St. Denis expects Indian Affairs will help Zhiibaahaasing remedy tire debacle

MANITOULIN-A proposal for the removal of stockpiled tires from the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation has been submitted to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), with the expectation that the federal department will provide the funds necessary to truck or barge the excess tires off the Island.

"There's progress and I'm confident a solution is forthcoming," said Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Brent St. Denis last Friday. "It's understood that removing tires would satisfy the concerns of the Island community and also relieve a lot of pressure on Zhiibaahaasing."

The First Nation recently met with INAC officials and submitted a plan that examines the costs of "hauling them to another location," deputy chief Kevin Mossip told the Recorder last week. "What we want to see is the creation of economic development for the community, but also to remove the tires."

Mr. St. Denis said the First Nation, through a series of unfortunate circumstances, including the breakdown of recycling equipment, ended up with an "unmanageable inventory." Now, he said, Zhiibaahaasing is "co-operating for a good result for all of Manitoulin."

Removing the bulk of the tire accumulation doesn't necessarily mean the First Nation-which has also applied for funding to study the feasibility of continuing its recycling operation-will get out of the tire business altogether. "They don't need to abandon the idea of a feasibility study, because that's a separate issue, unrelated to the excess inventory that's there," said Mr. St. Denis.

FedNor turned down the First Nation's application for funds to explore the viability of reviving the recycling plant, but the community is still hoping that Aboriginal Business Fund Canada will approve the application.

The MP said there are three issues to consider. "The first is to ensure fire protection at that site," he said. "The second is the excess inventory. And the third is the feasibility study."

He expressed confidence that federal funding would be found to cover the expense of removing most of the tires, which are estimated to number over 1 million-over 200 times the allowable limit of 5,000, as dictated by the province. Given that an average rate for transporting tires from more central parts of the province is $2 per tire, the cleanup would likely cost well over $2 million.

Mr. Denis stressed that, contrary to some concerns that have been expressed locally, "the federal government didn't fund this project; the decision was a local one."

The MP said he has been pleased to see that "people have remained alert and responsible" regarding the potential hazard represented by the tire pile. "I commend everybody, including the municipal leaders and individual citizens, for expressing their concerns, and also for being respectful to Zhiibaahaasing and not overreacting."

Digger sinks;rescued from channel

by Michael Erskine

LITTLE CURRENT-The sun had barely risen when the day took a decidedly negative spin for a Belanger Construction crew preparing the way for the new Northeast Town docks, as a large double-tracked excavator poised on two wedded barges took a plunge into the North Channel by the Little Current docks.

One of the barges upon which the excavator was lashed had developed a leak during the night, and by around 5 am the list was so pronounced that the heavy equipment snapped the chains binding it to the deck and the whole apparatus slipped into the water.

A 250-ton crane was dispatched from Sudbury to help hoist the errant mechanism out of the drink, although a similar crane was sitting up by the Northeast Town recreation centre. A dispatcher apparently noted that all of the company's equipment was 'busy,' without realizing where the equipment was actually located.

The intervention of both the Northeast Town and Aundeck Omni Kaning fire departments prevented any significant spill of fuel from contaminating the channel waters, according to the town.

"The machine itself had already been carefully washed down according to ministry guidelines," said Northeast Town CAO Dave Williamson. "So the only real concern was from the fuel tanks."

The excavator, which was armed with a rock-chipping attachment, had nearly completed its assigned task of deepening the area where new dock slips were to be installed. An even larger excavation shovel had been slated to be mounted on the barges to scoop up the shattered rock from the channel bottom.

Although the fuel spill was determined not to be significant, Northeast Town manager Greg Wright could be seen patrolling up and down the waterfront checking on the booms and oil-absorbent material that had been put in place.

"The current in the channel kind of threw us a curve," he said. "It switched directions right in the middle of things."

Despite the vagaries of current and the fact that the Northeast Town draws its water from the channel just a few metres downstream (or upstream depending on the wind and current), the amount of fuel leaked into the water was not considered to be a significant threat.

