Kloestra also said he found no evidence of anti-Semitism in the film.

"There is an often cited line from the Gospels that is often mis-used in that way," he said. "But it wasn't used."

The line in question comes just after Pilate has washed his hands of the fate of Christ, and the Jewish leaders heading up the assault on Jesus exclaim that they will take the responsibility onto to them through the generations. This line was used as justification for centuries of persecution of the Jewish people, but it plays no part in the Mel Gibson portrayal.

"If anyone comes out looking bad," agreed Pastor Kloestra, "it is the Roman soldiers and the delight they took in their torture."

In fact, Pastor Kloestra said he believed Mr. Gibson tried to play down any aspect of anti-Semitism.

The portrayal of Christ in the garden was particularly poignant for Pastor Kloestra.

"Where when everything is at its darkest hour of despair, he prays and accepts his fate, 'Thy will be done.'"

The Missionary Church community which Pastor Kloestra leads is holding a Good Friday evening event inspired in part by 'The Passion.'

"We will be holding an invitational dinner, starting at 5 pm," he said. "We will be screening a video from our Alpha course. It talks people through some of the questions they may have on why Christ died."

Although the close adherence to the Gospel accounts of the Passion by the movie's screenplay gives a strong point of reference for all Christian churches to identify with, the movie's base in the Catholic tradition has an added bonus for Pastor Kloestra.

The parts that follow the Stations of the Cross, which are not a part of his church tradition, he said, gives him an opportunity to better understand the viewpoint of his Catholic acquaintances.

Bishop Plouffe was deeply touched by the portrayal in the film of Mary, Jesus' mother.

"She is portrayed as a very mature person," he said. "Very well-connected with her inner feelings."

All of the Island clerics who are familiar with the film, and even some who have not yet seen it seem to agree that the debate, discussion and even questions raised by the event have been largely positive for the Christian faiths.

"It has really highlighted, all across the world, that there is a special time of worship for Christians in Easter," said Bishop Plouffe. "It is a very Catholic tradition, but one that we share deeply with other churches."

For each Christian cleric, anything that brings people closer to the message of Christ cannot help to be, ultimately, a good thing.

by Neil Zacharjewicz

NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN and the ISLANDS - Under the alleged threat of a lawsuit by Mayor Joe Chapman if he brought forward a motion to censure the Mayor, Councillor Jim Stringer said he felt obliged to do so anyway in response to the Mayor's handling of the incident involving local businessman Jim Bousquet.

Councillor Stringer put forward the motion at a special meeting of council held on Wednesday, March 31st, in response to the incident that occurred at the March 16 meeting of council, when Mayor Chapman had asked Mr. Bousquet to desist from having a private conversation with Councillor Bill Koehler. When Mr. Bousquet refused, Mayor Chapman asked him several times to leave the council chambers, which Mr. Bousquet refused to do. As a result, the Mayor adjourned the meeting. Following the meeting, the Mayor had Mr. Bousquet charged with Failure to Leave the Premises When Directed under the Trespass to Property Act.

At the March 31 meeting, Councillor Stringer put forward two motions with regard to the incident. Councillor Sam Nardi chaired the two motions after Mayor Chapman stepped down so that open discussion could commence on the motions about his actions.

Councillors Marcel Gauthier and Bill Koehler both declared conflicts of interest; Councillor Gauthier on the grounds that he was an employee of Mr. Bousquet, and Councillor Koehler on the grounds that he is employed by the Ontario Provincial Police, which is currently investigating the case.

While Councillor Stringer had put forward a motion for the councillors to consider prior to the meeting, he indicated that he wished to substitute the motion with a new one. A motion to consider the new motion was put forward, and was defeated. Council then considered Councillor Stringer's original motion, which resolved that council "officially censures the Mayor for his unauthorized actions which resulted in trespass to charges being laid against Mr. Jim Bousquet."

Councillor Stringer stated that the intent of his motion was to speak to the actions taken by Mayor Chapman, not to his person. He also stated that he would like to amend the motion, in order to address the feeling that the motion presented might have been considered "unnecessarily harsh."

He asked that a recorded vote be called on his motion to amend, which was defeated. Only Councillors Stringer and Gary Green voted in favour of the motion, while Councillors Nardi, Tom Batman, Tony Ferro and Jib Turner voted against.

Left with only the original motion for consideration, Councillor Stringer made note that he did attempt to amend the wording of the motion. He said it was important to understand the intention, and his understanding of censure was that he was putting forward a motion of disapproval of the actions that the mayor had taken.

Within the town's procedural by-laws, Councillor Stringer noted, it states that one of the duties of the mayor is to represent and support council. Thus, it is safe to assume that when the mayor speaks, it is with the authority of council, he said.

"But council did not authorize the Mayor to take action with regard to Mr. Bousquet," Councillor Stringer said. He added that while the Mayor may have believed he was acting as a private citizen, he was concerned with the public perception of the Mayor's actions.

"Council did not support that action," Councillor Stringer stated, adding, "I do not believe that the Mayor intentionally acted to displease council."

However, Councillor Ferro indicated that upon examining the Municipal Act, 2001, he could find no reference to any section which would allow council to censure any of its members.

"Officially, censure does not appear in the Municipal Act," he stated.

 As a result of Councillor Ferro's evidence, Councillor Nardi ruled that there was no basis for council to consider the motion, and therefore disallowed it.

"We do not have the authority under the Municipal Act," Councillor Nardi said.

