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M'Chigeeng Health Centre sees $575,000 expansion
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by Michael Erskine
M'CHIGEENG---Cramped quarters at the M'Chigeeng Health Centre are
about to get some relief, thanks to a $575,000, 3,300 square-foot
expansion that will see eight offices, a storage room and a community
health room added to the facility.
"It's great," said M'Chigeeng First Nation Chief Glen Hare, "but now
we have to work on the funders to get started on the next phase."
The construction project began on July 23, and is scheduled to be
completed by December, 2003.
"But it started long before that, with the proposals to the funders
and finding the money for the community's share of the costs," said
Chief Hare.
Local forces were used in the construction, both on and off-reserve.
"We were able to use mostly all local people," said Chief Hare.
"Debassige Construction, of M'Chigeeng did most of the work. If we
had to go outside for any specialty work, we look at the businesses
in Island communities first. That way we can keep the dollars on the
Island, and that is good for everybody."
The eight new offices will provide permanent homes for the Clinic
Manager, visiting consultants, Child and Youth Worker, Addiction
Worker, two Mental Health Workers, Wellness Co-ordinator, and the
Health Promotion Worker, as well as a multi-purpose board room and a
files storage area.
"What you can see from the road is only a small part of the work,"
said Chief Hare. "The really impressive part is going on behind."
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NEMI buliding
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by Cheryl Waugh
NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN and the ISLANDS (NEMI) --- The on-again,
off-again saga of building an administration complex for NEMI is
back on again - at least temporarily.
Councilor Jim Stringer, who sits on the Ad-Hoc Building
committee,
emphatically explained to council that a 'no decision' at this
time
by this council meant the next council would be forced to
continue
renting at its current location.
"It is going to take 17-19 months, assuming there are no
glitches, to
move into a new building. The next council would not be able to
start
anything until January 1, 2004, which gives them 15 months
(until the
lease runs out with Streetwise Holdings Inc.). And, they're not
likely to start the process on January 1," said Councilor
Stringer.
"We're putting the next council into a serious bind. They will
be
forced to strike a lease, if they get one. It's not a good
situation
to leave the next council."
Councilor Stringer was the only member of the Ad-Hoc Building
committee at council last week. The two other members,
Councilors
Carl Ziegler and Al MacNevin, were both absent. Mr. Stringer
proffered a recommendation from his committee that council
reconsider
its previous decision to shut down the process for a new
administration building, leaving the matter in the hands of the
next
council.
In a timeline handed out to councilors, Mr. Stringer estimated
that
it would take two-three months to review and award Requests for
Proposals, two to three months for the
design/preparation/review/revise phase, one month to prepare and
advertise the tender, and one year for the post-tender and
construction phase for a total of 17-19 months.
The remaining amount of time left on the lease with Streetwise
Holdings is 20 months. (The town of NEMI currently rents space
at the
Island Business Centre on Highway 6). The lease term ends on
March
31, 2005.
"The next council will have - at most - 15 months to complete
all
this work. If we don't have some kind of plan in place for them
we
will have made the decision for them," said Councilor Stringer.
"At
least, let's get the ball rolling. If we don't, they won't have
the
option to build open for them."
He also reminded council that Jim McBane, owner of Streetwise
Holdings Inc. will likely be looking for a five to 10 year lease
the
next time negotiations roll around since that was what he
recently
offered.
However, Councilor Ron Lewis said there was no reason to go
forward
with the building process at this time. He stated there is
already
too much uncertainty in NEMI's financial future with only
estimates
of the costs of closing the Little Current and Green Bay dumps,
and
the compensation plan for residents around the new landfill
site.
"We have so many figures floating around that are not confirmed.
We
have estimates on landfill closures and compensation, and
hopefully,
they're good figures, but we don't know. Can taxpayers support a
new
building as early as 2004?" he asked.
Councilor Marcel Gauthier also questioned the presented
timeline.
"We're not building a hospital here, we're building an
administration
building. 15 months? Come on let's get real here."
Mayor Ken Ferguson noted that this council, by majority, "has
wanted
to see a new office built."
Meanwhile, Councilor Ann McGregor said she was very much in
favour of
"stopping this leasing business and getting into our own
building."
