AOK_group home,unique in Canada,officially opened

by Michael Erskine

AUNDECK OMNI KANING-After more than a century of watching their young children being uprooted from their communities and placed in group homes in non-Native urban centres, First Nation families now have an option to place their children in a facility located in and operated by a First Nation community.

Kinoondidaa'gamig means 'a place of talking' in the Anishnaabe language. It is also the name of a licensed five-bed treatment home operated by Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) First Nation that is designed to meet the needs of children aged 11 to 18 in need of mental health treatment.

Regional chiefs and dignitaries from across the province converged in AOK to celebrate the grand opening of the home with prayers, speeches and-a hip hop concert.

Regional deputy chief Glen Hare delivered a prayer to open the celebration invoking the spirit of keeping families together to promote healing and brought his own congratulations to the event.

Grand Council of the Anishinabek Nation Chief John Beaucage brought greetings and congratulations from the council and spoke of the importance of healing, noting in the language that he himself is Nook Dodem (Bear Clan) and health and healing have a particularly personal importance to his heart. "Now we don't have to send our people away," he said, applauding the AOK community's achievement. "This community, this chief and council, are to be congratulated."

"Nobody can do it for us," he said. "The time of looking outside of our communities to deal with these issues is over."

Grand Council Chief Beaucage invoked the opening as a step toward the goal of a First Nation child welfare system. "We shouldn't have to look to other people, other cultures, to look after our children," he said. "It makes me so proud to be here-to be here with you who have taken these children into your community. Ch'Miigwetch."

Tribal chief and Chief of AOK Patrick Madahbee brought people back four years to the fledgling idea that was to become Kinoondidaa'gamig.

"I had heard a lot about our children being taken out of the community, off of the Island, out of the province and even out of the country," he recalled. "I heard about one of our community's children being placed in Sudbury." As it happened, the young child was being punished on the day of Chief Madahbee's visit.

"The li'l guy was being punished, sitting there with a guy standing over him while the other children were having fun and playing," he said. "I thought to myself, 'didn't we learn anything from the residential school experience?' Our kids are not meant to be away from their communities."

Chief Madahbee then went to visit four young girls from another Island First Nation who were staying in a group home in the Sudbury area. "I asked how they liked staying there," he said. "They told me they didn't like it at all and that they wanted to be in their home community."

Chief Madahbee returned to his own community and consulted with his band council. They got behind the idea and provided a significant amount of money for the initial push to build a group home in the heart of their own community.

Gerlinde Goodwin and Karen Mitchinson provided their considerable expertise as consultants in the area of children's wellness and helped to move the project forward. Both the Children's Aid Society and Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services as well as the Ministry of Community and Social Services provided support and encouragement for the project and, after considerable renovations to a band property deemed suitable for the project, the home opened its doors on October 1, 2006.

As an addendum to his story, Chief Madahbee reported that the original young fellow he had seen in Sudbury was now living in a foster home on the Island.

"It is good to see the young people in our community with lots of programming going on," he said. "This facility is open 24/7, 365 days of the year."

The facility currently employs 20 people, mostly from AOK, but also from other First Nation communities on the Island, said Chief Madahbee. "As well as our non-Native friend, clinician John Kaufmann. I don't know how he managed it, but John filled both the role of clinician and manager of the home when it first opened and we were searching for a manager."

Employee Greg (the Goose) Sutherland, who was acting as emcee for the event, chimed in "and one Cree." Mr. Sutherland is also an employee at the home.

The home integrates evidence-based mental health treatment practices with cultural, spirirtual teachings and values to provide residential services to children and youth who have the unfortunate circumstance of being involved in the child welfare system.

Anne Marie Corbiere, the manager of the facility, thanked everyone for coming out to the event and presented each of the speakers and the staff with a token of appreciation before Chief Madahbee cut the ribbon to officially open the facility.

Grand Council Chief Beaucage said that the plaque would be hung in a place of honour, the Anishinaabek Elder's Hall.

After the ceremonial events had concluded, a hip hop dance by Poetic Justice took place, with DJ and sound services provided by Blake Debassige of M'Chigeeng.

Island farmers recognized for innovative style

by Michael Erskine

ESPANOLA-"It all begins on the farm," said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown as Burt Farm of Ice Lake and Marin Farms of Gore Bay were recognized for their innovative efforts in overcoming challenges faced by agriculture.

Mr. Brown hosted the local awards ceremony in Espanola and presented the seven regional winners with the regional Premier's Award for Agri-food Innovation Excellence.

