Katie the cocker spanial alerts man to fire

 HONORA BAY---The first tendrils of smoke were just beginning to make their way through the McCulligh home when Katie, a six-year-old cocker spanial, leapt onto the bed of Jamie McCulligh, of Honora Bay and began frantically bouncing on his shoulder.  

"I knew right away something was up," said Mr. McCulligh. "She was pouncing up and down on my shoulder. I have never seen her do anything like that."  

The determined pooch wasn't taking no for an answer, and her persistence finally dragged Mr. McCulligh out of a deep sleep.  

"I got up and was taking her toward the back door, I figured she had to go out," he said. "She reached a certain point in the hallway and refused to go any further."  

The still groggy Mr. McCulligh suddenly realized there was a light coming from the kitchen that shouldn't have been there.  

"I grabbed what I could and ran outside with Katie, and put her in the car," he said. "I blew the horn to wake up Roy (Bowerman, whose small home is located on the property beside the McCulligh home), and ran back inside to call 911."  

Mr. Bowerman came out to see what all the noise was about, and walked into the kitchen where the fire had already taken a firm hold.  

"I was still half-asleep when I walked in, there was this orange glow in the kitchen, and that was when I realized it was a fire," said Mr. Bowerman, who lost a large number of his own personal belongings stored in the house, ironically for safe-keeping.  

The call from the McCulligh phone came into the 911 dispatch office at 1:42 am on Wednesday, March 24, and Mr. McCulligh said he was certain the first firefighters were on the scene a mere seven minutes after he hung up the phone.  

"The guys got here really fast," he said. Mr. McCulligh knows about fire response times, he himself has been on the Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (formerly Little Current) fire department for the last eight years.  

He and Mr. Bowerman tried valiantly to save a number of personal items from the house, but the fire was quickly becoming a serious threat, as Katie was making very clear, barking anxiously from her new vantage point in the car.  

"I grabbed hold of the gun vault," said Mr. Bowerman, "but it has no handle, so I couldn't get a good grip on it. By the time we jumped out the patio doors to the ground, the flames were licking at my backside."  

The presence of 2,000 rounds of ammunition for Mr. McCulligh's eight hunting rifles made the fire a particularly dangerous scene, as the bullets began 'cooking off,' firefighters had more than just the flames and fumes to contend with.  

"I warned the guys when they came on the scene, before they went up the hill, so they knew what they were facing," said Mr. McCulligh.  

In addition to the random skyward launch of hunting ammunition, Hydro lines had melted off of the poles leading into the property and were sparking ominously upon the ground. A number of propane tanks next to the building added their own element of danger to the scene.  

"It was a pretty scary place," he said.  

Mr. McCulligh operates Roy's Heating, a heating contracting company, and there were quite a number of empty tanks located near the home as well.  

Meanwhile, Ms. McCulligh, who works with the elderly at Manitoulin Centennial Manor, was faced with a few heart-rending moments of dilemma of her own.  

"A call came down that I had to come up right away, there was an important call. But I couldn't leave my workstation because my partner was out of the room doing something, we can't leave the clients alone," she said. She knew the call was serious, but she had no idea what it was about. "I thought maybe someone had died. I was frantic."  

When she was finally relieved and could race home, she could see the flames and smoke rising into the sky from far off, despite the late hour of the night.  

"The whole sky was lit up with orange flames," she said. "I could see them from before we passed the Anglican Cemetery. Even before we turned the corner we could see the smoke."  

The community has come forward with strong support for the couple, who are temporarily staying at Ms. McCulligh's parents home in Little Current.  

"People have been really good," she said. "Especially the folks at work. We got a quilt from the Island Quilter's Guild, friends and family have all been calling with offers of help."  

Mr. Bowerman has also taken a heavy loss from the fire, as many of his personal belongings were stored in the home, and in his case, the McCulligh's insurance apparently does not cover his losses.  

"You never really think about this sort of thing happening to you," said Mr. Bowerman as he held up the melted remains of his camera and shook his head sadly. There is almost nothing remaining standing from the home, which burnt right down to the foundations.  

The home was insured, said Ms. McCulligh, but no amount of insurance can replace the momentoes and keepsakes of a lifetime. A beloved home has a character of its own that will never be the same, no matter what the configuration of bricks and mortar.  

"Katie is taking it really hard," said Ms. McCulligh. "She keeps climbing up the front steps and looking at where the house used to be. She wants to go in, but there is no house left to go into, so she just looks back at me."  

