Lots of new talent

Voters choose many new representatives at Monday's polls

Chapman upset by Stringer in Northeast Town

MANITOULIN-There's a new mayor in three Island municipalities,  as well as Killarney, while councils across the Island were also significantly reconfigured  following Monday's election. School board trustee results had not been fully tallied by press time, but Larry Killens appeared to have a slim edge over Linda McDonald, based on numbers from the larger Island municipalities. 

Click here for detailed vote breakdown

NORTHEAST TOWN

The Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands experienced a major upset on Monday night, as a new mayor and almost entirely new council were voted in.

Jim Stringer, the so-called "union favourite" and former Ward 4 councillor, beat out incumbent Joe Chapman for the mayor's seat by a slim margin of 60 votes, earning 819 votes to the former mayor's 759. First-time mayor hopeful Peggy Young finished with 336 votes.

In Ward 1 (the islands), incumbent Jib Turner will hang on to his seat for a second term.

Ward 2 (Little Current) experienced a big change, with two of the three incumbents being replaced by new faces. Bill Koehler will retain his seat for a second term. He will be joined by Melissa Peters, one of two women elected to council, along with Al MacNevin, who previously served as councillor for the town. They replace incumbents Gary Green and Sam Nardi.

Ward 3 (the Little Current outskirts) incumbent Marcel Gauthier will retain his seat for a second consecutive term.

Voters in Ward 4 (Sheguiandah and the rural areas) also voted for change, replacing incumbents Tom Batman and Tony Ferro with Paul Skippen, Mary Dawn Orr and Bruce Wood (Mr. Stringer also served in Ward 4 last term).

The new mayor said he wasn't surprised to see a major change in council, since community members had made their dissatisfaction with the current council known going into the election.

"I really did expect a change on council," he said. "It was pretty clear that people were unhappy with council in general."

The new mayor said he felt positive and confident going into the election, but was still unsure up until the final tally what the result would be. Now that the votes are in, he said he's looking forward to working with the new council.

"I'm kind of excited," he said. "We have a nice group on council. We have some experience-we have three incumbents and Al MacNevin, who has some experience-but we have some new faces as well."

Mr. Stringer said the first order of business for the new council will be bringing the new members up to speed on the ongoing issues of Northeast Town council. He would also like to get a feel for what the new council members' interests are, as well as on what committees they would like to serve.

He said he would like to get people interested in town affairs once more, and one key example he cited is the Community Development Corporation (CDC). "The CDC will be an important focus for us," he said. "That's the kind of thing I hope we can do to get people involved in what we're doing."

He noted that the new council will also have the task of diving into the upcoming year's budget.

Although this election was somewhat marred by the issue of spoiled ballots, Mr. Stringer noted that the final voter turnout tally, which reached somewhere around 1,800 votes, is comparable to last year's numbers. He added that there will probably be no way to ever determine what effect the spoiled ballots had on the election, but that it's something he hopes "council can make sure is less likely to happen next time around."

TEHKUMMAH

In Tehkummah, incumbent reeve Jim Anstice was handily unseated by a former reeve of the municipality, Gary Brown. Mr. Brown garnered 156 votes, an even hundred more than Mr. Anstice's 56. David Jaggard, a councillor in the last administration, received 92 votes in his first bid to become reeve.

Council will look somewhat different as well, with newcomer Laurie Leeson and former councillor Eric Stillwaugh joining incumbents Lydia McKenna and Ed Sagle.

Mr. Brown said he is familiar with all of the councillors, having served on previous councils and committees with all four.

The new mayor admitted the landslide victory-he received over half the votes cast-came as "a bit of a surprise," but what surprised him even more was the turnout. "Over 300 people voted, and there are only 350 households in Tehkummah," he noted. "In the last election, only 150 people voted."

The strong turnout was a result, he believes, of "people being upset with government." He added that this is not the fault of the outgoing Tehkummah council so much as the "downloading from the governments above."

Mr. Brown is no stranger to township business, having served for many years as reeve in the past, but said "I'll have to bring myself up to speed because I've been out of it for three years."

The mayor said he would like to "congratulate all the people who ran; they really made an election out of it." Having seven candidates vying for seats on council, and three contending for reeve, was a refreshing change from previous elections, he said. "It was encouraging to see people out there, willing to take those positions."

He said the new council will "try our best, that's all we can do," adding, "I'm only one man on there. I'll provide leadership, but the other four people will be making decisions."