"We came down as a precaution," said Sudbury and District Health Unit inspector Dan Burns. "There was no need to issue a boil water advisory."

Spill pads were put into play nonetheless, and firefighters spent a considerable amount of effort retrieving the pads and placing them in waste containers.

Ministry of the Environment officials declined to comment by press time.

Although concerns were raised about the potential for the incident to put the new waterfront slips project behind schedule, the actual delay has proven to be insignificant.

"It put us back a day, that's it," said Mr. Williamson. "Work is proceeding pretty much as planned."

As it was, the saga of the sunken excavator proved to be a significant draw to the waterfront, with scores of onlookers waiting patiently to witness the hoisting of the machine from its watery rest.

In the end, the final rescue proved to be largely anti climatic. The slow steady hoist, designed to gently drain water from the flooded cabin, succeeded in its purpose, causing hardly a ripple to appear as it left the water.

Northeast Town's farmers seek support of community

Part of Community Development Plan

by Lindsay Kelly

NORTHEAST MANITOULIN-Island farmers need support from the greater Manitoulin community if the Island's agricultural sector is to enjoy success in the future. That was the opinion expressed by a group of farmers at a meeting on Monday night that was hosted by Northeast Town council and attended by about 19 farmers, citizens, and council members from around the Island.

The meeting was the first in a series that will be held over the next few weeks to determine the concerns of people working in various sectors of the community. The meetings are part of the town's effort to develop a proper economic development plan for the town, but are open to members of other Island communities. Subsequent meetings will focus on the manufacturing, tourism, retail, education, health and government sectors.

"We started with agriculture because it provides the foundation that our local economy has been based on," said town CAO Dave Williamson. "Unfortunately, it tends to be overlooked."

Essentially, council is aiming to find out what the real issues are facing the agricultural sector, and determine what it can do to assist in alleviating some of the problems they face as an industry, he added.

One often talked-about issue is the need for an abattoir, a problem dairy farmer and Tehkummah Reeve Jim Anstice brought up. Thus far, Island farmers have set up the Manitoulin Community Abattoir Fund (MCAF), collecting funds in trust to "help farmers get an abattoir get off the ground," Mr. Anstice noted. Those funds will be used, if and when an abattoir becomes a reality on the Island, for enhancement of the facility, since "we don't want the money to be seen as going into any individual's pocket."

But the farmers need support-of both the moral and financial kind-from other community members before they can make an abattoir happen. Funding, which is already tight for farmers looking to keep their own operations afloat, is difficult to come by, and there needs to be organization and promotion of the idea.

Currently, farmers send their animals to Sturgeon Falls or Astorville to be processed, but it is expensive, and the product has to travel needlessly.

"I think an abattoir is important for Manitoulin," Mr. Anstice said. "NEMI is the one area that is zoned for an industrial type of facility; it has water and sewer."

Too often, noted one local commentator, farmers feel isolated from the rest of the community and they need help to promote their product and to lobby for the reintroduction of exemptions for farmers on industry regulations.

The farming community got together several years ago, following the closure of Manitoulin Meats, to examine the possibility of opening an abattoir there, but "the cost was untenable," the local commentator noted. "The whole thing would have had to have been retrofitted."

Central Manitoulin Reeve Richard Stephens expressed concern that, following the unfortunate death of Jack Orford, the weekly sales barn might not continue to operate out of Little Current. "It's certainly a necessity," he said. "Even before an abattoir, we have to have a local sales barn to move livestock, or another facility in a central location."

Ken Hayden, a meat cutter who owns Hayden's Meats, said he regularly serves customers who request Manitoulin-produced meat, but he can't offer it because it is not available.

"There is a big demand for lamb and pork, but everyone is getting out of it because of the cost of shipping it there and back," he said.

If there was product to be sold, along with an abattoir in which to process it, he believes customers from Elliot Lake to Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury would be eager to purchase Manitoulin brand meats. "There are families who would take 20 to 30 lambs every spring," he said. "The Italian community in Sudbury and the Soo say it's a way better product."

