Fielding family gives $100,000 to Health Centre cardio program

by Alicia McCutcheon

LITTLE CURRENT-Thanks to a generous donation, the Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) in Little Current will now house a cardiac rehabilitation program with a target launch date of October 1.

The generous donation comes from Lily Fielding and family in memory of her late husband Clifford Fielding, who passed away in the fall of 2004. The Fieldings have a long association with Manitoulin through their activities on nearby LaCloche Island.

Cardiac rehabilitation assists patients who have suffered a heart attack, or other cardiac event, through a program of designed exercises, dietary changes, and stress management. The rehabilitation centre will be located on the hospital's first floor, across from the physical therapy space.

"It has been proven to provide a better recovery rate and quality of life for patients after a heart attack and will be a welcome addition to the scope of services offered at MHC," says MHC chief executive officer (CEO) Derek Graham. "We used to always only worry about the acute phase of a patient's recovery."

The hospital's latest addition will be run as an outreach branch of the Sudbury Regional Hospital's program with a contract from SRH providing official outreach status as well as a payment schedule to help with the costs for the patients utilizing the program.

Mr. Graham thanks the board of directors and Cheryl Yost, Barry Parsons, Mary Lynn Wright, Steve Blouin and former CEO Jim Van Camp for their efforts in moving the program forward.

"We are appreciative of donations on behalf of this and other initiatives as it helps us provide funding to the residents of Manitoulin Island," Mr. Graham says. "This new program is another example of what can be accomplished through regional co-operation, similar to the chemotherapy program being operated from the Mindemoya site."

No layoffs but fewer hours for Centennial Manor staff

by Tom Sasvari

LITTLE CURRENT-It appears there will be no layoffs of staff at the Manitoulin Centennial Manor in Little Current. However, there will be a reconfiguration and reduction in staff hours, says the chair of the Manor Board.

"Our board met on Wednesday, and yes, everyone (employees) at the Manor did receive a notice of layoffs," said board chair Leslie Fields last Friday. Ginette Lapointe, administrator of the Manor, "had a staff meeting and tried to reassure everyone that the layoff notices were necessary for the time constraints we had been under. If major changes are being looked at, there needs to be a specific time notice required as part of this."

"The layoff notices were given out to meet the conditions the Manor is under and with the collective agreement," said Ms. Fields. However, "the administration and board are optimistic there will be no job losses, although there will be a reconfiguration of shifts and hours staff work."

Employees with seniority will bid for positions that best suit them, said Ms. Fields. "Ginette is holding regular staff meetings and open forums where employees can come in individually, or collectively, and discuss this and other concerns," said Ms. Fields.

"Yes, the employees are worried about their situation," admitted Ms. Fields, adding, "who wouldn't be?" Still, "we all agree this facility is vital to Manitoulin Island and we need to do what we can to keep it operating for the residents, as it is their home, while keeping the budget and operating dollars in the back of our minds."

The reduction in shifts and hours worked by employees is the result of funding from the province having been reduced due to the reduction of the Case Mix Index for the Manor, said Ms. Fields. "What happens is the CMI numbers affect the budget for the next year, and we are hoping the MOHLTC (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) will be changing the funding formula. I know they are experimenting with a different way to evaluate the care provided to residents."

"We will continue to work with the union on reconfiguration of the schedules and routines, making sure we provide the best care we can for the residents with the number of hours nursing we can afford," continued Ms. Fields. "We have had a year of ups and downs, and staff at the Manor have gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping us get through this while continuing to provide great service to the residents. They deserve a lot of credit for coming through this the way they have."

"There will definitely be a change in hours, and there will be reductions in that area, but we are optimistic there won't be layoffs," reiterated Ms. Fields.

Daphne Odjig receives GG's art award

by Jim Moodie

OTTAWA-Trail-blazing First Nations artist Daphne Odjig was in Ottawa last week to accept a career-capping Governor General's Award in Visual Arts.

The Wikwemikong-born painter, now 87 and a resident of BC, has received many accolades over the years, including an induction to the Order of Canada, but this latest honour was particularly gratifying for her.

