Global warming deemed culprit in

decline of L. Huron

by Jim Moodie

LAKE HURON-As Lake Huron dwindles towards a record low, conviction is growing that neither the Chicago diversion nor the St. Clair River is principally to blame.

Rather, in what could be described as a case of finally seeing the ocean for the waves, both policymakers and scientists seem to be reaching the consensus that the bigger, broader problem is climate change.

In late January, the issue of global warming was high on the agenda of a premiers' conference in Vancouver, with Ontario leader Dalton McGuinty seeking-and receiving-commitments from his colleagues to address the crisis gripping the Great Lakes.

Recent research undertaken by scientists in Michigan, meanwhile, suggests that Huron's water woes are largely the result of increased evaporation, a product of the widespread warming trend.

The conclusion, reached by limnologists at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Michigan-an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-was published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology in mid-January.

According to the Toronto-based conservation group Environmental Defence, the scientists' findings provide a convincing argument for prompt action on the climate change front.

"The consequences of global warming are hitting closer and closer to home," the group's policy director, Aaron Freeman, states in a press release. "The health of the Great Lakes is essential to both the economy and natural environment of this region. It is a resource worth protecting."

An alliance of lawyers and citizens that formed in Ontario in 1984, Environmental Defence worries that levels will continue to plummet if dramatic changes aren't swiftly made in how North Americans conduct their lives and business. And so does Ecojustice Canada, a national law organization that fights environmental battles in court on behalf of Canadians.

"This study represents mounting evidence that the prognosis for the Great Lakes is dire without significant, immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," warns Dr. Elaine MacDonald, senior scientist at Ecojustice Canada. "Without action we will continue to witness the decline of our beloved Great Lakes, an internationally significant freshwater ecosystem."

At present, Lake Huron is within five centimetres (two inches) of its all-time recorded low for this time of year, and 60 centimetres (two feet) below its long-term average, with the US Army Corps of Engineers predicting that the lake will drop another 20 centimetres by spring.

It could get much worse: additional studies, according to Environmental Defence, have "predicted a permanent decline in water levels of one to four feet in Lakes Huron and Michigan by 2050, dramatically changing historic levels that have fluctuated within only six feet (1.8 metres) over the past 100 years."

Lakes Huron and Michigan are "especially vulnerable to water level threats such as global warming," the group notes, since "other Great Lakes have locks or gates that can control water levels, but Huron and Michigan do not."

Equally concerned about the state of this invaluable freshwater resource and conduit for commerce is the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative  (GLSLCI), an alliance of mayors spanning both the Canadian and US shores of the basin.

Directors of the organization's board, including Town of the Blue Mountains Mayor Ellen Anderson, were closely following the premiers' conference, with the expectation that positive news might unfold regarding a new commitment to solving the water levels crisis. They weren't disappointed.

"The premiers have agreed that Ontario will host a summit of experts on climate change impacts this year," related Mayor Anderson, whose municipality hugs the south shore of Georgian Bay near Collingwood. "It could be in a matter of weeks-as soon as it can be held. And my interpretation of this is that the premiers collectively agree that it's an important issue for Canada."

Indeed, water sustainability was one of two key areas-the other being forests-that were identified by the premiers as warranting national strategies, noted Mayor Anderson. "As a member of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, I'm excited that they have recognized this as a high priority," she told the Expositor. "I look forward to the opportunity to share our concerns and become part of that process."

Mayor Anderson said that, while the GLSLCI addresses a variety of issues impacting the Great Lakes, her particular focus has been declining water levels and the toll-both environmental and economic-this can have on a shoreline community.

"My goal was to bring the water level issue to the board on a more personal scale," she said. "If the water levels go down two more feet, this means, in the Town of the Blue Mountains, an extension of our water intake at a cost of $5 million. As a municipality, we will certainly realize additional costs in servicing, both in terms of water and waste water."

While exposed water lines and elevated docks in the so-called "big water" of Lake Huron may be the most obvious signs of trouble, Mayor Anderson said that the problem goes beyond the Georgian Bay coast. "Keep in mind that it's not just the bay that you see," she said. "The issue goes inland, and what we're doing there has a dramatic effect on the lakes. The rivers that flow into the lakes have been compromised by water being taken, for instance, by agriculture."

