Wikwemikong nurse clinic to remain open

by Michael Erskine

WIKWEMIKONG---The walk-in nursing clinic in Wikwemikong will be remaining open indefinitely, after negotiations between the band and Health Canada concluded with an agreement to basically maintain the status quo.

"From what I understand, the clinic will be staying open," said Band Councillor Cecilia Pitawanakwat. "The person who made the decision to close it in the first place has apologized and things are pretty much back to normal."

The clinic had been temporarily closed when a Health Canada official conducting a chart audit noticed the Wikwemikong Health Centre was providing services normally outside of the parameters of a clinic within 90 kilometers of a hospital.

The initial shutdown was rescinded the following day, and a 30-day moratorium on further action was declared, while Chief Walter Manitowabi and the band council re-negotiated the health centre agreement with Health Canada.

That 30-day period has since expired and the Wikwemikong Health Centre is still operating as usual.

"I think it is pretty much sorted out now," said Ms. Pitawanakwat.

Paul Martin calls spring election

Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing to head to polls June 28

by Michael Erskine

OTTAWA---Prime Minister Paul Martin visited the Governor-General on the weekend to request a dissolution of parliament and the issuing of an election writ, sending voters to the polls to elect the 38th parliament of Canada on June 28, 2004.

Despite Mr. Martin's Liberals having been sent reeling in the Quebec polls by the recent revelations from the sponsorship scandal, and poll numbers in Ontario suggesting the party's stranglehold on the seats in this province have become more tenuous, current poll numbers suggest at least a Liberal minority government is in the offing.

Should the Liberals manage to hang on for another majority, they would set a record for concurrent majority governments unmatched since the MacKenzie King/Louis St. Laurent run from 1935 to 1953. In fact, the Liberals have held power in this country for 73 of the last 104 years, and that is a record of electoral success that is unmatched in the western world.

It usually takes a combination of three factors to produce a Liberal defeat: the economy is in the tank; the Liberal leader is less popular than the alternatives; and party policy has to be off-base on at least two or three major issues.

None of those things can be said to be true this time around, so the party's slip to near parity with the Conservatives in the latest Ipsos-Reid poll must have more than a few Liberal strategists scratching their heads. To be accurate, the poll numbers placing the Liberals at 35 percent, definite minority government numbers, come from polling samples so small they have a huge margin of error provincially. Internal Liberal polls place their figure closer to 43 percent, still well within majority striking distance. Still, the numbers have to be causing some consternation in the ranks of urban Liberal candidates who are being threatened by the Conservatives from the right and the NDP on the left.

In Quebec, the Liberals have been in determined free-fall, and they cannot afford to lose any seats in Ontario if they wish to make up the difference. The west and the east have few seats to offset any central Canadian blood-bath.

Liberal strategy in Quebec will have to centre on the arguments of relevance of the elected member and concern about Mr. Harper's Alliance antecedents. The Bloc Quebecois have been trying to paint any positive Liberal actions over the past mandate as having been 'forced' by the Bloc, while placing blame on the Liberals for all that is wrong with the world. Analysts believe the Liberal's greatest danger in Quebec is that voters will feel it is safe to send a protest vote to Ottawa. Should Liberal numbers slip in the rest of the country, the Liberals plea that they need those Quebec seats to stave off the Conservative threat could play a major role come the actual day of the vote.

The far western shores of the country do not seem to have been impacted significantly by the fallout from the sponsorship scandal, at least not in the way Quebec and possibly Ontario have been, but British Columbia aside, the prairie provinces are likely to remain Conservative bastions, and there are simply too few B.C. seats to make that much of a difference.

The battleground will be Ontario, unless slipping polls make Quebec more of a factor, but as things appear to stand this is Paul Martin's election to lose. The electorate seems to be ready to hand the Liberals at least a minority government, and in fact most recent polls indicate a strong preference across the country for a Liberal minority government.

