Steam buffs say Norisle could sail again Assiginack seeking funds

to study feasibility of restoring historic ferry

by Jim Moodie

MANITOWANING-What a difference a week makes.

When the Friends of the Norisle came together two weeks ago, the nascent organization's mission was as modest as it was desperate: figure out some way to save Manitowaning's 60-year-old ferry from being scuttled or junked.

Now, having received some unanticipated but highly welcome input on the state of the craft, the group has cause to contemplate a much grander scenario: actually powering the old beauty up and sailing her once more from port.

Following the first meeting of the local boat-boosting bunch on March 1, member Dave Ham, since named committee chair, was fortuitously put in touch with a pair of steam engine experts in southern Ontario, both of whom expressed great interest in the fate of the historic vessel. Enough so that the two, along with a similarly steam-obsessed colleague, decided to drive up to Manitoulin this past Saturday (leaving their homes at 5 am, and waiting out an accident-related bottleneck at French River en route) to conduct an on-board inspection and gauge the boat's ability to not only remain afloat, but depart harbour under steam.

Arriving at the ferry site just before 2 pm were Wayne Fischer and Richard Mosher, both of the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum in Puslinch, near Guelph, and John Coulter, a marine engineer and head of the Technical Safety Standards Authority, which inspects all steam-powered craft in the province through its Boilers and Pressure Vessels Safety Program. Each individual also belongs to the Ontario Steam and Antique Preservers Association.

While all three brought considerable expertise in the field of steam power, Mr. Coulter was particularly well suited to assess the viability of reviving the Norisle, having overseen the restoration of the Seguin steamboat on Lake Muskoka.

As Mr. Ham noted during a Friends of the Norisle meeting on March 8, two days prior to the trio's visit, Mr. Coulter "got the Seguin up and running when it was in far worse condition than the Norisle."

After touring the boat for over two hours and training flashlights on everything from the engine and boiler below, to the clamshell ventilators and smokestack up top, the visitors delivered a heartening diagnosis.

"This has all the basic framework in place," noted Mr. Fischer, adding that whereas a "diesel engine has a finite life, a steam engine can last 100 years or more."

While neglect and flooding in recent years have left many components of the Norisle looking coal-smudged and rust-streaked, Mr. Coulter counselled, "don't let what you see disturb you. Everything's fine-it just needs to be refitted."

Some immediate steps should be taken, however, to stem the influx of water, such as capping the smokestack with a tarp (or other type of cover) as well as sealing off the ventilators, he urged. Most of the seepage, in his estimate, is entering the ship from above, as opposed to leaking in through the hull.

The good news is that the interior workings, while sullied, are entirely sound. Pointing to the slightly tarnished steel rods of the steam engine housed below decks, he noted, "this can all be brought back, and it will be a really beautiful engine when it's all cleaned up."

The style of triple-expansion steam engine on board the Norisle was not uncommon in its day, but is "quite rare in that it still exists," noted Mr. Fischer. "There were 1,150 manufactured during World War II for use on war ships, but to the best of our knowledge none of those is left."

The Seguin tour boat, sailing out of Gravenhurst, runs on "a straight compound engine, using one high pressure and one low pressure cylinder, as opposed to a triple compound," noted Mr. Fischer. "And it's been a great commercial success."

In a meeting held after the inspection, Mr. Coulter expanded on the potential of activating the Norisle-last sailed in the early 1970s-as a working vessel. "It may seem discouraging to the uneducated eye when you see how dirty everything looks, but the substance is there," he said. "The key factor here is that you're not starting with something you have to take apart and rebuild."

He noted that many communities across the globe have successfully restored and reactivated vessels of a similar vintage, or older. "Right now in the world, there are in excess of 200 steamships operating in public service, some of which are fully commercial, and others that are run by volunteers."

These range from massive steamboats weighing 10,000 tons, to relatively tiny tugs, "and everything in between," said Mr. Coulter. "It's a growing initiative, and once these boats are restored, they're self-sustaining for the most part. The Seguin, for instance, doesn't receive grants."

The marine engineer said that the Norisle is in better shape than most of the steamships that have been put back into service elsewhere. "On a scale of one to 10, you're starting at a 6 or 7," he said. "This should give you encouragement, because some are starting at negative one."

