Next municipal councils will face four-year terms

School board trustees too

by Michael Erskine

TORONTO-It wasn't sought by most rural politicians-people who largely serve more out of a sense of civic duty than a desire for power, wealth or fame-but the next time you mark a ballot in a municipal election you can expect to live with the results for at least four years.

The Ontario government passed a bill setting the terms of office for municipal politicians at four years.

"It wasn't something anyone from the country sought out," said Billings Reeve Austin Hunt, a man who just received a 50-year long service award from the province. "I think it was more a big city push. Still, they must feel there is over 50 percent support for it in the province as the government passed it."

"It's a matter of respect. We have fixed four-year terms at the provincial level and federal terms can run a maximum of five years. Why should you be any different?" said Premier Dalton McGuinty when he first announced the government's plan in February. "It's also a matter of efficiency. Three years is too short. A four-year term is the ideal period of time for a council to forge an agenda, implement it and then seek the people's judgment."

The new term limits will apply to both municipal and school board elected officials.

Island politicians have reported mixed feelings on the new terms. On the one hand, the new regime will save councils money, as elections can be a costly undertaking, and the new terms will give those newly elected an opportunity to get their feet firmly on the ground, make plans and still have time to implement them before going to the people for their judgment.

On the other hand, some politicians point out that it is difficult enough to get people to stand for election with a three-year term, let alone a four-year commitment.

"Personally I thought two years was plenty enough," said Northeast Town Councillor Gary Green, who was a councillor for many years when the terms were shorter. "That's a big enough commitment to ask of anyone."

Still, the savings to be had from running fewer elections are of some comfort to other local politicians, especially when the never-ending battle to control costs results in unpopular service cuts.

Four-year municipal council terms are already in effect in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Northern Ont. med students sample Island health services

by Lindsay Kelly

AUNDECK OMNI KANING-It's a warm and sunny Tuesday morning, and in a cabin settled along the shores of the North Channel in Aundeck Omni Kaning, a group of students is comparing notes about an upcoming exam.

Most have been up to the wee hours the previous evening, putting the finishing touches on a school project, or going over notes and speculating about the contents of the pending exam. But these aren't your average Manitoulin students: they are the first placement students from the inaugural class of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), and they are finishing up their Aboriginal community placement for this portion of their curriculum.

The students-six in all- spent four weeks at different health centres in First Nations around the Island: two each in Birch Island, M'Chigeeng and Aundeck Omni Kaning. During this last week of their placement, the students' schedules are packed full: this morning they will accompany Marjory Shawande, traditional leader at Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, on a medicine walk, and this afternoon they will visit Little Current Public School during its diabetes walk. But before they head out into the bush to learn about traditional medicines, they gather in the living room of an Endaa-Aang Ecotourism cabin, where two of the students are staying, to reflect on their time on the Island and consider what they've learned.

For Mnaamodzawin Health Centre placement Jennifer Van Atte, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, the Island has held some new and eye-opening experiences. "I've never been on the Island before, except to take the ferry," she reveals. "It's been really interesting."

Prior to enrolling in medical school, the perky scholar worked as a speech pathologist in Sault Ste. Marie, so her decision to apply to medical school represented a complete transition in her career path. She had also had limited experience working with Aboriginals, so she found her time on the Island to be very educational.

"I had some Aboriginal clients, but I didn't get to learn their views on health before," she says. "The intent of this placement is to immerse us in Aboriginal culture so we can learn more about the culture."

Throughout the students' four weeks on the Island, their hosts brought them to the six First Nations, introducing them to the beliefs behind traditional Aboriginal healing practices, as well as community events.

"We attended a baby welcoming ceremony in Sheguiandah, the medicine walk in Sucker Creek, the diabetes walk in Little Current, and a screening clinic in Zhiibaahaasing," recalls Ms. Van Atte.

All of these have served as valuable learning tools, she says, but what has stood out the most for her has been the warm greetings with which each of the communities have welcomed them. "Everyone has been really nice," she says.

Stephanie Giroux, who is attending NOSM at the Thunder Bay campus, also made a complete switch to the medical field upon her application to NOSM. She formerly earned a BA in anthropology from the University of Toronto, and had taken a job in international development, but a trip halfway around the world prompted her change of heart.

"I became really certain that was what I wanted to do," she recalls of her decision. "I was living in Mozambique, and I really, desperately, wanted to be more useful."

Since her previous education lacked a concentration in science, her acceptance to medical school originally came as a great shock, but once enrolled, Manitoulin immediately became her first choice for her Aboriginal placement.

"I think a lot of people don't know how beautiful Manitoulin is, so they didn't pick it," the Garson native says. "So I was really happy to come here."

