Inquest finds the means of Sean Trudeau's tragic death 'undetermined'

Coroner's jury makes seven recommendations

by Alicia McCutcheon

GORE BAY-For four days last week, five jurors got a small glimpse into the life of a young Wikwemikong man who was struggling to make his way in the world while dealing with enormous stressors-the likes of which most young men will never encounter-before his life came to a tragic end on April 14-Good Friday-of 2006.

The jurors were part of a coroner's inquest to investigate Sean Trudeau's sudden and untimely death while the Wikwemikong Tribal Police were attempting to arrest the 20-year-old.

The jurors learned that Mr. Trudeau, his common-law partner Naomi Shawana, and his mother Caroline Wemigwans, were making the rounds in the community, selling raffle tickets. The family was trying to raise enough money to cover an upcoming trip to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto with the couple's oldest child, a daughter, who was born with a congenital disease causing clubbed hands and feet, among other complications. It was noted throughout the trial that Mr. Trudeau never missed one of his daughter's numerous doctor's appointments.

In the early afternoon of April 14, while Ms. Wemigwans stopped at the Wikwemikong Nursing Home for approximately 15 minutes, an argument allegedly erupted between Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Shawana as the pair waited in the mother's van. According to the evidence given by Ms. Wemigwans, Mr. Trudeau was questioning his partner's whereabouts the night before as she had failed to return home. What happened next is unclear. While Ms. Wemigwans indicated that her son told her he had "pushed her in the face," a 911 tape played to the jury suggested a more violent altercation.

On the tape, Ms. Shawana is heard calling from Patsy's Restaurant, asking for police to come to the restaurant.

"My boyfriend just f---n' beat me up and I need the cops to pick me up," said a distressed-sounding Ms. Shawana. "Hurry up!"

Repeatedly, the female dispatcher asked Ms. Shawana the name of her boyfriend, which she refused to give, but continued to plead for assistance.

"Are you afraid he's going to come back?" the dispatcher asked. "Yes!" came the exasperated response.

When asked how he she had been beaten up, Ms. Shawana said that she had been hit in the face, punched and kicked. She also told the dispatcher that her boyfriend was violent toward police officers.

According to the testimony, Constable Jim Wakegijig of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police was the first on the scene. He found Ms. Shawana in the parking lot as well as the van of Ms. Wemigwans, with Mr. Trudeau inside it. When Sergeant Scott Cooper arrived on scene, Ms. Shawana immediately got in the back of his car and demanded to be taken home. All the while, Mr. Trudeau asked Constable Wakegijig to speak to his partner. When told 'no' by both officers, Mr. Trudeau allegedly became upset and pounded his fists against the dashboard. It was agreed that Ms. Wemigwans would take him home while Sergeant Cooper took Ms. Shawana to her mother's home.

While driving the young woman home, Sergeant heard more details from Ms. Shawana about the altercation. She said he had hit her in the face, punched and kicked her. In Sergeant Cooper's mind, the officers now had grounds to arrest Mr. Trudeau and so he made the call.

Constable Wakegijig was the first to reach Ms. Wemigwans' van and, with lights flashing, pulled her over. According to the officer's testimony, Mr. Trudeau began to get upset and angry and even reached for a ballpoint pen and stabbed himself in the side of the neck. Soon, Sergeant Cooper pulled over to help his fellow officer in the arrest while Ms. Shawana was still in the back of the former's car. Once out of the van, Mr. Trudeau became even more distraught and pounded his fists on the passenger-side sliding door. Constable Wakegijig said that when he attempted to put Mr. Trudeau into a hold, the youth wiggled free and escaped up the embankment from where they were parked toward the Wikwemikong Health Centre parking lot.

The constable said he made a dive for the escapee and managed to get a hold of his leg but was soon being dragged up the hill behind him. For fear of being kicked in the face, he let go, with Sergeant Cooper in fast pursuit. By this time, the other officer on duty that day, Constable Greg Mishibinijima, had also arrived.

The officers testified that once Mr. Trudeau made it to the parking lot, he turned around to face them in a "fighting stance" with fists clenched. Sergeant Cooper explained that he had his pepper spray out and at the ready, which he attempted to use.