The Seguin "had to be totally taken apart," he noted, and "it took 10 years to restore." He added that many European countries have been fixing up old steamers, yet "many of these don't have the potential that the Norisle has."

He urged the committee members to dream big. "The opportunities for the Norisle are only limited by imagination, not by the community. It takes courage to imagine the range of things she could do."

He said the Norisle has an advantage over steamships of an older vintage in two important respects. "Because it's relatively recent, you're not trapped in doing a complete historical replication the way you would be with a Victorian ship, so you have the freedom inboard to develop public resources in an effective way," he said. "And the second great strength is the tremendous amount of space you have to work with."

While upgrading the ship for sailing would necessitate drydocking it for a full refit, as well as the services of a naval architect and removal of wood to bring it up to code, Mr. Coulter contended that, despite the obvious investment required, the Norisle would become much more viable as an operable craft than if stuck in port. "A ship is a unique creature, and as soon as you start treating it as a building, you're going to lose it," he warned. "The reality is that very few ships operate well as museums or restaurants."

He said the boat could be used for day cruises, or developed into a full-fledged "pocket liner with staterooms, geared to high-end passengers for four- to five-day cruises." A revamped Norisle could even sail beyond Georgian Bay and the North Channel, visiting US ports, he suggested.

"It may be that, for part of the year, the ship is not even here, but out earning its way and paying its keep," he said. "But this would still be its home port, and if it's not here, it's still flying the flag of its hometown and branding an area."

For members of the Friends of the Norisle, previously focussed on simply keeping the ship afloat in its retired repose, it was perhaps a bit much to suddenly picture the vessel steaming proudly into Detroit or Chicago with flags aflutter. Yet all seemed keen to at least explore the potential of reviving the craft as a lake-going concern.

Mr. Ham noted that he sat on a committee years ago that looked into the viability of a ferry from Alpena, Michigan to Manitoulin-an idea that was eventually dropped in favour of enticing large cruise ships to Island ports. "I said all along that Manitoulin will not see any economic impact from cruise vessels until one is located here and embarks from a Manitoulin port," he said.

If funds can be found to make the Norisle seaworthy again, it could fill a vacuum in the local tourism picture, Mr. Ham suggested. "Something that keeps echoing in my mind is that here we are on the largest freshwater island in the world, beside one of the seven best cruising areas in the world, and tourists coming here want to see the famous North Channel. But if you're not in a boat, you can't do that."

A massive cruise ship like the Columbus can't duck into scenic channels the way a boat of the Norisle's stature and draft might, Mr. Coulter noted, while the quaint, steam-powered nature of the craft would act as an allure in its own right.

"I've stood port-side in harbours around the world, and if there's a steamship coming in at the same time as a diesel ship, guess where the lineup of people goes?" he said rhetorically. "There's a romance to steamships, and they're also more quiet. People are fascinated by them."

They're also remarkably durable. Asked how long a steam engine will last, Mr. Coulter replied: "virtually indefinitely." He pointed out that, in Switzerland, a company recently decided to build entirely new steam engines to refit a boat rather than replace diesel engines, because "they did an economic study and realized that the life expectancy of the boat would be another hundred years with those engines, whereas with diesel they'd have to replace the engines three times."

Options for the Norisle aren't limited to use as a scenic cruise boat. Another possibility, it was pointed out, could exist in returning the craft to its original purpose as a car ferry, albeit on a smaller scale. Wikwemikong has, for some time now, been investigating the feasibility of a ferry link from Killarney, and the boat could be potentially activated for that role, it was suggested.

In its hey day, the Norisle carried 50 cars and 200 passengers, while offering 58 staterooms for overnight travellers. No-one imagines a ridership of that scope being feasible (or more to the point, approvable) now, but the point was made that the car decks could be regulated to take on a dozen or more cars at a time. And if a partnership was formed with Wiky, funds available to First Nations might be accessed as well.

Support, it was noted, can also be secured from the Sudbury chapter of the Navy League, which previously held a two-week summer camp on board the ship, and would have done so again last summer had the boat not been declared unusable. Backers of the Norisle envision a broader involvement from the Navy League, and possible monetary assistance through the Department of National Defence, with the boat potentially acting as a training ground and maritime camp for cadets from across the country.