Still, thanks to the alert senses of Katie and her persistent efforts to wake him up, Mr. McCulligh is still able to take her up into his arms and provide some comfort and in the end, that is far more important than any material things

MINDEMOYA - Members of the Manitoulin Health Centre's Board of Directors are concerned about the future of the Manitoulin East Airport with regard to Northeastern Manitoulin and the Island's budget deliberations for 2004.  

At the March 16 meeting of NEMI Council, council was provided with an update with regard to the results of a survey of residents in the town that was sent out with the tax bills. The survey required residents to prioritize a number of services provided by the town, with residents in Little Current, Sheguiandah, Green Bay, Rockville and Honora Bay all identifying the airport as the lowest priority for council. While the airport ranked slightly higher on the surveys submitted by the residents of Ward One, White's Point, North Channel Drive and Bay Estates, it was still among the lowest of priorities.  

Councillor Tony Ferro suggested the interim results provided interesting information for council to consider in light of its budget deliberations. He said there has been some suggestion that the town should consider closing the airport for six months of the year. The final results would not be available to council until after the March 31st deadline for submitting the surveys, Councillor Ferro explained.  

However, the members of the Manitoulin Health Centre's (MHC) Board of Directors are concerned that the closure of the Manitoulin East Airport in the winter would have a serious effect on hospital care services provided by the hospital.  

"It could be a matter of life or death," stated Madeline Charlton, a director for the Manitoulin Health Centre, at its March 25 meeting.  

"In their budget considerations for the Manitoulin East Airport, they mentioned the possibility of closing the airport in the winter due to the costs, including snow removal costs," said Jim Van Camp, chief executive officer of the MHC. "I have sent a letter to the town council indicating I was surprised to learn they could close the airport in the winter, and was also surprised the hospital or medical staff was not advised of this."  

He explained that within the last year, 15 patients of the hospital were transported to hospitals in Sudbury, Toronto and Hamilton from the airport.  

"They need to be considering patient care, whether its winter or summer," said Mr. Van Camp. He noted that in the letter he has sent to council on behalf of the MHC board, "I stated we trust council to make the best decision possible, and consider the patients. My intent in the letter is to say that the patients being transported for care could be anyone."  

"It is definitely a major concern, and even though there isn't a high volume of patients it is also very inconvenient for patients returning from Sudbury or other hospitals and have to come back by ambulance," continued Mr. Van Camp. "It creates a step back, and is a regressive move on the council's part."  

"It could be a case of life or death, having a patient flown from the Island to Sudbury or another hospital," said one board member.  

"This is a fantastic service provided on the Island and it should be continued (year-round)," said Mr. Van Camp.  

by Michael Erskine  

MINDEMOYA---The school agricultural fair was once as ubiquitous in rural Ontario as the sight of barns and standing rows of corn, but as society marches forward into an ever more urban-dominated future, that bastion of the agricultural lifestyle has largely disappeared from the school scene, a victim of budgetary constraints and the decline of the family farm, except it seems on Manitoulin Island.  

The Central Manitoulin Public School Agricultural Fair is the only one of its kind remaining. There is another school fair, but it is an adjunct to the town of Sydenham's community fall fair. Central Manitoulin Public School's Agricultural Fair is a full-fledged fair in its own right.  

In recognition of this unique status, and Central Manitoulin Public School's role in keeping this rural tradition not only alive, but a vibrant and living part of the social melange of the Central Manitoulin community, the board of directors of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS) has named Central Manitoulin Public School an honourary member, with full privileges.  

"You might wonder why we have made you an honourary member in recognition of your efforts, instead of just a member," said OAAS District 12 President Patricia Marcotte. "But full membership has a financial cost attached to it, and we did not want this honour to be another burden."  

A number of dignitaries and local officials were on hand to help the students celebrate their achievement, including Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown, Central Manitoulin Reeve Richard Stephens, Norm Blaseg, administrative assistant to Jean Hanson, the Director of Education at the Rainbow District School Board, Rainbow School Board Native Trustee Robert Beaudin, as well as Central Manitoulin councillors Sarah Bowerman and Doreen Witty.  

Also on hand with Ms. Marcotte were OAAS Assistant to the President Carol Gilmore and District Secretary Treasurer Doreen Campbell.  

"This is back-to-school day for members of the Ontario Legislature," said Mr. Brown. "A time when MPPs make a special visit to the schools in our constituencies to help us keep in touch with what is going on in the schools."  

Mr. Brown said he was especially honoured to be able to help the students celebrate this most singular of honours, and he congratulated the students, their parents and the community volunteers who have made the Central Manitoulin Public School Agricultural Fair an annual success.  

"I want to especially recognize the teachers," he said. "Without the hard work and dedication of your teachers we would not be where we are today."  