To make significant inroads in Ontario, the new Conservative Party will have to shed the legacy of the Alliance Party's image, a strategy Mr. Harper seems to be pursuing diligently with some measure of success. The Liberals will likely keep hammering the message home that the new Conservatives are really the Alliance in sheep's clothing, an image undoubtedly aided by former Progressive Conservative stalwart, leader and former Prime Minister Joe Clark, on the campaign trail for the Liberals.

Locally, three candidates are on the field and running. Liberal Brent St. Denis, New Democrat Carol Hughes and Conservative Blaine Armstrong. The Green Party has indicated they will be fielding a candidate, but that candidate has yet to be anointed.

Although the riding of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing was newly formed this past spring, the better portion of the riding was contained with the confines of Algoma-Manitoulin, the riding held by Mr. St. Denis.

Mr. St. Denis got an early start to his campaign this year, fending off a challenge to his nomination by fellow Liberal Harold Rowlinson, to handily win the right to represent the Liberals in this spring election.

Mr. St. Denis is running personally on his record as a "hard-working, dedicated and accessible" Member of Parliament. He was appointed to Chair the Standing House Committee on Industry, Science and Technology earlier this year and has served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Transport.

A graduate industrial engineer, Mr. St. Denis has four adult children and one grandchild.

When it comes to the government's record Mr. St. Denis said he was confident that overall the judgment of the voters will be positive.

"I feel we have, with a few admitted blips, governed the country very well," said Mr. St. Denis. "Over the past six years we have delivered six consecutive surpluses."

It is those surpluses, asserted Mr. St. Denis, that has given the government the "cash to invest into the things Canadians really care about such as the Health Care system."

The specific planks of the Liberal platform will be revealed by Mr. Martin over the next few weeks, he said, but locally Mr. St. Denis felt confident he had the pulse of the electorate.

In addition to a firm concentration on health care, the federal government's new deal for municipalities and First Nations coupled with its strong emphasis on fiscal responsibility, he said he feels, are a winning combination, especially with a new leader at the helm.

"I am confident that the people will see us as not a new party, but a renewed party," he said, offering a cautionary note on change for change sake. "We are happy to build for the future on the record of the past government."

Conservative Party challenger Blaine Armstrong is a former Gore Bay lawyer, turned real estate agent who is taking his campaign on the road in his 'Hope Mobile,' a sign bedecked trailer that will doubtless stand him in good stead on the long road ahead.

He has two children who are currently attending the University of Guelph.

Mr. Armstrong is campaigning for less government, an independent voice as the role of a Member of Parliament and stronger sanctions against "real criminals not harassment of law-abiding gun owners."

Mr. Armstrong came out swinging against the "cronyism, favoritism, rascalism, corruption and incompetence that have become collectively known as the sponsorship scandal."

However, while lambasting the federal Liberal leadership for calling an election before the sponsorship scandal was settled, Mr. Armstrong took a decidedly high road when it came to his Liberal opponent and his predecessor.

"Dr. Maurice Foster and Brent St. Denis, in many ways must be recognized," he said. "Both these fundamentally decent men put in many hours and miles traveling Algoma-Manitoulin to be the face of the Liberal Party."

Mr. Armstrong pledged to follow their example in commitments of time and travel, and he promised to find ways to be accessible, "notwithstanding the huge geography of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing."

The Liberal Party he asserted, has never been worthy of the efforts of Dr. Foster and Mr. St. Denis.

"For the first time in over a decade, Canada has an alternative government," he said. "A modern, moderate and national Conservative Party that will campaign on a message of hope, not fear. An alternative that will build on the country's strengths by giving it a government with integrity."

Mr. Armstrong contends that the people of Northern Ontario have been "counted on, counted and then ignored." His message as he travels the riding in his 'Hope Mobile' is that with a Conservative government, that trend will change.

Carol Hughes is employed with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, a resident of Elliot Lake for the past 24 years, she has been involved in the labour movement for the past 14 years. She is currently the President of OPSEU Local 604 and the Algoma-Manitoulin and District Labour Council.