Still, such schemes are sure to face skepticism from many quarters, in particular from within the municipality presently vested with the vessel's ownership. Committee member Paul Rowe noted that many among council, and within the broader township of Assiginack, view the Norisle as expendable.

Mr. Coulter said that such views "are common." He noted that "when we did the Seguin, we were told that the best thing we could do is take it out on the 24th of May weekend, set fire to it, and sink it. But at the same time, we had letters of support from Australia. You have to have the tenacity and vision to carry through."

He urged the committee to investigate partnerships and put together a strong business plan before seeking funds. "The government is sensitive and doesn't want to give a grant today, only to have someone come back tomorrow for another. They don't like giving a continual subsidy; you have to show you have a stable and self-perpetuating plan."

He also encouraged the group to acquire non-profit status as soon as possible, so tax-deductible donations can be made, and stressed that "in-kind contributions are worth more than a dollar, so if you can find a firm to do the wiring or plumbing, that's perfect."

The Norisle committee, although just recently hatched, is quickly working towards these ends. At its meeting on Thursday of last week, the group elected officers to serve on the board, with Mr. Ham agreeing to act as interim chair, and Mr. Rowe being selected as treasurer. Secretary will be Wolfgang Suppan.

The group plans to apply for not-for-profit status, and has already met with local MP Brent St. Denis to suss out possibilities for federal support. Meanwhile, the committee has drafted forms and cards for joining the Friends of the Norisle in order to broaden its base and begin to build up a modest kitty. Cost of becoming a member of the organization is $20 per year.

Additionally, the group plans to have a presence at the upcoming Trade Fair on Manitoulin, and is looking into the production of buttons, calendars, and other fundraising items.

The Township of Assiginack, for its part, has authorized economic development officer Rob Maguire to seek funds for a feasibility study of the Norisle, and the hope is that FedNor might provide resources for such an endeavour.

Hugh Moggy, a former reeve who is serving on the Friends of the Norisle committee, noted that a partnership with the municipality will be essential. "If we want to access provincial or federal funds, the township will have to support it." He further pointed out that, while many on council have suggested that it's time to part with the aging attraction, "they'll probably welcome this if another group is prepared to take on the responsibility."

A motion was passed on Thursday to seek acknowledgment from the municipality of the Friends of the Norisle "as a group looking to have management of the vessel, but not ownership," as Mr. Ham phrased it. It was further agreed that Mr. Ham, as chair, should personally meet with council to ask that the township formally recognize the organization via a resolution of council. Should the municipality succeed in acquiring funds for a feasibility study, it is anticipated that members of the Friends will play a role in establishing the terms of reference for such an exercise.

The next meeting of the Friends committee is scheduled for March 22. It was agreed that this session will involve the executive only, but that a subsequent meeting will be thrown open to the broader membership, as well as to any possible new recruits, as the turnout at the initial meeting on March 1 was compromised by a severe storm.

Rostering!

Voluntary medical sign-ups will mean improved tracking

of community health trends

by Alicia McCutcheon

MANITOULIN-Over the past few months the hospitals and clinics throughout Manitoulin, and across the province, have been asking patients to roster themselves to a physician, or a group of physicians in a clinic.

This push for rostering under a new government initiative through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MHLTC) has already seen 6.2 million Ontarians and 6,200 doctors participating. Although the process is completely voluntary, the ultimate goal of the government is to have all residents of Ontario rostered.

The rostering form itself is quite simple. There are sections for enrolling yourself, your children, and dependent adults and asks basic questions such as name, address and health card number. Upon rostering, patients will be asked to state their family doctor. If patients do not have a family doctor, they may either choose one or wait for the doctor with the next available time and then may be asked to choose that physician on their rostering form.

However, this basic process has some people feeling wary, says Dr. Anahita Ariana of the Little Current Medical Associates.

She explains that the purpose of this exercise comes down to primary care: providing timely preventative strategies to maintain your health.

"Rostering ensures that physicians are doing what the ministry wants them to do such as preventative care strategies and overseeing the way they do things," says Dr. Ariana.

She wants people to know that rostering will "in no way change your doctor/patient relationship."