Reeve Stephens recalled his own childhood, and the importance that the Agricultural Fair played in his earliest years.  

"I went to a one-room school, where grades 1 through 8 were all taught together in the same classroom," he said. "We all looked forward to the day when we would gather everything up and, along with the students from the two-room school in Providence Bay, head into Mindemoya to the 'Big School,' for the Agricultural Fair. It was an important day in each school year. Make the most of these times," he admonished. "These are the best of times before you have to go out and work for a living."  

Acting School Principal Laurie Zahnow drew special recognition to "two very special volunteers, Mrs. (Marie) Kirk and Mrs. (Doreen) Duncanson," of Mindemoya.  

"It is especially important to see our MPP in the school," said Mr. Beaudin. "It gives a sense of the importance that the government is placing on education. The government may have stated it, but it is also good to see concrete examples of their support."  

There are seven Agricultural Fairs in the District 12 cachement area, noted Ms. Marcotte, and the honourary membership bestowed on Central Manitoulin will allow the school's agricultural committee to avail themselves of the support services of the OAAS, as well as to participate in workshops and the decision-making process.  

A number of the other members of the OAAS, as well as the OAAS President, Joanne Gregson, sent letters of welcome and congratulations to the students.  

"You have made this fair so successful," said Ms. Marcotte. "We just want you to know we will be there to provide whatever help and support we can."  

The deep affection felt for the annual event is plainly evident in the voices of its volunteers.  

"I love the fair," said Mrs. Duncanson and Mrs. Kirk. Both women have spent many years working with Central Manitoulin students on the fair.  

"You see a different side of children at the fair," said Mrs. Kirk. "Someone who might not be the best academic student in the classroom can come leading a cow by the nose, and get it to do everything they want. It allows them to excel in another way."  

Both volunteers said they were very impressed with the level of support the Councillors of the Township of Central Manitoulin show every year.  

"They are the biggest supporters," said Mrs. Kirk.  

This year is being billed as the 25th Agricultural Fair since the event's re-establishment in 1979. It had a decade hiatus after 1969, after having run since it was originally established in 1912.  

The ribbons, certificates and other acknowledgments of accomplishment in all things agricultural that are awarded to the students at the Central Manitoulin Public School Agricultural Fair each fall, now have a very special companion, the honourary recognition of their efforts with membership to the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies and Home Crafts.  

by Michael Erskine

MANITOULIN---Leaders of a number of Manitoulin's First Nations expressed alarm at apparent plans by the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) to sell shoreline road allowances to the property owners against whose lands those allowances abut.

"This goes against the whole understanding that we came to in the 1990 Manitoulin Land Agreement," said M'Chigeeng Chief Glen Hare, who cited a letter signed by then Ontario Minister Responsible for Indian Affairs Bud Wildman stating the government's agreement to keep shore allowances of one chain (66 feet) in the public domain. "That treaty is still questionable yet, Mr. Harris, when he came along in 1997, he reneged on the whole claim."

 "We are still at the table," said Mr. Hare. "Those lands fall under unsold crown lands, they are not for sale."

Mr. Hare suggested that NEMI Mayor Joe Chapman should sit down with the First Nation to discuss the issue before taking any action.

"We need to be working together on a lot of issues," he said. "Not working against each other."

Aundeck Omni Kaning (Sucker Creek) Chief Patrick Madahbee was adamant that the proposed sale contravened the letter, as well as the spirit, of the 1990 Manitoulin Land Agreement.

"All he (Joe Chapman) is doing is violating the 1990 Manitoulin Land Agreement," he said. "In the negotiations we insisted those lands stay in the public domain, those are the words that we used. It is an unwise move to go ahead with the sale, it will leave a legal cloud hanging over the people who buy those properties."

The 1990 Manitoulin Land Agreement was hailed as a landmark treaty when it was negotiated between most of the Island's First Nations and the provincial government. The agreement was read and passed through all levels of the legislature, but has never been proclaimed by the province and passed into law.

The Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat has claimed in the past that the holdup in proclaiming the agreement stems from ongoing difficulties in defining title to the lands covered by the agreement. The First Nations received funds from the government in payment for lands covered by the agreement, although those funds allocated for Wikwemikong are held in trust until such time as that First Nation signs the agreement.

Whatever the status of the agreement, the chiefs maintain they intend on keeping the shoreline lands in the public domain and that will remain their position.

"We wanted those lands to remain for the public's benefit," said Chief Madahbee. "Everyone should have access to the shoreline. We cited it as the 'Law of the Sea.' If someone has a problem and needs to come ashore anywhere along the Island, they shouldn't have to be worrying about whether it is private property or not."