She also noted that if the next council is forced to rent
because of
inaction by this council, Mr. McBane will have the town by the
"Kahunas" in negotiations. "There's no where to go," she said.
"I understand we're just trying to get the ball rolling here,"
added
Councilor Bill Koehler. "It is a very short time frame for a new
council. I would like to see us rescind the previous motion and
get
things started. The people that I have spoken to would like us
to
have a new building rather than see us renting."
In a quick aside, Mr. Koehler explained to Councilor McGregor
that a
gentleman from her ward (Ward 1) had recently bet him $10 that
the
town offices will still be at the current location in five
years."I
said forget it. I don't want to lose $10."
In order to get the building process up and running again,
council
had to rescind two resolutions that suspended any further
progress on
the engagement of architectural services for a new municipal
office
until the 2004 municipal council commences office.
Council rescinded the motions in a 4-3 recorded vote. Voting in
favour were Councilors Koehler, McGregor, Stringer and Mayor
Ferguson. Voting against were Councilors Gauthier, Lewis and
Kathleen
Bowerman.
The vote means the town will send out Requests for Proposals for
an architect.
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Plane crashes on Cook's Dock Road |
United Church scents
Little Current Charge petitions to ban scents
by Michael Erskine
LITTLE CURRENT---In an effort to make Sunday worship open to
everyone, regardless of allergies, members of the United Church
are
seeking to ban scents from church services.
"I am hoping it makes it to the General Council," said Reverend
Faye
Stephens, of the Little Current Pastoral Charge.
The Little Current United Church is taking a lead role in
bringing
the issue to the church's governing body, as the issue has
arisen to
bedevil the congregation locally.
"One of the members of our congregation has allergies to scents
and
perfumes," explained Rev. Stephens. "We are not seeking to bar
anyone
from the church," she cautioned. "We are just trying to make our
sanctuary a true sanctuary, free from scenting."
The goal of the petition the church has sent to their governing
body
is to encourage people to use the scent-free version of products
instead of the scented ones.
"Some people are really allergic to scents and perfumes,
especially
the stuff they put in fabric softeners, those seem to be the
worst,"
said Marion Henry, chair of the Little Current United Church
Worship
Committee. "We thought we should try it as a way of respecting
everybody."
Ms. Henry explained that one of the church's parishioners is
extremely allergic to scents, and although she wishes to attend
Sunday service, it is nigh onto impossible for her to sit
through the
entire service when beset by perfumes and scents on all sides.
It is hard for those not afflicted with an allergy to truly
appreciate the impact on quality of life something as seemingly
innocuous as a little dab of perfume behind the ear can have.
With
the profile a church-sanctioned ban will give the issue, perhaps
people may be persuaded to forgo their Sunday morning scent
ritual in
order to allow others to be able to worship free from sniffles,
sneezes and throat closing allergies.
"It is something we can do easily," said Ms. Henry. "Every
little bit helps."
The petition will be presented to the United Church's governing
body
for consideration, a little outside of the normal progress of a
motion to the general council.
"We were a little late to try and take it through the normal
channels," said Rev. Stephens. "Hopefully, it will make it
through
anyway."
The United Church's 38th General Council meeting began at the
Acadia
University Arena, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia on Sunday, August 10
with
a church service attended by over 1,200 people.
Outgoing United Church Moderator Marion Pardy, whose three-year
term
ends this week, spoke of the need for the church to recognize
its
role in creating despair, and having recognized it, move forward
with
God and hope for a new day.
The United Church will be dealing with a large number of issues
at
its 38th General Council, including a proposal from the
Saskatchewan
district calling for the United Church to recognize same-sex
marriages and to support the federal government's initiative on
the
matter. If adopted, the petition would place the United Church
in
stark contrast with many other Christian Churches in Canada.
Rev. Kent Ward, chair of the Business Committee, said the
petition
from the Saskatchewan Conference calling on the federal
government's
Department of Justice to recognize same-sex unions in the
marriage
legislation may draw some attention "based on where the nation
has
been the last month or so. In one form or another, that issue
may be
before Council."
But issues before each conference can take on lives of their
own, and
any matter before the council could come forward as a 'sleeper'
issue.
