Cruise ship traffic to rise dramatically in 2004
 

 by Michael Erskine

NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN AND THE ISLANDS (NEMI)---The NEMI Community Development Corporation and Lakeshore Excursions announced the 2004 cruise ship schedule for the Port of Little Current this week, and not only are the number of ships visiting the area set to rise significantly, but some of the visits will take place during the high traffic tourist season.

There will be 20 visits scheduled for this year, bringing over 3,000 visitors, these are all in addition to the regular stops of the long-familiar Georgian Clipper. The visits will add a tremendous boost to the Island's economy, said CDC President Wayne Whymark.

"As more visitors come to Little Current and the North Shore," he said. "Word will spread as to the world-class natural attractions that the area has to offer."

Many cruise ship passengers 'sample' a location for future vacation visits, added Mr. Whymark, and once exposed to what Manitoulin has to offer, who wouldn't want to come back for more?

The cruise season stretches from late June until the middle of October, but in the past the majority of the cruise ship visits occurred in September and October, a traditionally slower period in terms of demands placed on local merchants and marinas. A number of the visits will take place during the peak months in 2004.

On four separate occasions there will be two ships in port simultaneously, an occurrence unmatched since the heyday of Great Lakes cruising over half a century.

In another departure, the majority of visitors will be American, although at least one ship will carry predominantly European visitors. The concentration of American visitors will reflect a travel industry trend referred to as 'homeland cruising.'

"This trend is proving to be a boom to cruise ship travel on the Great Lakes," said Lakeshore Excursions' Bruce O'Hare.

The Port of Little Current is well-placed to take advantage of that trend, and with each visitor dropping an estimated minimum of $50 a day in port, that trend will equate to a direct boost of over $150,000 to the Manitoulin economy in the next cruising season alone.

The Port of Little Current is a member of the Great Lakes Cruise Coalition (GLCC), an international non-profit organization of member Great Lakes ports in both Canada and the United States. Stephen Burnett, the executive director of the GLCC, said that the role of the GLCC is to encourage cruise firms and tour operators to bring their ships into the Great Lakes and to work with communities such as Little Current to secure this business.

"The future growth of cruising on the Great Lakes looks good," he noted, "with a new ship arriving in 2005 and the return of the Columbus as well."

The four ships visiting the Port of Little Current during the 2004 season are the 400-passenger MV Columbus, the 90-passenger LeLevant, the 100-passenger Nantucket Clipper and marking its inaugural season the recently launched 106-passenger Orion.

A complete listing of ship dates and arrival times can be found at www.lakeshoreex.com.

Two men arrested in armed robbery cases

by Neil Zacharjewicz

MANITOULIN - Two men have been arrested and an arrest warrant is out for a third as a result of a joint investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Wikwemikong Tribal Police with regard to two armed robberies on the Island in the last few weeks.

The arrests were the result of an investigation into the home invasion robbery which occurred at the home of Jim and Donna Maguire, of Manitowaning, on December 4. As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that the robbery was linked to an incident at Patsy's Family Restaurant in Wikwemikong on November 22.

As of press time, police had not revealed the identities of the individuals who have been arrested, nor the culprit who is still at large. The culprits may be facing as many as 41 charges as a result of the investigation. The investigation into the incidents is continuing, and police are asking anyone with any information with regard to the incidents to contact the Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) or the Wikwemikong Tribal Police.

"It feels pretty good (to know the culprits are behind bars)," confessed Mr. Maguire. He indicated the police had called him to inform him of the arrests less than one week after the culprits had invaded his home on Walcot Street in Manitowaning, tying he and his wife up and making off with their money.

On the evening of December 4, the Maguires had been getting ready to prepare dinner when two men, wearing balaclavas, broke down the door. The culprits had been looking to rob Mr. Maguire's businesses, Maguire's Hardware and Jim's Hock Shop, but when they found out they would have to use the front street entrance, the pair made off with whatever money the Maguires had on them at the time. The pair had been armed with a pistol and crowbar.

The Maguires had managed to untie themselves and call 911.

The news of the arrest provided the first official indication from police that the home invasion was linked to the armed robbery at Patsy's Family Restaurant late last month. Recently, the band council for Wikwemikong held a public meeting to explore community suggestions for enhancing public safety.

"I figured they'd get them. I knew it would just take a little time to get everything put together," Mr. Maguire suggested.

"I am very happy they were caught," confessed Annette Virtanen, who heads up the Neighbourhood Watch program in Manitowaning. She said the police did a good job of catching the culprits quickly.

"That is very reassuring as a citizen," she said.

Still, Ms. Virtanen urged residents to remain cautious.

"(The incident) kind of woke everyone up, but this doesn't mean we can go back to the way things were," she said. Ms. Virtanen noted the world is not the same as it was 20 years ago, when people could leave their doors unlocked without fear, and she added that she knows of several residents who are already taking precautions.

Governments investing in marina for M'Chigeeng

by Neil Zacharjewicz

M'CHIGEENG - The northern shore of Manitoulin will soon have another destination for boaters to visit.

Construction of a new fair-weather marina on the M'Chigeeng First Nation will begin next year. The project is being made possible through an investment under the Canada- Ontario Infrastructure Program. The federal and provincial government will each contribute $51,482 toward the project cost, while M'Chigeeng will invest the balance of the project's total eligible cost of $323,465.

"It is something we feel is going to help the community. It is something we feel we needed all along," stated M'Chigeeng Chief Glen Hare. "We are hoping to get the traffic from the waterways."

