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Ice lake woman recovering from bear attack
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by Tom Sasvari
ICE LAKE---An Ice Lake woman is still in Mindemoya Hospital
recovering from injuries she sustained after being attacked by a
black bear.
"I got the call from Margaret (Montgomery) at around 10:00 pm that
she had been attacked by a bear," said neighbour Ron Campbell, who
was first on the scene. "When I got there, she was sitting down and
bleeding. I called the doctors, ambulance and the MNR (Ministry of
Natural Resources)."
"She was having a hard time breathing when she was driven to the
hospital," continued Mr. Campbell.
He said Ms. Montgomery had told him, "She had let the dog out which
went straight over to the apple trees where the bear was. The bear
chased the dog back into the garage. She heard a yelp from her dog,
although there aren't any marks on the dog," continued Mr. Campbell.
The Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that the
incident took place on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 at 10:10 pm,
involving Margaret Montgomery, an 81 year-old woman, of Highway 540
Ice Lake, near Gore Bay, after letting her dog out for a run. The dog
approached a bear eating apples off a tree on her property. The bear
then chased the dog into the garage area where the elderly woman was
waiting.
The bear knocked down the woman, who then held on to the bear and hit
the bear with a garden hoe that was in the garage. The woman received
some minor claw wounds to her face and chest as well as a puncture
wound to her upper thigh. She was taken to the Mindemoya Hospital for
observation due to her age.
Manitoulin OPP attended the scene along with the MNR, who then
searched for the bear that evening with negative results. They have
positioned three live bear traps on the property and neighbouring
properties. Ms. Montgomery was interviewed by police, and as of last
Thursday was reported to be in good health, and promised to leave the
bear fighting to the police.
"Two C.O.'s (John Diebolt and Dave Scarlett) in the area responded to
the incident, and the victim had been taken by ambulance to the
hospital by this time," said MNR spokesperson Carol Trepanier. The
C.O.'s interviewed Mr. Campbell who relayed what he had seen, she
said. "What occurred was that the dog had been barking and carrying
on, she went out to the garage to let the dog out, the dog ran out
towards an apple tree where the bear was. In this case, the dog ran
towards the bear, frightening it, so that it ran after the dog who
went back towards the owner and Mrs. Montgomery was cornered by both
animals."
Ms. Trepanier explained that "what we had done is our C.O. went out
last evening (last Wednesday) and put down two live bait traps, one
on the property and another in the vicinity of the property (a third
was also set up) to try and locate the offending bear."
The C.O.'s, along with an MNR canine team, spent last Thursday
combing the area around the Ice Lake property. As well, Michael
Chaumont, MNR acting enforcement supervisor, and Ernie Heerschap,
acting district manager, were also on the scene. Officers were going
door to door to gather information on local bear activity from
neighbours and to advice them of safety precautions they should be
taking," said Ms. Trepanier. "The officers, in their investigation
of the area, noted that the apple trees have seen a lot of bear
activity with claw marks on the trees. So a bear or bears have
frequented the area."
Mr. Heerschap said, "Obviously, our biggest concern is Ms. Montgomery
and her recovery. We are doing whatever we can to find the bear, so
that we can remove it from this area. The traps will be put out until
we are satisfied the bear won't come back, and have brought in the
canine unit team for a day."
The canine unit included three handlers, Kyle Cachagee, Mike Buckner,
and Brian Morrison with a total of four dogs.
On Sunday, MNR officials used a helicopter to search for the bear.
However, there were no bears sighted in the area. "We didn't see a
single bear. We keyed on the area of the incident location, and
searched about three to four kilometres reallywell," said Mr.
Diebolt, who indicated that the MNR was assisted by the OPP in the
search.
Ms. Montgomery, who was still recovering in Mindemoya Hospital as of
press deadline on Monday, as well as members of her family wished not
to comment on the incident. However, Ms. Trepanier told the Expositor
on Monday, "Ms. Montgomery remains in the hospital and is still
recovering from her injuries."
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Beef industry should bear brunt of crisis
together, not just farmers; Burt
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by Neil Zacharjewicz
ICE LAKE - For several years, the Burt Farm has produced and
marketed
food, including beef, for the local market.
"I am not after an export market," explained Max Burt, owner and
operator of the Burt Farm in Ice Lake, which produces and
markets
organically grown products on Manitoulin. "We've chosen to blend
in
the middle, and produce food for our neighbours."
While Mr. Burt does not believe that "the neighbours" are all
that
scared of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) situation,
as
illustrated by the fact that the Canadian consumption of beef
has
actually increased since the beef crisis began, he does believe
that
the entire scenario has had an impact upon his family business.