According to the evidence given by the officers, Mr. Trudeau ran toward the health centre building and began pounding his fists against a windowpane, which then shattered. Constable Wakegijig made another attempt to get Mr. Trudeau into a hold but again the youth broke free. The officers testified that Mr. Trudeau began to edge along the side of the building with his hands clenched near his chin.

He reportedly called out to "stay away or I'll do it, I'll cut myself." By the time he made it to the wing of the building, Sergeant Cooper said he saw him make a "slashing motion" to his neck and drop a piece of glass. He said that when he saw the wound, he was "in disbelief."

The officers continued to try to get Mr. Trudeau to stop but he would not listen, they said. When the then mortally wounded Mr. Trudeau turned to face them, Constable Mishibinijima attempted to pepper spray him again. Mr. Trudeau finally came to rest against a pole outside of the health centre where police were able to assist him and an ambulance was called.

Court heard that a jacket, believed to be Mr. Trudeau's, was used by officers to apply pressure to the deep wound on the right side of his neck while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Ms. Wemigwans recalled that painful day. "I watched him walking real slow and saw drips of blood," she said. "It seemed like he was getting weaker and weaker."

She remembered seeing Constable Mishibinijima pepper spraying her son while he clung to a pole and him calling out, "What did I do?" and speaking of his children.

"He was curled up on the ground and I went and held him around the waist," she continued, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He said, 'Mom, get out of here,' so I backed away."

When the ambulance arrived, a pressure bandage was applied to Mr. Trudeau's neck and he was quickly loaded up and rushed away to the Manitoulin Health Centre in Little Current.

One of two paramedics on scene with Mr. Trudeau was Wayne Jacko. He explained to the jury that Mr. Trudeau was of the highest priority and that when they left the scene, the patient was alert and talking. By the time they reached Sheguiandah he had lost consciousness and by the time he got to Little Current, Mr. Trudeau had "flatlined." Mr. Jacko explained that because Mr. Trudeau had lost so much blood, he greatly needed fluids, which nurses attempted to provide at the hospital. No paramedics on Manitoulin are certified with 'level two' training, which would have allowed them to give Mr. Trudeau an IV, Mr. Jacko explained.

Mr. Jacko said the doctor had "shocked him" (defibrillated) once and that Mr. Trudeau had revived momentarily, but was then pronounced dead at 3:17 pm.

The jurors heard from numerous witnesses throughout the four-day inquest and were reminded that their job was to find the answers to the five following questions: the name of the deceased, the date and time of death, the place of death, the cause of death and the means of death. The last of the five required the jury to choose between natural death, accidental death, suicide, homicide and undetermined.

As with all inquests, the jury was also asked to consider any recommendations that pertain to the death so that similar tragedies may be prevented.

Witnesses included Sherry Osawamick, who was waitressing at Patsy's Restaurant on April 14, 2006 when Ms. Shawana came to use the phone to dial 911; Ms. Wemigwans; Paul Berger, a member of the OPP's forensic identification unit (Mr. Berger took the crime scene photos and samples from the crime scene, as well as autopsy photos of Mr. Trudeau); Constable Wakegijijg; Sergeant Cooper; Constable Mishibinijjima; Ms. Shawana; Mr. Jacko; Tom Moffat (Mr. Trudeau's probation officer); Chris Lawrence (a team leader at the Ontario Police College and expert on "use-of-force" tactics); Dr. Anil Joseph (Mr. Trudeau's psychiatrist at the Nadmadwin Mental Health Clinic), and Janice Trudeau (Mr. Trudeau's counsellor at the Nadmadwin Mental Health Clinic).

Through the testimony of each, a picture began to emerge of Mr. Trudeau's life. The jury learned that before his birth, his natural father had taken his own life, and by the age of three, he was being raised by his maternal grandparents. The jury learned that his common law relationship with Ms. Shawana was rocky at the best of times but that he loved his children more than anything else.

A dark picture also emerged of Mr. Trudeau's troubled self. On two previous occasions, he had cut himself with a knife. One of these cases was so serious that surgery had to be performed on his arm in Sudbury. Mr. Lawrence described to the jury that while he was documenting the autopsy of Mr. Trudeau, he took pictures of what he thought to be tattoos on his arm. When he took the camera away from his face, he then noticed that the 'tattoos' were in fact big, purple scars from cutting himself. The court heard from the family's lawyers that it seemed Mr. Trudeau was prone to harm himself when there were high levels of stress in his life.