Dr. Michelle Snarr of the Mindemoya Medical Clinic says the government is really pushing strategies for preventative care-breast screening for women over 50, pap smears, colo-rectal exams, flu shots and childhood immunization.

Once a patient is rostered, she explains, the ministry can track how many patients under a physician are getting the preventative care they need according to their age and needs.

"If a doctor has so many female patients over the age of 50 and 75 percent of them have received breast screening, the doctor will receive a bonus," says Dr. Snarr.

Dr. Ariana explains that doctors have not received a raise in pay from the government in close to five years. This bonus solves the problem of the raise while providing initiative for better preventative care. She also believes it is the hope of the government that with these bonuses, doctors will take on more patients.

"This is the government's point of negotiation," she says.

Dr. Ariana does admit that the process is burdensome and will become even more so once spring has arrived. The MHLTC will no longer pay the administration fees for rostering and the burden falls to the hospitals and clinics.

Dr. Shelagh McRae says that, to the three doctors at the Gore Bay Medical Centre, rostering seems like a lot of bureaucracy.

She says that although the process will help with the push for preventative care, it is also a means to end some more 'urban' problems like double-doctoring for misuse of prescriptions and to encourage people to find a doctor instead of using the emergency room every time a patient needs to see a physician.

Patients who do roster will also receive a bonus from the government. Currently, anyone may call the Telehealth toll-free number to speak with a registered nurse about health problems instead of going to the hospital (unless advised to). Those rostered will also have access to a doctor through Telehealth if a nurse sees the need.

Although Telehealth and services such as medical clinics and access to a nurse practitioner are available to all now, Dr. Ariana says she would not be surprised if one day in the future these services would be available  to rostered patients only at the MHLTC's request.

She adds that more good may come out of the process in the long run too.

"If we do have all of our patients rostered and find that 'x' number of people have heart disease and diabetes, we may get government funding to try and prevent this," she says. "The government won't give out money without data from the communities."

Dr. Ariana says that since she's moved to Manitoulin, she's realized how important primary and preventative care already was to the physicians here and adds that rostering just continues the history of good medicine.

"I feel blessed to live in a community where we have a group of physicians who care about the health of the community."

Rostering forms are available at the medical clinics in Mindemoya, Little Current, Gore Bay and Manitowaning.

Four million dollar bid accepted

to remove Zhiibaahaasing tires

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-It's been a full year now since concern began to swell on Manitoulin regarding a hazardous stockpile of a million-plus tires on the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, but all those resolutions, postcards, meetings, letters, and gallons of newspaper ink seem to have finally paid off.

As of this week, action is finally being taken to remove the material.

Last Thursday, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) revealed that Empire Recycling and Disposal Canada, based out Harrow, near Windsor, has been selected to handle the cleanup job, which will involve shredding the tires on site and then carting them off Manitoulin by truck to a recycling depot in southern Ontario.

The cost of the operation "is approximately $4 million," indicated INAC spokesperson Brock Worobel, and work is expected to commence immediately. Indeed, Empire Recycling was planning to haul equipment to Zhiibaahaasing this past weekend to begin the shredding process.

"Shredding will take about four weeks, and then it will be about five weeks to transport the material off the Island," said Mr. Worobel. The shredded rubber will be taken to the BFI recycling depot in Chatham, which uses provincially approved methods to convert the material to other purposes, he said.

Part of the reason for the sudden haste is that weight restrictions for vehicles are enforced on local roads in the spring. "The idea is to get all the equipment into the site before the load restrictions come into effect," explained Mr. Worobel. "After the roads dry up and the restrictions are lifted, that's when you'll see the convoy of trucks."

Mr. Worobel noted that work will follow strict environmental guidelines. "An environmental assessment was completed on the site, and we've consulted with Health Canada and Environment Canada to ensure federal environmental standards are met," he said, adding that "we've also consulted with the Fire Marshal's Office and the Ontario Environment ministry because provincial standards are stronger than the federal ones."

In an interview with the Recorder last week, Zhiibaahaasing Deputy Chief Kevin Mossip indicated that "approximately 15 tractor-trailer trucks will be used to haul the tires, and approximately 10 to15 employees will be on the project site, of which four to six will be First Nation members." Mr. Mossip estimated that 300 to 500 truckloads would be required to remove all the scrap rubber from the site.