Fortunately, the Burt Farm is somewhat buffered from the
immediate
impact of the BSE scare.
"We are more diversified. Diversification takes time. You
probably
lose some efficiency, but you also gain stability," Mr. Burt
suggested. "The more feet you put on the ground, the harder it
is for
the wind to push you over."
But despite the fact that the Burt Farm markets locally, Mr.
Burt
said he expects his business will also be impacted by the
closure of
the US border to Canadian beef.
"It's not all rosy on this end," Mr. Burt stated. "Cow hide
prices
are worth half, work boots are the same price, and Cadillacs
haven't
gone down."
He added he still has culled cattle standing around on his farm
waiting for a home.
"The impact is a delayed impact for me. We will certainly see
the
downward pressure of the retail market. We still have to follow
the
retail price, which has backed off," he pointed out. "I don't
think
we have hit the floor yet, whereas some farmers have."
He indicated what the government introduces, as far as new
policies
and regulations as to how to process beef, could have a
significant
impact upon his operation.
"Governments put things in place for the big operators, because
they
are the ones running into problems," Mr. Burt suggested. He said
with
policies and regulations put in place with large-scale
operations in
mind, it becomes a question of economics as to whether a person
can
run their own facility, still meet regulations, and still make a
profit.
"The simple job of making food does not make enough (for
farmers) to
take care of ourselves and our families," he explained. "Who
else
makes a gross $100,000 a year and still has to work (outside of
their
full-time) job to make a living?"
Mr. Burt's questioning of government policies and regulations
goes
beyond just the regulations put in place to address the current
situation. He suggested past policy is reflected in the fact
that
there has been little support from other nations in the idea of
re-opening the borders for Canadian beef.
"We've closed our border to other countries that have tested BSE
positive, so why should we expect any different for us?" he
asked.
The fact that the Burt Farm produces a variety of organically
grown
products for Manitoulin, however, does not shield them from the
impact of the beef crisis, because the BSE situation has also
impacted the pork and chicken markets. Mr. Burt noted that, as
Canadians increased their consumption of beef to help support
beef
farmers, the end result is a downward pressure on the pork and
chicken markets, causing a decrease in price. As a result, the
Burt
Farm must also reduce the price on their pork and chicken prices
to
remain competitive with the retail market.
"It is all interconnected," Mr. Burt said.
He noted that organically grown foods are becoming a growing
trend in
the agriculture market. In fact, they are probably the fastest
growing sector, Mr. Burt suggested. While a situation like the
BSE
scenario may increase interest in this sector, he suggested it
is
still a very small percentage of overall marketplace.
Mr. Burt admitted what is truly frustrating is that this entire
situation was created because one cow of the 11 million cattle
in
Canada tested positive for BSE.
"The risk was pretty minor," he suggested. "Why did such a minor
risk, in a complete industry, have such a hard impact on the
farmer
and not on one other aspect of the industry? Should the entire
sector
not have shared the impact?"
Agriculture has one of the highest spin-off rates of any sector
in
the Canadian economy, with four dollars being spent in the
community
for every dollar invested in agriculture. With the impact of the
closure of the US border, it could be a tight winter for many
Island
farmers, and as a result, the business community on Manitoulin
in
general.
"If we think January, February and March are normally quiet
months,
just watch and see how quiet it is going to be this January,
February
and March," Mr. Burt suggested.
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Many Islanders throw hats in the ring for
upcoming municipal elections |
by Neil Zacharjewicz
MANITOULIN - With nominations for municipal office closing last
Friday, it appears that more than a few Islanders are interested
in
stepping into the municipal politics limelight.
The slate of candidates for the upcoming municipal elections is
probably the largest in recent memory.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all came in Tehkummah Township,
where
Gary Brown, who has served as reeve for the municipality for the
last
18 years, chose not to run for re-election. Instead, voters will
have
their choice of Roberta McKenzie or Jim Anstice for Reeve. The
four
council positions in Tehkummah were acclaimed, with the new
council
being composed of Lydia McKenna, Ed Sagle, Mike McKenzie and
David
Jaggard.
Three municipalities will have voters sift through a large slate
of
candidates: Gore Bay, Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands,
and
Central Manitoulin.
Gore Bay
For the Town of Gore Bay, incumbent mayor Ruby Croft will run
against
long-time councillor Harry Vanderweerden in the mayoral race.
Running
for one of the six seats on council are Marilyn Blackburn, Chris
Blodgett, Ken Blodgett, June Clark, Carrie Lewis, Dan Osborne,
Perry
Patterson, Hendrik Pel, James Woods, and William Woods.
