Ontario College of Family Physicians honours Roy Jeffery

Acknowledged as the North's Family Physician of the Year

by Michael Erskine

LITTLE CURRENT-Colleagues of Little Current physician Dr. Roy Jeffery displayed their lighter side during an award luncheon held in honour of Dr. Jeffery's recognition as the Ontario College of Physicians' Northern Family Physician of the Year by performing a skit focusing on the many facets of his rural persona and highlighting his innumerable accomplishments outside of his role as a family doctor.

The piece, entitled "If I Were Not Family Physician of the Year I Would Be...," saw Dr. Anahita Ariana don flight goggles and assume the role of a pilot; Dr. Stephen Cooper in netting as a beekeeper; Dr. Ken Barss beating on a drum; "Dr." Siska Poenn (standing in for emergency-monitoring hubby Dieter) as a tractor-driving farmer; Dr. Simone Meikleham wielding a sailboat wheel; Dr. Sherri Renwick as a helmeted and leather-clad biker; and Dr. Leigh Davis as a maple-syrup wielding sugar bush worker.

The light-hearted skit provided the medical professionals an opportunity to step out of their normally reserved personas to express their deep admiration, respect and affection for their beloved colleague.

Jan Kasperski, CEO of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, was on hand to present Dr. Jeffery with the award. "It was such a pleasure when I saw Roy's name on the list of nominees," she said, noting that his winning had the added bonus of allowing her to come and visit Manitoulin Island, a community she had been hearing of for many years.

Dr. Meikleham opened the afternoon event at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 177 hall in Little Current by recalling the events that led up to her nominating Dr. Jeffery for the honour. "I realized Roy was a wonderful candidate for this award," she said. "We were thrilled when we learned that he was chosen."

Dr. Jeffery himself was speechless, she added. "He had no idea what we were up to," she laughed.

Dr. Barss spoke of his colleague's visionary early support of the Family Health Team approach to the practice of medicine. "It demonstrates how Roy is able to think outside of the box," said Dr. Barss.

Doctor Barss also discussed Dr. Jeffery's role as a recruiter, recalling how when Dr. Barss had first come to the Island, Dr. Jeffery, having discovered Dr. Barss' love of sailing, took him to the lookout at McLean's Mountain and told him to look out across the vast panorama of the North Channel. "He said to me, 'You can almost see the ocean,'" chuckled Dr. Barss. But it was the congeniality of the community exemplified by Dr. Jeffery that actually drew Dr. Barss to the Island, he admitted.

Dr. Jeffery's acceptance remarks began with recognizing two long-serving and now retired physicians who were in attendance: former Family Physician of the Year recipient Dr. Jack Bailey and long-time Little Current physician Dr. David Stephen.

"These two were mentors to me," he said. "Both were lifelong learners who instilled in me the importance of keeping up to date and of being involved in the community." Each, he noted, took on specialties needed in the community-Dr. Stephen as a surgeon and Dr. Bailey as an anesthesiologist.

The most enjoyable aspect of being a family physician in a rural community, said Dr. Jeffery, was the opportunity to meet a different challenge every day. "I have been very blessed with a stable group of colleagues," he said, eliciting some laughter in light of the preceding skit before adding, "in numbers and in mental health."

"We have something very special here," said Dr. Jeffery. "A multi-disciplinary team backed up with a great group of office staff."

That team, he noted, is almost unrivaled in Ontario, providing services that run from delivering babies to end-of-life care, as well as 365-day-a-year emergency room coverage. "I am very proud that some of the light of my colleagues has reflected onto me," he said. "This award is for all of us."

Dr. Jeffery went on to say how deeply affecting the makeup of the Island residents has been for him, especially in the area of the First Nations. "It is hard to overestimate the benefit of working with First Nations," he said, thanking long-time Anishinabe-kwe health worker Rosella Kinoshemeg, who was in the audience, as well as Isobel Simon of Wikwemikong who he said had provided invaluable service in helping him understand and appreciate Anishinabe culture.

The afternoon ended with a recital of the alphabet of attributes of Dr. Jeffery-with friends and colleagues throughout the audience standing to list 26 of those attributes, from A to Z.

Doug Hore, Hardy Peltier named outstanding country musicians

Inducted into, respectively, the Great Northern Opry and the Northern Country Hall of Fame

by Ted Jackson

SAULT STE. MARIE-One of this year's inductees into the Great Northern Opry, Doug Hore of Honora, is in my eyes what I would like to see our grandson develop into as a country performer. A true love exists between Doug and the good old country tunes.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Carrie and Billie, Doug and Marilee's children, at the recent awards ceremony in the Sault, and there was a great pride in them as their father took to the stage. He was simply glowing.