ASSIGINACK

Assiginack Reeve Les Fields was returned to her office by 440 votes to the 379 of her challenger, former reeve and council member Hugh Moggy.

"I am glad this is finally over," said Reeve Fields when contacted at her home following Monday night's poll count. "Everybody ran a good race and I am looking forward to moving forward."

Reeve Fields said she was also looking forward to working with the new council. "I think we have a good mix of youth, brains and beauty," she joked. "Seriously, though, we really do have a good mix. There are some old hands there as well as some younger members."

Elected to the council table were newcomer Brad Ham, who tallied the most votes at 609, followed by incumbents Bud Rohn with 602 and Brenda Reid with 403. Former councillor Vern Johnston will also be rejoining the Assiginack council, filling out the final four with 394 votes.

Ms. Fields said she believed an influx of younger families in the township was reflected in the results, and bodes well for the community's future.

GORE BAY

Joyce Foster is the new mayor of the Town of Gore Bay. Ms. Foster received a total of 274 votes to defeat long-time councillor Harry VanderWeerden, who garnered a total of 167 votes.

Except for one incumbent, Dan Osborne, Gore Bay will have a whole new slate of councillors. Six candidates in all were elected to council: Lou Addison, who received 365 votes, Betsy Clark with 334 votes, Marg Hague with 319 votes, Dan Osborne with 311, Dawn Noble McCann with 269 and Peter Fletcher with 250 votes.

Henk Pel received a total of 157 votes, with Lynn Fisher getting 121 votes.

There was a total of 442 votes cast in the election, out of 796 eligible to vote in the municipality.

BURPEE-MILLS

Reeve Ken Noland has been re-elected for the next four-year term of council. Mr. Noland received a total of 159 votes to defeat Jim Irvine, who had been challenging for reeve. The latter garnered a total of 18 votes.

There will be a couple of new members on township council. Incumbent Pentti Palonen received the most votes for one of the four seats on council with 152, while fellow incumbent Jeff Bailey garnered 140 votes, but newcomers also received strong backing, with Lorri Millsap getting 137 votes and David Hill 126. Mark Lamoureux received 70 votes in the election.

There were a total of 180 votes cast for the council election out of approximately 844 eligible voters.

GORDON TOWNSHIP

There will be a new face on Gordon Township council for the next term.

Incumbent Jack Brady garnered the most votes, with 157. He will be joined on council by incumbents Lee Hayden, with 150 votes, and newcomer Gerry Armstrong, with 139 votes, as well as incumbent Betty Noble, who received 113 votes. Bonnie Fogal received a total of 98 votes, with incumbent councillor Pat Best garnering 84 votes,and Roger Guenette receiving 50 votes. Art Madore had been acclaimed as reeve of Gordon Township. A total of 268 voters turned out to the polling booths, out of 1,339 eligible voters.

COCKBURN ISLAND

It appears there will be a vote recount for one of the positions on Cockburn Island council.

Don Rogers is a new member of council, having received 97 votes. Incumbents Evan Papineau, with 91 votes, and Brenda Jones, with 82 have been returned to council. However, it appears there will be a recount for the fourth and final spot on council. Scott Stewart received 78 votes, to narrowly edge incumbent councillor Eira Robinson, who received 77 votes. Reeve David Haight had been previously acclaimed.

KILLARNEY

A shakeup occurred in Killarney, with veteran mayor Laurier Low being firmly ousted by newcomer Morgan Pitfield.

Mr. Pitfield, a former OPP officer and onetime resident of Manitowaning, earned 495 votes to the incumbent's 193, while Geoff Cosh, the third candidate for mayor, garnered 81.

All three councillors in Ward 1 (Killarney) were acclaimed, while the incumbent for Ward 2 (the outlying areas), Clyde Opaleychuk, was returned with twice the votes (170 to 85) of rival Donald Knight.

It was after midnight by the time Mr. Pitfield knew the final tally, and the weary new mayor was on the verge of hitting the sack, but said he was pleased to learn that the electorate had given him a strong mandate.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the water treatment plant," the costs of which have been a contentious issue in the village, he noted. "That, and people were just ready for a change. They sensed we weren't moving ahead enough."

Mr. Pitfield noted that "it's going to be a big challenge for me, but I'm looking forward to getting started."

Nursing home protests proposed bill

by Lindsay Kelly

MANITOULIN-A new bill being proposed by the provincial government may threaten the future viability of long-term care facilities on Manitoulin and around the province, causing alarm for at least one local facility administrator.