Suggestions were offered that efforts could be made by the town to fund a marketing and advertising campaign that would promote Manitoulin-made products, and that support could be offered to groups like the Manitoulin Food Network, who are already promoting a 'buy local, eat local' campaign across the Island.

Adopting this creed, added Mr. Anstice, would provide local consumers with better food security as well. Currently, people are buying products from other countries that travel as much as 2,500 miles before they get to their plates. "The products are not meeting the same regulations that we're required to meet in Canada," he noted. "They continue to pay less because it's cheaper, but we don't know what they're getting."

Even the federal government got in on the debate, with FedNor being represented at the meeting by Arik Theijsmeijer. He suggested that FedNor is looking for projects to which they can provide funding, in particular, projects assisting those in the agriculture sector. FedNor is looking to conduct similar consultation meetings across the province this summer to find out the kind of help people need.

"We see our role for ourselves as helping local associations and municipalities," he said. "There are a lot of things we can do for the local sector."

He suggested that the farmers' markets could also use support from local government. For example, the farmers' market in Little Current could benefit from an awning, as well as a move to a more centralized location in the downtown.

Greg Pyette suggested that, in the short term, while details surrounding an abattoir are being worked out, a transportation system be organized to help farmers transport their products between the farms and the abattoirs, an idea that received accolades from many who were present.

He said that, if an identification system could be put into place for when the meat arrived on the Island, and if loads to and from the abattoir could be coordinated amongst farmers, shipping costs could be greatly reduced.

Since the meeting process is in its preliminary stages, no definite plans were made at the meeting's conclusion; however, attendees all seemed to agree on the need for a committee to be struck that would organize these ideas into a workable plan that would see them become a reality.

The committee would be composed of council members from across the Island, as well as farmers and other community members who come from other sectors, including retail. The committee would set priorities and then tackle them one at a time.

ABOVE: A 250-ton crane was called in to help lift a large excavator which had toppled into the North Channel at the Little Current docks.

EDITORIAL

Summer brings call for brother's keepers

Life in a small community can be very difficult for a private person used to the anonymity of the urban crush. In the fishbowl of small town life, everyone seems to think they know your business-and sometimes your neighbours seem to make up tidbits just to enhance the story.

But the flip side of that coin is that there is also a deep sense of community in rural Manitoulin, which, properly harnessed, can enhance security and reduce crime.

A number of years ago, the Island seemed locked in an epidemic of crime, with break-ins at isolated homes and cottages an all-too-regular occurrence. Neighbours banded together in the wake of those crimes to form both official and unofficial neighbourhood watches-with the result that rural crime in our area dropped dramatically.

The summer brings with it an influx of visitors, the vast majority of whom are among the most welcome and dynamic threads from which the fabric of our community is woven. But a tiny fraction of those threads are rotten-and this is where the spirit of community comes in.

Vigilance does not require a massive outlay of resources, but it can spread the eyes and ears of the police services into every cranny of our community when necessary.

Last week, during the so-called 'devil's day' of June 6, 2006 (the number of 'the beast' being supposedly 666-although a modern accurate translation of that biblical reference, reads 616, there must be a Dan Brown book in there somewhere) a porta-potty was seen afloat in the waters of the North Channel, coming to rest on the shores of Strawberry Island. And the late-night streets of Little Current were washed by water gushing from the vandal-opened valve of a Pioneer tanker truck. In Assiginack, youths are suspected of messing about with the Norisle tourist attraction.

These 'minor' incidents each cost people money through damage to property and the waste of labour and resources to remedy the loss. Each of those costs adds to the cost of living we all share. In the case of a vandalized or robbed home, the damage both psychological and physical to the homeowner can be immense.