"I am pleased to recognize our local farmers with these awards," said Mr. Brown. "Their hard work and innovative ideas are helping to make our rural communities stronger. Not only have they brought us great food, they have provided their colleagues across the globe with some very great ideas."

Along with plaques commemorating their achievements came $5,000 cheques, but neither the cash nor the plaques provided the original impetus behind the innovations for which they were recognized. "Necessity is the mother of all invention," goes the old saying, and the need to overcome specific challenges drove the innovators' efforts.

"It is great to have the recognition and the acknowledgement from the Premier's award," said Max Burt, whose operation was recognized for turning hard-to-compost offal by-products into usable bio-fuel. "The awards are important in that they provide other people with the knowledge that they can make a difference to themselves and to other agricultural operations facing the same challenges."

Those benefits go far beyond the local market in their implications.

Mr. Burt had already received numerous inquiries from southern Ontario agricultural operations even before the announcement of the awards, as news of his success in bio-fuel production had spread throughout the rural landscape. "They are calling to find out more about what we are doing and looking to see how it can benefit them," said Mr. Burt, who anticipates even more calls due to the award program.

"It is nice (to receive the award) and we aren't going to refuse the cheque," agreed Birgit Martin, "but that is not why we do it."

The Martins' operation includes their own Shorthorn and Angus beef herd as well as custom boarding of cows. In addition to selling purebred breeding stock and commercial cattle, they finish and market from their own small beef feedlot.

"Their innovations have taken the idea of 'from the gate to the plate,' from an idea to reality," said Mr. Brown. He noted that the Martins' products play a key role in informing his colleagues at Queen's Park about Northern Ontario beef. "Each year the cabinet hosts a barbeque," he said. "They have always been active in promoting that end."

Mr. Burt operates a mixed livestock farm with an on-site abattoir at his Ice Lake property, where he introduced a small-scale biodiesel facility that has the potential to meet his energy requirements. Mr. Burt admitted that it took some ingenuity to effectively process the fat by-products from the abattoir, but by integrating his equipment and labour schedules he can now recycle what was an undesirable product that does not compost well. With a few more tweaks to the abattoir furnace and his tractors, Mr. Burt will be able to use the biodiesel all year round.

Other recipients of the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence regional awards included Northern Quality Meats Ltd. of Bruce Mines, which developed a licensed composting facility for their provincially licensed and inspected abattoir. By composting the abattoir by-products, the operation has become more environmentally sustainable, more energy efficient as well as eliminating odour and the need for storage.

Marcel Betty of Verner designed a better cement catch basin which works well in areas susceptible to frost heaving. Frost heaving can make the catch basins dangerous obstacles to farm equipment in the fields and can make their drain functions inoperable. The design is low-cost, low-maintenance and prevents wildlife from entering the drain. The innovation keeps wet spots in the fields to a minimum and allows for greater utilization of farmers' fields.

Jonella Farms of Massey, were honoured for their ground-breaking work in the area of adapting computer technology to the modern farm. By installing telecommunications equipment that includes video monitoring and a fast Internet linkage to a robotic milking manufacturer's service centre, John Mooney has eliminated much of the service obstacles facing remote rural dairy operations. The technology developed by Mr. Mooney has also opened the door to the expansion of the idea to new uses.

From the Temiskaming District, Ferme Blanche Rive of New Liskard has developed a 'baby monitor' for cows. Using anti-theft technology, farmers can know when an animal is ready to give birth without the labour-intensive need for constant checking on the animal. The technology is non-invasive and can be adapted for use with other animals. A bonus to this technology is allowing farmers to garner an "extra forty winks" during the very busy calving season.

From the Thornloe area, Matthew and Carol Duke saw the advantages of creating strategic alliances with other local producers, creating new products and added value to their traditional products. They market their products as "Northern," "natural," "humane," and "healthy" through their website and farm retail store. They have successfully harnessed the eat-local trend with locally produced flour and barley-fed pork made into sausage rolls, specialty sausages, hams and high-value specialty cuts of pork. All of these products are marketed under the "Northern Flavours Ontario" campaign.

Mack Emery of Massey serves on the independent assessment committee which decides which of the 350-odd applications each year will be among the 55 chosen for the regional awards.

"It is really a very rewarding job," he said. "You get to see all of the innovations and work going on across the region."

In addition to the regional awards, attendees were able to view a video of Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Agriculture the Honorable Leona Dombrowsky present the two provincial winners of the Premier's Award for Agri-food Innovation Excellence.

