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NEMI docks |
by Neil Zacharjewicz
LITTLE CURRENT - Jim Bousquet is upset that the Town of Northeastern
Manitoulin and the Islands did not take action on the offer of
docks,
valued at over $500,000, for no more than a charitable tax receipt.
On Monday, July 15, over two months after the docks had been offered
to the town, council for the Town of Gore Bay passed a motion in
favor of accepting the docks in exchange for a charitable tax
receipt
for $300,000.
Mr. Bousquet, serving as a representative for Michael J. Wheatley,
owner of Okeechobee Lodge, explained that on May 14th, he attended a
meeting of council for the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the
Islands (NEMI) to offer them five docks, each capable of holding 20
boats, for free, in exchange for a charitable tax receipt for
$300,000. He offered to take representatives of the municipality by
boat to look at the docks. However, following the meeting, he
received no response.
In early June, Mr. Bousquet was instructed to make the same proposal
to the Township of Assiginack. He said by this time, he had still
not
received any response from the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and
the Islands (NEMI).
On June 28, Mr. Bousquet contacted NEMI Clerk-Treasurer Ned Martin,
who advised him the municipality was too busy to spare anyone to go
look at the docks and see if they fit their needs. Following this
discussion, Mr. Bousquet said he contacted Mr. Wheatley, who asked
him to make the same proposal to the Town of Gore Bay.
"The Town of Gore Bay called the next morning and said they were
interested," Mr. Bousquet explained. Within four days, accountants
for Gore Bay met with accountants for Mr. Wheatley, and before a
week
was up, council had passed the motion in favor of purchasing the
docks.
Mr. Bousquet explained on the morning of July 16, he received a call
from Mr. Martin looking to set up a time to look at the docks. When
Mr. Bousquet explained the docks had been sold to Gore Bay, he said
the conversation ended abruptly.
"The reason I am upset, and many others are, is that the town is in
the middle of a waterfront redevelopment process," Mr. Bousquet
stated. He said with documentation reflecting the value of the docks
in excess of half-a-million dollars, the town could have leveraged
as
much as $2 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund
Corporation (which requires an applicant provide a contribution of
up
to 20 percent in funding or equity) or another government agency.
"I think that was equity that made smart business sense to me," Mr.
Bousquet stated. "I think they dropped the ball on this."
He noted NEMI had indicated it would check to see with Revenue
Canada
whether it could issue such a receipt, but Mr. Bousquet indicated
there are provisions under the Municipal Act which do allow for
municipalities to accept a charitable donation.
Mr. Bousquet suggested the town handled the situation poorly. He
noted there was no correspondence to even say NEMI was interested in
looking at the docks. He said Mr. Wheatley simply wanted the docks
out of there.
"We did not expect them to take all summer to say yes or no," Mr.
Bousquet said. He suggested it was terrible that someone made the
town this sort of offer, only to have council "start picking holes
in
it." Furthermore, he said he believes the town could have mounted
all
five docks along the town dock, and still had room for the boats to
dock along the wall.
"The Town of Gore Bay is elated (about receiving the docks)," Mr.
Bousquet said.
Jib Turner, spokesperson for the Little Current Business Improvement
Association (BIA), pointed out with the exception of repairs, the
town has done nothing to approve the docking facilities since 1957.
"(The BIA's) position is that we definitely need more docks and
better marine facilities," stated Mr. Turner. "The need for more
facilities is great."
He said many business owners are aware that there is a tremendous
market passing right past Little Current's doorstep. He also pointed
out there have been a number of ports throughout the North Channel
which have expanded their facilities, diminishing Little Current's
market. If the town wants to be regarded as the main port for the
North Channel, something has to be done to address the marine
facilities.
Mr. Turner pointed out it was only in May that the Federal
government
turned over the docks to the municipality, along with over $1
million
in funding.
"This would be the perfect opportunity to focus on a
results-oriented
plan and deliver the services to the marine public that they are
used
to getting in all of the other areas of the Great Lakes, and to
increase the growth here in the community that we need to sustain
the
economy," Mr. Turner stated.
Gary Green, spokesperson for the NEMI Community Development
Corporation (CDC), indicated he had no comment.
"We haven't a comment on it because we were not fully informed of
what was going on," Mr. Green stated.
NEMI Mayor Ken Ferguson said the town did demonstrate interest in
the
docks some time ago.
"We did not think we could make use of them," he said. Mr. Ferguson
pointed out the town conceived the project of extending the 130 foot
docks off of the main dock in town.
"We did not believe we could interfere with the shipping channel,"
he
said, adding there would be concern on the part of the Coast Guard.