Doug is not only great at what he does but he shows such feeling for his music that you can only say that he loves it.

Dixie once told me that Doug comes to play and he plays and plays and plays, plays some more and then says, "just a couple more."

Doug plays several instruments. His favourite is the fiddle, but he's also proficient at guitar, the sax, and a few others that he hasn't touched much for years.

Along with several others, Doug is a mainstay in the band Down Yonder-an extremely popular and talented group on our fair Island. His love for old country is always so very obvious in his playing, in his eyes and in his dedication. Don Messer and his fiddle is his favorite along with the old stars-Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Ernest Tubb.

Doug first played on the stage in 1955 and he's still going strong as we speak, playing two to three shows a month. Although he can play by note, he mostly plays by ear, and if you have ever heard him, with a passion unequalled.

He is greatly honoured by the recent tribute and never dreamt he would get this far in his great love. He hopes to return next year and help with the Northern Opry's 20th anniversary celebration.

A very interesting event that Doug is involved with is a 50th wedding anniversary, and how about this? He played at their wedding those 50 years ago.

Doug is one of only 53 people who have been inducted into the Great Northern Opry in its 19 years. This humble, wonderful gentleman is as deserving as one could be.

Also recognized at the Soo event was Hardy Peltier. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Hardy last year when he was inducted into the Great Northern Opry; this year Hardy was inducted into the Northern Ontario Hall of Fame.

This is an honour that only 32 performers have managed to attain. What a wonderful thing to be able to realize in an area where Hardy's love for country and its people make him a very wonderful person and a sort of philosopher.

Hardy has a great passion for his people and all people, and especially the young whom he wants to see grow and be good people, and bring the messages that are from the heart. As always when I talk to him I come away telling myself, "get home and get your act together: if you can do half what he's doing you're doing pretty well."

Hardy favours the songs with a message. He sang the old country classic, "My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You." He had a tough time and I, for one, don't know how he did as well as he did; he had a bad cold, but he sang it to his wife who left us just about a year ago. Sara died of cancer two weeks after this event last year and Hardy wants all to know that a companionship of this level goes on forever and nothing can get in its road.

The feeling that Hardy leaves with you would be too much for me to relate, except to say that I feel kinda overpowered by the feelings this man give you. What power he has. Sara and Hardy-we should all have it.

Hardy is interested in a new country singer from England, Vernon Auxfote. He's going to study him and do some of his songs for next year. Hardy is hoping to have a new CD out by June and may go to Nashville to record it. He is hoping to have about 12-15 new songs on it.

He's developing some kids at home and would like to get a young group going.

And he would like to commend Dave Patterson and his group for the great work they do for Country Music in the North. He feels, as we all do, that there are a lot of our roots in this music and it should not be lost. He thinks a gala like this does so much for the people and fans in Timmins, North Bay, the Soo, our fair Island and all the people in the North. We all appreciate the effort and the result is tremendous.

Hardy was very pleased to have so many people there to support the occassion, the music and the terrific talent. He neglected to say that many were there to support the wonderful talented person that he is and to be in the presence of such feeling and a passion. It was a terrific night.

As Hank Williams (Hardy's favourite artist) sings, "I can't help it if I'm still in love with you."

EDITORIAL

Tories wrong to not appoint a specific minister for FedNor

It is lamentable that Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in announcing his new cabinet last Thursday, made no reference to a specific minister responsible for FedNor, the agency charged with delivering development funding to Northern Ontario municipalities and first nations, as well as to businesses.

This is, in fact, the first time since FedNor came in to being that its responsibility has not been vested with a particular member of cabinet.

The last minister to have FedNor as his sole responsibility was Joe Comuzzi, a Thunder Bay MP, who held this portfolio during most of Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal government.

Granted, the FedNor post was never a senior, inner-circle position, but at least there was a particular individual charged with its responsibility, someone with whom Northern leaders could meet from time to time.

During Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first minority Conservative mandate, the FedNor portfolio fell to Tony Clement, MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, as a secondary portfolio to his then main ministry, health.

It was not Mr. Clement's primary responsibility, clearly, but FedNor still carried ministry status.

Following last month's election and the gain for the Conservatives of the Kenora seat in Northwestern Ontario, many people had opined that the new member from that area, MP Greg Rickford, would be given FedNor as a junior ministry, if Mr. Clement wasn't to carry on in the same fashion as before.

Well, Mr. Clement still has responsibility for FedNor, but simply because he is now the minister responsible for Industry Canada and FedNor is now merely a tiny aspect of this large and important portfolio.

Minister Clement may argue that, since he is already responsible for Industry and since FedNor falls within this ministry's purview, then he is defacto the minister responsible for FedNor, and to give him this additional title would be redundant.