Keeping to the trail

Part I of a series

Everyone has an opinion about hiking paths

EDITOR'S NOTE: With the following article, the Expositor is launching a three-part series that will examine the benefits and challenges of trail development by comparing the experiences of hikers and landowners in other regions, and considering both the economic benefits and planning obstacles associated with such ecotourism initiatives.

by Lindsay Kelly

NORTHEAST TOWN-Debate over the proposed Northeast Town walking trail development persists as landowners and trail proponents continue to weigh in on the issue.

Lorri Millsap, a Gore Bay resident who formerly owned property on the Bruce Trail, believes that if a trail development goes ahead in the Northeast Town, it will only be a matter of time before problems arise-problems which she has already experienced firsthand.

Originally a resident of Creemore, Ontario, located near Collingwood along the Niagara escarpment, Ms. Millsap moved to the Island four years ago when a constant influx of Torontonians to the area caused property prices to skyrocket and forced her family to move.

"Farmers in Creemore-which is about an hour-and-a-half north of Toronto-couldn't buy any more land," she said. "Land was going for $10,000 an acre."

When her family finally made the choice to sell their farm and move to the Island, Ms. Millsap said they had to add a clause to the real estate contract indicating that a small piece of property on their land was part of the escarpment, so that people purchasing the land were aware at the time of purchase that there were restrictions on the land.

"We wanted to tear down a 150-year-old shed-and it was only a 10-foot-by-15-foot shed-but we were told we had to get a permit before we could tear it down," Ms. Millsap said, incredulously. "A good wind would have taken the shed down."

She said that there are plenty of examples demonstrating the resulting difficulties surrounding use of escarpment land. One example is an acquaintance who wanted to set up a wedding garden on her property to host weddings, but "she was told she couldn't have a business on the property," Ms. Millsap noted.

In another instance, owners of a farm who wanted to set up an equestrian centre where they could hold clinics were told they had to get a special permit every time they held a different event, according to Ms. Millsap. Instead, they tried to set up the centre at a farm they already owned, but they faced more roadblocks.

"They were told they had not set back the farm far enough from a creek that was running nearby-but it only ran in the summer," Ms. Millsap related. "They had to sell the farm and buy another one."

So how does all this relate to the proposed Northeast Town hiking trail? Ms. Millsap believes that allowing a hiking trail here on the Island could result in similar problems, with easier access provided to non-Island groups to take the reigns of the project, which might eventually see Islanders facing land restrictions similar to those imposed on Bruce Trail landowners.

Ms. Millsap's family currently owns a 300-acre farm at the west end of the Island, and she said that she would not object to someone hiking-with her permission-on her property so they can enjoy the beauty of the land. It's people from out of the community attempting to tell landowners how the property should be managed that bothers her.

"I wouldn't go to Toronto, sit down in their boardroom and have a cup of coffee just because it's there," she analogized. "A farm is a business, just in a different capacity than those people are used to."

Ms. Millsap is also concerned about who will police the trail. "My biggest worry is that gates will be left open, there will be litter, or somebody will fall and hurt themselves," she said. "It doesn't happen all the time, but the potential is there for things like that to happen, and that's my worry."

However, she acknowledges that such incidents might make up a very small number of the trail users, noting that "five percent would ruin it for 95 percent of the rest."

While she doesn't object to conservation-and in fact, she is in support of preserving the land-she believes that, when someone purchases land and pays taxes on it, they should hold the rights to use that land the way they see fit.

"I think it's great that they want to show off the Island, and I'm glad I have my 300 acres, but people need to keep in mind that there are positives and negatives to the trail," Ms. Millsap warned. "It's important that people keep in mind the land is privately owned and it's not just about pollution, but there are dangers involved."

Yet despite Ms. Millsap's assertion that the trail would pose problems for the Island, Tom Ashman's experience with a public trail has been entirely different. Granted, he lives near Wiarton on property through which the Bruce Trail meanders-a ferry trip away from Manitoulin-but he suggests that conflict between those on opposing sides of the issue can be resolved so that everyone is pleased with the result.

His involvement with the Bruce Trail has been a "nothing but truly incredible," he said when contacted at home. "It's been a win-win-win situation."