Furthermore, he said he was not sure it would be cost effective to
utilize the docks at Spider Bay, even if the docks were acquired at
a
low cost.
Mr. Ferguson said Mr. Wheatley was requesting a significant tax
receipt, and the town needed some appraisal of the docks before that
could be accomplished.
"I would like to have been able to make use of them. I regret that
we
had not been able to make use of them," Mr. Ferguson stated. "When
we
see the results of the waterfront study we will know if we were in
the wrong."
Meanwhile, the mood at Gore Bay council was one of elation over
receiving the docks.
"It's like having a whole marina donated to the town," stated Gore
Bay Town Foreman Brian Dittmar. "It will solve all the problems we
have with sinking docks, and these are suited for bigger boats."
"These docks should be good for a number of years," suggested
Councillor Henk Pel. He noted the only problem with the donation is
having them transported to Gore Bay.
Councillor Carrie Lewis said that "this is an awesome gesture,"
while
councillor Chris Blodgett noted that "it is indescribable what a
large advantage this is to the town." |
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M'Chigeeng's case grows as band members march on Ottawa |
by Neil Zacharjewicz
MANITOULIN - They knocked, but nobody was home.
This was the response M'Chigeeng band members received when they and
several hundred supporters from other First Nations, including
Walpole, Dokis and Whitefish Lake, arrived at the Indian and
Northern
Affairs Canada (INAC) offices on Parliament Hill to deliver
petitions
to Minister Robert Nault on July 22. The event on Parliament Hill
marked the finale to the 20-day walk by band members from M'Chigeeng
to Ottawa in protest of the First Nations Governance Act and INAC's
refusal to recognize M'Chigeeng's custom election.
"Nobody was there to receive our petition," M'Chigeeng Chief Glen
Hare explained. He said while he and his band members were staging
their protest on Parliament Hill, Mr. Nault was traveling the
countryside telling people he has the support of First Nations
communities for his proposed First Nations Governance Act.
"Why did he not meet us in Ottawa?" Chief Hare questioned.
During the course of the rally, M'Chigeeng had planned to present
Mr.
Nault with two petitions: a copy of the petition signed on July 21,
1862, and the petition from the current M'Chigeeng band members. The
petitions protest "the making of chiefs." But while Mr. Nault was
not on-hand to receive the petitions, M'Chigeeng band members still
found a way to deliver their message: they stuck the petitions on
the
front of the Parliament building. Chief Hare added he received
assurance by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers
on-hand that the petitions would be delivered to the Prime
Minister's
office.
"We delivered the petition, and that was what we had set out to
accomplish," Chief Hare stated. "We just want to be treated fair.
That is all that we are asking for."
Meanwhile, M'Chigeeng's legal and political battle with INAC over
the
ministry' refusal to recognize the band's custom election reached
the
court system on July 18 in Vancouver. The case went before Justice
Douglas Campbell, who achieved national recognition for presiding
over the case in which Gordon Benoit of Edmonton was successful in
having the First Nation people of Treaty Eight ruled as exempt from
Canadian taxation. M'Chigeeng legal counsel, Susan Hare, was
optimistic following the hearing.
"We have a no-nonsense judge who was able to clear a lot of details
in the pre-trial hearings," Ms. Hare stated. However, she cautioned
that the M'Chigeeng First Nation Chief and Council still remain
vulnerable to punitive action by INAC.
One such example of this punitive action, M'Chigeeng officials have
suggested, is the attempts by INAC to have the reserve placed under
Third Party Management. The band has indicated that Health Canada's
First Nations and Inuit Health branch have joined INAC and declined
the renewal of M'Chigeeng's Health Services Transfer Agreement.
Health Canada has instead stipulated that in order to continue some
of the services the band receives, third party managers must be
employed.
"In the interest of and well being of M'Chigeeng band members, Chief
and Council have reluctantly agreed upon a six month term for third
party management in the Health Services department," M'Chigeeng
officials have stated in a press release.
Chief Hare stated he was still confident about M'Chigeeng's case.
However, he noted the case has grown bigger than when it first
entered into the legal system. He explained the case now focuses on
constitutional issues and the rights of First Nation people.
He said the judge has put in place a time frame for the government
to
work with M'Chigeeng on the issues surrounding the case. If there is
no action taken by the government on addressing these issues by the
end of August, M'Chigeeng will be permitted to put more motions
before the judge, and the case could head back before the court by
early October. |
| Island municipalities
struggle to balance budgets under provincial downloading |
by Michael Erskine
MANITOULIN---The effects of provincial downloading of services onto
municipalities, skyrocketing costs from new provincial regulations,
and limited resources from which to draw from has left Island
municipalities, indeed rural and urban municipalities across the
province, struggling to balance their budgets.