Ms. Hughes is calling for accountability, honesty and change as she kicked off her campaign, the last of the three main party candidates to be declared.

"I will bring a new energy and positive alternative to politics in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing," said Ms. Hughes. "In the North we need a candidate who will work for job creation, address softwood lumber issues, continue to keep Medicare public, address inefficiencies in the gun registry, speak out against massive corporate tax cuts, strive to make the Government of Canada accountable and continue to fight for the rights and interests of Canadians.

The only fluently bi-lingual candidate, Ms. Hughes said she expects her facility in both official languages will stand her in good stead, especially in the new portion of the riding, but it is the Liberal government's reputation that she is counting on the most to boost her campaign.

"I think people are tired of being lied at," she said. "Tired of scandals, and tired of the lack of growth in the North."

Ms. Hughes spoke of the importance of keeping a level keel when it comes to the country's finances, but she said the Liberals have focused too much on driving down the deficit.

"We have to re-invest in this country," she said. "If we invest in the country the resulting revenue will help pay for social programs."

One of the NDP party's key commitments, she noted, is continuing to maintain balanced budgets.

The New Democratic Party also intends to roll back the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essential goods and services for families.

Ms. Hughes also noted the wide dissatisfaction held by the public over gas prices.

"We will be addressing these points, issue by issue throughout the campaign," she said.

The voters of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing will get a chance to listen to the candidates outline their positions, and to grill the candidates personally in a question-and-answer format at an all-candidates meeting at 7:30 pm, June 9, at Manitoulin Secondary School, hosted by the Manitoulin Expositor.

The challengers will have their work cut out for them, if history is any indication. In the 2000 election, Mr. St. Denis won handily, when he captured 48.4 percent of the vote. The Alliance and Tory candidates in that election scored 29 and 7.3 percent respectively, making the combined 'right' vote 36.3, a solid 12.1 percent below Mr. St. Denis' total. The NDP capture at the polls came in at 18.52 percent.

North rewarded in Ontario Budget

North rewarded in Ontario Budget

by Michael Erskine

TORONTO---The Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty brought forward the first budget of its mandate last week, presenting Ontarians with a bill for government that will top $79.6 billion in expenditures in 2004, a significant increase in taxes (labelled a health premium) and sees the province still going $2.2 billion into the hole in the bargain.

The budget has literally brought howls of outrage from the opposition parties; the most common label being used by the opposition to describe the Liberals in interviews is 'liars.' It is a charge the Liberals have not denied, albeit they argue they had no other responsible choice but to renege on their pledge not to raise taxes or run a deficit.

"Over the past three years," said Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, "expenses in this province went up by 22 percent. Our revenues went down by 0.6 percent. That was a relationship on the road to disaster."

The North has faired relatively well out of the new budget however, with substantial increases in FedNor funding, a new series of bonds for Northern development, a major new investment in marketing the North to go along with the bands and a significant investment in Northern roads specifically earmarked in the budget.

"Northern Ontario is a region of boundless potential and the people who live there ask no more than to be given the opportunity to realize that potential," said Ontario Finance Minister Greg Sorbara as he delivered his budget on Tuesday, May 18. "My Northern caucus colleagues often often remind me that 90 percent of our vast province is Northern Ontario."

"The people of Algoma-Manitoulin told us what their concerns were, particularly with regards to health care, education and the need to help Northern communities attract and maintain jobs," said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown. "They spoke and we listened."

"What I see is quite obvious, just another lie coming out of the Liberals," said Algoma-Manitoulin Progressive Conservative Riding President Jim McBane. "When you see the raise in the taxes on your pay cheque, remember it is hidden in your taxes."

Mr. McBane said the difference in the Conservative approach is to reduce taxes and let people decide where they want to put the money.

"What people don't understand in all of this is that the $5.6 billion deficit they keep talking about would not have existed had we been elected," said Algoma-Manitoulin Progressive Conservative Riding President Jim McBane. "We had a number of initiatives set to reduce that amount, one being the sale of Liquor Stores. The government should not be in the business of selling liquor, but we would have still collected the taxes on it."

