MAY 28, 2003 ARCHIVE
 
 
 

Manitoulin incomes lag far behind the provincial average


by Michael Erskine
OTTAWA---There are few surprises in the recently published income
statistics for Manitoulin families from Statscan, with most
communities lagging far behind the provincial average in fiscal
remuneration, and far ahead of the rest of the province in dependence
on government transfers.
The Township of Billings comes closest to matching the provincial
average, as that community's residents reported receiving income of
$24,560 a year, comparing favourably to the $24,816 average income
reported provincially. Still, its 16.8 percent reported reliance on
government transfers stands high above the 9.8 percent reported for
the province.
Government transfers include Ontario Works (welfare), Ontario
Disability and old age security and Canada Pension Plan payments.
Killarney had the lowest reported income levels in the Manitoulin
District, with its residents reporting barely $12,122 in annual
income and a whopping 28.3 percent of that came from government
transfers.
Still, it should be noted with caution that Killarney was also
reported as having a precipitous drop in population numbers in the
last Statistics Canada survey, over 40 percent. That supposed drop in
population reported by Statscan baffled local Killarney politicians
and community leaders, as it appeared to have no basis in what had
actually taken place in the community over the intervening period
from the last survey.
Gore Bay reported the next highest set of income numbers, with
$21,550 setting the average for that municipality. The 16.4 percent
of that coming from government transfers was the lowest reported in
any Island community.
Burpee and Mills residents claimed an average income of $20,903, and
some 19.1 percent of that came from transfers, followed closely by
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, whose residents brought home
a gross average of $19,174, 20.7 percent of which came from transfers.
The community of Manitowaning sat in the center of the pack when it
comes to annual income and its source, with a gross average income of
$17,183 reported in that township, and 21.2 percent in transfers. The
average income for the entire Manitoulin Island was $16,412 in income
and residents reported that 22.2 percent of that came from a
government transfer source.
When Assiginack Reeve Hugh Moggy speaks of the hardship the double
whammy of rising taxes and new water rates will have on his
community, he knows of what he speaks.
"These numbers point to the need not only for economic development in
the area, but also the need for private and government investment,"
said Assiginack Economic Development Officer Rob Maguire.
Tehkummah, however, holds bragging rights for getting by on less for
Manitoulin. Its residents brought home $13,122 in income in 2001,
just two percent shy of half of the provincial average, with three
times the provincial average (27.6 percent) of that coming from some
government transfer source.
The need for economic development for Manitoulin is clearly reflected
in the income levels reported in the Statscan statistics according to
local economic development officers.
"Indeed," said Peggy Young, a Manitoulin-based economic development
consultant. "The low levels of income current on the Island,
especially when you put that together with our aging populations, and
the fixed nature of many retirement incomes, it makes it unlikely
that you can depend on local consumers to drive an economic
development strategy."
Instead, notes Ms. Young, the situation calls for a three-prong
investment approach utilizing the different levels of government and
private investment.
"You are caught in a Catch-22 situation," said Ms. Young. "The local
tax base cannot expand the infrastructure you need to attract new
business, but new business can't locate here without that
infrastructure development."
All levels of government have announced strategies to help develop
the North, and to stem the hemorrhage of working age people to the
south, but for now the numbers tell the story. There is precious
little gold in these here hills.


 

Local Chiefs aghast at behavior of Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs

Kenora Rally

Local First Nations members participate in Kenora rally
by Neil Zacharjewicz
KENORA, ONTARIO - An estimated 5,000 First Nations people from across
Canada delivered a strong message to Indian and Northern Affairs
Minister Robert Nault, rallying on the doorstep of his Kenora office.
"There was a big increase in the population of Kenora on that day,"
stated Raymond Jackson, a councillor with the Wikwemikong Unceded
Indian Reserve, and one of several Island First Nations members to
take part in the Kenora rally on March 15. "It was really a large
turn out."
Also taking part in the rally were M'Chigeeng Councillor Forry Hare,
Sucker Creek Councillor Peter Nahwegahbo, Susan Hare, lawyer for the
M'Chigeeng First Nation, and M'Chigeeng residents Rocky Debassige and
Diane Gaudreau, among others.
"This was definitely a larger rally than last year (which drew 2,000
people), and I believe it is because the First Nation people and
leadership are getting the message that the government wants to
maintain their control and influence over First Nations," stated Mr.
Nahwegahbo.
"I think it was a success," said Mr. Hare. He suggested the First
Nations Governance Act is the federal governments way of getting out
of its fiduciary responsibility to First Nations, and resembles the
White Paper of 1969, which Prime Minister Jean Chretien pioneered
when he was Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs.
"This is Mr. Chretien's way of trying to finish us off before he
leaves office," Mr. Hare stated.
Mr. Hare pointed out there are a number of clauses in the First
Nations Governance Act which completely contradict the Indian Act,
the current legislation which governs the relationship between First
Nations and the federal government. For instance, under the Indian
Act, if a band member were to seek a loan to purchase a home, the
band would co-sign for the property. If a payment was missed, the
property was protected under the auspices of Crown land. Under the
First Nations Governance Act, Mr. Hare explained, if a band member
takes out a loan on a property, and fails to meet a payment, the land
can be taken away.
Mr. Hare also raised concern that Mr. Nault has been attacking First
Nations leaders, saying they are not being responsible for the monies
passing through their reserves. Mr. Hare pointed out that the
M'Chigeeng First Nation prepares yearly reports of the monies which
flow through the First Nation, and he said this is true of probably
90 percent of the bands across the country.
"There are a few bad apples that don't, but there are ways of dealing
with them," Mr. Hare said.
He pointed out it is not just First Nations people who are against
the proposed legislation. Mr. Hare noted labour leaders also took
part in the rally in support of Canada's First Nations. He said
non-native people recognize the First Nations Governance Act will
take a lot of money to implement, money which will come from the
Canadian taxpayers.
Mr. Jackson said he believes the Kenora rally was successful in
getting the message out there that First Nations are against the
First Nations Governance Act.
"We are totally against it," he said. "There was totally no
consultation of First Nations people."
Mr. Jackson said he was not surprised that Mr. Nault was not at his
office during the time of the protest.
"He was invited, but we all knew he wouldn't be there," he said. "We
were in his home town. He should have been there to listen. This was
the second time he has turned down an invitation (to speak with us)."
"It's not surprising, but that is his riding," Mr. Hare pointed out.
"It's his own backyard."
On May 15, the day of the rally, Mr. Nault did release a statement to
the media. In his statement, Mr. Nault pointed out, "In the 2002
Speech from the Throne, the government made a promise to Canadians to
pursue initiatives aimed at improving the life for Aboriginals. Among
the commitments made was the improvement of governance structures for
First Nations on reserves."
"To those who fear that keeping this promise will mean the
infringement of Aboriginal and Treaty rights, let me assure you that
these rights remain protected under Section 35 of the Constitution of
Canada. This initiative is about keeping our word to First Nations
people and respecting the inherent right to self-government," Mr.
Nault said. "To others who choose to make their opinions on the First
Nations Governance Act known through protest, I would say that every
Canadian has the right to make their views known publicly in such a
fashion."
Mr. Nault said he acknowledges that there remain obligations which
the government must honor, and that he is reminded of the
government's fiduciary responsibility.
"No one can dispute the clear need to put much of the authority for
decision-making for First Nations communities back where it belongs,
in the hands of First Nations people," he said.
Mr. Nault suggested the First Nations Governance Act is following a
unique path through Parliament, one designed to bring about as much
discussion as possible as to how Bill C-7 (the First Nations
Governance Act) can and must be improved, adding he fully embraces
the call for amendments.
"Bill C-7 remains a work in progress, and one which continues to call
for the best efforts of Parliamentarians, Aboriginal leaders and the
people for whom they speak, working together in partnership," stated
Mr. Nault.
Still, Mr. Jackson maintained that the purpose of the Kenora rally
was to gather the nations to do away with the First Nations
Governance Act, which the federal government is trying to shove down
the throat of the First Nations people of Canada.
"In Kenora, we filled the streets from one end to the other," he said.
Mr. Hare said he anticipates more protests before the Act goes before
Parliament. While the federal government could turn a blind eye to
message being delivered by First Nations people from across the
country, he noted one only has to look back at the Oka crisis to see
what happens when the government ignores First Nations.
As for Liberal leadership candidate Paul Martin's promise to revisit
the Act once he is elected, Mr. Hare pointed out elections always
bring promises. He said he is more worried about the Act being passed
then whether it would be reconsidered at a later date.
"I am proud to have been a part of these rallies and to make a stand
against a piece of legislation that paints all First Nation people
with one brush," stated Mr. Nahwegahbo. "The legislation is
demonstrative of the intent to dismantle and assimilate First Nations
communities and to enact a municipality-style of government with one
sweep of the pen that will literally tear the communities apart."
 
