Usage drops on late Chi-Cheemaun sailing but schedule stays firm

Owen Sound Transportation Co. board considers, and rejects, fuel

surcharge and altering schedule

by Jim Moodie

SOUTH BAYMOUTH-A sag in ridership and spike in gas prices are taking a financial toll on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, but representatives decided last week to maintain the existing schedule and fee structure for the remainder of this season.

"We had a conference call (last Wednesday) and decided there would be no changes," said Gary Brown, Tehkummah reeve and a member of the Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC) board. "We have nowhere to go, because if we were to introduce a fuel surcharge or cancel a sailing, neither would be for the betterment of the ferry service. And by the time you changed anything, the season would be nearly over."

Traffic is down 8.5 percent from last year at this time, based on figures collected during the first couple of weeks of the summer sailing period, indicated Mr. Brown. "When you put a downturn like that together with a 50 percent increase in fuel costs, it's a tough hit to take," he said.

Still, Mr. Brown is hopeful that things can turn around before the summer is over. "We're only two weeks into it, and don't want to be alarmist. If we were running full, it wouldn't be a problem."

Beginning on June 20, the ferry began its usual summer routine of four sailings per day. It's the fourth or final sailing that draws the fewest passengers, and the one that would go if the OSTC took the drastic move of reducing service.

Mr. Brown hopes it won't come to that. "Losing the last sailing of the day would not be a positive thing," he said.

Were that decision to be made, it would have to come from the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, which has jurisdiction over the ferry service, said Mr. Brown. "We're hoping the ministry will leave it as is," he indicated. "This ferry is definitely a necessity to Manitoulin; if it's not there, the tourist season is over."

Apart from the obligation to provide a decent range of sailing options to travellers, the OSTC also has a staffing situation in place that it must honour. "We have two crews working two shifts," noted Mr. Brown. "You might save on fuel by cancelling one sailing, but we're still dedicated to paying staff. And you'd lose revenue from those people who weren't coming over on the boat. So you would probably lose more than you'd gain."

Rather than cut back on service, efforts should be made to attract passengers, suggested Mr. Brown. The late run from Tobermory to South Baymouth usually draws a decent number of travellers, but "going back has never been very good."

In order to boost ridership on the 10 pm sailing from South Baymouth, a 10 percent discount, offered for the first time last summer, is available for commercial vehicles. "It's a $400-$500 savings for truckers, which we're offering to try to fill up the last sailing of the night," said Mr. Brown.

Meanwhile, to save money on fuel costs, the Chi-Cheeman has been running at half-power along a slightly altered course since last month. "We made a decision at our last board meeting on June 22 to run on two engines and slow it down," said Mr. Brown.

The change in speed and itinerary adds 15 minutes to the crossing, but also scenery. "It's a more intriguing route that goes closer to the land along Wiky," pointed out Mr. Brown.

And while the sailing time has been extended, the timing of departures has remained consistent, with the result that more savings are reaped from less idling at the terminal. "The turnaround is quicker so we save some money even at the dock," noted Mr. Brown. "We're doing everything we can to lessen our cost and keep the prices where they are."

Fares for the Chi-Cheemaun were set back in the winter, before the price of fuel went through the roof. Prices for passengers did rise slightly this year but not nearly enough for the company to absorb the shock of skyrocketing gas costs.

"We've made a lot of concessions over the past few years," said Mr. Brown. "There hasn't been much increase in rates, and at the same time our subsidy (from the province) has gone from about $1.2 million down to $800,000."

Last season was the Chi-Cheemaun's first since it underwent a $10-million engine overhaul that included replacing two 18-cylinder motors with four six-cylinder ones. The retrofit was expected to reduce the ferry's fuel costs between 10 and 20 percent.

Mr. Brown said that tinkering with the new motors is ongoing in order to reap even more efficiency. "They're tuning the engines more all the time, perfecting the system to get more out of them," he said. "We're doing it with two now and still keeping up."