"This tops them all," she said on Friday, speaking from her hotel room in the Chateau Laurier. "It's a very prestigious award, and it's very rewarding and humbling to receive."

Ms. Odjig said she was initially "doubtful I'd be able to make it to the ceremony, because my health hasn't been great these past couple of years, but when it's something like this, you make the effort."

Accompanying Ms. Odjig were her son Stanley, friend Barbara Newton-Vedan, and Jan Bailey, the executive director of the Kamloops Art Gallery, which nominated the artist for the award.

"I was very proud to be able to nominate her," said Ms. Bailey, "and it's an honour that was definitely due. It speaks volumes to a life-long career, not only as an artist but as an advocate in the First Nations community."

Also receiving awards from the Governor General for artistic excellence were Toronto sculptor Ian Carr-Harris, Winnipeg sculptor and mixed-media artist Aganetha Dyck, avant-garde filmmaker R. Bruce Elder of Toronto, multi-disciplinary artist Murray Favro of London, Ont., and Montreal-based abstract painter Fernand Leduc. The latter was a member of the Quebec 'Automatistes' in the 1940s and, at 92, was the eldest of the laureates.

The honorees were feted over the course of several days last week in Ottawa. A show featuring their work was hosted by the National Gallery of Canada and drew close to 1,000 people, Ms. Bailey noted, while each artist was also presented with a cheque worth $25,000 during a reception. The main awards ceremony at Rideau Hall, the official residence of Governor General Michaelle Jean, took place on Friday evening.

"It's been very exciting and nerve-wracking," said Ms. Odjig, adding that, while she was quite tired from all the activity and attention, she was fortunate to have "a lot of support here" from friends and family.

Having grown up in modest circumstances on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve in the 1920s and 1930s, Ms. Odjig said it was a bit overwhelming to be given such a royal treatment. "I'm from Manitoulin and very humble beginnings," she said.

And while she hasn't called the Island home for quite some time now, she still has family in Wiky (such as brother Don 'Scotty' Fisher) and often reflects on her younger days on the rez.

It was a life that lacked many of the creature comforts and cultural institutions present today on First Nations, yet it wasn't a bad life, said Ms. Odjig. "As a child I didn't know any different, and thought people lived that way everywhere," she said. "We went to a two-room school, and used to go to the beach and swim naked-when the priest wasn't looking."

She credits her drive to do well as an artist to this formative time. "It stems from when I was a young girl growing up on a reserve," she said. "We had a lot of responsibilities as children, because my mother was quite ill, and I think we always felt that we had a need to be something other than what we were, too. We were out to prove ourselves."

Ms. Odjig's mother, an Englishwoman who met Daphne's Potawotami father Dominic Odjig during the First World War, died when the artist was just 16. "Then we were uprooted by our white granny because she didn't feel the reserve was the right place for her daughter's children to be raised," the artist recounted.

It was in making this transition to non-Native society that Ms. Odjig said she first encountered discrimination, and "felt very inadequate out there," but noted that "I feel more secure these days."

During the Second World War, Ms. Odjig and her sister Winnifred worked in a munitions factory in Toronto along with "18,000 girls who were from all over Canada," she said, and that experience was more positive in that it afforded the women more independence and also opened Ms. Odjig's eyes to the experience of women from other ethnic groups.

The artist later moved to western Canada and, along with fellow Aboriginal painters like Norval Morrisseau and Carl Ray, pioneered the so-called Woodland School of Native art, which combines elements of cubism and impressionism with the style and thematic matter of early Aboriginal rock paintings. After spending many years in the Shuswap region of BC, Ms. Odjig settled in the Penticton area, which remains her home to this day.

"If I had to do my life over again, I'd probably do the same thing," said Ms. Odjig.

The recent honour of a Governor General's award has dovetailed with a general resurgence of interest in the work of the artist. At present, the retrospective of her prints that was initially mounted at the Kamloops gallery is making its way west, with a current show being held in Winnipeg; in 2008, it will be on display at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. Meanwhile, a sweeping retrospective of her original paintings, spanning her career from 1962 to 2000, is in the works for the Sudbury Art Gallery, with the opening to occur on September 15. That show, in turn, will be toured by the National Gallery of Canada.