Bill 140, the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2006, was introduced into the legislature and passed its first two readings in October. It stiffens the regulations surrounding the long-term care facility industry, requiring operators to either meet more stringent rules, or face not having their licence renewed.

At first glance, there are some positive aspects to the bill. There are, for example, better preventive measures to protect residents against neglect or abuse, and enhanced whistle-blower protections for those reporting abuse or neglect.

Facility inspection reports conducted by the ministry would be available for viewing by residents, families and members of the public, and 'Residents' Councils' would be required so that residents would have a greater say in how the home is run.

But Karen Lehoux, administrator with Gore Bay's Manitoulin Lodge, says some aspects of the new bill are cause for alarm and Islanders should be aware they are included in the bill.

"There are a couple of parts to the bill, but one part that is alarming is that there is limited licencing," she explained. "Licences for older homes, such as the ones on the Island, are for 10 years, and after 10 years, they are not guaranteed to renew the licence."

In addition, after seven years, the ministry will be able to close homes in contravention of the bill without providing any explanation or reasoning. Ms. Lehoux said this is "very concerning," because the renewal process is not based on the level of care provided to the residents, or whether a home is complying with the rules and regulations, or whether the home has been found guilty of some kind of neglect. It is simply based on the age of the home.

Any appeal process that was included in the original Long-Term Care Homes Act has virtually disappeared from the new act, and the provincial Capital Renewal Fund which formerly provided funding to home operators to help them upgrade or rebuild older homes has also disappeared, Ms. Lehoux added.

"Basically, this sends the message that the 35,000 residents who are unfortunately living in older homes don't have the same rights as those living in new buildings," she said. "It's suggested that [operators would] be forced to rebuild, but it's not spelled out-the language is very vague."

The other concern Ms. Lehoux has with the bill is the sense that the ministry could move licensed beds to other facilities. Manitoulin is currently 'overbedded' (there are more beds per population than other areas), she said, and she believes that any number of beds could be moved at any time.

"Each bed is licensed to operate, and we have 64 beds," she said. "They could take 20, they could take all 64, or they could take 100. We don't know."

Sudbury has a massive bed shortage, and she believes that there is a strong likelihood that beds from Manitoulin could be moved to Sudbury to fill the need there.

With different governments coming in and out of power, the language in the bill is far too vague to leave the interpretation to governments, Ms. Lehoux added. "That gives absolute power to the government, and that's not acceptable."

If the bill comes into power, and beds get moved to Sudbury, residents in the Manor could be forced to leave their homes on Manitoulin, and "for people who are older, one of the last things they need is to be taken away from their community," Ms. Lehoux said.

The implications could also reach beyond the residents themselves, she pointed out. If the beds are moved, or the homes are forced to shut down altogether, it could mean a loss of three major employers on the Island.

Other facility administrators weighed in on the subject, including Mark Manitowabi, administrator of the Wikwemikong Nursing Home. He said he hadn't yet had time to fully examine the intricacies of the bill, but described the new piece of legislature as very complex. "I haven't had time to absorb it all myself," he noted.

However, he emphasized that the priority for staff at the Wiky facility was getting more funding to ensure their residents get adequate levels of care.

"What we're hoping to hear, with anything coming out of Queen's Park, is funding commensurate with the needs of our residents-basically that's what we're looking for," he said. "But we don't see that in Bill 140."

Mr. Manitowabi acknowledged the campaign to lobby MPPs for a re-examination of the bill being encouraged by the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA)-an umbrella group that represents the interests of many of Ontario's long-term care facilities-but said he would have to study the bill further before encouraging band members to join the campaign.

When contacted by the Expositor on Monday, Gary Green, chair of the Manitoulin Centennial Manor board in Little Current, said the board had yet to discuss Bill 140, but noted that a meeting was scheduled for today (Wednesday), at which time the board would examine the issue.

Although he declined to speak at length on the matter until the board had had a chance to discuss it, Mr. Green acknowledged that the bill "is a concern," but noted that the Lodge in Gore Bay is under a different classification than the Manor, and suggested that the bill would therefore be applied differently to the facilities.

"The government promised funding years ago that was greater than what it is today, but I can't knock the government, because they've been very good to us," he said.

Mr. Green was referring to the difficulties the Manor has faced over the past year in meeting Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care guidelines for long-term care facilities industry, but the board, administrator and staff have made great strides towards improving the standards, with the ministry's help.