Two-lane Mindemoya River bridge on schedule for '08 finish

New dam to follow in 2009

by Jim Moodie

MINDEMOYA-Work has commenced on a new, wider span that will relieve the bottleneck where Highway 542 crosses the Mindemoya River, while a dam replacement-insufficiently designed, to some minds-will get under way next summer.

The infamous one-lane bridge-the site of at least one nasty accident over recent years-will remain in service for the remainder of the summer, as a crew from Tera North Construction of Sudbury erects its two-lane replacement just south of the current structure.

Motorists, in other words, will have to put up with a bit of a squeeze for a few more months, but on the other hand, there should be no interruption to traffic flow in the interim. "Traffic will continue to travel on the existing bridge until the new bridge is opened," indicated Gordan Rennie, regional issues advisor with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

A preliminary design study for the project, which includes replacement of the dam at the same location, was carried out last year, with the final design phase completed this spring. On May 12, the contract for the job, priced at $5.85 million, was awarded to Tera North, and the Sudbury firm started levelling earth and driving piles in June.

While both the bridge and dam replacements are part of the same job, the bridge portion comes first. "It's one project, but it will take two construction seasons," explained Mr. Rennie. "Basically, you have a one-lane bridge with a dam there now, and will end up with a two-lane bridge and a separate control dam."

The new dam, slated for construction in 2009, will occupy roughly the same site as the current bridge/dam structure, while the replacement bridge will be oriented just downstream. The combined unit that currently exists was built way back in 1928, so is long overdue for an overhaul.

Motorists will no doubt appreciate the broader-and sturdier-route over the river, while shoreline dwellers and fish stand to gain from an improved dam. Refinements in the new dam design should "help improve water levels in both Lake Mindemoya and the Mindemoya River," predicted MTO project manager Sergiy Morozevych, while simultaneously enabling operators to "make fine adjustments to levels during critical life-cycle stages of resident and migratory fish species."

Still, some residents of the area remain irked that an allowance for hydro-electrical generation wasn't factored into the dam's design.

Last month, a group dubbing itself "Manitoulin's Against Dam" (or MAD, for short) was formed to lobby for a power component to the river regulator. Spearheading this movement was Glenn Black, an energy consultant from Providence Bay.

"The MTO put out a call for public comments back in February, and after talking to some people, I asked if they were planning to do anything with hydro-electrical generation," explained Mr. Black. "I looked at the detailed engineering plan, and there was nothing in there at all."

This struck him as a glaring omission, particularly since information available through the website of the International Energy Commission cites the Mindemoya River as a promising location for power generation on Manitoulin, second only to the Kagawong River, where a generating station already exists.

According to the figures Mr. Black was able to access, the Mindemoya River could generate 790 kilowatts per hour. "If you do the math and multiply that by 80 years, the life expectancy of the dam, this amounts to $18 million at the current price for energy," he said.

Mr. Black communicated his concern about this squandered resource, as he views it, through the mechanism for public input to the MTO, but was told he'd missed his chance to influence the direction of the project.

"I was told it's too late now, and I should have commented a year ago," he said. "But I just saw (the invite for input) in February."

Mr. Rennie of the MTO explained that a 30-day period for public review was announced back in the spring of last year, during the preliminary design phase of the project, with submissions welcomed until March 23, 2007. "The idea of hydro generation was never raised during this public consultation phase and the planning study was approved," he said.

A more recent opportunity for public comment was made available earlier this year, he conceded, but by that time "it related to the design and construction, not the concept or location." The chance to significantly influence the overall direction of the project, in other words, had passed.

Mr. Black and his fellow dam detractors (the MAD group counts eight members) have now grudgingly accepted that the project can't be altered at this point, and won't try to hold it up through a Ministry of Environment appeal, but continue to question why a chance to reap energy from the river wasn't factored into the plans.

