NHL star to step behind bench of NOJHL Islanders

Reggie Leach joining team in December

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-NHL legend Reggie Leach has agreed to join the coaching staff of the Manitoulin Islanders.

The Philadelphia Flyers alumnus, who has attended some of the team's practices this season during occasional visits to Manitoulin, "will be joining the Islanders on December 10 and remain through to the end of playoffs," according to a press release from the hockey club.

Islanders president Wendell Buie anticipates that the presence of Mr. Leach, a Stanley Cup winner and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, "will have a big impact on our team," noting that "he certainly has a lot of knowledge and the players seem to respond to him."

Earlier this month, head coach Barry Parsons resigned as coach and general manager of the Islanders, leaving assistant coach Larry Roy to take over in his stead, while Jacques Lamothe inherited the GM portfolio.

Mr. Lamothe said that the former NHLer is presently "tying up some loose ends" in Delaware, but will be back on the Island early next month and "is committed to being involved until the end of the season."

While the hockey star would seem a shoo-in to take on the head coaching position, team officials are reluctant to make that statement until it becomes clear that Mr. Leach has the correct certification to meet Hockey Canada criteria.

Nicknamed "The Riverton Rifle" for his hometown of Riverton, Manitoba and his propensity to pot goals, Mr. Leach was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1970, joining the Flyers organization in 1974. Skating on the famed "LCB line" with Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, the Rifle earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 1976 and set a record for most playoff goals (19) that still stands over 30 years later.

One of a handful of Aboriginal players to make a mark in the NHL in that era, Mr. Leach has been active in retirement as an inspirational speaker for various First Nation communities, as well as operated hockey schools across North America.

"He'll definitely help this hockey team, and hopefully get us back on track," said Mr. Buie. "It's been a rough season but hopefully we can turn it around and play competitive hockey."

Former M'Chigeeng man stabbed to death in Toronto

TORONTO-A family is grieving the loss of their son, father, uncle and nephew as 35-year old Darryl Debassige was murdered in cold blood Friday night in a Toronto apartment building.

Mr. Debassige, formerly of M'Chigeeng, was described by Toronto news reports as a "troubled man," but said to be a loving father to his five children-two of whom, according to local sources, are living on Manitoulin.

"He was struggling with substance abuse," said sister-in-law Shirley Debassige in an article for canoe.ca. "He was a loving father, a thoughtful person. He did have his addictions, but he loved his kids, he loved his nieces and nephews."

According to a Saturday article in the The Toronto Star, Glenn Eadie, whom Mr. Debassige had met a few months earlier, was watching television that Friday night when he answered a knock at the door. Upon opening the door, Mr. Debassige fell inside Mr. Eadie's apartment. At first, the article notes, Mr. Eadie thought he was drunk but soon discovered it was something far more sinister when he saw the blood. Mr. Debassige had been stabbed numerous times. Mr. Eadie then called the ambulance but Mr. Debassige succumbed to his injuries, dying seven hours later in hospital.

In the article, one resident of the apartment building describes hearing a loud commotion outside of his window-a place, he said, crack cocaine users are known to frequent-and move inside the building. Soon after, the article states, everything was silent.

Apparently, Mr. Debassige was to have drummed at the Rogers Centre powwow this weekend in Toronto.

As of press time Monday, no arrests had been made in the murder of Mr. Debassige.

Alternative site proposed for Mindemoya seniors' complex

Landowner would donate three-acre lot to township

by Jim Moodie

MINDEMOYA-A Mindemoya property owner is willing to donate a three-acre parcel of land on the south side of the village as an alternative site for a proposed seniors' apartment building in the community.

Perry Anglin, who inherited the farm property from his late father, Farquhar, made the offer to members of Central Manitoulin council last week, noting in a letter that "there have been strong differences of opinion regarding council's decision to allocate $150,000 to the purchase and servicing of property for the development of private rental units on Highway 551."

