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Weekend fire suggests return of arsonist
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by Neil Zacharjewicz
SHEGUIANDAH - A fire on Indian Mountain Road last Saturday may have
been the work of an arsonist.
"I suspect this is the reappearance of our arsonist or somebody new
who wants to get in on the action," stated Rick Milne, Fire Chief for
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI).
On Saturday, at approximately 6:30 pm, the NEMI Volunteer Fire
Department received a call to respond to a hay fire on Indian Mountain
Road, on property belonging to Roy Bayer. Mr. Milne indicated
approximately 150 round bales of hay had been set on fire "in a number
of places," which leads him to believe it is the work of an arsonist.
"It would indicate that it had been set," Mr. Milne stated.
Fire fighters were on the scene until the blaze was extinguished at
approximately 11:30 pm.
Fire fighters returned to the scene at approximately noon on Sunday
after receiving a report the fire had rekindled itself.
"Hay is a very difficult substance to extinguish," Mr. Milne pointed
out. He noted the rekindled blaze was put out within half an hour. He
added that the hay had been smoldering.
The hay in question was a couple of years old, but Mr. Milne noted the
loss of 150 bales could not be understated.
"It could be a substantial loss to someone with cattle," he said.
Mr. Milne indicated the fire was typical of the ideal situation for an
arsonist, as the hay was close to the road, where an arsonist could
jump out of a vehicle and light it up. He noted the NEMI Volunteer
Fire Department has filed a report with the Ontario Provincial Police
(OPP), who are continuing their investigation.
Mr. Milne did express some concern that the department has already
responded to 32 calls by the mid-point of 2003. He indicated his
expectation for a community of the size of NEMI is approximately 25
calls per year, although the municipality has experienced higher
numbers in the past for the period of one year. However, he said past
experience has suggested to him that the implementation of a
successful fire prevention program generally tends to reduce the
number of fires.
Already this year, the work of a suspected arsonist or arsonists has
accounted for close to a third of the fires the department has
responded to. Between May 3 and June 6, the NEMI Volunteer Fire
Department responded to approximately 11 calls which may linked to the
work of an arsonist, including a fire on May 4 which claimed the
arbour on the Sheguiandah First Nation Pow Wow Grounds. The estimated
cost for responding to the 11 calls potentially linked to the arsonist
totaled approximately $5,500.
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Manitoulin tops in Diabetes rate
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by Michael Erskine
SUDBURY---Nearly one out of every 10 people living in the
District of Manitoulin has some form of Diabetes, setting this
area at the top of the list for incident rates of the
debilitating disease.
'Diabetes in Ontario, An ICES Practice Atlas,' a report on the
incidence of Diabetes in the province, was published by the
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Canadian
Diabetes Association last month. In that report, Northern
Ontario was listed as the highest ranking area in the province
for incidence of Diabetes, and the Manitoulin District heads the
list of Northern communities with an incidence rate of 9.58
percent. The reported incidence rate is just one part of the
story.
"One-third of all people who have Diabetes don't know they have
it," said Behnaz Abedi, dietician and Diabetes program director
at the Manitoulin Health Centre. "A person could be in very good
shape outwardly, be totally asymptomatic, and still have a blood
sugar of 30. That is one of the things which makes it so
dangerous."
If you have a risk factor, and there are a lot of them, you
should make sure you are tested for the disease.
The most common risk factors include: a family history of the
disease; over 45 years of age; being a smoker; overweight and
especially of First Nation descent.
"One of the risk factors for Diabetes is being of First Nation
descent," said Marianne Manytla, Public Programs and Services
Coordinator for North East Ontario. "Northern Ontario's high
prevalence rates of Diabetes reflect our population, as well as
the need for continued strong health care services to people
with and at risk of developing Diabetes."
Kenora District, another area with a high percentage of First
Nations populations, places second on the list at 8.59 percent,
Sudbury comes in at 7.97 percent and the Rainy River District
follows with 7.66 percent. The Ontario median is 5.7 percent.
While having a high number of First Nations residents may play a
role in Manitoulin's high ranking, Ms. Abedi isn't so sure.
"Honestly, I don't think so," she said. "It is quite common
amongst non-natives in the area as well."
Ms. Abedi said she feels a larger contributor to the area's high
incidence rate is more likely to be lifestyle.
Diet and exercise play a major role in combating Diabetes once
it has been detected.
"Regular physical exercise is very important," said Ms. Abedi.
Diabetes currently costs Ontario taxpayers upwards of $9 billion
a year, and with the number of new cases remaining stable the
rising rates do tend to be a reflection of people's greater
longevity. But with an rapidly aging population, the number of
cases is set to rise dramatically in the next decade.
Diabetes is no laughing matter, complications include heart
disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and
erectile dysfunction.