"Ontario's policy is to maximize hydro-electrical generation," said Mr. Black. "I understand it's late in the game, and Tera North would have a claim against the province if we got a stop-work order now, plus people are counting on these jobs, so we're not going to do that. But it seems to me that someone was asleep at the switch."

Mr. Rennie, however, is adamant that the MTO has followed the proper channels and shouldn't be criticized for overlooking an energy option at the site. "Hydro-electric generation is beyond the scope of the environmental assessment the ministry followed for replacement of the bridge and dam, and outside the ministry's mandate," he said. "We're about safe, reliable transportation; the MTO does not plan or build hydro dams."

If a power-producing angle were to be pursued for the Mindemoya River location, it would "require a proponent bringing this to the Ministry of Natural Resources," said Mr. Rennie, as that ministry has jurisdiction over such matters.

The MNR, he added, was "involved throughout the planning process, with staff on the project, and they're supportive of the design." Had a power dam been perceived as a popular and viable alternative, it likely would have been raised by MNR personnel, he implied.

Mr. Black isn't entirely swayed by this argument. He feels his group was ignored by provincial bureaucrats, who had their minds set on a course of action and weren't prepared to listen to suggestions from the public lest it upset a plan that was already preordained.

"They stonewalled me through March and April to the beginning of May, and then said it's too late and that they'd already awarded the contract," he complained. "The MTO played some brinkmanship here, with a full-speed-ahead, damn-the-torpedoes approach."

Mr. Rennie insists otherwise. "We don't judge hydro potential," he said. "The idea of introducing hydro-electric would require an in-depth study and consultations with landowners throughout the watershed, because it would have an impact on a lot of people. It's outside the scope of what the MTO does, and would have to be pursued through the MNR."

Mr. Black is prepared to drop the fight at this point, although he'd prefer to see a structure put in place that would leave the door open to hydro options in the future. Small power-producing units exist that can be incorporated into existing dams, drawing water from the upstream side and pumping/siphoning the flow back downstream, with little impact on fisheries, he said.

"One dam I've seen had 12 of these 'micro-hydro' generators on top," he said. "They can actually benefit fish, because a big issue is water spilling over a dam and causing a huge flow that eats into riverbanks and covers gravel beds, wrecking spawning areas. If you're extracting energy, the water still goes through, but there's a lot less turbulence."

His fear is that the new dam won't be flexible enough in its design to allow such future additions. "The time to make allowances for this is now, because if it's not built to accommodate this, you'd spend half of what you'd make from (the generated energy) just rebuilding the structure and getting it back to square one."

N.E. Manitoulin Family Health Team

moves into spacious new quarters

by Lindsay Kelly

LITTLE CURRENT-Less than a year after construction crews turned the first soil, patients, doctors and staff at the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team (FHT) gathered at the clinic on July 8 to celebrate the facility's grand opening.

Staff have been treating patients at the new building since May, but last week's celebration was an opportunity to recognize the hard work of the partners involved in the health team project, and to let the public tour the facility.

"On September 19, 2007 we dug a hole right here, and here we are 11 months later with this new building," said health team director Judy Miller in addressing the crowd. "We have tons of people who worked extremely hard to do that."

The new facility includes an expanded registration area, and a total of seven examination rooms will be available for the doctors' use, three of which have been expanded to accommodate handicapped patients. The added space will allow students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, who are doing their residencies at the clinic, to sit in on consultations and learn from local doctors.

Office space has also been set aside for the social worker, dietitian, locum doctors and the med school students at the west end of the clinic, although the dentist will still work out of the same office. Additionally, the boardroom will be set up for videoconferencing-similar capabilities to those currently available at the hospital-so that doctors can consult with specialists about patient care.

Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) CEO Derek Graham joined Ms. Miller in thanking key players Dr. Ken Barss, MHC chair Karen King and project manager Barry Parsons for their support in kicking off the project, as well as the work of contractors Prosperi and Belanger.

The new clinic will help staff provide patients with top-of-the-line primary care, and act as a model for other health-care facilities, Mr. Graham said. "I hope this facility will stand as a beacon for health care in our community for years and years to come," he said.