Bill and Carol Nightingale developed a set of high tunnel greenhouses adapted to Ontario's climate after travelling to Europe to research innovations there. Through their company Tunnel Tech, they now manufacture and market the sturdy greenhouses across the world. After a hurricane swept through Jamaica recently, some of the only things left standing was their company's high tunnel greenhouses. The resilience of the structures allowed agricultural operations in that country get back into production in record time.

David and Lynn Freeman developed a new freeze-drying technology that utilizes stainless steel both inside and out. Originally developed to maintain the benefits of nutriceuticals in their garlic and blueberry crops, the technology is now being applied to capture and preserve Mother Nature's gifts in a wide variety of other crops. Their pharmaceutical-grade freeze dryer is the only one of its kind west of California and the first of its kind in Ontario.

The two top provincial winners of the Premier's Award for Agri-food Innovation Excellence each received cheques for $100,000.

"A strong agricultural sector is vital to creating and sustaining a strong and dynamic society in today's competitive global market," said the premier during the video presentation. "Agricultural innovation is essential to our province's success."

"Ontario's innovators create jobs, build our economy and develop new markets," agreed Minister Dombrosky. "We know that encouraging agricultural innovations will help our agri-food sector get ahead in a challenging marketplace."

"You can buy ethical funds, and you know that you may get less return on your investment than if you invest in a big pollution-creating corporation," noted Mr. Burt, "or you can buy ethically by purchasing your food at local producers and know that you are being part of the solution, rather than adding to the problem. When you think of future generations, which are truly the smarter investments?"

Hwy. 6 corridor at Birch Island focus of protest

by Michael Erskine

BIRCH ISLAND-On May 29, members of the Whitefish River First Nation were joined by Natives from across Manitoulin and the North Shore-as well as a handful of non-Native supporters-in blockading Highway 6 with an information picket to bring attention to their cause.

Theirs was a protest mirrored in hundreds of regions across the nation, as First Nation communities took part in protests to mark a national day of protest. The day of peaceful protest had been called for by Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine, who expressed the frustration felt by many Native leaders in the face of the Conservative government's repudiation of the Kelowna Accords-a set of negotiated agreements made by the previous government, and which were widely hailed as finally bringing many of the Indigenous people's grievances to rest.

Picketers handed out leaflets outlining their side of the story. In 1922 lands were secured by the provincial government and over the next 40 years a highway was built linking Manitoulin Island with the TransCanada Highway at Espanola. The highway was an economic boon to far beyond the immediate region and is used by nearly half a million people each year. The only problem was (and is) the land the government used to build that highway belonged to someone else.

The Whitefish River First Nation was never compensated for its land or "the injurious affection to their interests resulting from the construction, use and maintenance of the highway," according to the handout.

But the highway issue was only one of the grievances addressed by the protest.

 "The Conservative government has no priority for economic development," said Whitefish River First Nation Chief Franklin (Shining Turtle) Paibomsai in addressing the crowd before the protest began. "They say it is not their problem-they say look to corporate Canada. Well corporate Canada isn't interested in hearing about it."

Chief Paibomsai pointed out that the road through his community's land has never been paid for, and, although the federal government has agreed to pay their half of the bill, the province has steadfastly refused to pony up their portion. But it was the federal government that took the brunt of Chief Paibomsai's ire. "They tore up the Kelowna Accord, they want to reinstitute the railroad through our land," he said, calling on all First Nation communities to stand behind their leaders and defend their lands.

Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse echoed Chief Paibomsai's call, exhorting First Nation communities to "stand up for our rights." Chief Toulouse called the current government "mean-spirited" and noted that Canada has been built upon First Nation resources to the tune of trillions of dollars, but that "we have not benefited from those trillions."

Chief Toulouse called upon both Natives and non-Natives to telephone or write their MPs and MPPs and tell those officials to honour the treaties.

Regional Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee (and chief of neighbouring Aundeck Omni Kaning) gave a fiery speech, calling on First Nation community members to "wake up, the federal and provincial governments aren't going to do anything for us."

The Canadian constitution is founded on a lie, continued Chief Madahbee, pointing out that document only recognizes two founding peoples, the English and the French. He referred to the actions of the upper two levels of government as being genocidal and called on First Nations to retake control over their own membership codes.

"We need our own citizenship laws in place," he said. "They are not going to do it for us. They want to keep us talking, and only talking, and talking-that's all they want us to do is talk. Enough is enough."