It also would seem that the passing of Mr. Trudeau's grandfather two years earlier was the catalyst to his bouts of self-harm and run-ins with the law. The fact that he continually worried about his lack of employment and how he would care for his family also exerted a toll on his mental health. The jury heard that one Christmas, Mr. Trudeau sold the family television to buy presents for his children.

Six lawyers shared the bench and each took turns examining the witnesses.

Jackie Esmond and Sheila Cuthbertson of the Aboriginal Law Service of Toronto represented the family of Mr. Trudeau and brought some serious questions to light. The officers were asked questions at length from the coroner's co-counsel of Grant McLeod and Tom Fitzgerald as well as Ms. Esmond and Ms. Cuthbertson about their training in use-of-force tactics. The jury learned that the officers of the Wikwemikong Tribal Police are trained each year in various areas, including use of force.

The family's lawyers asked the officers if they had been trained in dealing with those who suffer from mental illness or those who are emotionally disturbed, and they learned that training in this area was minimal at best.

The co-counsel also questioned the police as to why they failed to arrest Mr. Trudeau while he was at Patsy's Restaurant and in a relatively calm state, noting that the Wikwemikong Tribal Police share the same zero-tolerance policy with the OPP when it comes to domestic assault. Sergeant Cooper explained that he felt that he did not have the grounds to arrest him and that it was not clear to him that Mr. Trudeau was the boyfriend in question.

"Wasn't it clear that if Sean had told you he was arguing with her that he was the boyfriend?" Ms. Esmond asked Sergeant Cooper.

"No," he replied. "She wouldn't tell me and I can't just assume."

The sergeant was also questioned as to why he would attend the scene of an arrest with the victim still in the back seat, especially when domestic assault calls can be so volatile. He explained that as Constable Mishibinijima had not yet arrived, Constable Wakegijijg was in obvious need of help. While Mr. Trudeau was trying to escape the police, Ms. Shawana managed to climb from the backseat to the front of the unmarked car, open the door and flee after first shouting a warning to the police that Mr. Trudeau was going to cut himself.

Ms. Shawana's testimony did little to describe the scene that day. The now 20-year-old claimed she could not remember most incidents and at one point refused to answer the tribal police lawyer, Hugh MacDonald.

Halfway through the questioning, Ms. Shawana began to cry quietly and hunched over in the witness box. "Why did he have to...?" she cried softly.

When Mr. Lawrence was called to testify, he explained that given the situation the tribal police found themselves in, their use of force tactics, including the use of pepper spray while Mr. Trudeau was severely wounded, was correct. Given the lack of information the officers had, Mr. Lawrence said he could also not find fault with the fact that Mr. Trudeau had not been arrested at the parking lot at Patsy's Restaurant.

"It didn't seem clear in the officers' minds who was who," he said to Ms. Cuthbertson. "We do not live in a police state-people have rights...I don't think officers in Ontario are allowed to do anything on a whiff of suspicion."

The jury also learned that two months earlier, Mr. Trudeau had been diagnosed as suffering from depression by Dr. Joseph at the Nadmadwin Health Centre and given medication to help him cope. Dr. Joseph saw Mr. Trudeau a second time, two days before his death, and Dr. Joseph reported that although he had not been taking his medication, and in fact was self-medicating with someone else's prescription, he seemed in much better spirits and appeared much better than their previous appointment. They also learned that Ms. Shawana phoned the clinic, asking for Dr. Joseph's phone number in Sudbury as he did not want to access his services in Wikwemikong. Dr. Joseph, Mr. Moffat (Mr. Trudeau's probation officer), as well as Ms. Trudeau (his counsellor) all said that he appeared in no way suicidal.

After three days of testimony, the lawyers spoke to the jury one last time on the fourth day before their deliberations.

Ms. Esmond reminded the jury that inquests such as the one they were participating in sent a clear message that "the lives of those in police custody are just as important as everyone else's."

She said that from the testimony they had heard over the course of three days, the family had found three areas that might have made a difference in the outcome of Mr. Trudeau's life. The first was access to counselling in an off-reserve setting, the opportunity the police had to arrest Mr. Trudeau in the parking lot, and the fact the police did not back off when he was "clearly desperate."