As to the specific funds allocated to the North through increases to FedNor, Mr. McBane was skeptical.

"Wait and see, you watch, they will use it to reward their friends," he said. "They will be using FedNor to thank the groups they want to reward."

"Dalton McGuinty came to the front door promising change last fall," said NDP Leader Howard Hampton. "Now he's sneaking in the back door to lift your wallet."

Categorizing the budget as a tax grab, Mr. Hampton said that families across Northern Ontario will see their wallets emptied by the Liberal budget, adding that they believe the budget to be one of the most regressive budgets in Ontario's history.

Mr. Hampton pointed out that the budgets of the ministries of Northern Development and Mines and Natural Resources are being cut, and despite Liberal claims to the contrary, he asserted that highway improvements are also being slashed.

Drivers' licenses will cost 50 per cent more, Mr. Hampton said, pointing out that this hits the North especially hard because most people need to drive due to lack of transit systems.

Mr. Hampton also claimed that people in unorganized townships will end up paying more as the Liberals move to increase the provincial land tax.

Billings Reeve Aus Hunt, president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities was cautiously upbeat on the new provincial budget.

"It's hard to say exactly how it will affect us," he said. "We have been discussing various points, but until we see the text on the ramifications as to how everything will be carried out we can't comment too much."

Mr. Hunt used the provincial commitment to pick up 75 percent of the cost of Public Health Units, as opposed to the 50/50 cost sharing that was in place before as an example of why the municipalities are being cautious with their comments.

"The province says they are going to spend more on public health, does that mean our 25 cent dollars will be as high as our 50 cent dollars were before (the province took on 75 percent of the costs)," he asked? "It is too soon to tell until we see the specifics of how they are going to go about it."

That being said, Mr. Hunt said the general reaction of Northern municipalities was, "by and large good."

"The North was certainly mentioned far more than we have been in the past," he pointed out. "There are certainly a lot of infrastructure dollars mentioned and that gives us a good feeling about their intentions."

Business reaction to the budget was also guardedly positive, with Ontario Chamber of Commerce President Len Crispino delivering a 'B+' verdict when he learned that the capital tax on business, a tax that applies whether or not a corporation makes a profit or not, will be gradually wiped out over the next eight years.

"We're not pleased about the fact that it's being done over eight years as opposed to four," he said. "Nor is the group happy that it will take four years to eliminate the deficit."

But overall, business reaction has been more positive than negative.

Although the budget will technically remain in deficit until 2007, a $1.5 billion contingency fund could mean the budget is balanced much sooner.

The budget contains a number of initiatives that target the North specifically.

On the plus side the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is getting an additional boost of $35 million. Bringing the Northern development fund up to a total of $135 million. Perhaps even more telling, Muskoka is not in the plan anymore.

"We are welcoming Muskoka back to southern Ontario," quipped Mr. Brown. The inclusion of the southern Ontario cottage country resort area within the cachement area of Northern Ontario was a deep sore point for many Northerners. The realignment of the boundaries of Northern Ontario are now back to their original borders.

Although government spending on roads will be down overall, there will be $285 million earmarked specifically for Northern Ontario. Most of the money will be spent on widening Highway 69 and Highway 11. Although there are no specifics as to how many miles of road will be widened with the new funds, the allocation is widely seen as a payoff to the North for its support.

Another initiative specifically targeting the North are Northern Ontario Grow Bonds. Although the specifics on the new bond program haven't come out, the intent is to encourage private investment in the North.

"When business comes to the North," said Mr. Brown, "the government will back them up. The Go North Investor Program, with $10 million in marketing investment, will go hand in hand with those bonds."

The Go North Investor Program will target business entrepreneurs nationally and internationally, highlighting the inherent strengths of the North as a place to do business, explained Mr. Brown.

Rural and Northern Colleges are also getting a one-time boost, with a stabilization fund geared to helping rural and Northern Colleges.