Chief Madahbee called for First Nation leaders to adopt a rights-based agenda. "But we can't do it alone," he said. "We have lots of leaders in our communities-all of you are leaders. Keep after them on this thing-nobody is going to do it for us."

Chief of the Serpent River First Nation Isadore Day commended Whitefish River First Nation Chief Paibomsai, saying "you have a very strong leader-I look up to him."

Chief Day was in the community, along with other members of his community, in a show of reciprocal support. Members of the Island communities were scheduled to attend an event later in the day in Serpent River.

Chief Day noted that band councils are simply an imposed order of government. "To me councils are just the administrative arm of the Indian Act." He related a lesson taught by an elder he had met who told him, "whenever they start talking, I put my Anishnaabek translator on: if things stop making sense I know something isn't right."

Liberal Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Brent St. Denis was on hand, and received a welcome that was more warm than hot. "The public needs to be engaged," said Mr. St. Denis, who congratulated those assembled for engaging in peaceful means to further their agenda. "The broader population of this country needs to learn the history, to understand how history has come about."

"I have learned so much from Aboriginal leaders," said Mr. St. Denis. "We should be grateful for the lessons."

In turn, assembled leaders were effusive in their praise of Mr. St. Denis, who finished his remarks to thunderous applause. Handed a sign, Mr. St. Denis took up position on the picket line.

"I am so grateful that we live in a country where this is how we address issues," he said later. "You don't have to look very far around the world to see how things could be. We are very fortunate that peaceful means are the first resort. We should never take this for granted. It is long past due that these issues should have been put to bed."

Mr. St. Denis noted that he has a private member's bill before the House which would ensure that all Canadians learned the true history of the nation, including the important contributions of the First Nations and how the contracts known as treaties actually came about.

"Too many people think the First Nations were a conquered people," he said. "That wasn't how it happened. The First Nations were our partners in this country; they trusted us when we made promises."

"I believe such days as these provide an opportunity for us to walk in right relationship as we struggle together for a form of First Nation government that is self-sustaining with or parallel to the Canadian government," said United Church pastor Faye Stevens in calling her congregation to join the demonstration. "We have an invitation and an opportunity. This is not just about First Nations; this is about all of us and our shared future. Come out in support of strong First Nations and a strong Canada."

Reverend Stevens noted the event in her sermon the following Sunday: "The little subgroup Gail Gjos and I are in at presbytery is called Right Relations and there we are struggling with, having apologized as a church to the First Nations. How now to live that apology and walk in right relationship? How to bring the word of right relationship to congregations that it might be acted out where we live everyday? Last Thursday was the national Day of Action. I took the liberty of calling some of the first nations communities to see how our church can be of support. I learned that Whitefish River and Serpent River First Nations were having a traffic slowdown to hand out pamphlets, so I asked if they would welcome our participation; was warmly invited to come out and be with them and then enjoy a lunch with all of the volunteers at the community centre."

"It was short notice so I whipped off an email to those I had addresses for. Julia McCutcheon responded that she would like to come with me. So we went over to Birch Island with a sign saying United Church supports First Nations," related Reverend Stevens. "Besides Brent St. Denis, I think we were the only non-aboriginals there. We had several folks come to us and express appreciation for being there."

The protest members formed a gauntlet line blocking one lane of traffic and (under police direction) vehicles were directed between the lines of signs and pamphlets explaining what the protest was all about were handed out.

Although some vehicles sped up too quickly through a line that contained a large number of children, most drivers took the slight delay in good humour and listened patiently to the words of Chief Paibomsai as he explained what it was all about.

Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team up and running

by Lindsay Kelly

LITTLE CURRENT-As the Northeastern Manitoulin Family Health Team (FHT) building enters its final stage of construction, and patients are being welcomed into the new facility, staff estimate it will be finished and ready to go by mid-summer.

Onsite construction has been steady since the building's frame went up in January, and doctors and nurses began seeing patients in the clinic's new addition in early May.

"The new area is operational and now we're just fixing up the existing building," explained environmental services manager Barry Parsons, who has also acted as an onsite consultant for the duration of the project.

The main entrance, accessible from Meredith Street, has received a professional touch with a new fa�ade that incorporates brick, stone and glass, bringing light into the main waiting and registration area.

Interlocking brick has been laid along the sidewalks leading up to the entrance and eventually the entire front area will be landscaped, incorporating Manitoulin stone into the design. Patients are being discouraged from using the clinic's old entrance on Vankoughnet Street, and eventually the emergency entrance will become the hospital's main entrance. Although it will take some time before patients adjust to the new format, staff believe it will ultimately provide better access for patients.