In the past, FedNor was also a child of the Department of Industry, but it was still deemed to be a minor portfolio on its own merit.

The fact that, at least in the past, both Liberal and Conservative governments have seen fit to give FedNor its own minister has been, at the very least, good public relations.

But more importantly than that, it has been a very important symbol that the people who live and work in the North do so with unique geographical, educational and transportation challenges, and that these have the attention of the prime minister-with someone of his choosing having direct access to him with respect to Northern issues.

Two weeks ago in this space, this newspaper applauded the participation of FedNor, together with its provincial counterpart the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund (NOHFC), in assisting Manitoulin's North Channel municipalities with necessary upgrades to their municipal dockage and marinas. This assistance recognized the importance to these communities of maintaining competitive facilities and keeping the North Channel cruising grounds packed with pleasure craft. FedNor and NOHFC recognize that busy ports mean busy shops and services and these, in turn, mean lots of jobs.

That is specifically FedNor's mandate and the organization, with Sudbury's Louise Paquette as its chief and servant, has had an impressive track record as an enabling agency for the North. Locally, some FedNor programs are  capably delivered by the LaCloche-Manitoulin Business Assistance Corporation and the Waubetek Business Development Corporation via Mary Nelder and Dawn Madahbee, the respective and visionary managers of these two organizations, and their boards.

Until now, it also had its own minister, even if that minister (like Mr. Clement) was shared with another department.

Clearly, FedNor has been downgraded in importance by Prime Minister Harper and his senior advisors.

In political terms, this is surprising given Mr. Clement's enormous plurality in Parry Sound-Muskoka, by the huge upsurge in support in the Sault Ste. Marie riding for Conservative candidate Malcolm Ross (who lost to the NDP's Tony Martin by less than 1,000 votes) and by the Conservative victory in the Kenora riding.

Except in a roundabout way through Mr. Clement via Industry Canada, there is no direct access to Mr. Harper's cabinet and the prime minister himself about the issues facing the people, industries and communities that inhabit this enormous piece of geography.

This signal is an especially worrisome one in light of the fact that so many of the North's jobs are associated with resource-based activity and that we are facing an economic upset that will certainly mean many of the North's communities will be looking at new industries to employ a workforce displaced from traditional activity by forces well beyond local control.

What top political figure, other than their own MP, will be there to champion them?

Until this is addressed by Mr. Harper, the answer is simply no-one will be there in this all-important capacity. And that is a great shame.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

First Nations youth being forced out of school

Band administrator should be supporting youth

To the Expositor:

There are approximately eight First Nation students on the 'list' of kids deemed not deserving of an education. They are being forced out of Espanola High School by the Whitefish River First Nation band administration not because of their grades, but due to their lack of attendance. This raises the question of whose responsibility is it then for ensuring that these youth attend school and continue to receive an education? If it is the parents, then what gives the band administration the right and/or authority to decide who should stay in school and who has to leave? When the band administration assumes the authority, then they themselves are determining the direction these students will take. They are limiting their opportunities for a successful life by denying them the right to an education. These students are already facing a number of challenges as many have grown up and are still living in an environment where there are substance abuse problems and mental illness, in addition to living in extreme poverty.

Instead of offering real solutions to these problems, such as academic probation, advising, mentorship programs and/or personal support or counselling, the band administration has chosen a quick fix which is to remove them from high school. Problem solved, right? Our youth are continuously having things taken away that would benefit their physical, mental and social wellbeing such as their basketball nets, baseball field, skate park and now the one thing they have left-their education. It is not difficult to understand why they develop a sense of apathy towards education and life in general, when all they face is disappointment after disappointment. Where is their incentive to stay in school? We talk about how educating our First Nation youth and people is important, yet how can we hope to accomplish that if we continue the cycle of oppression and abuse within our own communities?

Louise Jacko

Whitefish River First Nation

Spraying of pesticides on Manitoulin meets government standards

Selective application of Garlon 4  promotes community safety and creates wildlife habitat

To the Expositor:

I am writing in response to your article of October 29, entitled "Municipalities concerned about chemical spraying request meeting with Hydro One." I would like to clarify a number of points raised in the story and offer some additional information about Hydro One's vegetation management approach.

Hydro One owns, operates and maintains 29,000 kilometres of transmission lines and 122,000 kilometres of distribution lines across the province of Ontario. It is our responsibility to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to the people of Ontario. A big part of this job pertaining to safety and reliability involves keeping our overhead lines clear of trees and brush. To accomplish this, we use an integrated vegetation management approach which combines both the use of federally approved herbicides, as well as mechanical and manual cutting. This helps to eliminate power outages caused by trees growing into overhead wires and to provide access to the lines when repairs are required.