Mr. Anglin had originally planned to present his gift at last Thursday's regular meeting of council, but the session was cancelled since Reeve Richard Stephens was ill and the deputy reeve was unable to preside in his stead.

In his written offer, Mr. Anglin indicates that the land, located south of Anglin Street, would be donated "in memory of my father," a former reeve who would be pleased to know that "a few acres of the farm he loved could serve the community and spare taxpayers an outlay of $150,000."

The municipality made a commitment earlier this month to purchase a 10-acre property across from the Mindemoya Hospital for $80,000, as well as provide water and sewer connections to the lot at an expected cost to the township of $70,000.

This site had previously been chosen by the Central Manitoulin Seniors' Committee as the best available location for the development, which is to be financed and constructed by Build North Construction of Sudbury.

The initial phase of the development would consist of a 22-unit apartment complex occupying three of the parcel's 10 acres, with subsequent phases, including an assisted-living facility, utilizing the remaining land. For each stage of the project, the municipality would sell the required amount of property to the developer.

Central Manitoulin Reeve Richard Stephens said it would be premature for him to comment on the offer from Mr. Anglin, as it would have to be studied by the township's Economic Development Committee before council takes a position on the issue.

Moreover, the seniors' committee would have the ultimate say, noted the reeve, since it is this group that is spearheading the initiative and has the biggest stake in where the project will be situated.

"We're certainly in favour of looking at any alternatives," he said. "But I don't see council wanting to make an active decision on where it's located. We're just acting as a conduit to facilitate the project."

In Mr. Anglin's view, the property he is making available has several advantages over the currently favoured site. It is "closer to the post office, and closer to most stores and churches, than the site on Highway 551," he points out. "It is in a quiet neighbourhood," he adds, and features a screen of mature pines that would provide privacy.

Furthermore, Mr. Anglin opines that the view from a building at this spot would be "more attractive than a view of the hospital parking lot, where some people may not want to be watched as they come and go."

Paul Atkinson of the seniors' committee said that his group would have to look at the offer in detail and consider a variety of factors, including room for expansion at the proposed alternative site. "We need three acres for the first section of the project," he said. "But what do we do for the next two or three steps? It's not a one-off-we have to consider future expansion possibilities."

Mr. Anglin maintains that there are several vacant properties nearby that could be readily acquired for future stages of development, all of them easily serviced by water and sewer.

While he wasn't about to reject Mr. Anglin's offer outright, particularly since he hadn't yet seen the details of the proposal, he did note that his group undertook a thorough search over the past year for an appropriate site. "We looked at 13 properties to start with, and then narrowed it down," he said. "It was a long process, and this is coming kind of late."

A meeting of the seniors' committee was scheduled for Monday of this week (two days ago), at which Mr. Atkinson expected the issue would be discussed. "We'll have to look it over and comments can be made after that time," he said.

A public meeting is also planned for tomorrow (Thursday) at the Mindemoya Community Centre, beginning at 1:30 pm, with representatives of the seniors' group, the municipality, and Build North Construction on hand to answer questions about the project.

Reeve Stephens said that he hopes to clear up a misconception that the township is squandering taxpayers' money with its pledge to buy land and provide services for the development. "Of the $150,000 we committed, we expect to recoup all of that as the development proceeds," he said. "All it's doing is providing interim financing."

Should the municipality opt to accept Mr. Anglin's offer of land, the donor says he would only require a receipt for income tax purposes, and "council will be able to dispose of the site for full market value and use the revenue as it sees fit."

The parcel is reached via a 200-foot stretch of unopened street that runs south from the Anglin Subdivision, and "sewer and water are readily accessible," writes Mr. Anglin, adding that it's his understanding that "the developer will consider any site that is proposed by council."

If the municipality decides a different site "is more suitable and cost-effective," Mr. Anglin indicates he will "of course have no quarrel." But if taken up on his offer, he is "prepared to work together on the details as quickly as is practicable."