On the downside for the North, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines will see a $6 million drop in their budget this year, but Mr. Brown was quick to point out that drop is more than offset by contributions to the North that are being made in other areas.

"By contributing into the other programs, that will certainly more than make up for the slight drop in that ministry," he said. "There were a great number of government ministries that will have to tighten their belts so we can concentrate on the areas that are of the most importance to the people of Ontario."

Although the Native Affairs Secretariat budget was also down by $2 million, Mr. Brown pointed out that there was an extra allocation outside of that envelope specifically targeting Aboriginal health and wellness, topping that fund up by $5 million.

"There have also been increases to spending on mental health, especially to children's mental health, that will be of great importance to Northerners," he said. "There is also going to be greater a emphasis on having the family health teams, with the main focus in areas where there are doctor shortages. That is where the 'waits' are."

In agriculture policy, and as part of a concentration on clean water, farmers are getting a new $20 million aid package for nutrient management, although most of the benefit of that will impact on larger farm operations, identified as those with the manure output equivalent to 300 cows.

In fact water is the single biggest fixation for the government in this budget, if percentage increases are any measure. The budget will pour another $50 million into outlays designed to protect the province's water supply, jumping that funding envelope by a whopping 50 percent, far and beyond any other envelope.

The new money will hire more inspectors, better research on water drinking standards and expanded oversight of water-using activities. The province has also committed itself to improving sewage-treatment plants, parkland acquisitions and the cleanup of abandoned mines and improving conservation area dams.

While water may be the fixation by percentage increase, health remains its largest outlay by far, consuming 38 percent of provincial spending.

A commitment to multi-year funding for hospitals from the province, something that hospitals have been calling for as vital to their operations, will have its impact severely dampened by the low increases called for in the funding.

"According to the budget, there will be 4.3 percent in the first year, dropping to 3.1 in the next two years," said Manitoulin Health Centre CEO Jim Van Camp. "That is less than half of what we see in our budget, which has a 10 percent increase."

The provincial average is eight percent, noted Mr. Van Camp, Manitoulin's stands at 10 percent because its two-site nature is not recognized.

"It is erroneously low," he said. "We provide only essential services, therefore 4.3 percent is not going to cut it. I will be recommending to the board that we stay the course."

Manitoulin Island's average income of approximately $16,500 per year falls well below the $20,000 trigger point for health premium payments, and with nearly 22 percent of the population dependent on government transfers of one kind or another, the increase of three percent to social service and disability transfers, the first increase in 11 years, will likely give local consumers a bit of a much needed boost. That boost however falls far short of what social service advocates say are needed.

For one local business person however, cuts of chiropractic and outpatient physiotherapy from OHIP listed treatments will be having a serious negative effect.

Harold Simon, a Mindemoya chiropractor was clearly unsettled by the announcement.

"It was particularly upsetting because there was no notice. It came right out of the blue," he said. "There was no consultation of our association, to my knowledge."

Mr. Simon said the de-listing would provide false savings, as those who would normally seek treatment would fall onto the emergency system.

Although there was little warning for chiropractors or their patients, it is important to note that the de-listing does not take effect until the fall.

"When in the fall we don't exactly know," said Mr. Simon.

Uncertainty as to how the budget will actually impact various sectors lies largely in the details, and most of those details have yet to be announced, leaving most of the players cautious in their reactions. That is an uncertainty that Mr. Brown said will be quickly cleared up.

The provincial budget, or rather the voters reaction to it, is expected to have an impact on the federal election. Ontario's ridings will play a pivotal role in the battle for who will form the federal government, and it remains to be seen if voters will accept the provincial budget's new taxes (and deficit) or if a backlash is waiting for the federal troops.

New wind farm in the works in Central Manitoulin

by Neil Zacharjewicz

CENTRAL MANITOULIN -  A new wind farm is in the works for the Providence Bay - Spring Bay area, and the concept is being developed by a company that prides itself on being environmentally savvy.