Education clinics play a major role in helping people detect
diabetes earlier, thereby allowing measures to control the
impact of symptoms earlier.
The Canadian Diabetes Association currently offers a suite of
presentations on awareness and prevention of Diabetes, free of
charge to businesses, organizations and service clubs. They will
be adapting their programs for Aboriginal communities, and the
adapted programs should be available by the fall.
For more information on Diabetes, the Canadian Diabetes
Association webpage (www.diabetes.ca) is a hard resource to
beat, and you can place a call to their local office at
705-670-1993, but if you feel you have one or more of the risk
factors, you should get in touch with your family physician to
be tested.
Maybe if everyone works together, Manitoulin Island can work its
way down to last place in the Diabetes standings.
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Tango the cat returns after extended holiday |
by Michael Erskine
LITTLE CURRENT---The cat came back, she thought he was a goner,
but the cat came back, though not the very next day.
Unlike the feline character in popular song/nursery rhyme, 'The
Cat Came Back,' Tango the Cat was sorely missed by his owner,
Glena Roy, of Little Current. Frantic after her cat's
disappearance, Ms. Roy posted flyers up across town and placed a
photograph of Tango in the Manitoulin Expositor. But time passed
swiftly, and three months and a dozen false alarms later, she
had pretty much given up hope of ever seeing her furry little
buddy again.
"Tango was lost the Thursday before Easter," said Ms. Roy. "I
had gotten a lot of calls, and two people even dropped by with
cats they though might be him."
One of the felines helpful people had brought by escaped into
her home, and led the family on a merry chase from room to room
when it decided, uninvited, to stay and try to fill the missing
Tango's paw prints in their hearts. But when it is a special
buddy, not just any old orange tabby will do.
"I had pretty much given up hope," said Ms. Roy. "I even gave
away the last of his food."
Then the phone rang.
Phoenix Tomas, of Sheguiandah First Nation, was playing down by
the 'Rabbit Hole,' a culvert near his home, when he came across
a very thin young cat. Being a kind-hearted young man, he
brought the starving animal home to meet his family.
"I looked at the cat and thought, 'I have seen him before,'"
said Phoenix's mom, Shannon Tomas. "It looked like a cat I had
seen on posters in town."
Tango's distinctive white paws struck a chord in Ms. Tomas's
memory.
Luckily, she keeps her old copies of the Expositor, and it was
just a matter of rifling through a few back issues before she
found Ms. Roy's lost pet advertisement.
Tango was a little thinner than his photograph in the paper, but
his markings matched perfectly.
Ms. Roy held little hope that the cat would prove to be Tango,
but she drove out to check, just one last time.
To her delight, Tango immediately began to purr and rub against
her, the moment she walked in the door.
How Tango managed to get from Little Current all the way to
Sheguiandah, and what he did to survive in the intervening three
months will forever remain a mystery.
"We don't know how he got there, and we never will," laughed a
jubilant Ms. Roy. "Cause he's not talking."
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Trailblazers seek to create biosphere reserve on Island |
by Neil Zacharjewicz
M'CHIGEENG - The Manitoulin Trailblazers are looking at the
possibility of a biosphere reserve for Manitoulin.
At the annual general meeting of the Manitoulin Trailblazers,
held on
Tuesday, June 24, at Abby's Dining Lounge in M'Chigeeng, the
members
of the association were presented with information about
biosphere
reserves, and what it would mean to have Manitoulin named a
biosphere
reserve.
According to the Canadian Biosphere Reserve Association,
"biosphere
reserves are places for promoting and demonstrating a balanced
relationship between people and nature. Canada's biosphere
reserves
are designed by Canadians to address local issues of land and
resource use."
Reserves exist through the support and cooperation from all
levels of
government, local communities, businesses, educational
institutions
and other organizations, but do not change the local ownership
or
management authority.
Biosphere reserves a traditionally broken down into three
regions: a
core area, a buffer and an area of cooperation. The core area is
legislatively protected, in order to protect ecosystems and
wildlife.
The core area is traditionally a national park, nature preserve,
migratory bird sanctuary or conservation easement.
The buffer area is where activities suited to the conservation
aims
of the core are practiced and studied.
Finally, the area of cooperation is a zone where people live and
businesses, government and educational institutions work
together to
advance sustainable management for a healthy environment.
Jean Bentley, who sits on the Manitoulin Trailblazers board of
directors, noted implementing a biosphere reserve for the Island
would not prevent development. She pointed out, in one of the
biosphere's in southern Ontario, there is a factory right in the
middle of it. She said the idea of having a biosphere for
Manitoulin
would simply help to ensure a balanced approach to development.
"We are not anti-anything," she noted. "We are a conservation
group."
Ms. Bentley also pointed out that the biosphere reserve is a
grass
roots program, and would therefore require the input of the
local
community.
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