Councillor Stringer appealed the ruling, suggesting that it is within council's right to do anything it chooses provided that its actions are not illegal. He pointed out that the motion was simply to state that council disapproved of the actions taken by the Mayor. He added that he had made clear the intentions of his motion, and he found it odd that the chair would want to stifle debate.

"We are trying to avoid the issue," he stated.

At this point in the meeting, Councillor Stringer suggested that he had been told by Mayor Chapman that if he had put forward his motion to deal with the issue, he would face a libel lawsuit. However, Councillor Stringer said he felt obliged to put forward the motion, adding that it was not right that he be threatened with legal action for bringing a motion before council. He added that the Mayor had stated he wanted a written apology which Councillor Stringer would have to read before the public during the course of the meeting in order to avoid legal action.

Councillor Stringer stated his concern was not with the character or person of the Mayor, and that he was simply concerned with the action taken with regard to the Mr. Bousquet incident. He added it would be unfortunate if the insurance company for the municipality would have to bear the cost of a lawsuit brought by the Mayor against him.

"This issue needed to be aired," Councillor Stringer stated. The crowd in attendance erupted in applause. It is not clear whether supporters for Councillor Stringer or the Mayor were in attendance.

Councillor Green indicated he shared Councillor Stringer's sentiments, which was why he seconded the motion, and added he was disappointed the issue was not being debated. He said he had come to hope a solution could be found for the "unfortunate incident," adding he felt council had a responsibility to try and help resolve the situation.

Having provided the councillors with an opportunity to air their concerns, Councillor Nardi ruled council had no authority with which to censure the Mayor, and therefore the motion was dispensed with.

Council moved on to consider Councillor Stringer's second motion, which proposed council "immediately take such action as is required to ensure that the charge of trespassing laid against Mr. Jim Bousquet is dropped or otherwise not pursued, and further pays all costs which Mr. Bousquet has incurred as a result of defending himself against the charge."

Mr. Bousquet admitted he had done things he was not happy about, Councillor Stringer indicated, and noted that he had apologized to council before he left the council meeting. Council did not agree to take action against Mr. Bousquet and has yet to address the situation, he explained. While council could not have the charges against Mr. Bousquet dropped, Councillor Stringer suggested council could seek to ensure that the charges do not proceed further.

"We do not need to proceed with this further," he said. "It is not right he should be defending himself."

It was time for council to debate whether the Mayor had the authority to lay the charges, and whether council condoned his actions, said Councillor Stringer.

But Councillor Tony Ferro suggested council should not even be talking about the issue since it was now in the court system.

"It is out of our hands," he said. Furthermore, he expressed concern with using taxpayer dollars in paying for Mr. Bousquet's legal fees. He suggested that Councillor Stringer could lose his municipal post if a member of the public were to challenge the misuse of municipal funds through an Ontario Municipal Board hearing. He said if council members wished to take sides on the issue, Councillor Ferro suggested, they should testify in court either for or against Mr. Bousquet.

Councillor Green indicated that he believed council would have been able to resolve the situation in some fashion. He said he felt the situation had been mishandled, and offered an illustration as to why he believed this was the case.

During the course of the March 16 meeting, Councillor Green explained, the Mayor had expressed to Jim Van Camp, executive director of the Manitoulin Health Centre, who had been a spectator at the meeting, that the town would like to set up a meeting with him to discuss potential economic development projects. He noted council had not yet endorsed the projects in question, and furthermore noted that the Mayor had addressed Mr. Van Camp casually, not as one would in a council matter. When the situation with Mr. Bousquet arose, Mayor Chapman could have called a recess, Councillor Green noted, but instead chose to adjourn the meeting. He said while he did not question the Mayor's authority to do so, he indicated he was uncertain of the Mayor's decision on the matter. Councillor Green said he felt the Mayor had taken an adversarial tone toward Mr. Bousquet.

"Mr. Bousquet knows he made a mistake," Councillor Green stated. He pointed out that before Mr. Bousquet left, he apologized to council.

There were alternative ways the Mayor could have handled the situation, Councillor Green indicated, and he felt a great disservice had been done to the community. Council does not have to spend money to get publicity for some of the items it is dealing with, he suggested.

"We are already getting the worst publicity going," Councillor Green said. While councillors need to be accountable, Councillor Green suggested he should not have to be subjected to ridicule as a result of the situation because he did not have a say in the actions taken following the incident with Mr. Bousquet.

The crowd, once again, erupted into applause.

Councillor Stringer called for a recorded vote on the motion, stating that it was his perspective that whether council paid Mr. Bousquet's bill and worked to have the charges dropped or not, by defeating the motion, council would be sending a message of support for what has happened to Mr. Bousquet.

"I highly disagree," suggested Councillor Turner. "It does not reflect my view at all."

He continued, "We have no business discussing this tonight."

Council had wasted enough time discussing the issue, he suggested, time which might have been better used. Councillor Turner said he could have been at home spending time with his daughter, but the discussion had gone on so long she would be in bed by the time he got home. This garnered groans from the crowd in attendance.

"I sit here in nothing but sheer disgust," stated Councillor Batman, who said the situation had been "blown out of proportion" like everything on Manitoulin often is. He said Councillor Stringer had suggested he wanted the situation over with, but it was he who had dragged the situation before council.

"It has put people in a really awkward situation, including myself," he said. "I am not happy at all with what I have seen here tonight."

The motion to pursue having the charges dropped and to pay for Mr. Bousquet's legal expenses was put forward and defeated. Councillors Stringer and Green voted in favour of the motion, while Councillors Batman, Turner, Nardi and Ferro voted against the motion.