Ms. Odjig said that it felt a bit unusual to be paraded around and pampered during her time in Ottawa, as she still has vivid memories of "marching on parliament hill" in the early 1970s, to support of Jeanette Corbiere Lavelle of Wiky in her battle to change aspects of the Indian Act that discriminated against gender. "I was a protestor!" she said with a laugh.

But she also admitted that, having endured some hardships in her earlier years and strived to restore pride and excitement in her culture through her art, "it's kind of nice to be a little spoiled."

Keeping to the trail

Part II of a series

Northeast trail could tie into North Shore routes

EDITOR'S NOTE: In this second installment of our series examining trail development on Manitoulin, the Expositor canvasses trail associations on the North Shore for their perspective on the broader issue of hiking in our region and delves further into the complicated dynamics of land use on the Bruce Peninsula.

by Jim Moodie

with files from Lindsay Kelly

ONTARIO-Much of the debate over the proposed hiking trail for Northeastern Manitoulin has been framed, by its detractors at least, as a case of southern Ontario priorities encroaching on our rural frontier. But there are also people to the north of us who value trails and would like to see a Manitoulin route that could tie into a network of footpaths that wends along the North Shore.

Gwen Wilson, secretary of the LaCloche Trails Association, said that her group is particularly eager to secure use of the old railbed that winds from Espanola to Manitoulin, noting that it would "provide an excellent link" between the Island and nearby Rainbow Country.

"If we could work together with other groups on the possibility of acquiring the railbed, as has been done in other areas, I think it would be a great attraction," she said. "If people come across on the ferry from the Bruce Trail, and cross the Island to here, the railbed would be a natural connection, with beautiful scenery."

The old train route, presently owned by rail company Huron Central, is coveted by the Espanola and Manitoulin snowmobile clubs as well. Brad Middleton of the local Snowdusters organization has been trying, along with Espanola club president Dennis Lendrum, to kickstart negotiations with the Montreal-based rail firm for access to the route.

The interests of sledders and hikers aren't necessarily at odds. Mr. Middleton believes the corridor could become a multi-use trail utilized in the summer months by cyclists and hikers, and has suggested that "it could tie into the trail being developed in Northeastern Manitoulin."

But whereas the snowmobile clubs have so far been seeking a lease agreement to use the railbed, Ms. Wilson believes the answer lies in purchasing the land. "Huron Central hasn't answered our letter, but the rumour is they're going to sell it, and if we could buy it outright, that would be the best thing."

She admits that her trail association isn't exactly rolling in dough-"our budget is $500 right now"-but suggests "we could have a partnership (with the snowmobile clubs, and perhaps other groups) and look for funding."

Ideally her group would like to develop "trails for hiking only," she allowed, but "it's better to have the trail than not to have it at all, and we don't want to cut off our nose to save our face."

Another northern organization that would love to see a trail flourish on the Island and continue north to Espanola is the Voyageur Trail Association, loosely headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie. Michael Landmark, the aptly named publicity director for the group, said "our overall goal has been to have a trail picking up from where the Bruce Peninsula ends at Tobermory, and go from South Baymouth to Thunder Bay."

It's an ambitious dream which is still a long way from being realized, but the association, which formed in 1973, has gradually introduced sections of trail towards filling in the sprawling route, with established links now spanning over half of the envisioned 1,000-plus kilometres.

The non-profit, volunteer group currently maintains a continuous stretch of trail from Elliot Lake to the Goulais River north of the Soo, with much of the route crossing Crown land as well as private property just north of Highway 17. Parts of the trail overlap with the Trans Canada Trail which was initiated in the early 1990s and is now 65 percent complete.

Mr. Landmark said that the Island has been considered a logical link in the Voyageur Trail since the association's very inception, and "we did have a group at one time in Sheguiandah" that was interested in establishing a Manitoulin leg of the trail. "Unfortunately for us, so much of the Island is First Nation or private property, so it's been more difficult," he noted.