Since joining the board of the GLSLCI, Mayor Anderson said she's made a point of speaking her mind and not shying away from worst-case scenarios. "I was asked at one point what my goal was as part of this group and as a leader of my community, and I said it's to provide shock treatment-we have to get people worried, because this has been happening for a long time and as humans we tend to be lethargic, assuming someone will fix it for us. But the invoice is going to be expensive."

The Georgian Bay mayor brought forward a resolution on water levels at the December 14 meeting of the GLSLCI in Wisconsin that was heartily endorsed by the other board members. Citing the importance of the Great Lakes as a drinking water resource and site for recreation and commerce, and the threats posed by declining water levels (especially in Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan) to such needs and activities, the resolution calls upon the International Joint Commission (IJC), which launched a five-year study of the Upper Great Lakes last year, to proceed "with a sense of urgency" in its investigation.

As well, the resolution commits the GLSLCI to "monitor the progress of this study closely through its representative on the public interest advisory group," and to "organize meetings of mayors and the interested public in the Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron basins to provide information about the nature and magnitude of the problem, and progress toward finding and implementing solutions."

Mayor Anderson's municipality, inhabiting Grey County, is not the only part of Huron's southern shore that is alarmed by the dramatic dip in the lake's level. In January the Town of the South Bruce Peninsula called upon Bruce County to support its petition to the federal government to address the crisis, according to the Owen Sound Sun Times.

South Bruce Mayor Gwen Gilbert told the Sun Times that cottagers are experiencing difficulties in accessing their properties due to the drop in water levels, and, if the situation persists, the municipality will have to extend the water intake for Wiarton, which draws its supply from Georgian Bay.

Algae blooms and an incursion of phragmites (an invasive plant) are cited as some of the troubling offshoots of waning water that have been experienced along the shore of the Bruce.

The Georgian Bay Association, which represents cottagers across the "sixth Great Lake," continues to press for remedial action to be taken at the St. Clair River shipping channel, which they say has been deepened over time due to dredging and scouring, hence contributing to Huron's decline.

But the IJC, a quasi-judicial body formed a century ago to resolve disputes over waters shared by Canada and the US and oversee regulation of lake levels, has yet to find convincing evidence that the St. Clair is a significant culprit in Huron's decline. The commission launched a multi-year, $17 million study of the upper Great Lakes in March, 2007, following a similarly lengthy (and costly) examination of the lower lakes and the St. Lawrence.

For Environmental Defence, the cure to Huron's water ills requires a widespread adjustment in the way governments, companies and citizens go about their daily routines, with an emphasis on conservation and reversing the trend in global warming. Last September, the group co-produced (with four other Canadian environmental groups) a report titled Great Lakes Blueprint: A Canadian Vision for Protecting and Restoring the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem, which recommends, among other strategies: heightened standards and support for water conservation, including more grey-water recycling; more efficient municipal water systems with fees based on volume; and greater federal appreciation-and action towards-the impacts of global climate change on hydrological systems.

For Mayor Anderson, no one answer will solve the problem, but she does feel that "it will take bold leaders and bold leadership to acquire a positive result with Great Lakes water levels."

Governments are finally beginning to act, she believes, but a little after the fact. "We've known this was going to happen for years," she said. "The only reason we're paying attention now is that it is costing people some money. Someone's writing a cheque to get their boat up to the cottage."

She also believes that the time has come to stop pointing fingers at convenient targets. "I hear a lot of comments about the US taking water," she noted. "But Canadians need to be educated about what we are taking, and we have to take responsibility for our own actions and stop blaming other people. Until then, we're sunk."

Or left high and dry, as the case might be. Asked to compare her area's water concerns to those experienced by communities on Manitoulin, Mayor Anderson replied, perhaps a bit too tellingly, "we're in the same sandbox."