Little Current couple destined for humanitarian work in Africa

by Lindsay Kelly

MANITOULIN-He's been retired for little more than a year, but already Jim Van Camp has found a new job to keep him busy, and it's an endeavour that will take him around the world.

The former Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) CEO and his wife, Marg, will spend three months in Tanzania, South Africa this winter volunteering their time at the Klima District Hospital, which is located at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.

While the couple has travelled extensively to other third-world countries in South America, Europe, and Asia, neither has been to Africa. So when the prospect of spending some time there arose, "the decision was made instantaneously," Mr. Van Camp says. "Margaret has always been interested in going to South Africa, and my interest was aroused by the opportunity to do some work there."

When he had only a few days left as CEO of the Manitoulin hospital, Mr. Van Camp received a phone call from a colleague who was also retiring. He presented the administrator with a unique proposition: the CEO of the Klima hospital was taking a year off to return to university and other CEOs were volunteering to take turns managing the hospital in her stead; would he be interested?

With more than 35 years in hospital administration, Mr. Van Camp was more than qualified for the job, although what the job will entail exactly remains a mystery.

"I have no idea," he chuckles, when asked what tasks he'll be assigned. "All I know is that I'm managing a hospital, so hopefully it will be what I've been doing for the last 35 years."

Mrs. Van Camp will also work while she's there. A 30-year veteran of the education system, the former teacher will work with kindergarten-aged children in the area.

The hospital is a 125-bed facility with a 60-bed orphanage-a necessity in a country where scores of children have lost parents to HIV and AIDS, Mr. Van Camp notes-yet the area to which the Van Camps will travel is relatively financially stable, without the violent conflicts currently plaguing other regions of the continent.

Communication should be an interesting endeavour for the couple, since Swahili is Africa's primary language, although Mr. Van Camp says that most hospital staff does speak English.

They'll be at a high altitude-about 5,000 feet, which is the equivalent of Denver, Colorado-and Mr. Van Camp expects that the hospital serves some very basic medical needs, including hygiene, but people there have been enjoying stability for about 12 years now.

"It's not a poor area of Africa," he says. "The people seem to be well-dressed, they have food, it's not a war-ravaged area and it's not a famine area, so it's stable that way."

He'll also have the opportunity to meet up with some fellow Rotarians when a contingent travels to Africa in the new year to do some charity work. Eighteen will arrive in January with another 18 arriving a month later, and, having already been in touch by phone, Mr. Van Camp says he is anxiously anticipating meeting them in person.

"Rotary does a lot of hands-on work as well as donating money to hospitals and the community," the former Gore Bay Rotary Club president says. "It will be nice to see them down there."

The Van Camps are themselves donating time and money on this trip, which is being personally financed. They have received some donations, including a collection of medical equipment and educational materials, which they will bring with them. But the cost of shipping the equipment is prohibitive, so any monetary donations the couple has received will go towards alleviating some of those costs.

In addition, the Van Camps hope to purchase more educational materials like books, crayons and pencils once they arrive and have determined the area's needs, and plan to leave as many personal items as they can before they return to Canada.

In the midst of all this, Mr. Van Camp hopes to find some time to travel the area and enjoy what Africa has to offer. The area is a popular tourist spot, with people travelling to the area to enjoy mountain climbing and the nearby Serengeti National Park.

But the former CEO is most looking forward to seeing the hospital and determining the area's needs so he can help where it is needed the most. While he may not yet know what the job entails, he does know that the views will be spectacular.

"I have a view of the mountain when I look out my office window," he says. "So as I would look out to the LaCloche Mountains while on Manitoulin, I'll be looking to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania."

Mr. and Mrs. Van Camp will have Internet access during their visit, and plan to keep in touch with friends and family while away. Readers are urged to stay tuned, as the couple has agreed to provide the Expositor with periodic updates on their trip.