Most of the resistance locally to the idea of a trail winding through the northeastern corner of the Island via unopened road allowances (and some private land where owners have granted permission for the presence of a path) revolves around questions of safety and insurance, with property owners anxious about cattle escaping or accidents for which they might be deemed liable.

Mr. Landmark said he has also encountered such concerns in the areas where the Voyageur Trail crosses private property, but generally his association has been able to negotiate mutually acceptable agreements. "What I find with those instances where you have private property issues is that you have to try to have one-on-one meetings with the families," he said.

His group will respect a landowner's desire to hunt in the fall by making that section of trail off limits during the period of the hunt, he said, and can provide stiles if the trail crosses a fence to make sure a gate isn't inadvertently left ajar.

"We've had some incidents on the trail where a person has broken a leg or had a heart attack, but we've never had anybody suing us," he said. "There haven't been any negative insurance issues yet."

In the event that there would be a liability issue, the association "does have insurance through Hike Ontario," a parent body representing various hiking clubs in the province, he noted. The Voyageur association is able to purchase such coverage through revenue generated from memberships, as well as donations. And "unless a hiker does something really dangerous, we can cover them through our liability," he said.

He could think of only one case in recent years where a suit was brought against a landowner as a result of a 'hiking' mishap. This occurred in southern Ontario, when a "mountain biker was using a cross-country ski trail in the summer and did a nose dive, because his tire hit a stump, and the guy went looking for big bucks," said Mr. Landmark. "He lost his case, and the landowner's expenses were covered through Hike Ontario."

But liability is just one of the concerns for local landowners. Some additionally worry that development of trails on the Island will lead to a stricter regulatory regime akin to the type of environmental rules enforced on the Bruce Peninsula.

Elwin Shaw of Mindemoya, a onetime resident of Wiarton, was present for the development of the Bruce Trail in the 1970s, and said that, while farmers were initially consulted in the creation of the route and helped out in its construction, many later had frustrating experiences with both hikers and the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC)-a body created by the province in 1973 (under the Davis Conservatives) to regulate development on escarpment lands south of Tobermory.

He pointed to a cousin who wanted to build a new house on his land, but had to wait four years to get a building permit. He also cited the example of an uncle who allowed some hikers to look for rare orchids on his property and subsequently entertained their request that they be given first chance to buy his land when he was ready to sell.

When the uncle did decide to sell his land, the hikers were no longer in a position to part with money, according to Mr. Shaw, and instead wanted his uncle to donate the land. When the uncle sought a different buyer and was close to completing the transaction, Mr. Shaw claims the NEC stepped in to thwart the sale.

His concern is that some of the older farming population that was around during the trail's development and had concerns with the commission are now deceased, and aren't there to remind people of what was happening. "Enough people are now gone that maybe people don't feel it's a serious issue anymore," he said.

As to whether similar conflicts could occur on the Island, Mr. Shaw is unequivocal. "I don't think there's any doubt," he said, reiterating that the Bruce Trail began with co-operation from landowners but the relationship quickly soured as more restrictions were enforced through the NEC.

He agrees that the natural beauty of the Island should be cherished and looked after, but reasons, "if there is so much here worth preserving to such a great extent, then the people living here up until now couldn't have done too bad looking after it. Why, all of a sudden, do they want to protect it now?"

Not all rural denizens in the Northeast municipality are balking at the idea of a trail, however, or instantly equating its development with a sudden extension of Bruce Peninsula-type tensions. Green Bay farmer and former Northeast Town mayor Ken Ferguson, for instance, said he "is quite saddened by some of the things I've seen in print against it."

In his view, farmers should, if anything, welcome the opportunity to share their rural experience with visitors who might hail from more urban centres. "Given the state of agriculture throughout the country these days, I think if we're going to survive we have to shrink the distance between us and urban core people, and not be unfriendly," he said.

Mr. Ferguson maintains that "we have to live together, and if we want to stay in the farming business we need their support. If we isolate ourselves, you get suspicion and might be criticized for agricultural practices, but if we treat others as partners and they understand what we're trying to do, it supports farming."