"We're trying to make it nice and easy, especially in the wintertime," Mr. Parsons said. "We'll have a turnaround at the front and as many parking spaces as possible."

The clinic has been engineered to accommodate patients with mobility limitations, and includes a wheelchair-accessible registration wicket and washroom just off the main waiting area. The entire space has been painted in shades of cream to give it a clean, seamless look.

The registration area has been expanded from a three-person workstation to a four-person station, and every effort has been made to provide administration staff with more room, something that was badly needed in the old space, noted FHT director Judy Miller.

"We're trying to create a separate work area so that when staff are on the phone, everybody isn't gathered around chatting when they're trying to talk," she said.

Once patients leave the waiting area, they are directed to the east wing of the building where they are seen by the registered nurses and nurse practitioners, or to the west end of the building to the doctors' offices, dietitian and social worker.

The work areas for nurse practitioners and registered nurses have been greatly expanded to provide more space, which is a huge benefit to patients, Ms. Miller noted.

"We've doubled our clinical space, which we know has improved access for our patients," she said. "The registered nurses will continue to provide all the well women care, immunizations and injections, and they'll do that through appointments or walk-ins."

"The registered nurses and the nurse practitioners both have their own clinical space," Ms. Miller added. "They have examination rooms and they also have everything they need in terms of office space, so they don't have to rely on the physicians' area to see patients."

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, sit in on consultations and learn from local doctors.

One neat feature is a light system which signals to staff whether a room is occupied. When the lights inside the room are turned on, a light located outside the room above the door also goes on, indicating that the room is occupied. Staff in the registration area know that, once the light goes off, the patient has left, making that room available again.

"We've been asking patients to turn off the lights when they leave, and so far people have been pretty good," Ms. Miller said.

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, Mr. Parsons noted.

At the end of the day, the security system, linked into a main computer, kicks in and the doors to the clinic lock automatically.

Both Mr. Parsons and Ms. Miller are pleased with the building's progress, and expect the construction to finish towards the end of June with a grand opening ceremony tentatively scheduled for later this summer.

Construction on the $2.1 million Family Health Team building began in September, after the hospital received funds from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, which is fully funding the project.

EDITORIAL

Time is now for Aboriginal reconciliation

The notion of a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" seems, at first blush, an exotic, foreign-land concept.

South Africa, after all, in the immediate aftermath of the apartheid doctrine that defined that nation both at home and abroad for so many years, put in place a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and that was the first time most people had contemplated the concept. 

For most thoughtful people in the international community, such an official commission made sense in terms of the decades and generation of baggage engendered by an official government policy aimed at, literally, keeping people (blacks and whites and those of the ambiguously named "mixed races") apart.

What was all this about? How did it happen? How did people cope during apartheid? How would the "races" (that terrible term) work together in the aftermath of generations of being kept apart by force of law?

These were questions, in the context of the South African experience, that it made sense for that country's national consciousness to ponder and to answer and then for its citizens (blacks and whites and those of "mixed race") to move on, collectively.

Well, Canadians began our own Truth and Reconciliation Commission this past weekend as our country, just as in the South African experience, is being asked to consider the ramifications of the residential school experience which, will ask us to consider the relationship between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in Canada within the context of a government-mandated program that sought to extinguish the Native consciousness in Canada by dint of assimilation; through cultural genocide.

Although not so recent as the South African experience, this is still recent history in Canada.

In our own local example, the residential schools at Spanish on the North Shore (the St. Charles Garnier school for boys and the St. Joseph's School for girls) only closed in the early 1960s.  And that's about 45 years, just two generations, ago.

That means, of course, that on Manitoulin there are among us large numbers of people who attended one of the government sanctioned- church run schools just across the North Channel at Spanish.

And what a unique opportunity we have here, people of Aboriginal descent and people of European descent, together.

We can-and must-use this moment in time to conduct our own Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, whether they be one-on-one among friends or at parties or sports events.

Unlike the official, government-run Commissions, where people will be invited to speak and notes will be taken, we can-and must-initiate these healing discussions as friends, families or other groups to which belong people of both European and Aboriginal descent.

Here is an example. More than a decade ago, at the official opening of the Waubetek Business Development Centre, this writer had dinner with a group of people, all Wikwemikong residents, who had been schooled at Spanish.

For the most part, once the topic of their shared residential school  experience was raised, dinner conversation focused on that topic and there were jokes and good humour.

But not altogether.