"By 2008, we hope the facility will be a viable operation," Mr. Green said. "And without the government's help, we wouldn't be where we are so far today."

"We've already made some changes that the bill is addressing, but that's about all I can say until the board sits down and has a discussion," he added.

But this issue is not one that Ms. Lehoux plans to take lightly. She has begun circulating a petition locally which requests the signatures of local residents who are concerned about the new bill.

Her campaign is part of the bigger protest being put forth by the OLTCA. On its website, the association urges Ontario residents concerned about Bill 140 to contact their local MPP to express their concern about the bill, and even has a template online so they can email Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown from the site.

Ms. Lehoux and others following the lead of the OLTCA are hoping to gain an audience with Ontario MPPs to encourage them to listen to the concerns of facility operators before the bill passes its third reading, which Ms. Lehoux believes will happen before the legislature breaks for Christmas on December 14.

The ministry has cited a need to prepare the bill for inclusion in the spring budget as a reason behind rushing the bill through parliament, but Ms. Lehoux believes the residents of Ontario have a right to be heard, and the government has a responsibility to listen to their wishes.

Rather than more rules, Ms. Lehoux believes the province's long-term care facilities need more money and more staffing, so that operators and their staff can concentrate on their primary task: providing proper care to their residents. "All we want is what's best for our seniors, but we need to work together to look at the language and make it clear what's being said," she implored.

"When people hear this, they might be alarmed, and I'm not trying to scare people, but they need to know this, and people have a right to know this," she added. "People have to wake up and realize that things are not always going to be as they were. Health care is changing and they shouldn't believe that what is there now will be there in the future."

M'Chigeeng planning for six-windmill power farm

by Margo Little

BILLINGS-Wind energy projects are picking up speed throughout Ontario and Manitoulin Island is no exception. M'Chigeeng First Nation unveiled its wind turbine proposal at an open house in Billings on November 8.

The Mother Earth Renewable Energy (MERE) Project is part of the band's progressive economic advancement plan. If all goes as envisioned, six wind turbines will sprout on the bluffs overlooking M'Chigeeng. The chosen site is on the east side of Highway 540 just 2.5 kilometres from the Cup and Saucer lookout.

The M'Chigeeng initiative is capitalizing on a trend evident in First Nations throughout Canada, according to Vector Wind Energy consultant, Graham Findlay. "The community is showing leadership in getting involved with this project," he said during a public information session at the Kagawong Park Centre. "This is a simple, clean business to operate. Their involvement shows the rest of society that there's a better way to generate power."

Overseeing the development is an agency known as the M'Chigeeng Nodin Co-operative. The $21 million enterprise aims to supply 10 MW of power to the Ontario grid. A half dozen turbines will be placed on one lot located on M'Chigeeng band property connected to three lots within Billings Township. The band is working co-operatively with Billings to secure rezoning favourable to the wind farm.

Mr. Findlay indicated that local jobs will be created in the electrical, mechanical and supervisory aspects of the site.

Despite the promise of employment, some visitors to the MERE display expressed concerns about the visual and auditory impact of the turbine cluster.

For Sheguiandah residents Ken and Trudy Price, preservation of Manitoulin's dark sky sanctuary is a top priority. The couple moved to the Island from Burk's Falls recently to enjoy an area unspoiled by light pollution.

"We came to the open house to learn more about the impact of the project on the dark skies," Mr. Price said. "We want to know how the turbines will be lighted during the night.Will they have flashing red and white lights like they have on the ones in Quebec?"

The Prices are supportive of renewable energy initiatives but hope that the machinery will not interfere with aesthetic pleasures of their new home.

"Perhaps the remote location of the site will be okay," Mrs. Price added. "We just want to be careful. They will need to control the intensity of the lights."

Part of the environmental assessment for MERE involves identifying any potential negative fallout from the site. A team of eight biologists has been looking at the operational impacts for the past several months.

"Our baseline studies began last spring," according to David Stephenson, senior biologist and arborist. "Since April we have been monitoring the flight paths of birds in the vicinity of the project. We took a look at the raptor population as well. So far it looks like a good spot for the turbines."

Good news for the birds, but maybe not for the bats. The study found that the bluffs around M'Chigeeng are home to seven different species of bat.

"There's a high diversity of bat species here," Mr. Stephenson noted. "In fact, there are some uncommon species here."