The project will be developed in the area of the existing launch and boat ramp, which is located on West Bay. It will include nine mooring cans, seven slips for dinghies, a sand pull-up area for dinghies, and an extended launch ramp for boats. A new marina building will also be constructed to house the dock management offices, security, an area for visitors information, and a small shop for marine supplies. The enhanced marina facilities will provide deep water, offshore moorings for visiting boats, and near shore service for boaters. Chief Hare pointed out it is something the community has been studying for some time, and the economic development office is excited about the project.

"I know they are pretty anxious. The sooner (we start construction), the better for them," he said.

Chief Hare indicated the selected site is ideal for the project.

"It's a nice spot. We have lots of room there. It's close to everything. Everything is in walking distance," he pointed out.

The marina project is the beginning of a larger dream, Chief Hare explained, and this project is the first step for the community.

"This marina project will foster economic development in the M'Chigeeng First Nation," he said. "We are delighted that the federal and provincial governments are supporting the enhancement of this area."

"The development of a fair-weather marina will enhance the M'Chigeeng First Nation's tourism and recreational infrastructure, which will benefit the whole region," stated Brent St. Denis, Member of Parliament for Algoma-Manitoulin. "This project will provide even more recreation for residents and will increase private sector capital investment and economic activity in the community."

"M'Chigeeng is one of the most scenic communities in Northern Ontario and I am pleased that the new marina will encourage more visitors to explore M'Chigeeng's many tourist attractions," said Mike Brown, Member of Provincial Parliament for Algoma-Manitoulin. "Congratulations to the residents of M'Chigeeng First Nations, who have worked hard to make this infrastructure project a reality."

 Wind power Island to be powered green

NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN AND THE ISLANDS (NEMI)---The stately sweep of windmill propellers are to grace the heights of McLean's Mountain before the end of 2004, as the wind farm consortium has completed the first stage of its studies.

"This is among the best sites in Ontario," said J.P. (Paul) Graham, plants engineer for the City of Greater Sudbury, who along with Northland Power and REpower are the three partners in the consortium involved in the project. "The 'Project' has assembled over a year of on-site wind data, which is a key requirement of both the equity investors and the lending institutions.

The project has also received its final impact assessment report from the Independent Market Operator (IMO), the Ontario Crown Corporation that oversees the province's energy supply, and initiated the customer impact assessment with Hydro One.

"Any issues identified by Hydro One will form the basis of an amendment to the final report provided by IMO," said Jonathan Sandler, director of Business Development at Northland Power. "These two interconnection assessments are necessary to ensure that the energy generated by the project can be distributed to Manitoulin Island energy consumers and transmitted to other energy consumers across Ontario. We do not anticipate any problems in completing the Hydro One customer impact assessment."

Rick Gagnon, co-owner of REpower Wind Corp. and the key local player in the consortium, will be the local contact person for the life of the project.

"We understand how important it is to the local community to have access to quality information," said Mr. Sandler. "We will be calling another public meeting to answer questions and concerns."

Part of the assessment process will include a $100,000 full simulation model that will give landowners and local residents a clear picture of the visual impact of the project.

"Those detailed simulations should be available within three to four months," said Mr. Sandler.

The Wind Farm Project will consist of 30 to 36 wind turbines, with a gross production capacity of 54 Megawatts (MW). Manitoulin Island uses approximately 20 megawatts of power. Since the wind rating is approximately 40 percent, that means the Island will essentially be 'green powered.'

"The wind doesn't blow all the time," said Mr. Graham. "So the Island will still need power from outside."

But with the Island producing as much or more power through wind than it uses, on balance the Island will be as environmentally benign as anywhere in the world.

"The Project is engaging environmental consultants to assess the impact the Project will have on the surrounding environment and community," said Mr. Sandler. "In the coming months we will be arranging another town hall meeting to discuss the results of the environmental assessment and to provide a further update on the status of the Project."

The partners are confident of the positive outcome of those assessments. While the assessments are going forward they will be completing the detailed siting of the wind turbines, and finalizing a power purchase agreement for energy produced by the project.

"The new Liberal government's recent announcement that within the next two to three years, five percent of Ontario's total energy consumed must be supplied by renewable energy projects," said Mr. Graham. "This will undoubtedly provide the impetus needed for us to secure a viable power purchase agreement."

The cost of production for wind power energy is higher than other, less environmentally-benign sources, so a purchase agreement will have to ensure a market price for the Project's product that can return a profit to the investors. Currently less than one percent of Ontario's energy needs come from wind power.

The McLean's Mountain Project is the larger of two operations that the consortium are currently working on, and the more advanced.

"The two projects are mutually exclusive," Mr. Graham. "They are two totally independent projects."

At approximately $1.7 million per megawatt, the McLean's Mountain Project will require around $92 million in capital investment.

 "The Project has secured the first rights to connect to the Hydro One distribution and transmission lines at Little Current and will use the majority of the capacity of those lines," said Mr. Sandler, but he was quick to assure that this would have no negative impact on current consumers.

The power lines running to and from the Island are capable of supporting 80 megawatts of power transmission. With the inclusion of the power generated by the McLean's Mountain Project, the unused capacity of those lines will now be more efficiently used.

In an interesting bonus for the future, the project could give Manitoulin a competitive advantage in the North, should the province ever move to locational marginal pricing. Locational marginal pricing is a concept being pushed by industry in the south, where utilities would charge consumers based in part on their distance from the generating station.

In a more direct benefit, construction jobs in the initial building of the wind farm and infrastructure upgrades that will be required to maintain the wind farm should give the local economy a boost, even if the actual long-term job impact will be nominal.

The cache of living and playing in a green-powered environment will likely enhance Manitoulin Island's image as a pristine natural tourist and retirement retreat.

All of the representatives of the partners in the consortium said they were committed to keeping the lines of communication with local residents open.

"When you know the Island and the way people think here," said Mr. Gagnon, "I feel quite confident people will be very comfortable with this project when they know all the details."