The family posed nine recommendations to the jury for consideration: 1) officer training for individuals in crisis, with refreshers every two years; 2) officer training in arrest and detaining powers; 3) the creation of a domestic violence unit at the tribal police; 4) bigger bandages and 'cling tape' to be added to police first aid kits; 5) the creation of a 24-hour access line for officers to reach mental health professionals; 6) the creation of a crisis hotline; 7) the hiring of a full-time psychologist at the Nadmadwin Mental Health Clinic; 8) for level two paramedics to be allowed to practice their training on Manitoulin; and 9) for the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care to provide more support for families with special needs children.

"When Mr. Trudeau woke up on the morning of April 14, 2006, he did not think this day would be his last," said Ms. Cuthbertson.

Before the jury left to deliberate, the coroner, Dr. Peter Clark, reminded the jury of the purpose of the inquiry. "We speak for the dead to protect the living," he said.

The jury found that Sean Trudeau was the name of the deceased and that he had died on April 14, 2006 at 3:17 pm at the Manitoulin Health Centre emergency room in Little Current from a slash wound to the right side of the neck. They found his means of death undeterminable. In order to have determined his death a suicide, the jury had to have evidence to prove that Mr. Trudeau intended to die at the time he injured himself. His previous history of self-harm, but not suicide attempts, appeared to factor into this as the fatal event may have been another attempt at self-harm that, tragically, went too far. The fact that Mr. Trudeau asked if an ambulance had been called and expressed remorse at what he had done to his neck, as the jury learned, may have also played a role in this finding.

The jury also came back with seven recommendations to help prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again. They are as follows:

1) The record management system, which is used by the OPP, should be used by all police departments within the province-both on- and off-reserve police services-to enable better communications and access criminal records and potential history.

2) Probation officers and support staff should be increased where needed within the province, including a Native community correctional worker within each First Nation district. In addition, each satellite office should be equipped with an information technology system that will enable parole officers to access their files from the main office, as well as having the probation officer or community correctional worker monitor bail orders.

3) There should be a greater chain of accountability. Where any police agency, the courts or probation/bail officers make referrals, a follow-up must be mandatory.

4) Level two paramedics should be able to operate in rural areas with a codicil (book of reference) for monthly or quarterly review. This will enable rural areas to have the same access as urban centres.

5) Wikwemikong should access funding for a full-time psychologist, and the Wikwemikong Mental Health Clinic (Nadmadwin) should ensure that clients receive a list of all mental health services available to them in the Sudbury/Manitoulin district.

6) Parents of special needs children should have extra funding to allow both parents to attend medical/specialist appointments and to have in-house respite care for the parents to better cope with their situation.

7) In the event of a death of a person who dies within custody with any police agency in the province, an investigation must occur with the special investigations unit.

Fire destroys Bidwell Road business

Donations sought to rebuild uninsured shop

by Jim Moodie

BIDWELL-Fire gutted a large garage and storage building at the Young's Recycling facility along the Bidwell Road last week, while firefighters were kept busy for six hours to suppress the blaze.

At 10 am on Friday, members of the Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands Fire Department were summoned to the site, which lies in the municipality's hinterland between the small communities of Rockville and Green Bay.

"It was a good-sized fire," remarked Fire Chief Darren Bailey. "We called Assiginack through mutual aid for a tanker assignment, because we needed more water."

Business owner Calvin Young and a helper were on the premises when the fire started, apparently due to a wood-burning furnace, and went next-door to phone for help, said Chief Bailey. As his crew arrived, the building was fully engulfed, with loud pops issuing from within as tanks of fuel and gas exploded.

"They had acetylene tanks for welding and barrels of fuel oil," said Chief Bailey. "There was a lot of banging and booming."

Given the fact that the building was beyond rescue at that point, the chief cautioned his crew not get too close. "There's no sense in getting anyone hurt or killed," he said. "It was just a case of surround and drown her."

As well, there were "a lot of tires" at the site, said the fire chief, which posed an additional challenge for the crew. In the end, however, the department was able to control the burning rubber through repeated dousings and didn't need to resort to the use of foam.

The damage was considerable, with little salvaged from the skeletal structure. "They got one toolbox out," said Chief Bailey. "Everything else is gone."