With his colleagues he is paying particular attention to migratory bats since they appear to be most susceptible to turbine collisions. Experiences at a wind farm in Pincher Creek, Alberta have alerted biologists to the hazards posed by the machinery.

"Last fall a substantial number of migratory bats, perhaps 400, died," Mr. Stephenson revealed. "With the growth in wind energy projects in recent years there has been a great upsurge in bat research. We don't know why they collide with the turbines. There are many theories so we are researching it heavily and looking at mitigation of the problem."

Some scientists speculate that bats instinctively turn off their ultra-sonic echo-locating systems to save energy during migration. This natural tendency may lead to disaster in the vicinity of turbines. In California, for example, some wind facilities are causing "substantial mortality," he reported.

The problem is more severe in older wind farms, he added. The newer machinery spins at a slower rate and wider spaces have been created between the blades.

Perhaps answers will be forthcoming as Environment Canada requires one year of pre-construction monitoring and one to two years of post-construction assessment.

MERE's interim project manager, Grant Taibossigai, is looking forward to seeing the first turbines perched on the ridge overlooking M'Chigeeng by summer 2008.

"We have come a long way in the past three years," he said. "We are just completing the feasibility study and the environmental assessment report will be delivered in mid-December."

Community members are asked to watch for notices of two more open houses planned in the near future.

EDITORIAL

Winds of change predict interesting times ahead

An old Chinese curse is purported to wish its intended target the opportunity to live during interesting times-for famine, war and pestilence are hardly the stuff of a boring day at the office.

It sometimes seems that, after a near 50-year run of relative peace and tranquility we are once more entering a period of interesting times.

While the recent Democratic electoral victory has delivered both houses of the American legislature into the hands of those who would see their nation extracted from the charnel house into which Iraq seems destined to descend-and that by most measures in most Canadian minds would be a good thing-global politics and foreign affairs are rarely as straight forward as they might seem for armchair analysts.

Once the US has withdrawn from Iraq a vacuum will remain, and that vacuum will threaten the creation of a maelstrom of biblical proportions for the region. Interesting times that many Iraqis and their neighbours might well feel they could do without.

Should the US unilaterally withdraw from Iraq, the pressure will quickly mount in Afghanistan and other parts of the world where the US has played the major role of global policeman. One such place is Afghanistan, where Canada's soldiers are playing a significant role and are committed to doing so for many years to come. Should American withdrawals become more widespread in a renewed isolationism, what of the Canadian personnel who depend heavily on US might to fill in the gaps in their own capabilities? Do we too cut and run from what would quickly become an untenable position?

The Republicans may have become highly interventionist during the reign of President George W. Bush, and, on a domestic note, uncharacteristically protectionist-far more than they have wont to be in the past-but it is the Democrats who have beat the protectionist drum the loudest through recent years, and, as America's largest trading partner, that has to be worrisome to Canadian industry. Anyone in the Canadian softwood lumber and agricultural sectors will tell you they have seen far too many interesting times this past decade already.

The world is a complicated place indeed.

Still, the American founding fathers were an intelligent lot, by all accounts, and the US system seems to work best when the legislative and administrative branches are in the hands of different parties-an eventuality they believed the system they designed would be in more often than not. Perhaps a boring future lies ahead for the world despite all of the weather signs to the contrary-certainly the best of times for the US seem to have sprung from those seemingly divisive periods.

To that curse 'may you live in interesting times' we might add the caveat 'be careful what you wish for'-things may not always be as simple as they seem. To those governing our great neighbour to the south we can only wish the best of luck in their endeavours, and the shared hope that all of our children may be safely and honourably home some day soon.

Letters to the Editor

New retail outlet defends application for LCBO outlet

To the Expositor:

This is not intended to be a defence or justification of the recent LCBO decision to remove their agency outlet from its present location, nor do we pretend to speak for, or on behalf of, the LCBO-that is not our right. Rather, this is an attempt to clarify the copious amounts of misinformation and false information presently being bandied about Central Manitoulin concerning this topic.

As was pointed out, quite clearly, in the Expositor article of November 8 ("Booze outlets awarded to new hosts in Kagawong, Mindemoya") and elsewhere, the LCBO periodically invites proposals from any interested parties for locating its agency outlets. The criteria and expectations that must be met in order to qualify are clearly laid out and defined for all to see. There is nothing secretive about the process, nor is it unfair. Everyone making a proposal has the same information, must meet the same requirements and goes through the same process. It's that simple!