Media frenzy picks up on Mad Cows
by Michael Erskine
MANITOULIN---The picture of a crazed bovine may make an entertaining
image for cartoonists and comedians, but for Canada's cattle farmers
it is no laughing matter.
The discovery that an animal with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
(BSE), a.k.a. Mad Cow disease in Alberta should deliver two very
important messages to consumers.
The first is that this animal was identified before it entered the
food supply, and therefore Canada's testing regime works, and the
second is that as of press time, even with hundreds of animals
quarantined and slaughtered for testing, no other cases have been
discovered.
Canadian beef is as safe as it gets.
Unfortunately, news of a positive test in that one animal was enough
to close the US Canada border to Canadian beef, barely 20 minutes
after the first report hit the wire. That export market counts for
over 70 percent of the production in Canada's $30 billion beef
industry, and the closure of that market is devastating the industry,
costing millions in lost revenue with each passing day.
"The most important issue at the moment is getting the laboratory
from the quarantined herds in question," said Ontario Federation of
Agriculture President Ron Bonnett. "We expect those results will show
no additional infected animals."
So far he has been proven right.
There have been no new cases of BSE detected in the 17 Canadian herds
quarantined in extensive efforts to identify and control any possible
outbreak, an approach which is designed to restore faith in the
safety of Canadian beef as quickly as possible.
"We must leave no stone unturned in our efforts to reassure our
markets and trading partners that the situation has been contained,"
reads a statement from the Canadian Cattleman's Association. "The
sooner our borders can be re-opened to exports, the sooner our
industry will recover."
"We are very, very concerned, obviously," said Janet Joyce, of
Meldrum Bay, a member of the Advisory Board to the Ontario
Cattlemen's Association. "For anyone trying to sell cattle right now,
it is particularly of concern because most of the cattle yards are
shut down."
Prices for cattle in Ontario have plummeted, with price listings down
41 percent from May 14. The volume of cows sold has dropped 66
percent in the province.
"It is affecting cattle producers on Manitoulin right now," said Ms.
Joyce. "Anyone who has to sell cows right now is in a very difficult
position."
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the lead agency for the
detection, control and eradication of all foreign diseases, including
BSE.
BSE is a disease which attacks the nervous system of cattle, and it
is closely related to Chronic Wasting Disease, which is common in elk
herds. Although there has been speculation that the disease detected
in the Alberta Black Angus was may have transferred from an elk or
deer, health and food inspection officials are adamant that this is
almost certainly not the case.
More common theories involve the feed source for the infected animal,
and its path through various herds it took during its lifetime.
Humans who eat beef infected with BSE can contract Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease, an Alzheimer's-like debilitating malady which is invariably
fatal, once it begins its march on the brain's tissue. It can take 10
to 15 years before the human variant makes its presence known,
however.
There have been a couple of hundred deaths attributed to BSE since
1995, most of them in Britain, where widespread detection of the
disease in beef has left most of the population exposed at one time
or another.
The current situation is considered more serious than it would have
otherwise been however, had the cow brains in question been tested
and confirmed quicker. Alberta laboratories were preoccupied with
testing elk brains for CWD, and the infected cow's brains remained on
the shelf for four months before definitive tests were finally
conducted.
Still, Canada's food safety mechanism's and disease detection systems
are higher than nearly any other country in the world, including the
United States, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, five
countries which wasted no time in banning all imports of Canadian
beef products.
Prices at stockyards dropped an average 30 percent within a day of
the news, and as producers know only too well, it can take decades
for prices to fully recover from a bad scare.
As for now, local farmers and cattlemen are keeping a close council
on the situation, holding their collective breath in the hopes that
the Alberta cow will prove to be an isolated event which quickly
passes. Most are pinning their hopes on a quick resolution as to the
source of the Alberta cow's affliction, and reserving comment until
those answers are found and they know more.
"We are all in a wait and see process right now," said Ms. Joyce.
"This has to be resolved as quickly as possible, and the consumer has
to be reassured that the food supply is safe and the system is
working. We are all eating beef right now, we know it is safe. We
just have to hope the average consumer keeps putting beef on the
table."
In the meantime, the press will add this outbreak to the apocalyptic
frenzy surrounding SARS, West Nile Virus and Osama Bin Laden.
 