While the chief had yet to fill out a complete report, he estimated that, "with all the hoists and other equipment they had in there, and the building itself, the damage could be $50,000 to $100,000."

Because Mr. Young did not have insurance on the building, an account is being set up through the Bank of Montreal in Mindemoya for anyone who wishes to contribute money towards the rebuilding of his shop. Donors may visit any Bank of Montreal branch to make a contribution.

Firefighters remained on the scene until 4 pm. While the main blaze was brought under control much sooner, "we had to root through the rubble to find hot spots," said Chief Bailey. "Everyone was pretty tired by the end of the day."

St. Clair River excused in L. Huron water woes

But all Great Lakes remain below average levels

by Jim Moodie

LAKE HURON-A progress report issued last week by a bi-national body undertaking a multi-year study of the upper Great Lakes refutes the notion that water is being flushed at an undue rate through a so-called 'drain hole' in the St. Mary's River.

The International Joint Commission (IJC), a quasi-judicial agency that oversees regulation of Great Lakes levels, said on Thursday that video images from the river's depths indicate that, contrary to claims of significant erosion, the bottom remains "fully armoured" with a layer of rocks.

"On a preliminary basis, we're finding that ongoing erosion does not appear to be a cause of low water levels," IJC spokesman John Nevin said during a news conference in Toronto.

The Georgian Bay Association (GBA), which represents cottagers along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, has argued that dredging and scouring of the shipping channel at the lake's exit near Sarnia has resulted in a greater volume of water escaping the Huron-Michigan system. A study undertaken on behalf of the GBA in 2005 by a firm of hydrological engineers supported this position, and more recent investigations undertaken by the cottagers' group suggest the water loss through the St. Clair may be even greater than first estimated-as much as 10 billion litres per day.

The IJC, which launched a five-year study of the upper lakes last spring, admits that more research needs to be done before erosion of the St. Clair channel can be entirely ruled out as a factor in the decline of Lake Huron's water level.

Ted Yuzyk, co-chair of the IJC study group, told reporters that other measurements still need to be taken, and no firm conclusions have been reached. It's possible, the group allowed, that more substrate once overlaid the river's present padding.

But the fact that rocks exist at this level indicates that the riverbed remains generally intact, and is not likely the culprit in a decline of Lake Huron's water level, in the estimate of IJC scientists.

Mary Muter, chair of the GBA's environment committee, feels it's much too early to discard the theory, based on the research of a reputable hydrological firm, that her group has posited. "I think this is premature," she told the Globe and Mail last week.

Her association blames dredging conducted in 1962 for an increased outflow from Lake Huron. That dredging, done by the US Army Corps of Engineers, was supposed to be accompanied by protection against erosion, but this work, the GBA contends, was never carried out because of high water on the lakes in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lake levels, of course, are anything but high now. Lake Superior reached a record low earlier this fall, falling 10 centimetres below its previous nadir, set in 1926. And Lake Huron, while still above its all-time low, remains well below its average.

According to the October edition of Level News, a monthly bulletin provided by Environment Canada, "the level of Lakes Michigan-Huron began October at a level 59 centimetres below average and 10 centimetres lower than last year. Levels on Michigan-Huron have been consistently below average since January of 1999, almost as long as those on Superior."

However, the Lake Huron-Michigan basin "received relatively more rainfall than the Lake Superior basin and levels of Michigan-Huron are still about 17 centimetres above the record low for this time of year, which was set in 1964," the bulletin points out.

Superior, for its part, benefited from a spate of rainfall in October and has gone way up in recent weeks, with the big lake now closer to normal water levels than it is to record low levels. As of this month, the lake is within a foot of its norm.

As of Sunday, the level of Lake Huron stood at 175.83 metres, putting it 18 centimetres above its record low, but a full 1.5 metres below the high set in 1986. Compared to its long-term average, the lake remained undernourished by more than half a metre.

In its water level bulletin for October, Environment Canada indicates that Lakes Huron and Michigan are "forecast to continue their seasonal decline, and remain below average, for the next several months."

Hall-of-famer Hardy!

Veteran Wiky musician now a Northern country legend

by Ted Jackson

SAULT STE. MARIE-Manitoulin's very own Hardy Peltier was inducted into the Great Northern Opry in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, November 3.

This is an honour that indicates a lifetime of entertaining people in the country music area.