Mr. Ashman's property is a 100-acre nature preserve surrounded by limestone extraction quarries and runs along a ridge of the Niagara escarpment. It is the first preserve in Ontario to be protected by a perpetual land conservancy agreement that has an integrated trail system as part of the easement. It allows that, regardless of who owns the property in the future, or if the Bruce Trail system collapses, public walking trails will always be on the land.

A conservation-minded approach to land ownership was fostered in him from an early age while growing up in Dundas, and Mr. Ashman recalls that when the Bruce Trail was being conceived, he was busy exploring the craggy escarpment, investigating waterfalls and caves and quickly falling in love with the land.

When he and his wife eventually purchased their own property years later, it was natural, he said, to want to have trails developed there. Now their property encompasses 4.2 kilometres of loops off the main Bruce Trail, which he would like to eventually connect up to the main route. The experience has been nothing but wonderful, he said.

"The really astonishing thing about this to us is that we do the maintenance on the trail ourselves, and usually when we're out there if we find a gum wrapper it's a big deal," he said. "There's no litter, no destruction, no vandalism. If something does occur, it would be really annoying, but it's not something you'd expect."

More often than not, visitors are respectful, and even thankful for the experience. The Ashmans' mailbox resides in one corner of their property located near the trail parking lot, and Mr. Ashman said there are often letters from visitors from as far away as Germany or Holland thanking him for allowing them the use of their property. "It's quite marvelous," he said.

And rather than be annoyed by the sounds of excited visitors or schoolchildren on the trail, "it doesn't bother us," he said. "We think it's really neat that the property will be there for the kids to hike."

He acknowledges that Islanders have concerns that restrictions will be placed on them and how they can use their land, but he suggested that "given the state of the present government, it seems unlikely-they just don't do that."

He also emphasizes that the trail developers, if they're anything like those who have worked on the Bruce Trail, will be very mindful of the wishes of the landowners who grant them access to their property.

"I understand that people get nervous about the government getting their finger in the pie, but the trail developers I've worked with down here are really thoughtful, dedicated people who are appreciative of the fact that the trail can't exist without the landowners," he said. "Unless the landowners are happy, the trail isn't going to happen, so they'll do anything in their power to alleviate the landowners' concerns."

He is eager about the prospect of the Island trail being extended and believes it would have nothing but a positive impact on the area.

"I'm so excited about the fact that there will be a link going around Manitoulin Island to the Bruce Trail and connecting to the Voyageur Trail," he said. "It's such an uplifting concept and it's been lacking for so long."

"The next generation will be able to go across Manitoulin and allow people to do a big loop around Georgian Bay," he added. "It's absolutely mind-boggling. It would be such a wonderful thing to happen."

The issues associated with trail development are all too familiar to members of the Manitoulin Snowdusters snowmobile club, which has had to navigate the thickets of land ownership over the last 30 years as it developed snowmobile trails for its club members.

Snowdusters secretary Betty Heis acknowledged that there are always two sides to the debate over the development of a trail. "Some want it," she said. "But there are always some who are opposed to it."

Many of the club's trails do follow road allowances, but Mrs. Heis said that she can't recall, during her 30-year involvement with the club, any issues that have come up in regards to the road allowances. The trails have "just sort of always been there on the road allowances, and access was open to everybody," she said.

The club works hard to establish good ties with the landowners, but the Island is unique because there is no Crown land here, which can pose problems with the trail, Mrs. Heis noted. In some areas, a lack of permission from landowners can mean that a trail ends abruptly, cutting off access to other areas of trail, or, in some instances, to a town, she explained.

But the Snowdusters always abide by the landowner's wish, and if one wants the trail moved, the club will move it, so that "just when you think you have a trail in place, it's constantly, constantly moving," Mrs. Heis said.

Often, landowners will complain of ATV use on the trails, and will then cut off use of the land for everybody, but the problem is not with the Snowdusters, she emphasized.

The Snowdusters's situation differs from that of any walking trail because, as a member club of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC), landowners are covered under their liability insurance.

While she concedes that doesn't preclude someone using the trail from seeking legal action if they are hurt on the trail, she notes that the club does its best to anticipate issues and resolve them before they become unmanageable. Still, such diligence takes its toll.