It is correct that Hydro One uses Garlon 4 and Garlon Ultra (incorrectly described as Garlon Extra in the article) both of which are approved for use by the Government of Canada and registered by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. We approach this work with great diligence. Our policy requires that staff who handle pesticides are provided annual training and carry out careful application following Health Canada guidelines including careful avoidance of waterways and wetlands.

I would also point out that the statement suggesting that Garlon Ultra is a stronger pesticide is inaccurate. The amount of active ingredient in Garlon Ultra (tryclopyr) is identical to that in Garlon 4.

I would also stress that Hydro One does not apply herbicides immediately adjacent to watercourses. Herbicide-free buffers are maintained to ensure herbicides are not allowed to enter streams, rivers or lakes. The active ingredient in Garlon binds tightly to soil and water and exhibits a high rate of microbial degradation in soil and water. Therefore, there is little potential for excessive mobility.

It should be noted that the selective application of herbicide to non-compatible vegetation also promotes low growing shrubs and plant communities which are beneficial for wildlife cover and browse. The resulting low-growing plant communities provide biodiversity, erosion control and a natural deterrent to re-establishment of taller growing tree species.

At Hydro One, we share your interest and commitment to protecting the environment. Our integrated vegetation management program is an environmentally responsible approach that provides for the safe, reliable delivery of electricity for all Ontario ratepayers.

We are committed to open and responsive communication and our approach to vegetation management includes consultation with government agencies, conservation authorities, municipalities and private landowners. We look forward to meeting with the municipalities of Manitoulin Island to further clarify our vegetation management approach and address the community concerns.

Jack Coulis

director, Forestry Services

Hydro One

Community Care Access Centre chair responds to criticism

Tom Trainor claims that Expositor column misrepresented his organization

To The Expositor:

As the chair of the North East Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), I am writing you to express my concern about the inaccuracies and accusations within the Community Wellness Corner column in the October 16 edition of the Manitoulin Expositor. The author of the column, Marc Bedard, accuses the CCAC of being irresponsible and denying services to non-Native Canadians who live on a reserve. These accusations are completely false and unfounded.

One of our many concerns is that prior to publishing his column, Mr. Bedard did not properly inform himself on the role the CCAC has within the First Nations communities. Mr. Bedard left a voicemail for one of our client service managers the week prior to the column being published but did not leave a clear reason for his call. The manager in question tried to reach Mr. Bedard and was unable to reach him. We have since confirmed that no-one else within our organization was in contact with Mr. Bedard to discuss the concerns he brought up in the article and, as a result, our organization has been unfairly brought into a negative light.

Mr. Bedard claims that, "If you happen to live on a reserve on Manitoulin Island and are non-status, then you are not, according to the CCAC's rationale, entitled to their provincially-funded program because you have freely chosen to live on a reserve." This is completely false. The North East CCAC does provide access to care to non-status individuals who live on a reserve, and has for some time now.

Mr. Bedard claims that the non-status individuals are "disqualified from receiving provincially funded CCAC community care programs" and that "due to the CCAC's policy there remains no service agency for these at-risk individuals in desperate need of homecare." It is imperative to note that no such policy exists and furthermore the North East CCAC does not deny services to non-status individuals who live on a reserve and meet the eligibility criteria, as is the case for any other non-status individual residing on or off a reserve within the province of Ontario.

Mr. Bedard goes on to state that, "We (Manitoulin Island residents) no longer have case management representation, since all of the decisions and services are now initiated through the Sudbury office." The North East CCAC does in fact have a full-time case manager based on Manitoulin Island. Furthermore, the Espanola office is also in a position to support residents on Manitoulin Island if the need arises.

Throughout the entire column, Mr. Bedard attacks our organization with these claims of denying potential clients access to services. The negative tone of the article was completely unnecessary and unwarranted. To quote from Mr. Bedard's article, "this is plainly wrong, irresponsible" and a "socially distorted" point of view from an author who did not properly inform himself. The readers of the Manitoulin Expositor were misled. As a result, there may be individuals who now believe they do not have access to the services provided by the CCAC and may not bother to properly inform themselves. This is a serious concern for us as our main priority is our clients.

We respectfully request that Mr. Bedard print a retraction in his next column and to issue an apology to the CCAC and our clients. The CCAC works diligently to ensure access and quality care to all our clients. I welcome a discussion between our executive director, Mr. Bedard and myself to set the record straight and to ensure that all the proper facts are brought to the attention of your readers and our potential clients.

For future reference, should any of your reporters or column authors wish to inform themselves about the CCAC and its services, we welcome them to contact the North East CCAC communications department. Our communications department ensures that all inquiries are responded to in a timely manner and they would be more than happy to answer any questions or concerns.

Tom Trainor

chair

North East CCAC board of directors