One person, the late Clayton Shawana, wondered aloud what the state of the farming industry at Wikwemikong would have been like except for residential schools.  He explained that farming was well-established on the reserve, but a great many families chose to abandon the farms they had been working, relocating instead to the village of Wikwemikong.  The reason for this exodus from the farms, Mr. Shawana explained, was that people were given to understand that if their children weren't able to easily attend the school in the village, then they would have to go to the residential school at Spanish.

This prompted an immigration to the village, so that children would be kept at home and go to the local school, and the consequence was a fairly large-scale abandonment of the farms on which people had been living and from which they'd been deriving their incomes.

There were several other stories related over dinner, all of which would now be considered relevant in the Truth and Reconciliation experience we're about to undertake.

And just in time, too. In non-Aboriginal Canada, the population isn't reproducing itself and the nation's population is slowly growing by dint of the quarter-million immigrants who choose Canada as their new home each year.

As more and more of these "new Canadians," call Canada home, and the root stock of citizens of European extraction becomes proportionately smaller, the experience of the Aboriginal community in this historical context may tend to become less relevant, and that would be unconscionable.

The time to consider the officially-sanctioned cultural indiscretions and their impact on the present and future of community development in this country is now.

But truth and reconciliation, just like charity, begin at home and that is why Manitoulin people must take the opportunity of reaching out to one another and asking these all-important questions right away.

We may hear things we don't like or find unpleasant to contemplate, but we need to hear them and perhaps pass them on to other friends, to our MP, and to community leaders. We need to hear them, and to say them, for our own shared perspective.

In this way, our unique Island community can become a national role model as well as building our own local bridges.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter-writer searches out contact from long ago

Visitor will return to Manitoulin from Scotland this summer

To the Expositor:

In 1961 I was one of four Young Farmers from Scotland on an exchange trip to Ontario. During my visit I spent a very enjoyable and interesting few days on Manitoulin Island.

Unfortunately over the years I have lost the name of the person I stayed with-but would now like to make contact with him.

My wife and I will be spending four days this September on the Island and, if possible, would like to meet the now not-so-young man who provided such great hospitality all those years ago.

If he is to read this, and would like to renew our friendship, please get in contact through the email address birkbeck2000@yahoo.com.

David Birkbeck

Inverness, Scotland

Whose interest is Perry Anglin focussed on?

Seniors should be left to take care of their own business

To the Expositor:

In reply to the articles in the Manitoulin Recorder regarding the long-awaited approval of the proposed seniors' apartment project and Perry Anglin's anxiety over a possible conflict of interest, whose interest does Mr. Anglin refer to, his own? Or the many people who have been waiting for this project to proceed so that they will be able to move into a stress free environment in their senior years.

If Mr. Anglin wants to be rid of his pasture land so badly why does he not sell it and donate the proceeds to a good cause, such as the proposed new building for the food bank? In so doing he will help the many people who need to take advantage of that facility or any other good cause for the benefit of the community, and leave the seniors to take care of their own business.

Ann Zylstra

Kagawong

Neglected pets too common a sight in Manitowaning

Where are the animal protection laws?

To The Expositor:

Last year in the May month, on Walcot St. in Manitowaning a little puppy about a year old was staked outside winter and summer.  A dilapidated dog house gave no protection from the elements.  I first noticed the wee animal as I walked to the post office.  The next day I looked and she was still there, no food, no water and every bone showing.  Her owners had been gone for three days.  She was hoarse from barking.  I went home and brought her a jug of water which she drank non-stop.  I filled it twice.  I found another dog on my street that gets little or no food unless you count a few pieces of raw bone from the local store. 

Anyway, I took this wee girl a huge bowl of dog food.  She was starving and ate four big bowls of dog mix.  As I bent down to pat her my hand became sticky.  Looking, I found it covered in blood.  A further examination showed a cat collar.  The puppy grew but the collar didn't, resulting in a great ring of raw flesh around her neck about 1 1/2 inches thick.  I just took this suffering little girl home with me and as it was the weekend, no vets were open. 

I called our mayor, the dog catcher and the police who needless to say were horrified.  She said busy shelter looked after the rest.  The police said charges would be laid, none were.  We came back from Florida a few weeks ago and another little puppy is staked out, no dog house this time and no water and no food.  Same place.  Where is our laws to protect these animals?  Incidentally, Fionn Closs, the animal control officer was getting married that day and he put all on hold to pick this suffering animal up in his arms and take her for help.  May God reward him. 

Dorothy Halliday

Manitowaning