Northeast Town begins movement urging province

to assume water treatment plants

by Lindsay Kelly

NORTHEAST TOWN-The rising cost of water treatment plant operation is too rich for small municipalities, and to find some relief, the Northeast Town will lobby the province to take over ownership of, and responsibility for the operation of, municipal water treatment plants across the province.

Council unanimously approved a motion put forward by Councillor Dawn Orr that protests the rising expenses surrounding the operation of water treatment plants, the cost of which gets passed on to the consumers.

"Small systems users are really paying the price for water," Councillor Orr pointed out. "A lot of these prices are being set by the provincial government."

The motion notes that "potable water is essential for the health and well-being of society," and that the province frequently "modifies, adapts and changes regulations without regard to cost or the ability of the users of the systems to financially support said changes."

The motion further suggests that cost savings could be realized by "combining the operation of all municipal systems within the province into a single corporate entity."

Councillor Orr's motion stems from a decision by council-passed at the same February 5 council meeting-which adopts new water and sewer rates that has the users in Sheguiandah paying more than three times the cost of water users in Little Current.

Users in Wards 2 and 3 will pay a base amount of $67.20 per quarter for up to 45 cubic metres (an increase of $5.70), and anything over and above that amount will cost 82 cents per cubic metre. In Sheguiandah, users will pay a base amount of $212 per quarter for up to 45 cubic metres (up from $193), and anything above that will cost $2.40 per cubic metre.

The increase proved to be too much for Sheguiandah resident Linda Bowerman, who made an impassioned plea against the rising water costs at a public meeting prior to the passing of the motion.

Over a 10-year period, her water rates have increased by more than $200, she noted. In 1997, her bill was $510, while a 2007 bill shows she paid $758.44 over the same period of time. The rising increases are becoming too much for users to bear, she argued.

"You're going to drive people out of the communities with these proposed increases," she said.

She feels the largest increases became noticeable following the installation of water meters in 2004 and suggested that, perhaps, the meters aren't being read properly. "My bill does not read quarterly," she said. "It doesn't make sense. If I was billed quarterly, my bills would read properly."

Another irking point is that the community of Billings received money from the province to assist with the operation of water facilities, but the Northeast Town was frozen out of the funding. Because the province looks at the Northeast Town as one community-as opposed to considering Sheg and Little Current individually for funding-it deems the town ineligible for the funding, which is reserved for communities with less than 1,000 residents.

While the town recognizes rising water rates as an ongoing problem, its hands are tied, since water meters and the current user-pay system are mandated by the province, noted CAO Dave Williamson.

The reasons behind the rising costs have to do with the operation of the plants, and include the swabbing of lines, something that "has been let go for a year or two," and the replacement of cassettes at the Little Current site which are at the end of their 10-year cycle.

A total of $50,839 will be put aside into reserves for the Little Current plant; however, nothing will go into the Sheg reserves.

"We don't want to push the rates any higher, which means we're not adding to the reserves in 2008," Mr. Williamson explained. "We drained the reserve account to cover the cost of the upgrades at the Sheg plant to offset the cost."

The town has made an attempt to find efficiencies in hiring the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) to run the plants, as opposed to hiring its own staff, as was the previous practice. By using the services of OCWA, the town saved money in the first year, and met changes to the legislation which requires plant operators to meet stringent training requirements. "With the changes to the legislation, OCWA has a lot more in-depth engineering expertise and experience for the corporation to draw on," Mr. Williamson said, noting that, while the former town operators were good at their jobs, they didn't have the same resources behind them that OCWA does.

In addition, hiring OCWA means the town can enjoy some economies of scale when sourcing out costing for chemicals, pumps and other supplies needed to run the plants.

Council agreed that the situation needs changing to make the situation more fair for all Northeast Town water users.

"I hope everyone understands that I certainly feel very deeply about the situation regarding Sheguiandah," Councillor Jib Turner said. "It affects me to think we can charge that much for water in one place as opposed to the other."

Calling it "unacceptable," he suggested that the only way to push back against the bullying by the Ministry of the Environment is to assert political pressure to get help with the situation.

Councillor Orr's motion will be passed on to all municipalities within the province of Ontario, requesting that they pass a similar resolution to Premier Dalton McGuinty, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of the Environment.