Any person/business housing the agency is fully aware of the expectations of the LCBO prior to, and during, their tenure. Should the business or person housing the agency become complacent or overconfident during their tenure, and therefore not bother to be proactive enough to continually upgrade, progress and improve their location in order to better secure their tenure, then the consequences are that, eventually, they no longer meet the requirements and risk losing the privilege of having the agency.

As for the newly chosen location, it not only meets the requirements and criteria, but it surpasses them. It is strange, but not really surprising, that many people are so ready to accept at face value all the misinformation that is being spread. Any right-thinking person knows there are at least two sides to every story. Has anyone ever noticed the source of much of the grousing? Does it not seem that it all might just be very self-serving and not really very objective or accurate? It is really the alleged "unfairness and bureaucracy" of government that is the issue? I think not. Don't be misled.

Parking seems to be a contentious issue. Let's examine it: the former LCBO location has absolutely no parking on the property, nor do most businesses in town. Foodland has ample parking for 10 months of the year, and yes, it can get a bit crowded in July and August (isn't that just great for the town? Most Island towns and businesses would love to have that problem!). Some people are suggesting that having LCBO at Island Foodland will increase the parking needs to intolerable proportions. Is this the case? Let's consider this logically (as opposed to emotionally!). The people who are already parked in our lots are the same people who will be using the LCBO facilities. There isn't a whole new population of people coming to town just to use the LCBO! So, why do they suggest that the problem is going to become intolerable, or even dangerous? We would suggest it is an exaggeration, grandstanding and incitement!

Isn't it strange that many people who complain about the parking in Mindemoya never say a word about having to continuously circle the parking lots in Sudbury before finally finding a spot maybe half-a-kilometre from the stores, but if they can't park within a few car lengths of the store in Mindemoya, they complain and criticize?

Let us assure everyone that major steps are currently being planned to remedy our 'parking problem' (and any other problems, real or imagined) and also to ensure that our valued customers and citizens will continue to be well served as we move forward. Within the next three to five years we will be making very significant additional investments in the community in order to ensure that the citizens of Central Manitoulin and all surrounding communities will enjoy expanded shopping services, ample and convenient parking and updated facilities that will be the envy of most communities in Northern Ontario. We presently employ about 75 people in our businesses and that represents a very significant contribution to the local economy. We expect that within the next five years this will increase to 90-plus employees as our new plans unfold. This will be due, at least in part, to the recent decision of the LCBO. Is this not a real benefit to our communities? Does this sound unfair to our communities? We think not!

The Bondi family: Michael, Steven, Michelle and Sam

Mindemoya, Manitowaning and Little Current

Mail-in ballot system flawed, expensive

System makes all-candidates meetings pointless

To The Expositor:

Municipalities, with voting by mail, have given up a single election day and have vitiated all-candidates meetings in favour of a flawed system that is open to error and abuse.

So many people have voted before the all-candidates meetings can take place that the meetings-if they are held at all-are almost pointless. There are in effect dozens of election days in the weeks preceding the vote count, for those who actually vote.

Some ballots end up along with junk mail in the garbage bin, where they can be fished out by others. Some ballot kits never get delivered, because municipalities don't have the right addresses. Some people get more than one ballot.

It appears that in order to clean up the address list, two large Manitoulin municipalities hired people who provided such poor instructions that a quarter of the ballots sent in were spoiled. The system favoured people accustomed to paperwork.

Advocates of voting by mail say it encourages turnout. This is hard to prove. The November 4 issue of The Economist reports various concerns about the proliferation of mail-in balloting in the United States. Absentee voters are less well informed and the system is vulnerable to fraud-people have lost the protection of the polling place.

Voting by mail was introduced here for the convenience of seasonal residents. It hasn't given them a better shake; they pay far more than their fair share for municipal services such as Central Manitoulins's garbage collection.

Mail-in balloting costs a lot more money than polling stations. Other costs are intangible. Voters far away know nothing about new candidates or current issues. Those of us who live here lose the advantage of all-candidates meetings and the media coverage of face-to-face discussion.

The old system was unsatisfactory. A superior system would be to hold elections earlier so that summer residents could vote at polls when they are here, and could attend all-candidates meetings.

That way, all of us could better fulfill our responsibility in what is an important civic ritual.

We should also allow American cottage owners to vote. They too pay taxes and care about the community. It is not as if municipal councillors make foreign policy.

Perry Anglin

Lake Manitou