Mayor Jim Stringer, who brought greetings and congratulations on behalf of the Northeast Town, recalled the day, three years ago, when project planners approached the council for its support for the Family Health Team. Council was at first skeptical that such a seemingly daunting project could be successful in Little Current, he noted. However, the hard work of everyone involved has made it happen, and the clinic is a boon to the municipality, both in the excellent health care it will provide and the economic boost it brings through the creation of jobs, he added.

"Your vision, your dedication and your hard work turned a dream of better health care on Manitoulin into a reality," the mayor said. "It is greatly appreciated."

Dr. Ken Barss, one of the doctors who spearheaded the project, noted that it really was due to a group effort that the health team came into being. "They say it takes a whole community to raise a child," he said. "But it also takes a whole community to raise a Family Health Team."

He praised Dr. Roy Jeffery as the "visionary" who originally brought the idea of the health team forward as a possibility, while Dr. Ariana helped pen the proposal and Dr. McIlquham offered her editing skills; Dr. Ariana, along with Dr. Steve Cooper, also worked together on the negotiations with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Dr. Barss additionally praised the hospital staff, including Mr. Graham, board chair Karen King and former CEO Jim Van Camp for their ongoing support for the project, as well as the town and "all levels of government who supported the concept of a health team in Little Current."

Finally, he commended the staff for their patience during construction, joking about how half of the old space was essentially off limits and staff was "shoved into the other half" while crews did renovations.

In bringing the state-of-the-art Family Health Team to Little Current, the medical staff is able to give back to the community, Dr. Barss said. "From this point on, we need to keep the community in mind when we make our decisions day to day," he added.

Dr. Roy Jeffery, who was the last to address the crowd, joked that the last time he was called on to speak at a meeting, he was left speechless, referring to the surprise announcement that he had been named Regional Family Physician of the Year for Northern Ontario. This time, he said, "I'm trying to make up for it."

"I want to make sure that all the staff and the community realize that was not an accolade just taken by myself," Dr. Jeffery said. "It really is an accolade taken by all my staff and colleagues and the community."

From the receptionists who greet patients and book appointments to his colleagues and staff at the clinic and hospital, everyone has a role that has helped continue to deliver health care services during this time of transition, Dr. Jeffery added, and the award is a testament to everyone's hard work.

"You've worked to make the transition as seamless as possible, and it's gone amazingly smooth considering the background," he added.

Before welcoming visitors to tour the site, Ms. Miller made a special presentation to Mr. Parsons, in tribute to his role as project coordinator. His work on the project will be commemorated with a special plaque to be mounted on the stone bench included at the front of the FHT building.

Mr. Parsons is retiring this year, and he will be greatly missed for his contributions, his energy and his dedication to his work, Ms. Miller noted, adding, "We could not have done this without him."

Following the opening, attendees were encouraged to cross the street to the Legion where the MHC Auxiliary had prepared refreshments, and visitors to the Family Health Team building were given tours throughout the day.

MacMan race promises exciting finish

Public invited to watch the fun off downtown Little Current docks

by Michael Erskine

LITTLE CURRENT-The Mackinac-Manitoulin yacht race known colloquially as the MacMan, is undergoing some changes this year, and most of those changes will be great news to those who find themselves land-bound on the docks.

"This year the boats will be finishing up by Boyle's Marina, weather permitting, in full sight of the people downtown," said race co-chair Dave Naples. The incoming boats will be greeted by a one-gun salute.

There will also be a greeting event held at Spider Bay Marina and people are fully encouraged to come down and participate.

"We definitely want to get more people involved," said Mr. Naples. "There will be live entertainment-Jackson Edwards, the same band that's playing at the Anchor-and there will be plenty of good food and fun for everyone."

A tent will be set up at Spider Bay Marina and everyone is invited to come on down. "I heard there were a lot of people who went by last year thinking it was a private event," said Mr. Naples. "We want to dispel that kind of rumour."