"We have a risk management system in place where we try to eliminate problems before they happen," she said. "It's really demanding for our volunteers, and what's happening is that we're losing our volunteers."

With such polarized views about trail development influencing public debate, it's not surprising that the Northeast Town council continues to tread lightly around the issue. A recent council meeting introduced two new motions into the discussion, which were designed to assuage the fears of landowners while still allowing for the possibility of the trail's development.

Presented by Councillors Bruce Wood and Paul Skippen, who are working with the ski club to help address landowners' concerns, the motions ensure that council take appropriate steps to see that the trail is built with input from the public.

The first resurrects and reiterates a motion passed in 2004 in which the council of the day expressed its opposition to the designation of Manitoulin Island as a biosphere reserve. The motion also notes its opposition "to actions by any group, including the Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, which would have the effect of reducing, impairing or in any way negatively impacting the property rights of landowners in this community."

The second motion reverses one passed at the January 11 council meeting authorizing the mayor and CAO to enter into an agreement with the ski club to develop the trail using municipal road allowances. It also reaffirms that a public meeting will be held to seek public input on the issue.

The January 11 motion "left it open to enter into an agreement," explained Councillor Wood, who is also a local farmer. "This makes sure the development will come to a public meeting before any action is taken, and hopefully it will protect the landowners."

Unanimous support for the motion was given by council, with Councillor Marcel Gauthier commenting that it was a good idea for council to familiarize itself with the issues before making a decision, and Councillor Jib Turner pointing to the practicality of it all.

A public meeting "serves the purpose of curtailing the costs we have as a council," he said. "We're not wasting time and money negotiating deals when we haven't met with the public yet."

Much will hinge on this proposed public meeting, where landowners and trail proponents alike are expected to voice their concerns and opinions about the development, with members of council, the ski club and the trail developers on hand to, hopefully, provide answers to the questions being posed by many.

A date has yet to be scheduled for the meeting; however, trail developers had originally set their sights on spring for the trail's opening, in order that it be ready in time for this summer's tourist season.

With March now here, that doesn't give the two sides much time to resolve their differences and draft up a plan with which they can both agree.

-30-

2,265 words

EDITORIAL

We should appreciate our hard-working farmers

A few telephone conversations and visits with several Manitoulin farmers prompted the editor of this newspaper to comment that, "farmers are a stoic bunch."

This is Farm Safety Week across Canada and, in recognition of this fact, The Expositor, as usual, talked to several local members of the agricultural community.

Virtually every one of them, chosen more or less at random, had stories of farm-based mishaps and/or near misses. That's what prompted editor Jim Moodie's observation.

To a great degree, we take the agricultural community for granted. Farms and farmers are everywhere on Manitoulin Island (although, sadly, not in the numbers they were a short generation ago) and virtually everyone who isn't "from" a farm has farm roots that are only one or two generations old.

We shouldn't take them for granted.

They feed us.

And in so doing, they are the single group of self-employed people in this country who are most likely to be injured in the course of running their businesses.

For those of us who run, for example, a newspaper, this is a very sobering thought, as is the accompanying statistic that in the decade spanning 1990 through 2000, fully 1,256 people working on farms were killed doing just that: working on farms.

Of these, 38 people died as a result of contact with toxic substances, or from living/working in an environment that had been poisoned by toxins. Being crushed by an equipment rollover accounted for 242 deaths while 207 people were fatally run over. Another 108 people died after becoming entangled in farm equipment; 97 people died from traffic collisions involving agricultural equipment or animals; encounters directly with livestock claimed 72 lives; being pinned or struck by a machine took 71 lives; while 63 people perished after being struck by an object (not by a piece of machinery) on the farm. Drownings accounted for 48 deaths and 43 people simply fell, accidentally, to their deaths.

Farming is a dangerous occupation, the more so now that it is an increasingly mechanized business where individual farmers often operate complex machinery completely on their own.

And, of course, time is money, so people work as quickly as they can and do so often at odd hours and by headlight when they get home from doing the other job they must have that allows them to farm.

We can think of no other group of self-employed people who run such a risk of fatality or serious accident.

And these, as previously stated, are the people we rely on to provide us with sustenance.