Northeast Town looks at solutions

for low water in Spider Bay

by Lindsay Kelly

NORTHEAST TOWN-The Northeast Town is seeking funding for the third phase of its ongoing waterfront development project in an effort to combat low water levels at Spider Bay Marina.

The town had not planned on completing the project so soon; however, council made the decision following a special meeting of council in early February, during which it discussed the potential impact of falling water levels at the marina. The Spider Bay facility is owned by Small Craft Harbours and operated by the town.

Councillor Jib Turner, who is also a member of the Little Current Business Improvement Area (BIA), expressed concern that, if the water levels continue to fall, it could affect the number of boats docking at Spider Bay, in turn impacting tourism in the busy summer months.

"The businesses all agree it could be really serious if there is a sudden drop," he said. "Even a foot of water could prevent a lot of seasonal boats, especially, from staying in the marina."

Implementing the third and final phase of the waterfront project-which involves the construction and installation of finger docks at the east end of the waterfront near Wally's-is just one option council is considering.

There are no guarantees that this can be done in the short time allotted, however. A green light for the project requires permits from both the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Ministry of Natural Resources, not to mention the money to pay for it all.

"Once we gather all the information, it will go back to council, and they'll have a good amount of information to make a decision, whether it is a temporary solution or something more permanent," Mr. Williamson noted.

Council believes it is possible, since the second phase of the project was completed in six months, after crews worked through the winter to get it finished. Council envisions something similar happening for the third phase; however, the construction time between the start and finish of the project would have to be much faster, Mr. Williamson noted.

"The permits we are seeking would be for 2008," he said. "In order to make it happen, we would have to have a quicker turnaround or use a different process."

It's an option supported by the BIA, which discussed the issue of water levels at a recent meeting.

"There's not much we can do about the level of the water, but, as a primary objective, we support the town's efforts to complete phase three of the waterfront development project and add more finger docks to the east end of the docks and the corresponding docking," BIA president Rick McCutcheon said. "That really has to be done."

Other, temporary options being considered include moving some of the docks from Spider Bay to Low Island, or to the east end of the waterfront near the Manitoulin Welcome Centre; creating a mooring field in the lee of Picnic Island; or dredging Spider Bay, although the latter option would be very expensive to complete.

But, over the long term, Mr. McCutcheon said rehabilitating Spider Bay is the ideal goal and is a project that has needed attention for some time.

"Spider Bay Marina is a first-class marina, but the entrance way has needed dredging for year, and every year the water becomes lower, that becomes more of an issue," he said. "The marina can accommodate fewer and fewer deep-draft boats, in particular sailboats."

If the water continues to drop, the seasonal boaters who stay in Little Current will continue to be displaced, and the town can't afford to lose any of those boaters, he added. Ideally, Spider Bay would not only be dredged, but improved and expanded to include more docks.

The issue of low water levels is a regional one that affects other communities along the North Channel, Mr. McCutcheon said, and the BIA believes the Northeast Town should take the lead in searching out funding sources for a pot of money that all North Channel communities, including Little Current, could dip into. He would like to see this happen with the support of the North Channel Marine Tourism Council.

Councillor Al MacNevin noted that the discussion is preliminary at this point and that the town would be facing a "fairly significant financial outlay on behalf of the municipality" in order to make the project happen; however, supporting the idea in principle was important to find a solution.

"We need to have a pretty detailed discussion before saying we're going to go ahead with it, although I understand the feelings of distress," he said.

Mr. Williamson was quick to note that, while the town recognizes the lower levels as a potential problem, Spider Bay is still a thriving facility with about five feet of water to accommodate boats. But since there are no guarantees that the water will return to its former levels, the town wants to be proactive in its approach and head off the issue before it becomes worse.

CAO Dave Williamson met with representatives of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans earlier this month, and members of Northeast Town council were to have met on Monday, February 18 with Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Brent St. Denis and Algoma-Manitoulin MP Mike Brown to further discuss the issue.