The former mayor also believes that concerns about restrictions being placed on land use are largely unfounded. "I can't go and seek zoning changes on your property," he pointed out. Such changes have to adhere to municipal bylaws or be approved by the local planning board, he said.

Elva Carter, secretary/treasurer of the planning board, said that the Official Plan for Manitoulin contains a variety of policies, but "the municipal bylaws are the tools that enforce the policies." She added that "zoning bylaws passed by municipalities must conform to the Official Plan."

If there is a question of a building setback, for instance, "that is taken care of by zoning bylaws and the Building Code Act," Ms. Carter said.

The mere presence of a hiking trail, in other words, will not override existing land-use policies as dictated by the province and the local Official Plan.

This is not to say the Official Plan can't change. Indeed, it is in the process of being rewritten for the first time in decades. "Under Bill 51 legislation, we are required to do a complete review," said Ms. Carter. "And it's easier to just go with a new plan, because we're so outdated now with all the provincial policy statements."

Some of the changes that will have to be incorporated include policies pertaining to archeological sites (for example, an archeological study may be required for any development within 400 feet of a main waterbody) and ones concerning prime agricultural land (of which Manitoulin doesn't have a whole lot, but where it does, development or severance of such tracts will be next to impossible). "Environmental policies will no doubt come into play, too, for us to be in conformity with provincial policy statements," said Ms. Carter.

Mike Meeker of the Manitoulin Landowners Association (MLA) has expressed frequent alarm about alterations to land-use guidelines, arguing at one point that "if Manitoulin does a new Official Plan, that will be a pivotal point."

As legitimate as such concerns are, however, the issue of how they pertain to trail development tends to become clouded and oversimplified (not to mention personal, in some cases) as trail skeptics equate local proponents of such ecotourism initiatives with Toronto-based conservation groups and dredge up the dreaded all-purpose term 'biosphere.'

The MLA, lest we forget, grew out of a group known as the MP3-philes, which formed in opposition to a local movement to seek a World Biosphere status for Manitoulin three years ago. Because the term 'biosphere' also occurs in the name of a conservation group that has been quite active in acquiring land on Manitoulin-the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy-the UNESCO designation and the land-acquisition organization are frequently conflated in people's minds, although they are actually quite separate. One bestows special (but legislatively toothless) status on environmentally distinct regions; the other buys land so it can be spared development and used, if at all, for low-impact recreational purposes.

Confusing matters further is the question of how land use is governed on the Bruce Peninsula. Here, there are several overlapping but distinct bodies that impact on recreational activity and development along the escarpment: the Bruce Trail Association, a coalition of volunteer-driven  clubs that maintains the popular hiking path; the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, as recognized by UNESCO in 1990; and the Niagara Escarpment Commission, created through an act of the province in 1973.

The three are often cited interchangeably, or one is blamed when the real culprit is another-or in fact none of the three (for instance, when the issue pertains more properly to a municipal bylaw, or a provincial or federal act). Generally speaking though, if there is a restriction placed on a landowner along the Bruce, it is not the Biosphere Reserve-which is more of an honorary term than a body carrying any regulatory weight-and certainly not the Bruce Trail Association, that is laying down the law. It's the NEC.

That the NEC also happens to act as the administrative home for the Biosphere Reserve doesn't help in drawing these distinctions. It's the only case in the world, according to a reliable source, where a Biosphere Reserve is administered through a government authority. The same commentator described it as "an accident of history," while noting that all the other Biosphere Reserves (of which Canada counts four, with the newest being the Georgian Bay Littoral Reserve encompassing the environs of Parry Sound) are "run by local do-gooders."

No wonder people are confused. Nor is it completely paranoid to imagine that some of the same conflicts that have occurred between landowners and recreational users of land on the Bruce Peninsula could creep north to our region.

But the issue of a proposed 36-kilometre hiking path that would span the northeast corner of the Island should be kept in perspective. As of press time, the Niagara Escarpment Commission did not include Manitoulin in its mandate, and the individuals working to realize this modest path did not arrive here yesterday from Toronto.