"The Council will decide what's a sleeper or not," said Rev.
Ward.
"It's my job to set the table."
Other items set before the Council's table include: a statement
on
the relationship between Islam and the United Church; a report
on the
state of United Church-Jewish relations: a new educational
process
for the restoration of right relationships between the church
and
Aboriginal peoples.
The presentation on Aboriginal issues will include a keynote
address
by George Erasmus, a former president of the Dene Nation, who
was
co-chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Chief
Erasmus
is now the president of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
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Sucker Lake |
Sucker Lake
by Jim Moodie
ASSIGINACK---With its unfortunate name and confusing
status--many
maps still mark a Sucker Lake Indian Reserve (No. 25), although
it
hasn't been a reserve for years--Sucker Lake tends to discourage
visitation.
This is a shame, for Sucker Lake is an idyllic, peaceful spot
with
three uninhabited islands, a small public beach and boat launch,
a
fair number of perch and bass, and...absolutely no suckers.
"I've been coming back here for 50 years to fish, and I've never
seen
a sucker in the lake," says Murray Haner.
Mr. Haner grew up in Hilly Grove, near Manitowaning, and in 1969
acquired a farm and cottage property on the east shore of Sucker
Lake. From May to November, the retired police officer doesn't
budge
from his Sucker Lake retreat, while wife Gloria joins him as
often as
she can.
The Haners nearest neighbour is Jason Moffatt, who lives
year-round
on the lake with partner Lisette Brunet and their
year-and-a-half-old
daughter, Maylen. He's been spending time at the lake since he
was a
boy, and he has never seen a sucker either.
Asked why the lake acquired this moniker, Mr. Moffatt shrugs.
"Your
guess is as good as mine." Then he adds: "One story I've heard
is
that it's named after bloodsuckers."
Bloodsuckers (ie. leeches) do, indeed, inhabit the lake, but not
in
any greater quantities than occur in many other lakes. The name
still
seems unfair.
A number of years ago there was a movement to have the lake
renamed.
Dave Ham, the reeve of Assiginack Township at the time, recalls
that
"a chap from Little Current approached me, and said 'what an
awful
name for a pretty little lake.'" An alternative name was shortly
proposed, but there wasn't enough support for it.
As Edith Clark, a longtime resident of the lake, reflects, "It's
been
Sucker Lake all these years--why change it now?"
Mr. Ham's choice for a replacement name was Assiginack Lake, a
tribute to the famous and controversial native chief John-Baptiste
Assiginack (aka Blackbird) whose family resided on the Sucker
Lake
Reserve in the late 19th Century. Mrs. Clark's husband, Jim
Clark,
presently in Sudbury hospital, is in fact a descendant of the
legendary chief.
Although few people inhabited the reserve after 1868 (at its
peak,
there were about 50 people, according to historian Shelley
Pearen), a
few descendants of Assiginack stayed on through the early half
of the
20th Century. Finally, around 1950, Eddie Clark, the father of
Jim,
took over the reserve land from his uncle Angus Assiginack. From
that
time forward, the land, which spans 680 acres and touches on
both
Sucker Lake and Lake Manitou, was considered privately owned and
no
longer a reserve.
Mrs. Pearen says that the reserve was never an ideal location,
and
that the natives who had previously lived at Manitowaning were
given
a raw deal in being moved there. A corrupt Indian agent named
Dupont
"wanted the good land for himself," she says, "and bought up
most of
the town plot in Manitowaning in the names of relatives and
friends."
Being relatively remote, and not blessed with the numbers of
fish
found in the bigger waters, there was never much to sustain a
community. "In this sense Sucker Lake was aptly named, I
suppose,"
says Mrs. Pearen.
Could it be that the lake got its name because the natives were
"suckered" into living there? Probably not, but it's an
interesting
way to look at it.
At any rate, people who seek out Sucker Lake today for an
afternoon
of fishing or a dip in its relatively shallow waters (the
deepest
point is about 24 feet, with 12-14 feet being the usual), are
not apt
to feel hoodwinked or disappointed. If anything, they will
likely be
surprised by how scenic the lake is.