EDITORIAL

Stance against capital punishment should be maintained

Canada has firmly opposed the death penalty for over 30 years. Abolished domestically in 1976, we have since regularly sided with calls for a global end to the practice, as well as consistently lobbied for clemency in the cases of citizens who face execution on foreign soil.

This month, however, the Harper government took two lamentable steps backward on this front-first, by announcing it would not seek a commuted sentence for a Canadian slated for lethal injection in Montana, and secondly by declining to co-sponsor a UN resolution calling for a global moratorium on the death penalty.

To be fair, the Conservatives have indicated that they will support the UN resolution once it comes to a vote in December, and have no "hidden agenda" to reopen the debate about capital punishment in Canada.

We take them at their word on that, if only because polls invariably show that a majority of Canadians are against the death penalty, and to seek its reinstatement would be to risk a firing squad of voters.

But the pair of decisions is still distressing, as together they amount to a distinct  policy shift and weakening of Canada's position on this important issue of human rights and civility. They also serve to sow an unwelcome confusion in the minds of the electorate, most of whom reasonably thought this debate was behind us.

It doesn't help that several key members of the cabinet, including Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Defence Minister Peter MacKay, have previously expressed support for capital punishment.

Leaving aside the moral issue of whether anyone should have the right to decree the death of another, there are convincing practical reasons for the phasing out of this archaic custom. It has yet to be proven as an effective deterrent to crime. More practically still, the cost to taxpayers can be substantial as cases of death row convicts make their convoluted way through the legal system, with numerous appeals and stays.

But the strongest knock against the irrevocable act is that it slams the door on new evidence. As has become increasingly apparent in recent years, the justice system is far from infallible: were Canada to have continued to impose the death penalty over the past three decades, numerous innocent people would have been killed.

The most recent example is William Mullins-Johnson, a Sault Ste. Marie man convicted in 1994 for the supposed slaying of his four-year-old niece. Last month, he was set free by the Ontario Superior Court, as testimony by pathologist Dr. Charles Smith-a disgraced forensics expert whose determinations in some 40 cases are now under review-was found to lack substance.

The list of those in this country who have either been exonerated on wrongful convictions or are still seeking to clear their names is strikingly long: they include Guy Paul Morin, David Milgaard, Steven Truscott, Donald Marshall, Robert Baltovich, Kyle Unger, Romeo Phillion, James Driscoll and Rodney Cain.

Capital punishment, much like abortion, is one of those highly charged ethical issues that will always draw strong, differing opinions, but the consensus, for years now, has been that it doesn't belong in Canada, and we would be wrong to revisit the debate now.

Rather than backslide on our position, the reigning Conservatives should, if anything, be bending backwards to reassert our aversion to the retrograde practice, both nationally and abroad.

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Comments on taser use irresponsible and short-sighted

Proper investigation is needed by police, not media

To the Expositor:

In light of your irresponsible comments regarding the use of tasers by police and the short-sighted opinions of the editorial itself, I find myself having to respond.

Stating that there is "not a great deal more that can be said about this incident" is a disservice to everyone involved, including the late Mr. Dziekanski and his family as well as the police officers. Unless you possess other information than what has been reported in the media, what gives you the ability to pass judgment on anyone in this incident? There are currently several ongoing investigations to uncover the truth of the incident, including a coroner's inquest.

Many will second-guess the situation, but it would also be irresponsible to make media statements that would only confuse and contaminate any useful information that should only be obtained by actual witnesses. For a proper unbiased investigation to be done, all witnesses, including police, should refrain from making media statements.

A taser is a device that overrides the central nervous system, which results in the loss of muscle control. The recovery time is instantaneous. Stating Mr. Dziekanski was "tasered" to death is careless at best and those conclusions should be left to the coroner to state.

It is also obvious that the Expositor is devoid of any facts in the case the Wikwemikong Tribal Police were forced to deal with on Good Friday of 2006. A full apology to the Wikwemikong Tribal Police and its members should be forthcoming from you. You have no idea what these officers, as well as the UCCM and OPP officers, face in these situations. To think any witness should make a statement to the media during an investigation is once again reckless. An investigation needs to be done by the proper authorities, not the newspaper.

