DECEMBER 4, 2002 ARCHIVE
 
 
 

Franklin Paibomsai elected chief of Whitefish River First Nation

 


by Neil Zacharjewicz
WHITEFISH RIVER - Franklin Paibomsai is in awe.
"It has not quite sunk in yet," confessed Mr. Paibomsai, the newly 
elected chief of the Whitefish River First Nation. "It is an honor. 
It is probably the highest honor you can receive; to lead your 
community into the future."
Mr. Paibomsai edged out incumbent candidate Leona Nahwegahbow by 
seven votes, winning with 63 votes to Ms. Nahwegahbow's 56. Esther 
Osche was third, with 37 votes. Don Jr. McGregor garnered 34 votes, 
John Recollet earned 16 votes, Mary Jane Megwanabe (Jean 
McGregor-Andrews) received 15 votes, while Daniel Wildcat received 
nine votes.
Mr. Paibomsai, who has been working in Thunder Bay, explained to his 
employer on Monday that he had been elected.
"I'll be coming home," he stated.
Mr. Paibomsai said the first order of business as chief will simply 
be to work with the community through a period of adjustment. He 
pointed out Ms. Nahwegahbow has served as chief for the last 20 
years, or 10 consecutive terms, so there will be some adjustment. He 
said following the election, it is his job as chief to pull the 
community back together after this time of separation, have everyone 
shake hands, and begin the process of moving forward. He said he 
plans to visit with people fairly regularly.
"I want to be visible in the community, and have the community 
comfortable with the new council," he said. He added he is really 
anxious to listen to new ideas from the community and share some of 
his own, and suggested it is important to communicate where people 
see the community going.
Mr. Paibomsai said it is also important to receive the community's 
voice to tackle issues of concern. After the first six months, Mr. 
Paibomsai said he will assess where things stand. He indicated he 
does not want to make any blind statements on the future of the 
community without first talking with the community.
Mr. Paibomsai said he is looking forward to working on behalf of the 
community on the tribal, provincial and federal levels.
"I will be speaking proudly of Whitefish River wherever I go," he 
stated. "They are going to learn very quickly that there is a new 
leader in Whitefish River."
Mr. Paibomsai said his decision to allow his name to stand for the 
position of chief came after reflecting on his childhood. He 
explained, at that time, Jim McGregor was chief, and he was 
instrumental in minor hockey.
"This was my opportunity to give something back to the community," 
Mr. Paibomsai said.
He extended his thanks to Mr. McGregor for the example he provided 
when he was younger, and to Ms. Nahwegahbow for providing him with an 
example when he was older. Now, he will lead the community by 
example, he said.
As chief, he suggested, he plans to ask people to come together and 
give them a platform on which to deal with issues.
"We have a wonderful council coming in. I am anxious to work with 
them," Mr. Paibomsai said.
Elected to council were A. Murray (Sr.) McGregor with 102 votes, 
David I. Shawanda with 101 votes, Lorrilee E. McGregor with 94 votes, 
John Recollet with 90 votes, James M. Megwanabe with 87 votes and 
Richard M. Shawanda with 81 votes.


                     

              

      

        
        

          
                
NOHFC invests over $500,000 in Manitoulin 
                communities

                
 

              

        

          by Neil Zacharjewicz

          GORE BAY - The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation has 

          announced $521,552 in funding for five Island municipalities.

          The announcement was made on Friday, November 29. A total of five 

          Island municipalities have received funding for a variety of projects.

          Central Manitoulin Township has received a total of $200,000 for 

          three projects: rebuilding and hard-surfacing 13 kilometres of road,
          

          purchase a used fire truck, and purchase a garbage compactor and 125
          

          specialized containers for recyclable materials.

          Central Manitoulin Reeve Mary Nelder explained the majority of the 

          funding will go toward the road work, and the municipality had been
          

          lobbying for some time for roads capital.

          "These improvements will have an immediate effects on the safety of
          

          our residents, and improve the township's ability to plan for future
          

          economic development," Ms. Nelder stated. "We are delighted that our
          

          partnership with the Ontario government and the Northern Ontario 

          Heritage Fund is helping us meet our needs and goals."

          Reeve Nelder said she is hopeful the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund
          

          Corporation (NOHFC) will make the funding an annual contribution 

          toward capital infrastructure to municipalities in the North.

          The Township of Assiginack received $100,000 for the township's road
          

          upgrade program. With the funding, Wellington and Spragge streets, as
          

          well as portions of Arthur Street, will receive road bed construction
          

          and asphalt surfacing, as well as the replacement of some storm 

          drains. Assiginack Reeve Hugh Moggy said he was very pleased by the
          

          announcement, pointing out the municipality has known for about five
          

          months that this funding would be forthcoming. He said while these 

          roads had been blacktopped, that was not adequate for streets in 

          town, and simply repairing those streets would have been a waste of
          

          time.

          The Township of Barrie Island received $100,000 for the completion of
          

          a new community centre, while the Township of Burpee and Mills 

          received $100,000 to reconstruct a corner on Union Road and improve
          

          the intersection at Harper Hill. Funds will also go toward the 

          resurfacing of 14 kilometres of roads over a two-year period.

          The Town of Gore Bay has received $21,552 to hire a consultant to 

          work with the community to produce a long-term strategic/business 

          plan to guide council in the development of the waterfront, downtown
          

          business core and town-owned recreational properties.

 		
        

        

          
                

                  
Reeve concerned with suggestion landfill closure must be 
                  expedited

                

              

        

          
                by Neil Zacharjewicz

                PROVIDENCE BAY - Central Manitoulin Reeve Mary Nelder is 
                concerned 

                that the issue with regard to the Providence Bay landfill is 
                being 

                depicted as a "crisis situation."