There will be a Friday night fish fry and entertainment in Gore Bay, as usual, and the race will be coinciding with the Gore Bay Lions Summerfest in that community. The fish fry is put on by the Rotary Club, said Mr. Naples. "Tall tales have been known to be told over dinner once the sailors wake up from their overnight race from Mackinac Island."

This year's MacMan will include a new Cruiser's Net class, designed to attract the more casual boater. "It's aimed really at the folks who listen to Roy Eaton's Cruiser's Net broadcasts on VHS radio," said Mr. Naples. "It will be strictly 'white sail,' no spinnakers. We are looking for the cruise equipped, so bring along your kids, dogs and galleys full of cans. Everyone can join in the fun."

The Cruiser's Net leg of the race will only run from Gore Bay to Little Current and will be strictly for boats without spinnakers or gennikers.

The model the race organizers are aiming for is based on a popular 100-mile race that takes place in Windsor. "The Windsor Yacht Club's race finishes down in front of the club," said Mr. Naples. "It is in a pretty built-up area, there are a number of apartments and condos in the area, and people line their balconies and along the shore to cheer the sailors on. It is a real community event even though some boats finish as early as 5 or 6 am."

It is hoped that the race will become a community-driven event here as well, taking on a celebratory air that will attract people to the area from communities across Ontario and Michigan and beyond.

"This is my first year working on the race committee and it has been great to work with the veterans of the event, Jim Corliss, Dennis Centis, Tony Nutt, Greg Wright, Bruce O'Hare, Mike Wright, Roy Eaton and some of the newcomers like Sandy Naples, Jim Bousquet and, of course, David Rowe, our counterpart in Mackinac.

This year will mark the fifth year of the MacMan race.

EDITORIAL

Importance of marine traffic shown by Rendezvous

The sudden flurry of boating activity on the Little Current front street docks that  began last weekend-and the corresponding  bustle all over the town of Little Current-underscores the importance of summer marine activity to the year-round well-being of Manitoulin's North Channel ports.

Literally overnight, the shift from only a handful of boats at the docks (about normal for the early part of July) to docks filled to capacity was quite dramatic and the dozens of new faces on downtown Little Current's front street and in and out of businesses there drove home the point quite emphatically.

Our port towns always reach this point at some time by late July. But it's a gradual process: things get a little busier every day and, ultimately, we don't notice until we realize we're much busier.

But not  this year. It was sudden, at least in Little Current, when about 100 boats (all associated with the Great Lakes Cruising Club) showed up at the downtown docks and basically stayed put from last Saturday until the middle of this week.

Gore Bay has also  had this same phenomenon a couple of times when the Great Lakes Cruising Club chose that North Channel port for its annual Rendezvous destination.

The last time Little Current played host to the event was 24 years ago when Spider Bay Marina was brand new. In fact, the Great Lakes Cruising Club inaugurated this then-new facility with their Rendezvous event that year.

Little Current has gone all-out to ensure that the people on their boats have a good and memorable visit. Gore Bay has done the same thing when that port has played host.

And this does not go unobserved: people comment when they've had a good time. They tell other boaters when they've been disappointed.

Manitoulin's experience with the Great Lakes Cruising Club's Rendezvous over the years has been positive. Many, if not most, of the club's members are the same people who cruise the North Channel almost every summer and so are used to the port facilities and the merchants people in Meldrum Bay, Gore Bay, Kagawong, Little Current and Killarney.

They are friends of our ports. Most of them, if pressed, have anecdotes to relate about their experiences in one or more North Channel ports.

And these anecdotes are usually funny or whimsical or indicate in some fashion how well they've been treated as visitors-often in times of personal stress.

The Great Lakes Cruising Club yachtspeople have been welcome to use Little Current as the setting of their annual get-together.

And their substantial presence in this port town, even for a relatively short stay, is a firm reminder of just how important the transient summer boating community is to the economies of our port towns.