Schneider Power Inc. is planning to construct a small-scale wind farm operation on farm purchased by the Schneider family in the Providence Bay - Spring Bay area. Thomas Schneider, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Schneider Power Inc., is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Manitoulin Municipal Association (MMA) on Wednesday, May 26 to outline the company's plans.

According to Mr. Schneider, the plan is to develop a wind farm made up of five to 10 wind turbines that, when completed, will generate enough power to feed 15,000 to 20,000 homes.

"It will be enough to supply the Island and some of the surrounding cities," Mr. Schneider suggested. "Essentially, I want to design it as a model and showpiece of technology that is ecologically friendly."

Schneider Power Inc. is a 112 year-old company that first got its start in 1892, when Josef Schneider, a local flower mill owner, borrowed money from the bank to buy a generator and converted his flower mill into a hydro-electric power plant. As demand for electricity grew, his sons acquired further flower mills upstream and converted them into power plants. The company grew to become one of the largest private electricity networks in southern Germany.

In 1985, the Schneider family immigrated to Canada, and focused its efforts on renewable energy by investing in clean energy projects. Mr. Schneider explained that many of the members of the company's board are active in environmental groups, such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Ontario Federation of Naturalists, and the Dr. David Suzuki Foundation.

Schneider Power Inc. is the only electric energy developer in Canada that has been recognized and is an official member of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, chaired by UN Secretary - General Kofi Annan. While many companies believe in the idea of creating mega-projects, Mr. Schneider explained his company believes in working on a smaller scale. The company has implemented stringent guidelines for development, Mr. Schneider explained, and has been asked to make a special presentation on those guidelines to participants in the upcoming UN Global Compact round table discussions on global and national environmental issues, as well as to the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mr. Schneider noted that Manitoulin is a beautiful place, and should be preserved.

"There are only so many windmills you can put up before you start impacting the environment," he noted. "I think this project can be turned into a showcase for Ontario as to how wind power can be developed."

To see the project through to fruition, Mr. Schneider indicated, Schneider Power Inc. has put together a management team with over 20 years of experience in the wind farm industry. Some of the members of the team have worked on the Atlantic Wind Test Site, the government sponsored program developed on Prince Edward Island 20 years ago to test wind power technology. Other members of the team were involved in the development of Huron Wind, the first wind farm built in Ontario on the Bruce Peninsula. Others were involved in the development of the Whitewater Hill Wind Farm found in California.

"There is a lot of experience in this field," he said. "I am very happy they are working with me."

Mr. Schneider said the Manitoulin project is something that he has been working toward for the last year-and-a-half. He said unlike many of the other partnerships looking at wind farm projects on Manitoulin, his company is not associated with an off-Island municipality or city.

"This is the first project looking at the municipalities and township on the Island," he said. "Schneider Power will develop, build and operate the wind farm."

Unlike some other wind farm developments, that generate electricity that is then fed into the IMO grid, Schneider Power Inc. is looking at a system that will allow the company to supply power to parts of Manitoulin even when the main power line to the Island is down.

"We feed into the Hydro One distribution grid," he explained. While this will not totally solve the problem of what happens on Manitoulin when the main power line is out of commission, he said it will help to stabilize power problems on the Island. The fact that the wind farm will be centrally located on Manitoulin will also help to address these concerns.

 There are a variety of reasons for the Providence Bay - Spring Bay area site the company has selected, among them the low population density and the fact that, by developing the project on agricultural land, Schneider Power Inc. will achieve the least possible impact on people and nature.

"It is away from the water on farm land. It has a very good wind regime," Mr. Schneider noted.

Provided the company can secure all of the necessary approvals for the project, construction will begin by spring of 2005. Mr. Schneider said it is his hope that he will be able to construct an education centre to go with the wind farm, and he is hoping to get local residents involved in the project. Construction is not expected to take all that long, he noted.

"Wind turbines are almost like used cars these days," he said. They are efficient, come with a warranty, and can be assembled in almost a day. Mr. Schneider said he anticipates the project could be complete and operational by the fall of 2005.