She, too, has enjoyed her time on the Island, partaking in community events, and cites the kindness of the people as her most memorable experience. "They've been so welcoming, and we've been involved with absolutely everything, all kinds of events," she says.

One sage gem of wisdom she particularly treasures is a workshop that discussed "healing for healers," which reminded the students "how we need to look after ourselves, so we can continue to look after our patients," recalls Ms. Giroux. "We had pampering all day-I felt so guilty, but it was just wonderful."

With family in the area, Ms. Giroux says she hopes to return to the Island to practise medicine upon her graduation. But for all six students, that day is still far in the future.

When the students return to Sudbury and Thunder Bay, they'll be returning to a heavy workload that comprises cramming for intense exams, memorizing complicated lessons of anatomy, and completing final work projects.

But on this morning, their education follows a different route; the students' coffee mugs have been emptied, running shoes have been strapped on, and bug spray has been applied, and all are set to embark on their medicine walk.

This combination of Western and Aboriginal teachings would not have been so common 30 years ago, but today it is the future of medicine-a development in which Island First Nations can take pride in knowing that they have played such an important part.

Wendy Gauthier Rainbow board's top teacher!

MANITOULIN-Veteran intermediate teacher Wendy Gauthier of Little Current was to have received a prestigious William N. Roman Teacher of the Year award in Sudbury last night (Tuesday) from the Rainbow District School Board.

"I'm quite thrilled," she said on Monday, noting that she learned of the honour a week earlier. The award was to be handed out at a meeting of the board in the Sudbury council chambers.

Ms. Gauthier started teaching 29 years ago at Little Current Public School, and has spent the past three years at Central Manitoulin Public School (CMPS). Throughout all these years, she's always taught Grades 7 and 8.

"It's been a great career, and very rewarding," she said. "I've enjoyed working with all sorts of people and kids; it's always interesting and new."

Stan Drystek, principal of CMPS, said that when he learned that the board was seeking nominations for teacher of the year, Ms. Gauthier "jumped right out" as an obvious candidate. "She's the epitome of excellence in teaching," the principal said.

Mr. Drystek said he first encountered Ms. Gauthier in the early 1990s, when both were involved with a curriculum project through the Manitoulin Board of Education. "She blew me away then, because she was so committed and organized," he noted. "And since I've been acting principal at CMPS over the past year, she's never ceased to amaze me with her level of dedication-not just to teaching, but the individual needs of each of the students in her class."

The CMPS principal proposed the nomination, and resource teacher Judy Land approached other staff for letters in support of the choice.

"I'm absolutely elated to hear that she won," said Mr. Drystek, who planned to be in attendance at the awards ceremony. "There's nobody I know of in teaching who is more deserving."

The William N. Roman award goes to a single deserving elementary teacher from schools across the Rainbow district, while a similar award is given to a teacher at the secondary level.

Ms. Gauthier said she has had "lots of people as mentors" over the course of her career, and continues to be inspired by others within the school setting, "even if they're younger than you."

The teacher will qualify for retirement in a couple of years, but said she's not thinking about that at this point, as there is still so much to be excited about in her profession. "There are always new teaching methods and curricula to keep things interesting, and the students are always changing and challenging you," she noted.

EDITORIAL

Winds of change make strange bedfellows

It is easy to dislike the posturing of would-be populists like Randy Hillier of the Ontario Landowners Association, and it is even easier to dismiss his organization's acts of civil resistance as reactionary nonsense at best and dangerous brinkmanship at worst-but there is a reason his words and actions strike a chord among many rural residents these days.

Power once resided in the countryside, as nearly nine out of every 10 citizens lived outside of urban centres. Under the pressure of economics and the power of economies of scale, however, that power balance has dramatically shifted to the cities, and now, with votes being the only currency recognized in the cynical world of politics, the countryside finds itself feeling isolated and helpless before the insensitive whims of ever-pervasive urban demands.

As the needs of the city for safe food, safe water and recreational opportunities in a pristine environment overshadow the needs of those who live and work in the rural areas of the province, it is hardly surprising that a deep vein of resentment lies ready to be tapped by demagogues.

As more and more people crowd onto the planet, placing the ever-insatiable demands of the consumer society on an already over-burdened environment, it is the rural resident who often pays the price-and they are fast becoming fed up with those demands.

Each and every day, governments of all levels seem to react to urban demands with more and more regulations that chip away at the freedoms of the common person, and, to add insult to injury, drop the bill in greater proportion on the owners of property and business.

Mr. Hillier and his ilk are a clarion call to politicians of all stripes that there is something seriously amiss in our system-and that something needs to be addressed.