The reactions to the crisis in municipal finance has led to radical
solutions and stopgap measures as varied as the communities from
which they came.
The Town of Billings has asked its staff to take a temporary 20 per
cent cut in hours and pay, which will net the town a $45,000 savings
between now and the end of the year.
"Without going this route, we were looking at a 25 per cent increase
in taxes," said Billings Reeve Aus Hunt. "It was not an easy
decision
to make, we could have reduced our staff by one position, but we
really did not want to do that."
The solution, which will help deal with the current cash crunch, is
also temporary, and without help from the provincial government,
municipal councillors despair for the future.
"It used to be that we could do things more frugally on Manitoulin
as
we did a lot of things 'in-house'," said Reeve Hunt. "Those days
have
passed and much of our budget increases are mandated by things we
have no control over, such as (District Social Service
Administration
Board) DSSAB costs."
Reeve Hunt noted that among the changes which have hit rural
municipalities unduly hard is the removal of the rural road upkeep
subsidy.
"In the old days, roads were our biggest cost after education," said
Reeve Hunt. Without the subsidy, which ended five years ago,
municipalities cannot budget or plan for the future.
"There are special programs and such, but you never know how much
you
will get," he said. "Even when you do get those funds, they are
temporary and you cannot count on getting them next year."
With the reduction in salaries by the 20 per cent cutback on hours
for all staff at Billings, the township is still faced with a 10 per
cent tax increase.
"We have whittled down our reserves over the past few years, and
there is no longer any room to go in that direction," said Reeve
Hunt.
Gore Bay ratepayers are faced with a 25 per cent increase in the tax
levy, even after drawing $80,000 out of their reserves.
Gore Bay town treasurer Pam Bond said there will be a $225,000
increase to the budget, including $100,000 for a new ice plant at
the
arena and $30,000 for a gas pump and electrical upgrades.
The bill for the $80,000 removed from reserves will come home to
roost in future years.
"Having to take $80,000 out of the reserves is drastic," said
Councillor Chris Blodgett.
Although the 25 per cent hike to Gore Bay's mill rate is massive,
the
residents of the town are somewhat fortunate in that the raise in
rates will place them in a comparable position as neighbouring
municipalities. The increase will mean $260 per $100,000 assessment
in additional tax bills.
Ms. Bond noted the town had not increased the tax rate substantially
in previous years and that the budget was now practically cut to the
bone. "There isn't a lot of places we can make cuts," she said.
In Central Manitoulin the tax rate will be climbing less than in
Billings or Gore Bay, with increases slated for the Carnarvon area
of
2.1 per cent, and eight per cent for Sandfield and Campbell, but
that
low increase comes at the cost of withdrawing $91,000 from reserves.
The situation has caused a great deal of unease on the Central
Manitoulin council.
"Something I think we need to do is to educate the public as to why
these increases are taking place at all," said Central Manitoulin
Councillor Sarah Bowerman. "It is not because of our spending, but
because of downloading from the province. We need to lobby the
province on behalf of rural councils, we can't continue to digest
these costs. It's crazy. How can we keep our budgets down when we
aren't the people making the decisions."
"About $115,000 to $116,000 of the $250,000 increase in our budget
are costs that we have control on," agreed Reeve Mary Nelder. "Not
even half."
The drastic measure of taking money from reserves has many
councillors uneasy over the future.
"We can't keep robbing Peter to pay Paul," said councillor Derek
Stephens. "We have to stop somewhere."
Reeve Nelder agreed, noting that the financial situation did not
appear likely to improve, and that made taking funds from reserves
particularly dangerous.
Central Manitoulin appears headed for a compromise situation, and a
town hall meeting slated for August 7 will give the public an
opportunity to comment publicly on the issue.
Assiginack town council will be meeting this week to go over their
budget line by line, but councillors there privately admit there is
little room left for them to operate, as years of budget paring have
cut expenditures close to, if not into, the bone.
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands meanwhile will be presenting
its budget 7 pm this Tuesday night at the Little Current Howland
Recreation Centre. It is expected that all wards will be an increase
in tax rates for all wards.
The cries of anguish from rural councilors are echoed across the
province, from urban giants like Toronto to Ontario's quaintest
little Township of Billings, while the myth of civic waste remains,
and coffeehouse quarterbacks remain adamant that huge reductions are
still possible, providing the fodder to demagogues and deflecting
the
blame onto town and city councillors who admit they are at their
wits
end.
The spectre of third party management has begun to be raised as
councils approach bankruptcy, but there appears to be little
likelihood that even that would solve the crisis facing
municipalities and ratepayers. It's common sense. |
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