Lions saying farewell to venerable Haweater coins

2008 edition will mark end of 40-year tradition

by Alicia McCutcheon

MANITOULIN-What is considered the most valuable collectable coin in Canada, the Haweater coin, will be issued for the final time this year, in connection with its 40th anniversary.

According to Little Current Lions Club coin committee chair Dave Walton, the coins are becoming more and more expensive to produce.

"The coins are selling, don't get me wrong, but we can't get cheap coins anymore," he explained.

The coins began one year after the first Haweater celebration but weren't officially recognized by Lions International. The first coins ended up as brooches, with the little hawberries lovingly painted in red nail polish by Lion Doug Tracy. Since then, the coins have proved immensely popular with locals and collectors alike, and for a short while each year, the coins can be spent in stores on Manitoulin, which accept them as the Island's official currency.

The final coin will be a $15 gold coin, marking its 40th anniversary with the words 'final edition' stamped along the bottom. One thousand of the coins are set to be ordered next week from the supplier in Quebec, at an up-front cost of $10,000 to the club.

"At that price, we just can't take a chance (on ordering more)," Lion Walton said. "The cost is just out of sight."

He brought the predicament forth to the last two business meetings of the club, and during the most recent, a motion was passed for Lion Walton to order the 1,000 coins, complete with the final edition stamp.

"I hated to do it," he lamented. "But maybe, in a couple of years, we can come up with something new. If the club had a ton of money, we maybe could have rode on for a few years, but we don't have a ton of money."

The coin will feature a simple design for its last year, with a large 40 to commemorate the anniversary. To pre-order the last Haweater coin, contact Dave Walton in Little Current.

EDITORIAL

Feds should create pool of funds for harbour dredging

The water level in Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Channel continues to drop.

For cottagers and homeowners living on the "big water," the elevation of their docks and the ever-increasing length of their water lines has become a preoccupation.

But these are annoyances with which most individuals can cope.

It's somewhat different when it comes to large marina operations, like Spider Bay Marina in Little Current, Blind River Marina and Thessalon Marina. For these institutions, all built by the federal government in the 1980s and operated by their host municipalities, have become vital to the economic well-being of those communities.

This proves a point, because these marinas were built by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as economic generators in the North Channel, in recognition of the increasing popularity of pleasure boating in this beautiful region.

Ironically, all of these facilities were built when the Lake Huron water level was at a near-record high.

That was 25 years ago.

The fact is, marinas built under this program a generation ago, like Spider Bay in Little Current, have well and truly lived up to their expectations as engines of growth, so the predictions of politicians at both the municipal and federal government levels have proved accurate.

The problem is, as the water level continues to drop, excluding more and more deeper-draft boats from these facilities, circumstances stand to reverse the process and drive the economic engine in reverse.

In Little Current, the Little Current Yacht Club and the Business Improvement Area have joined in supporting the municipality as it searches for a long-term strategy.

And the obvious strategy involves the dredging of Spider Bay and the other affected marinas.

Costly? Of course. But the costs would not come anywhere close to replacing the facilities-docks, buildings, infrastructure and all-if they had to be built new right now.

These marinas still belong to the Small Craft Harbours branch of the DFO and, as things stand, they are decreasing in their real value with every further inch of water drop and with every mooring slip that becomes redundant to anything except small fishing boats.

What needs to be done here is for the marina's owner, the DFO, to create a pool of funds specifically earmarked for the improvement of their facilities in the North Channel.

This fund should be large enough to allow not just dredging to maintain the status quo but for expansion where this is possible. 

This was a good and worthy investment by the government of Canada into the economic well-being of this mid-North region.

That has been demonstrated beyond dispute over this past quarter century.

But it needs revisiting, right away, to make sure that these facilities continue to live up to their early (and proven) promise.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Statement about federal Green candidate deemed misleading

Party's strong commitment to democracy reopened nomination process

To the Expositor:

Just a little clarification to the Expositor's somewhat misleading sentence on the Green Party of Canada candidate for our riding ("St. Denis ready for spring election call," February 13).