Farm Safety Week should serve as much as anything as a reminder of the hard, difficult and often dangerous work this particular group of Canadians undertakes on our behalf.

At the very least, we shouldn't take our farm community for granted.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Theft at Gore Bay arena is sickening

Let's work together to stop it!

To the Expositor:

On Monday, March 5, my 11-year-old daughter was playing hockey at the Gore Bay arena. Prior to the kids hitting the ice, a young man was downstairs trying to sell the kids drugs. To add to this already horrible situation, when the game was over and she was leaving, she realized that her new $225 iPod was missing. Upon talking to the few remaining parents, it was discovered that another iPod had also been stolen. She is heartbroken, as she had saved the money and bought it herself. Should she have taken it to the arena? No, but no-one deserves to be violated like that.

It makes me sick to think that kids are being offered drugs in a place that is meant to be a happy and healthy environment for them, and to have to worry about being robbed is disgusting.

To the creep who was trying to sell my daughter drugs, and the thief who stole from those peewee kids: eventually you will get caught.

I am appealing to anyone who knows who did this to call the OPP. There is a long history of money and other personal effects being stolen at arenas. Let's work together to put a stop to it!

Lorri Millsap

Gore Bay

Responsible, not "representative," government works for us

Present voting system serves us well

To The Expositor:

Your informative series on proportional representation (PR) encourages necessary discussion on an important and complicated subject.

To add to the debate:

The present voting system has served us well and kept the country together-no small feat, given our huge geography and ethnic diversity.

PR guarantees weak minority governments that spend their way into trouble and duck hard decisions. Do we want to be like Italy?

Some people say that their vote is wasted unless it elects someone. That's like saying every team you root for should win a trophy.

Some people say people will be more likely to vote if they are sure their votes elects someone. I doubt it-voters are apathetic because neither school nor television educates us on our civic duty.

A letter to you last week said that Liberal governments are thwarting change. In fact, citizen advisory panels on PR have been set up by Liberal governments in both Ontario and BC.

The writer also said that a bare majority in a referendum is enough to change the system and that it is undemocratic to require more. Sorry, that's the way it is for change to any constitution, and this is an important one. Fifty-percent-plus-one doesn't cut it, except for the self-serving.

The citizen panels on PR were chosen by lot, not for their understanding of government or their ability to weigh academic opinion.

And they were asked the wrong question-how to have more representative government. The right question is how best to have stable and accountable government-stable enough to be held answerable at the polls.

Mike Brown, our MPP and the Speaker of the Legislature, has it right. The system that has worked for us is not "representative" government. It is called responsible government.

Perry Anglin

Mindemoya

Dreamcatcher Fund proud to support Jr. players

No 'spin doctoring' of Islanders application

To the Expositor:

It is with great regret that I forward this letter, but felt it was required on behalf of our organization to continue to support all players, coaches and volunteers (Native and non-Native) of the Islanders and to correct some inaccuracies.

In respect to the letter submitted by W. Tim McGregor of the Whitefish River First Nation ( "Islanders hockey club misusing fund for Aboriginal youth," March 7), please be advised that in no way does the Dreamcatcher Fund view the young Native players as being exploited. In fact we are proud to help them and the team out.

Rest assured there was not any "spin doctoring" of the Islanders application. In fact I was personally in frequent contact with an Islanders fundraising person as the application worked its way through the process. Also, no other Native youth was disadvantaged from the Dreamcatcher Fund providing funds to the Islanders, and our funding was not used by the Islanders for equipment as suggested by Mr. McGregor.

The Dreamcatcher Fund has routinely funded junior-aged lacrosse and hockey teams, of which none of them are 100 percent Native or non-Native, and we are proud to join our Native and non-Native business brothers in helping this team. It is also reassuring to see the Islanders are an incorporated entity and raising other funds, something that the Dreamcatcher Fund always looks for in all applications and encourages.

I personally know some of the Islander Native players through my former association with Team Ontario North, competing in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, and wish them the very best. It is also encouraging to see that a member of the coaching staff is also Native.

I do not know Mr. McGregor's motive in penning such a letter; however, rest assured the Dreamcatcher Fund will continue to support the Native youth of Ontario, Manitoulin Islanders included.

R. Darryl Hill

manager

Dreamcatcher Fund