Few even get close to this pedestal, but in the last four years, Manitoulin has seen Roy Brockelbank, who grew up in Gordon Township and went to school in Gore Bay; Roy Rumley, born and raised in Silver Water; and now Hardy Peltier, an Aboriginal Haweater, all receive this prestigious award. Well, Hardy is an Aboriginal Haweater all right, and he is so much more.

First the facts: Hardy has a great passion for country music-the old songs. His favourite is "Your Cheating Heart," and his most loved artists are Hank Williams and Ray Price. He plays a beautiful acoustic guitar, mostly in the keys of D, G and E. He has played with many bands and buddies over the years, but has a soft spot in his heart for "The Odawas," a band with which he played for quite some time. Hardy first played the guitar at the age of 12 in 1950. When you mention this, he grins and says, "That means 70 is on its way." Piano and keyboard are also in his repertoire.

Hardy Peltier, the man, the musician, the performer, has a way about him that only a few can demonstrate. "I play from my heart," he says. "I read the audience and I just love it."

When asked to comment on such a wonderful award, that, in my opinion, is so well earned, Hardy smiled (in that kind, gentle way of his) and said, "I've more friends than I ever would have guessed and thanks to them all."

The Peltier family was all there to support their dad and husband. Many friends from Wiky and all around the Island were present. An overwhelming showing to say the least.

In talking to Gerrard, a son of Hardy's that I know quite well, I learned that Dad was always there for the kids: nothing but support, all the time, all the way. He was a hard worker, with a great affection for family and a keen understanding for the value of family unity. All are very proud of Hardy's accomplishments. He was always community-oriented and has played his music everywhere. He especially loved jamming at home with his friends. "I've played a zillion shows and performing with feeling is what counts the most," he says.

Hardy also made many trips to Killarney to entertain the folks there. "I just love those people down there," he says. We talked about the old hockey days and the boys from Killarney playing in both Wiky and Manitowaning.

During the afternoon at the Great Northern Opry, located in the Station Mall, Hardy played and sang country ballads for an hour, to a crowd that flooded out into the halls. Prior to the show they were playing Hardy's CD quietly at the door. He came back to the door and turned it up. He smiled at me and said, "I really like this guy."

As a performer, Hardy is smooth, very confident, and funny. At one point, his music stand fell down and he joked, "This thing is kinda like me: it's sagging with age." He plays with a simple, clean, crisp touch that shows years of practice. But the major feature in his performing is the great honesty and air he has with every song.

This is a man that is proud-proud of his family, proud of accomplishments and proud of his heritage. His passion outside his family and his music is his life work, which had to do with Aboriginal treaties.

I had the distinct pleasure of doing this interview and I included in it a short visit with Hardy's wife Sara. Sara has been a terrific influence in the education field as long as I can remember. If you wonder where Sara and Hardy's children get their class, look no further. Sara and Hardy are simply loaded with it. As I talked to Sara briefly, I mentioned how proud everyone was that she was there offering her love and support, despite her ongoing fight with a very tough illness. She looked at me and said in her wonderful way, "Make sure you keep the star in the proper place-he deserves it and much more." What a great lady!

As is the custom after the new members have been inducted, each one sings one of their favourites and gives a short speech. All I could write after Hardy sang and spoke was, what emotion!

This was an exciting evening of both emotion and great country music. All thanked Dave and Carol Patterson for all their work.

During the evening many stars performed, including Donna Ramsey and Leroy Anderson of the old Tommy Hunter Show. Everyone was great, but none better than Manitoulin's own Hardy Peltier.

Hardy has just released a new CD that sells for $20 and can be purchased by calling 859-3465. It is terrific. You can hear this country star in Wiky on November 11. Keep an eye out for advertisements that will be posted in the future.

EDITORIAL

The late 'D.O.' Cannard felt civic duty a calling

Manitoulin lost one its most respected community leaders when D.O. Cannard died last week at the age of 90 in the Wikwemikong Nursing Home.

Named David Orion for two uncles who were in uniform in the Great War, everyone called him simply D.O. He lived most of his life on a farm that stretches from Big Lake to Lake Manitou. He farmed there until he retired early, on medical advice. He continued to make maple syrup and grew strawberries for sale. More often than not his customers stayed for a visit, and became friends.