This isn't to say that some of the concerns voiced by farmers in the area are not valid. Ken Ferguson, a farmer himself, said he can understand the alarm expressed by landowners who weren't initially consulted by the municipality regarding the proposed trail. "There are people with legitimate concerns, such as a farmer who grazes cattle on lots that are adjacent to a road allowance on both sides," he noted. "That person doesn't fence it off because the road is unopened, so if a person goes through there, the cattle might have a way to get out if the fence isn't closed."

But Mr. Ferguson also believes there are ways to easily solve such problems, such as installing turnstiles, and worries those opposed to the trail are overreacting based on the initial snub from council and lingering agitation concerning the 'biosphere' debate of a few years ago.

"It seems that some people still have a bee in their bonnet and got the 'biosphere' name started, so everyone believes 'the biosphere' is involved. And then they went and found the worst things that happened on the Bruce Trail, while some of those issues were there before the trail was even created," he said.

Accommodating a hiking path on Manitoulin, with its preponderance of private and First Nation land, will always be a challenge, and require delicate and respectful negotiations, but there are many who would welcome such a development, including more than a few within the business community.

Wade Kearns, proprietor of Green Acres resort in Sheguiandah, has already learned how advantageous a trail of the winter variety can be to business, as the snowmobile traffic passing by his gas station and restaurant at this time of year (well, in most years at this time of year) provides a welcome off-season business boost. And he, for one, welcomes any development that might cause more people to pass by his business, and frequent other local shops, in the summer as well.

"I think it would be an added bonus if it's done right," he said of the proposed Northeast trail. "I understand some of the concerns about cattle and fencing, but from what I gather, it was just sprung on people so quick, so it's been kind of a knee-jerk reaction."

Mr. Kearns feels that "once everything is smoothed out, it will be a plus for everybody."

EDITORIAL

N.E. council should think again about downtown office site

It is interesting to see that the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands is considering a move of its municipal offices to the upper floor of the Post Office building (which the municipality owns) in downtown Little Current.

A recent news story in these pages, drawn from a council committee meeting, reports this suggestion. It is based, at least in part, on the fact that this is already municipally-owned space, and it is vacant.

The councillors discussing the matter at the committee level realized that they would need to install an elevator to assist people who  needed easier access of the top floor of the Post Office building.

While it is important to keep municipal space as occupied as possible, councillors debating this issue need to be mindful of the message they would be sending to the public should they move the town's administration to what may be seen as a more aloof position atop the Post Office building.

The previous council purchased a ground-level building in Little Current on Manitowaning Road. They also purchased an adjoining lot for parking.

Access to this building is at street level, and there is lots of parking.

The message council would be sending to the community, should it move its staff to downtown Little Current and perch it high above the front street, would be a mixed one.

First of all, it would be seen as making the town's administration, the tangible symbol of the town council, somewhat more remote than it has ever been before.

Installing an elevating device is all well and good, but it would not be anything like the store front approach that this council (and every other municipality and first Nation on Manitoulin) has traditionally had. Rather, it would be "up there" somewhere.

Just as important, downtown parking is always limited, particularly in the spring, summer and until Thanksgiving and taxpayers wishing to talk to the building inspector, pick up garbage bag tags, pay their tax or water bills may well find it difficult to find a place to park even before they make their way to the Post Office building and then toil up the stairs, (or take the elevator).

Not only that, but these honest folk consulting with the building inspector or paying their water bills will also be competing for parking spaces with the downtown retail merchants' clientele.

And then there is the matter of parking for town staff. If they're going to have to keep the lot they purchased for parking (adjacent to the present town office) to accommodate the staff in a different location, they may as well keep the present municipal quarters, eventually adding on to them to allow for a boardroom/council chamber.

This option of utilizing the upper floor of the Post Office building is clearly one that has been considered...and rejected...in the past. The present council should also be mindful of that.