Our political system, or rather our first-past-the-post electoral system, ensures that successful political parties must pretend to be all things to all people, while in reality being nothing concrete to anyone. The cynicism bred into the jaded politicos by that constant pressure to be the impossible has filtered out into the electorate.

As a result we get the political maxims of a Bill "bland works" Davis or a Jean "don't rock the boat" Chretien. Instead of real solutions to difficult problems, we get crisis management and the economics of squeaky wheels.

Only a fool, a crook or an incredibly public service-minded individual could begin to contemplate entering the crucible of the political arena in today's image-obsessed and media-submersed society.

This country needs good people with ideas that work, and that will not happen unless we all start to pay more attention to the things that count and demand more creativity from our politicians.

Mr. Hillier is definitely right about one thing-bad things will happen if we stand by and let them.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

How can it take six years to study scourge?

Ministry must be running out of work

To the Expositor:

Thank goodness. The Ministry of Natural Resources has finally taken a stand on the cormorant issue. They have decided to extend their study for a sixth year.

I am pleased to know that for another year the government can hire MNR staff at fairly high salaries to sit and discuss the cormorant issue. Of course they should also consider hiring more Ministry of the Environment personnel to study if the bare trees and islands could be caused by other factors. A study by Revenue Canada should be warranted to study the dropping of income in tourist areas due to the lack of fishing. And last, but not least, the Ministry of Health will definitely require more staff to study the water contamination by the defecation of the cormorants and the possible transmission of disease and parasites by cormorants. Cormorants are beneficial to us-they are allowing a great opportunity for government job expansion.

So I have finally figured out why it is taking six years for MNR staff to act on the cormorant issue. They must be running out of work and have to justify their jobs.

Cormorants have ravaged fishing, have ruined many spots where they nest, and are polluting the water we drink. How can it take six years of study to recognize these facts and act on them? Either the MNR is incompetent or is made up of extremely slow learners.

They have lost any respect I might have had for them.

Gerry Mack

Kagawong

Ministry listened to Kagawong Lake concerns

Watershed planning will include more public input

To the Expositor:

As your readership will know, AKWA (Action Kagawong Water Access) was formed in order to help voice the concerns of year-round and seasonal residents, as well as visitors to Manitoulin, with regard to water levels in the Kagawong watershed.

Many of your readers wrote letters and emails to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) about the proposed Water Management Plan for the hydroelectric generation plant on the Kagawong watershed. On March 31, we took the letters and emails that had been entrusted to us to the MNR office in Sudbury. We also presented a brief to the MNR that compiled and presented background information to residents' concerns.

AKWA also forwarded copies of residents' letters and our brief to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Environment, your MPP and to local municipal governments.

Since then our members have received letters from the Minister of Natural Resources and the Sudbury MNR and the MOE. Many of your readers who let the MNR know their mailing address will also have received letters from the Sudbury MNR.

We are pleased to let you know that the proposed water management plan (the additional six inch drawdown of the lake) has been judged by the MNR to fall short of the standards of the Water Management Planning Guidelines. That means that the process of planning for the Kagawong watershed will continue with more meaningful public input. We have been assured that the concerns raised in our letters will be satisfactorily addressed in any plan that will be approved. As a result of all of our efforts, AKWA has been recognized as a stakeholder in the process. This is a privilege and a responsibility that we are willing to shoulder. We are continuing to meet with MNR and MOE personnel to ensure that all of the issues that the seasonal and year-round residents raised are indeed addressed.

The time and trouble that your readers and those concerned about the health of Manitoulin waters took to write to the MNR did make a difference.

We also want to thank all of you for your continuing support during this process. We welcome any comments or continuing concerns as we work through the planning process. We want to make sure that we are listening to you and that your voices are heard.

Brenda Gold

Action Kagawong Watershed Access (AKWA)

Kagawong

Island Singers thanked

Takes courage to perform new work

To the Expositor:

I wish to thank Dorothy Anstice and the Island Singers for choosing to perform my work, 'Gifts,' at their May 17 concert. It takes courage to perform new, unpublished music, and I am very grateful to you for taking that risk. Many composers do not get to hear their music.  I feel extremely privileged that you took the time to learn it!

The choir did a wonderful job conveying the feeling I wanted. I appreciate the effort that went into that! At times, in the music, I was asking the choir to sing in an unfamiliar style, to provide background colour with sustained mmm's and ooo's and ah's, and I know how much work it is to do that. In other spots, they dealt admirably with tricky rhythms. Janice Mastelko's loon-call improvisations added beautifully to the music-what a great surprise for me! And Esther Anstice did a gorgeous job with the solos. I had her voice in mind when I wrote them, and I am so happy to have heard her sing them.

It was a joy to work with Michael Shain's poetry- may there be more of it!

Jane Best

Gore Bay

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