Not to mention quiet. With only four residences on the entire
lake,
three of them seasonal, there's plenty of uninterrupted
shoreline and
very little boat traffic.
Only one boat could be found on the lake last Tuesday. In it
were
John Viveiros and son Nicholas, 7. The two were fishing for
bass,
seeking a quiet time after a weekend at the Wiky pow wow (Mr.
Viveiros' wife is from Wikwemikong). "When youfind a nice, small
lake
like this, with no people, it's great," said Mr. Viveiros.
Mr. Haner and wife, Gloria occasionally take a canoe or pedal
boat
out on the lake. The latter is Mrs. Haner's preferred mode of
transport. "My grandson Ryan and I would go out in the pedal
boat and
fish for bass," she says with a laugh. One bass which was caught
again and again, and released each time, was dubbed "old
scarface" by
Ryan.
Timbering also used to occur at Sucker Lake. Jason Moffat says
that
his great-grandfather, Mate Young, "used to cut wood in here.
I've
seen an old photograph of him with two native guys, looking out
at
the islands in the lake." And evidence of the logging still
shows up
in the form of notched timbers, possibly used as boom logs, that
lurk
under the surface of the water.
When the Moffat family first started spending time on Sucker
Lake,
"the road in here was just a snake trail," says Anne Moffat,
Jason's
mother. "We used to come in through Eddie Clark's property.
There was
no public access then."
Today, visitors can follow the Sucker Lake Road, found just
north of
Manitowaning, and very easily reach the public launch and beach
on
the lake's northwest shore.
While not a terribly big lake, the scenery is varied, with steep
bluffs on the west and southeast shores, and the three islands
strung
out in a row in the middle.
And while the lake has a remote feel to it, it's not really that
far
back in the bush. The Haners say they often hear the Chi-Cheemaun
ferry blowing its horn at South Baymouth, and Lake Manitou is
just a
mile or so to the east.
"Our son and Andre LeBlanc used to take a canoe and portage it
from
here over to Manitou," says Mrs. Haner.
Presumably the portage is downhill, since Sucker Lake is quite a
bit
higher than Manitou. According to Dave Ham, who has flown over
all of
the lakes on Manitoulin at some point or other (and crash landed
in
at least one), "Sucker Lake is 55 feet above Manitou, and 230
feet
higher than Georgian Bay."
That doesn't make it the highest lake on the Island (Mr. Ham
says
Whitefish Lake, on the M'Chigeeng First Nation, has that
distinction), but it's up there, so to speak.
Sucker Lake does, on the other hand, probably have the
distinction of
being the least appealingly named lake on Manitoulin, although
Mud
and Hog lakes don't sound much more tempting.
That it hasn't been renamed Assiginack Lake may have as much to
do
with uneasiness about the legacy of the famous and famously
contradictory chief, as it does with tradition.
As Mr. Ham notes, Chief Assiginack was unpopular among many
natives
for signing the 1862 Manitoulin Treaty (which opened Manitoulin
for
settlement), and was effectively "booted out of Wikwemikong" as
a
result.
Assiginack was also known to shift allegiances at a whim between
the
Anglican and Catholic churches, says Mr. Ham, with the result
that he
effectively alienated himself from both at one time or another.
At the same time, though, Blackbird was a very dynamic and
intelligent man, a much-valued interpreter, and a great war
hero,
having fought many battles in the War of 1812 against the U.S.
It is not clear how long he lived at Sucker Lake, but Mrs.
Pearen
says that "when he had to leave Manitowaning, that's where he
went."
In her book Exploring Manitoulin, she writes that the homestead
of J.
B. Assiginack exists near Sucker Lake, although nobody on the
lake
seems to know of its whereabouts.
Probably it has faded into the ground. The former reserve,
however,
remains in the hands of the Clark family, who are descendants of
the
famous chief, so the thread has not been broken.
Meanwhile, there is young Maylen Moffat, who at 19 months isn't
quite
old enough yet to understand the tangled history of the lake, or
get
worked up over the unflattering name.
All she knows is that it's fun to play in. Last week, this
youngest
resident of Sucker Lake could be found splashing around
endlessly in
the warm water near shore, a big grin on her face.
Try to tell her it isn't an ideal place.
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