Island restaurants take initiative on smoking

by Neil Zacharjewicz
LITTLE CURRENT - The owners of the Anchor Bar and Grill thought they
would be proactive and implement a smoke-free environment, but nearly
two weeks after taking the initiative, they are already feeling the
pinch.
"There is no smoke, and we are pretty well customer free," said Kelly
O'Hare, one of the owners of the Anchor.
On May 15, the Anchor Bar and Grill implemented its new policy, under
which the restaurant is 100 percent smoke free and the bar is 50
percent smoke free. Ms. O'Hare said the Anchor implemented the policy
because they understand that smoke is bad for peoples health, and
that it would be good for their staff and the non-smoking public. In
fact, all of the owners of the Anchor are non-smokers.
"We thought we would be proactive. We were positive about it," Ms.
O'Hare said. "We were hoping to be able to maintain the business we
have achieved over the last 10 years."
Ms. O'Hare said the owners were led to believe there were a large
number of people who wanted a 100 percent smoke-free eating
environment.
"So far, we haven't seen them," she said. She added she has been told
in a laughing manner by people that they knew where she could find
her customers... at a smoking establishment.
Yet business has been down substantially for the Anchor since the
policy was implemented. On Monday, Ms. O'Hare stood in her dining
room which at this time of year would normally be filled with
customers, but at that time there were only four, and one commented
he was just leaving so that he could go have a smoke.
"The effect on the bar has been devastating," Ms. O'Hare said. Last
Saturday night was typical of the weekends the Anchor has experienced
since implementing its smoking policy, she noted. On Saturday,
approximately 40 people crowded into the 50 percent smoking segment
of the bar, while two customers had their choice of seats in the
non-smoking section.
Ms. O'Hare said the owners are not as hopeful as they were prior to
May 15 that they will be able to keep all of their staff.
"At this rate, we will be looking at a reduction in staff," she said.
Ms. O'Hare did express some concern that if a smoke-free by-law were
to be implemented in the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the
Islands, that many of the smokers that frequent the bar would end up
smoking in the gazebo around the Veterans' Memorial in downtown
Little Current.
Ms. O'Hare said the owners are still hopeful that business will
improve, noting the smoke-free restaurant does provide an excellent
environment for families and non-smokers. She suggested a level
playing field for all businesses, where all restaurants were
smoke-free and patrons could make their decision based on the food,
might help to resolve the situation for the restaurant. However, she
said the owners were planning to send a delegation to Tuesday's
council meeting to explain their situation.
Other Island restaurants have also taken a proactive approach to
potential smoke-free by-laws in their municipality.
Theresa Noble of Twin Bluffs Restaurant in Gore Bay indicated her
establishment will be going smoke-free effective June 1st. She said
this is something the Twin Bluffs is doing on its own, regardless of
whether Gore Bay council decides to give third and final reading to
its smoke-free by-law, which was being considered on Monday.
"We have a non-smoking room," Ms. Noble pointed out, but added that
even still, smoke could find its way into that area. But she noted
she is optimistic implementing a smoke-free policy will not affect
her business too much. She pointed out approximately 75 percent of
her customers request a table in her non-smoking section to begin
with.
Twin Bluffs is not the only Gore Bay establishment to go smoke-free, either.
"As of June 1, 2003, we will allow no smoking in the restaurant,"
said Bill Woods, owner of B and J's Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor.
He explained, "I ran a survey for six days, by the hour, from 7:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the survey showed the number of smokers that
came in the restaurant ran around 12 percent or as low as two percent
depending on the day during the time the survey was held."
Mr. Woods indicated that he personally took the survey, by counting
the number of people that came through the door of the restaurant,
and counting the number of people that smoked during their stay in
the restaurant.
"I do expect that I will lose business at first, until people get
used to the change. But, my reason for doing this is that it's what's
going to happen; municipally, provincially and maybe even the feds
(government) will get involved in making municipal buildings and
public areas smoke free," continued Mr. Woods. "I figure it was the
time to take the bull by the horns and make the change now."
"I am really hoping to gain clientele by making us a smoke-free
restaurant, and hopefully this will be the case in the long run,"
said Mr. Woods. He pointed out by making it public now of the change
to no smoking, "We are giving everyone two weeks notice."
Jody Prato, of the Schooner Restaurant in Manitowaning, indicated her
restaurant has been 50 percent smoke-free for over a year now, and
she said everything has gone well.
Maggie's Cafe is M'Chigeeng has been smoke-free since 1994.
Other establishments are waiting for their municipalities to take the
first step. Steve Shaffer, owner of the recently opened Island Pub in
Mindemoya, indicated his establishment will allow smoking until such
time as Central Manitoulin council passes a smoke-free by-law.