Letters to the Editor

Honouring of Morgentaler with Order of Canada decried

Women have choices other than abortion

To the Expositor:

What have we Canadians come to? Awarding one of our highest honours to an abortionist! We really are scraping the bottom of the barrel. I am so proud of our Catholic friends who are returning their awards in protest, but I want to assure everyone that Catholics are not alone in their revulsion towards such a move. Then we get letters of praise for this man who has allegedly set women free, and we are back into all those labels-pro-choice, pro-life.

I find it frustrating because you see, I too am pro-choice. I, too, believe women should have control over their bodies. But I am also anti-abortion.

Can these two views coexist? Of course they can. A woman can exercise her choice in several ways.

She can take control over her own body by choosing not to be promiscuous, thus protecting herself against disease and from unwanted pregnancies. Apart from incest or rape, that choice is hers.

She can choose to act on the premise that, regardless of media or peer pressure to the contrary, every encounter or date does not have to end in bed.

If she chooses to be sexually active, she can also choose whether or not to become pregnant. Fair or unfair, she is responsible for the use of contraceptives since she is the one who will bear the consequences. Fifty years ago it may have seemed understandable to have unintended pregnancies but there is little excuse for that today.

If a woman becomes pregnant and is unwilling or unable to raise a child, there are better options than abortion available to her. She can give birth to the child she conceived and give it to one of the many prospective parents waiting for such an opportunity. She can choose not to take on the extra-heavy burden of guilt that abortion brings by choosing to give that child nine months of her time and energy. Again, 50 years ago this would have been extremely difficult to do, but in today's more tolerant climate, it is possible. It just requires that she make her choices in favour of the innocent life she is carrying.

It's a matter of choice.

Patricia Paulsen

Dominion Bay

Accountability is required from Children's Aid Societies

MPP Mike Brown is out of touch with supporters

To the Expositor:

The following is an open letter to MPP Mike Brown.

Dear Mike,

In the spirit of the timeworn phrase, "Who dares not offend, cannot be honest," I write the following comments and observations.

I have sent to you a site on the Internet that encourages the reader to petition our government, of which you are reported to be our representative. I point out the following observations:

¥There are 541 signatures at the time of this letter attached to this petition, demanding that the Ontario Ombudsman's office be given authority to investigate concerns/complaints of an individual that has an issue with the CAS.

¥Of the 541 signatures there are persons who purport to be educators, CAS workers, users of the system and victims of the system, and even one member of parliament has signed on.

¥As recent as last week our local news media carried a letter from a person who says that he and others have been wronged by the non-action of CAS and have no avenue to appeal to what appears to be honest complaint and cry for help.

¥I myself was removed from the board of directors for the CAS and to this day after urgings and letters sent to the CAS, the family resources, your office, still am unaware as to why this transpired; I was never given the pleasure of a hearing or explanation. I often wonder why the government of the day, yours, doesn't shake their heads in wonder as to why an individual, who was removed from the CAS Board of Directors, runs for and wins the office of public school trustee? It certainly shows me the degree of credibility the public places on the CAS and their activity.

Mike, speaking for myself, I feel you are out of touch with your supporters and citizens you serve-not new but very, very sad. I ask you for a commitment to help those people in Ontario in a meaningful way!

Will you champion the request to give the Ombudsman the power to probe decisions and investigate complaints concerning the provinces Children's Aid Societies (CAS)? I am not asking you to change the world, just require this entity to be accountable to someone.

In closing, all provincial Ombudsmen in the Dominion of Canada first identified child protection as a priority issue in 1986 and still Ontario does not allow the Ombudsman to investigate people's complaints about Children's Aid Societies (CAS) decisions. Who knows, perhaps First Nations residential schools would never have happened?

I am assuming, Mike, that this is your last term and hope you want to leave some sort of legacy of what you have or have not done. What a way to end it Mike, helping kids!

Larry Killens

South Baymouth