With the warm summer days upon us and with too many idle hands loose upon the world, it is best that we peak our vigilance just a little bit more than normal. A rural curse can be a blessing.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Modern-day missionaries follow rez school footsteps

They are hoping to eradicate their own traditional spiritual beliefs

To the Expositor:

Growing up on my reserve, I've often seen different groups of born-again Christians come and host day camps in our home and remote communities for the children and youth. They pass out their fellowship flyers to suggest a week-long event of fun and games for the kids, and then show up around the neighborhood to round up children, and drive them to the community centre or park for these events. It's been an ongoing theory of mine that these religious groups are doing the same thing as residential schools did to our people in the past, although through a modern, post-colonial method. They are converting Indian children to Christianity, hoping to eradicate their own traditional spiritual beliefs and substituting them with a Christian Fellowship.

Traditional spirituality, on the other hand, was never acknowledged in the community when I was a child; and only a handful of traditional spiritualists, key holders of our cultural and spiritual identity, are being recognized today. As a youth, I think it is extremely important that traditional spiritualism should be more evidently practised within the community, and without interference of other spiritual parties. Anybody who is anybody, and not ignorant, would know that Aboriginal spirituality is at a very vulnerable state. Today, our communities are led by most of the survivors of the residential schools, coerced to follow Catholicism and Christianity.

Current religious cultures vary between every reserve, although most of the weight stands on the Catholic Church. For example, most of Native people of the reserve, it seems to me, have not made a complete transition from Catholicism, even if they claim to be followers of Native spirituality. For instance, a funeral: an Aboriginal family can go on for a number of years attending ceremonies, but when a family member dies, they have a Catholic burial. Why? That's the effect of intergenerational repression caused by the residential school system; we're living in this conditioned mindset that we need to be like our Caucasian neighbors, a 'proper civilian'.

I don't understand why we allow these Christian groups to nest on our lands, and why they don't feel guilty about their contribution to the endangerment of this vulnerable culture. But then again, I don't see any programs being facilitated to try and preserve Native spirituality within our communities, other than a social powwow held annually as a gesture to remind ourselves the "entertainment Indian" status we inherited from the days of Buffalo Bill's Wild West back in 1883. It upsets me that the only willingness to sculpt "Native identity" is regularly occupied by these Christian evangelists.

Personally, I think it should be a priority that we, the youth, regain and bequeath a cultural basis and spiritual understanding to move on in this Canadian society as Anishnabek-even if that means outlawing evangelists in an attempt to preserve Aboriginal spirituality. In order to reverse the effects of the residential school system, we need to be as headstrong in intent as the federal government was and be as committed as the evangelical movement is.

Preserve Native spirituality: evict the evangelist.

Ray Fox

Wikwemikong

Swing bridge lights has reader seeing red

Green light allows only a few

cars through at a time

To the Expositor:

Life is full of frustrations and while some are beyond our control, there are some that, if we speak up, might be rectified. I am writing this letter to the editor about one of those minor but frustrating things, namely the swing bridge in Little Current.

I don't know how the timing system works on it but every time I go over the bridge I must admit I get a bit angry. It's fine for tourists who only go across once in a while but when you live on the Island, the bridge is a necessity.

What prompted me to write this letter was an event on Thursday. There were about 20 cars lined up to leave the Island. The light was red (as it always seems to be) and it finally turned green. Three cars went through and the light turned red again, leaving about 17 cars in a line. There was the long wait while those three cars passed over, then I assume it turned green on the other side-but there were no cars there. Finally it turned back to green on our side but, again, only four cars got through before it turned red. Needless to say, people got very angry and just drove through the red light. On the other side was one truck.

When you consider the long time between light changes to allow cars to cross the bridge, changing the lights that often does not make sense. I see the sign saying to park in a certain spot to change the lights. I doubt very much that it has any effect at all.

So how about easing one minor but annoying frustration for Islanders: Whoever controls the lights on the swing bridge, make sure the light stays green so that at least 10 cars can get through without crossing on the red.

Gerry Mack

Kagawong

Letters can also be dropped through the slot on the front door of the Expositor office.Send your Dear Dave letters to Box 369, Little Current, Ontario, P0P 1K0,