When this is further debated, council must ask itself if it wants to present itself as somewhat inaccessible, because (apart from the other concerns) that is the message that will be implied with a move to a more remote location.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Norisle represents an unsung but vital link

A plea for protection from across the pond

To the Expositor:

As a distant observer I can only plead for the Norisle to be saved.

While not a famous warship with noble battle honours or a record-breaking Atlantic liner, she is representative of those unsung but absolutely vital links that keep communities alive and linked to the rest of the world. If she is lost, very few people around the world will mourn, but preserving her would be making a statement that she mattered in local people's everyday lives. Too often with these unsung ships their loss is not felt until after they are lost-and then it is too late.

Please don't be wise with hindsight. Save the Norisle.

David Hathaway

Cambridge, UK

Norisle should have a Merchant Marine presence

Captain recommends Toronto Star reportage

To the Expositor:

Having read in the Expositor of Jean McLennan's and David Ham's good work of arousing interest in the preservation of the uncared-for Assiginack public property, the S.S. Norisle, I called Jean to vainly say your volunteer executive committee should consist of 75 percent Merchant Mariners and 25 percent advertising/money-raising expertise persons; and that they should ask Transport Canada for a list of required works necessary to recertify the steam boat, and consequently a budget.

When I gave a $20 membership cheque to druggist Paul Rowe, acting as treasurer, I vainly said the above. He said "welcome aboard." Seamen can welcome landlubbers aboard but not the reverse. It was apparent my Merchant Marine expertise was being sunk.

When I called Jean to tell her I'd dutifully given Treasurer Rowe a $20 membership cheque and to inquire when the next meeting was, she said she was having a closed executive meeting at 7:30 pm in Manitowaning's council-library building. When I walked by the library door I wondered if my donated book, 'It Doesn't Have to be Lousy to be Printed,' was ever put on the shelves.

Dave Ham said 'hello Doug' and without saying who I was or my qualifications invited me to sit at the executive table. He referred to me as either Doug or Mr. Campbell so I knew the Merchant Marine would be sunk again.

Some time was spent on spending $300 on the making of calendars and buttons to be peddled. I vainly said a Toronto Star's reportage of efforts to refloat the Norisle would have worldwide benefit versus the local expenditure.

Not having been introduced, I had to say I was the only qualified person in attendance, having gone to sea at 14, been branded a red by the shipping companies and their tool, the capitalist government, and their tool, USA Mafia, Hal Banks and his overnight Seafarers Int. "Union" that sunk the Can. Merchant Marine.

A video was shown of the company that built the new docks for the Chi-Cheemaun's replacement of the Norisle. It made no reference to the SIU takeover of Ontario vessels.

When Paul Rowe asked if he was to give receipts for donated monies, Dave ruled money would have to go to council for receipt purposes and then passed to the committee. My comment on this matter was that a non-profit incorporation would mean the Friends could give receipts. I vainly suggested the next meeting democratically should be a general meeting. It's to be an executive meeting on April 19 at 7:30 pm at the same place.

Captain Douglas. K Campbell

Little Current

Sale of booze in grocery store deemed unethical

Drunk drivers kill more Canadians than Taliban do

To the Expositor:

I find it interesting that on page 16 of your fine paper of March 14, you have an article entitled, "DARE teaches students healthy living," then on the same page you have a picture of a man lugging two cases of beer out of Island Foodland. It seems to me most unethical to sell alcohol in a grocery store.

The wisest man who ever lived wrote these words to which every intelligent person would do well to consider. "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine. Those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red. When it sparkles in the cup. When it whirls around smoothly. At the last it bites like a serpent. And stings like a viper." Proverbs 23: 29-32. New King James Version.

We are concerned about the safety of our soldiers in Afghanistan and rightly so; yet drunk drivers kill far more Canadians than the Taliban do. Every day women and children in this great country are abused by drunken husbands and fathers. Our education system struggles to teach children whose learning capacity has been destroyed by fetal alcohol syndrome. How many children lack the necessities of life because their parents have wasted their money on alcohol and drugs?

I am convinced that responsible people should have nothing to do with the beverage alcohol business.

Robert (Bert) Hill

Providence Bay