Mr. Cannard served for 30 years on Sandfield Council, 26 of them as reeve. In 1955, Mr. Cannard was appointed to fill in on Sandfield Council for his father who was ill. He was elected reeve four years later, and served in that capacity for more than a quarter of a century. He led local governments that were sound and frugal.

Mr. Cannard became a charter member of the Manitoulin Planning Board when it was created in 1975, and served on it for 16 years.

He is remembered as a modest, generous man, well loved by his family and hundreds of friends from near and far. They came to Big Lake to visit him and his late wife Sarah, whom he met when she came to teach at the Big Lake School.

Mr. Cannard was a man of great decency, who lived in civil times. He was able to say that in his 30 years on council nobody ever got mad at him.

Years after he left office he was named Sandfield's Citizen of the Year, in 1996. He and his gentle ways will long be remembered.

For citizens like D.O. Cannard, local political life was more than anything else a calling-a vocation that gave them the opportunity to serve their neighbours and to ensure that the municipality in which they lived was as fiscally secure as possible, while getting the necessary jobs done on roads, ditches and the like.

Mr. Cannard was one of the breed of municipal politicians, like Hugh Moggy from Assiginack, Les Bailey from Burpee, Ken Ferguson from Howland and the Northeast Town, and the late John Dunlop from Howland, who chose municipal life almost as their life's work. For these were all "30-year" men on their respective councils.

There are current examples, such as Billings reeve Austin Hunt and Tehkummah reeve Gary Brown, but this style of dedication is not as prevalent as it was in D.O. Cannard's day.

Mr. Cannard should not be remembered merely as a politician who spent a third of his long life in voluntary public service.

He should be remembered, along with other similarly-motivated individuals on Manitoulin, for his willingness to contribute to the common good for well over a generation's span.

This kind of long-haul commitment is likely part of the past as there are increasing opportunities for local reeves, mayors and councillors to burn out well before their quarter-century anniversaries in office.

But the fact that we have in our memories the example of citizens like D.O. Cannard, for whom service to others was all-important, gives as a benchmark against which we can measure the motivations of those who would seek to serve us in more modern times.

Letters to the Editor

Cat abandonment highlights need for responsible ownership

A pet is a commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly

To the Expositor:

This is directed to the unfeeling person who illegally dropped off the family pet in our neighbourhood, making their problem our problem.

It is not that we don't like cats but I am allergic to them and we have made a choice not to have pets. That has left me with several options. I could shoot the feline, let it freeze or starve, or drop it off somewhere else, but that would make me just as insensitive as the last person. We can try to find it a new home, and we have, but the fact that it may be pregnant makes that difficult. Since there is no SPCA on the Island my options are indeed limited.

The lesson for all of us is that having a pet is a long-term commitment and one that should not be undertaken lightly.

Bryan and Sharon Gleason

Manitowaning

Recent nursing home death an impetus to make things better

Facility taking measures to ensure future safety of residents

To the Expositor:

With reference to the article of last week regarding a most unfortunate incident at our facility, I would just like to let it be known that we acknowledge that there is a family in bereavement at this moment for an incident that occurred on our watch. To the furthest extent possible, we share their grief as many of us had known Mary for many years. If, as a result, there is a hard look to be taken at how we safeguard our residents, our own self-examination will be the hardest.

There is no room for excuses even though incidents such as this are not unexpected in long-term care facilities. There is room for trying harder to work better. The acuity of care has increased incredibly over the past decade. Our training and monitoring systems were designed for a time and environment that no longer exists. Recognizing this, we are undertaking measures intended to reduce the likelihood of injury to our residents and provide peace of mind to their families. We are examining our staffing patterns, scheduling, floor routines, training and orientation, equipment needs, and policies affecting resident safety. To the extent permitted within the current resourcing formula, we will have the safest facility possible.

Our staff have responded well and have freely contributed suggestions for enhancing resident safety. We know they can be counted on to seek means for providing the best care possible for people who are our family and friends. The words of encouragement, suggestions, and even criticism we have received from families and others are much appreciated.

Mark Manitowabi, administrator

Wikwemikong Nursing Home

Birch tree destruction should be put in perspective

There are worse environmental travesties than peeled bark

To the Expositor:

RE: "Landowners still baffled and vexed by desecration of 200+ birch trees," October 31.