We will learn more of what happened in the Vancouver incident as the judicial system continues the investigations. Making judgmental statements in the media only adds to the speculation and rumour, which has never helped anything.

Casey Still

Birch Island

Government's lack of support for First Nations disappointing

Why did prime minister vote no on UN First Nations declaration?

To the Expositor:

An open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper:

Dear prime minister:

I'm writing to you on a matter that has caused a great deal of concern for me as an Aboriginal person living in Canada, and I'm deeply disappointed in the actions taken by you as prime minister with respect to your recent decision not to declare and acknowledge the Canadian Aboriginal peoples' basic fundamental human rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples, against which your government voted on September 13, 2007.

The role of the government of Canada on the world stage has become somewhat of a misrepresentation over the last few years, leaving many countries to wonder if Canada is really a country founded on principles of democracy and if it really treats its citizens in a fair and just manner.

The moment your government's performance on Aboriginal issues becomes front and centre, the actions exhibited by your government weaken the political relationships with all other countries around the world and with all Aboriginal people in Canada. I must say that many aren't fooled by your government's actions to believe Canada is the best country to live in, particularly when Canada's performance on social issues is counterproductive, and the use of diplomacy destabilizes our rights to be nations under your government.

Understandably, given the position taken by certain member(s) of Parliament, it just goes to show that even politicians at the federal level, and presumably even those within your own party, understand the plight of Aboriginal people in Canada and understand the impoverished, deplorable conditions many live in.

If multilateralism were to include Aboriginal people, I'm sure the federal government would have had a totally different political position to present to the United Nations and to the world stage on September 13, 2007.

Here's what's troubling for me: why would 143 out of 147 countries vote to unilaterally accept the declaration of the United Nations in the context in which it was written? Why wouldn't you, as prime minister, along with the minister responsible for Indian and Northern Affairs and Development and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, not declare this publicly or make any official statement to the people of Canada? Or does your government only make statements when it is in their best interest to do so?

Don J. McGraw

Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation

Janice Phillips

Wilson's Corner Store

Mindemoya

I'm your neighbour

The longest-serving employee of Wilson's Corner Store, Janice Phillips works fewer shifts now than she once did, but can't seem to pull herself entirely away from her workplace.

"I'm like a bad penny-I just keep showing up again," she laughs. "I miss the people when I'm not there."

Ms. Phillips began work at Wilson's in the summer of 1991, "one week after Ben (Wilson) bought the place." Previously a gas station, the business has since expanded, sprouting a second storey, a convenience store below, a laundromat out back, and an ice cream parlour on the side-all while remaining a handy spot to fuel up.

A lifelong resident of Manitoulin's 'hub' community, Ms. Phillips inhabits the farm where she was raised, sharing it with hubby Tom, a retired INCO worker. Now in her early 60s, she attempted to retire once herself in recent years, "but when I tried to give the key back to Ben, he told me, 'you keep it,'" she relates. "So I never really did retire."

At this point she only works one or two days a week, but will come in to open the store for the owner when called upon. Apart from working the cash and pumping gas, Ms. Phillips also performs bookkeeping duties.

A good rapport with her boss and fellow workers has made certain challenges at the workplace-like chronic spring flooding-easier to weather. "We've had a good many laughs over the years," says Ms. Phillips. "And lots and lots of water in June."

In her spare time, Ms. Phillips jokes that she does "nothing, and a whole lot of it," but the truth is she plays euchre, helps around the farm (which has always boasted a herd of sheep), researches the history of her community, and takes care of grandchildren.

"I can't work steady anymore, but I do still enjoy it," she says of her job. "It gets you out, and I like meeting different people. I'm interested in genealogy, and it's surprising what you come across from talking with customers. It keeps you in the swing of things."