In the spring of 2007 I organized a candidate contest for our riding. Only Greg Evans came forward at that time. Later, when Lorraine Rekmans approached us hoping for a shot at the candidacy, we had to ask ourselves-does a strong commitment to democracy mean keeping the candidate we have, or opening up the debate again to make it a true contest? In the end, it was Greg Evans' decision to hold a second contest.

Greg and his supporters were disappointed when he lost the candidacy. A student at Wilfred Laurier University, Greg is active in the student Green movement on campus. Lorraine is an exciting representative for local Greens, as she is deeply aware of local and federal issues. Lorraine began as a journalist in Elliot Lake, was seven years as executive director at the National Aboriginal Forestry Association, and is now our candidate and Native Affairs shadow cabinet member for the Green Party of Canada.

Through a democratic process, we were willing to allow Ms. Rekmans a fair chance as Green representative in our riding. We're hoping local voters, and local media, will be able to do the same.

Sarah Hutchinson

Sandfield

DSSAB applauded for stand against child benefit clawback

McGuinty government panned for taking money away from children

To the Editor:

I applaud our local DSSAB for taking a stand and pointing out that although the province has made some changes and instituted the Ontario Child Benefit (OCB) to low-income families, it definitely comes at a very high cost. I guess with the positive spin the province put on the announcement of the OCB, they did not think to tell the public that they would be taking away extra money social assistance recipients receive to buy their children winter coats and school supplies in the fall.

I know that the DSSAB congratulated the province for the extra money that social assistance recipients will receive, as they also ask the government to change this policy. But when I see how the McGuinty government is going to recoup that money by once again taking much needed resources from children they get absolutely no kudos from me. As a matter of fact, they probably lost my vote.

I also would like to point out that the headline on this article did not address the issue and, as a matter of fact, made it sound unimportant. Nowhere in the article were children's toys mentioned. It may be a small thing, but headlines like this matter a great deal. Social assistance recipients are already stigmatized and maligned in our society, and by saying that this issue revolved around toys does a great disservice to the message DSSAB was trying to get out.

Ruth Farquhar

Kagawong

EDITOR'S NOTE: As mentioned in a correction on this page, the headline that Ms. Farquhar refers to struck a misleading note as the result of a typographical oversight. The intention was not to trivialize or misrepresent the issue.

Kathy Wahl

Manitoulin Espresso Bar

Mindemoya

I'm your neighbour

After a shift at the Manitoulin Espresso Bar, Kathy Wahl says she "smells like a coffee bean," a perky perfume that tends to draw people towards her.

So do her magnetic smile and infectious sense of humour.

Ms. Wahl has been working at the Mindemoya cafe since September, generally from 9 am to 3 pm, as this fits with her young daughter's senior kindergarten schedule.

It's a great arrangement, she says, both for Amber-who gets a ride from mom to school-and herself, as she gets to escape the isolation of the stay-at-home parent.

"It's my first time working since I had a kid, and I really enjoy the chance to get out," she says. "I'm a really social person. And my boss is wonderful." 

The gregarious barista moved to Manitoulin with hubby Jeff from Kitchener-Waterloo, and was thrilled when she learned that a Starbucks-esque cafe was taking shape in Mindemoya. "One of the things I really missed about the city was that kind of coffeehouse, where you can get special things like grilled sandwiches."

Prior to the move, Ms. Wahl worked a number of jobs in the food and beverage industry, as well as in paving and excavating. As non-traditional as that latter type of work might seem for a woman, it didn't seem all that unusual to Ms. Wahl. "My mother's a trucker, so I come by it honestly," she laughs.

These days, though, she'd rather pour java than lay asphalt. She enjoys the friendly buzz of the coffee shop and the playful banter with regulars. "My favourite thing about the job really is the customers," she says. "I felt so isolated before because I live in the country and didn't know anyone, but now I'm starting to make connections."

Whether it's an off-the-wall comment from "Super Dave" that cracks everyone up, or a kind word from "Uncle Bill," the exchanges are almost always enjoyable ones. "Lots of people who come here are really sweet," she says.

Patronizing local businesses like the Manitoulin Espresso Bar provides lasting employment for people like Kathy Wahl.