                "I think that is inaccurate," Reeve Nelder stated, following a
                

                meeting of the Waste Management Committee on November 27, at 
                which 

                Providence Bay resident J. Bruce Irving made a presentation on 
                the 

                need to expedite the closure of the landfill. At the meeting, 
                Mr. 

                Irving suggested it was important to expedite the closure of the 
                site 

                for environmental, financial and legal reasons which affect the
                

                entire municipality.

                He indicated that it had been recommended in the recent 

                Hydrogeological Assessment Report prepared by consultant Peter
                

                Richards that a leachate attenuation zone be developed. In Mr.
                

                Richards' initial report, noted Mr. Irving, this zone was to be 
                50 

                hectares, while the final report recommended 19.52 hectares. Mr.
                

                Irving suggested he believed few would dispute the likelihood 
                that 

                the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) will require an 
                attenuation 

                zone for the continued operation of the landfill.

                "Regardless of which size is mandated, the land of five 
                neighboring 

                property owners, including myself, will be involved," Mr. Irving
                

                said. "The committee and council should understand that none of 
                those 

                five property owners would willingly sell any land or an 
                easement in 

                such land for an attenuation zone as long as the landfill 
                continues 

                to operate. None of the owners are willing to give up property 
                rights 

                to a polluter so that it can continue to pollute their remaining 
                land 

                from the landfill, which is less than 500 meters from Lake 
                Huron. 

                Accordingly, if the township insists on keeping the landfill 
                open, it 

                would have to attempt to acquire the attenuation zone by 

                expropriation."

                Mr. Irving suggested there were four principal reasons 
                expropriation 

                was unlikely. First, he indicated that Reeve Nelder had stated 
                in a 

                meeting last August that "the township will never expropriate" 
                the 

                property of the adjoining landowners. Second, he said any effort 
                to 

                expropriate the properties would create "tremendous community 
                outrage 

                and controversy, which would be difficult to ignore." Third, he
                

                pointed out in the event of expropriation proceedings, the 

                municipality would be required by law to pay all of the 
                attorney's 

                fees and expenses for each of the landowners involved. He noted 
                when 

                Gore Bay tried to expropriate property for its landfill site 
                several 

                years ago, it cost the municipality $105,000 in legal fees for 
                one 

                landowner, and the town's bid proved unsuccessful. Finally, in 
                order 

                to win an expropriation case, the township would have to show a
                

                municipal need or necessity, which would be highly unlikely as 
                the 

                township has an immediate and viable alternative, which would be 
                to 

                ship its wet waste to the Dodge Landfill Site in Espanola.

                "I would like to offer a solution to the attenuation zone 
                nightmare. 

                The township should immediately begin to implement a 
                three-pronged 

                strategy," Mr. Irving said.

                First, he suggested the municipality contact Tom Brown, director 
                of 

                the Sudbury District Office of the MOE to discuss working 
                closely 

                with the ministry to close the site.

                "According to my investigations, the cost of closing the 
                landfill 

                would be in the $30,000 range," Mr. Irving indicated. "Closure 
                would 

                only involve 'capping' the landfill pile with a layer of gravel 
                and 

                clay and then adding a layer of planting. If the landfill is 
                closed 

                now, ongoing monitoring may or may not be required depending on 
                the 

                estimated contamination."

                Next, Mr. Irving recommended the municipality contract to send 
                all or 

                a substantial portion of the township's wet waste garbage to the
                

                Dodge landfill site until such time as a Manitoulin-wide 
                solution can 

                be implemented, such as the use of the Billings landfill site 
                once 

                the bioreactor testing being conducted has been approved by MOE.

                Finally, Mr. Irving proposed the municipality renegotiate and
                

                restructure the township's waste collection, recycling 
                collection and 

                processing services contract with Municipal Waste and Recycling
                

                Consultants to provide for shipping the township's wet garbage 
                to the 

                Dodge site.

                "In the event MOE should require an attenuation zone as part of 
                the 

                closure of the landfill site, I believe that the attitude of the
                

                adjoining landowners, myself included, would be different and 
                that we 

                would work with the township to facilitate a reasonable 
                attenuation 

                zone provided that the landfill is closed on a timely basis," 
                Mr. 

                Irving suggested.

                While Reeve Nelder indicated she believed Mr. Irving's arguement 
                for 

                the closure of the site was well-reasoned, she said there is no
                

                evidence to suggest the municipality is dealing with a potential
                

                crisis situation.

                "The hydrogeological tests do not, in any way, suggest this is a
                

                crisis situation," she pointed out.

                She said the municipality had been apprised of Mr. Irving's 

                presentation in advance, and municipal staff had reviewed his
                

                calculations. She noted there were a number of costs which Mr. 
                Irving 

                had not included. She suggested the committee is taking a much
                

                broader view on the issue of waste management in the 
                municipality. 

                While Mr. Irving is concerned with the site, which is in his 

                backyard, Reeve Nelder said, council and the committee represent 
                the 

                entire municipality, and have to come up with the best strategy 
                for 

                the whole township. She explained the committee is working on a 
                plan 

                for waste management for all five of the municipal landfill 
                sites.

                "This does not include closing the Providence Bay site 
                immediately," she said.

                Not only does the hydrogeological report not suggest a crisis
                

                situation, Reeve Nelder noted, it does demonstrate that 
                residential 

                wells and the bay are not being impacted. She said the position 
                being 

                taken by Mr. Irving is misleading.