The abuse of any species within our environment is sacrilegious. Dating back to the early monarchy of England, trespassing on the king's land and gaining from his land was a serious crime and might have been reason enough (so I have read in some articles) to execute someone. If someone had gone onto my property and defiled my pristine, aesthetically important, naturally managed birch trees, I would be upset. In fact I would have lost some sort of belief in basic decency from one human to another with respect to ownership of property and trespassing. Respect your fellow neighbour.

But in the big picture, does the uneventful, inevitable death of 200 less-than-profitable birch tress really matter? Does it? Does it warrant the use of colour ink and a tree or several to produce an article on the loss of some trees? I mean, the trees have already been lost twicefold due to the Manitoulin Expositor's article on it, and by my ignorant response to their article. But wait, let's have a look at it, let's waste some more paper.

I mentioned birch trees being less than profitable. Well, if you live farther north, the birch tree might be considered your main source of firewood, as it is the only tree even close to being consistent with a hardwood. So it might be profitable then in warming your family over the course of a tough winter. This would be important. But since this apparent birch tree travesty occurred on Manitoulin Island, where maple and oak are abundant alternative forms of firewood, then I guess the firewood point is moot. Furthermore, I am not a harvestable lumber technician and therefore I cannot ascertain the value of not-quite mature birch trees (judging by the pictures in the paper) on the residents' property for timber practices and therefore I will assume that the trees lost are worthless in terms of the lumber industry. I fail to see the value of a semi-mature birch tree on Manitoulin Island.

So besides the invasion of privacy and property, what is the point of the Expositor's article? I find it hard to believe the birch tree is the real issue. After reading the Expositor's article it would appear to me people are more concerned with First Nation practices with respect to art or are more interested in accusing First Nations people. I mean the Snowdusters have access to the snow machine trail year round. They could have just as easily defiled the birch trees if they so desired. Moreover snow machine CO2 emissions do far more damage to the quality of air then a hundred or so dead birch trees. Two-stroke engines have more of an impact than on air quality than someone with two hands peeling off birch bark. Really it's a couple of a hundred dying birch trees.

If you want to see a real travesty go to northern Ontario where thousands of acres of a variety of trees are clear-cut and the white person/company benefits from a First Nations land claim or treaty right area. This practice of clear-cutting-endorsed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which rubber stamps harvesting allotment-wipes out a diverse ecosystem, but that isn't the point here. The point is there are far more important issues than a couple of hundred dying birch trees. Look north to see this or just look around you and take a long hard look at environmental issues. Take a look at the big picture. And after all, who does the land on Manitoulin really belong to? The genocidal, colonial European commonwealth, or the pre-colonial pre-contact First Nations people?

Joel Diebolt

Wawa

Natasha Viola

GG's Foodland,

Little Current

With her experience in the retail sector, friendly demeanor, and trio of pens habitually clipped to the strap of her name tag, Natashia Viola is well poised to help shoppers at GG's Foodland check items off their lists.

The bashful (with the media) but boisterous (with friends and customers) cashier started out at the long-running Little Current grocery biz about nine years ago, having worked previously at Rupert's, a convenience store that no longer exists.

Born and raised on Manitoulin, Ms. Viola says she enjoys her job at GG's, and plans to stay on "as long as they'll have me."

The Haweater describes her workplace as "family-oriented. We have loyal customers, and everybody gets along."

She also enjoys the variety of the work, noting, "I can work any department except the meat department." But her favourite role is that of cashier. "I get to meet lots of people," she explains. "You see people you went to school with, and others you get to know. And it's nice to be able to call them by their first names."

When not working, Ms. Viola spends her time relaxing at home with her spouse and seven-year-old son, who has apparently developed an insatiable appetite for wrestling.

GG's was named after its original owner, Grenville Green, and has been around "as long as I can remember," remarks the employee. Now owned by Ed Laidley, the venerable grocery store employs about 15 people on a regular basis, with its ranks swelling even more in the busy summer months.

Ms. Viola says she enjoys the camaraderie of her fellow workers, as well as interacting with patrons. "I'm always friendly with customers, and like to joke around," she says. "It's a relaxed family atmosphere."

Patronizing businesses like GG's Foodland provides lasting employment for people like Natashia Viola.