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands
In the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands,
incumbent
mayor Kenneth Ferguson will once again face off against Joe
Chapman
in the mayoral race. So far, only one councillor has been
acclaimed,
that honour going to Jib Turner, the new councillor for Ward
One. In
Ward Two, nine people will run for three council seats. Throwing
their hats in the ring for the election are incumbent
councillors
William Koehler and Carl Ziegler, as well as new candidates
Betty
Anne Burdenuk, Gary Green, David McCaugherty, Sam Nardi, Steven
Nunn,
Jennifer Sayyae and Mervin F. Sinoski. Two candidates will face
of
for one council seat in Ward Three, with incumbent councillor
Marcel
Gauthier running against Glen Leeson. Eight individuals will run
for
council in Ward Four, including incumbents Kathleen Bowerman,
Ronald
J. Lewis and Jim Stringer. The five new candidates include Jack
Ashley, Thomas Batman, Tony Ferro, Charles Pratt, and Edna M.
Webster.
Central Manitoulin
Three individuals will vie for the position of reeve in Central
Manitoulin, with Larry B. Killens, Joe Mensour and Richard
Stephens
all filing papers for the race. In Ward One, incumbent
councillors
Sarah Bowerman and Derek Stephens will run against Steve Orford
for
two council seats. In Ward Two, incumbent councillor Harold
McCutcheon will run against Barbara Grigg, Robert (Bert) Hill,
and
Glen McDougall for one of the Ward's two seats. Vying for one of
the
two seats in Ward Three will be incumbent councillor Glen E.
Unsworth, as well as new candidates Maggie Schut and Doreen
Witty.
Assiginack
Leslie Fields will be running against Dave Ham for the reeve's
position in Assiginack, while incumbent reeve Hugh Moggy will
run
against five others for one of four positions on council. Also
running for council are Grant Parkinson, Vernon Johnston, Bud
Rohn,
Brenda Reid, and Andy Bowerman.
Burpee - Mills
Ken Noland has been acclaimed for a second term as reeve of the
Corporation of the Township of Burpee and Mills. Running for one
of
four positions of council are Pentti Palonen, Angel Campbell,
Jeff
Middleton, Ed Wright, Mark R. Lamoureux, Jeff Bailey, and Maxine
Middaugh.
Billings
There will be no change at the head of the council table in
Billings.
Reeve Austin Hunt has been acclaimed for another term. Running
for
the four positions on council will be Sharon Alkenbrack, Rick
Rusk,
John Bright, David Montgomery, Margaret Tuomi, Keith McKeen, and
Stewart Burns.
Cockburn Island
On Cockburn Island, David Haight has been returned for another
term
as reeve. There will be an election for the four council seats,
as
incumbents Brenda Jones, Evan L. Papineau, Don Rogers and Scott
Stewart are being challenged by John McQuarrie and Eira
Robinson.
Killarney
In Killarney, Laurier Low has been acclaimed as mayor. Also
acclaimed
was Ward Two councillor Dr. Clyde Opaleychuk. Running for one of
three seats in Ward One are incumbent councillors Harry
Loosemore,
James Pitfield, Rosemarie Roque, and newcomers Geoff Cosh,
Connie
Roque and Eric Knopczyk.
Gordon
In Gordon Township, the entire council was acclaimed, with
incumbent
reeve Jeff Heitkamp resuming his office, along with incumbent
councillors Pat Best, Lee Hayden and Betty Noble. Jack Brady
will
serve as the new face on council.
Barrie Island
The Township of Barrie Island has acclaimed its entire council.
Reeve
JoeAnn Lewis has returned to office, and will be joined by
councillors Lillian Greenman, Bill Rock, David Baisley, and
Mervyn
Noakes.
School Board
The position of Rainbow District School Board trustee for Area
Eight
has been acclaimed, with Ronald Burdenuk taking over the
position. He
previously held the position prior to Larry Killens taking ver
in the
2000 election.
Two candidates have come forward for the French Public School
Board,
with Claude Mayer and Jocelyne Beaulieu filing their election
papers.
Candidates had until Monday at 5 pm to withdraw their names. The
candidates for the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the
Islands
and for the Township of Central Manitoulin were confirmed at the
time. The candidate lists for the other municipalities are as
they
appeared at 5 pm, on Friday, September 26th, the closing date
for
declaring the intention to run in the upcoming municipal
election.
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Residents and politicians seize water information meeting |
by Michael Erskine
NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN AND THE ISLANDS (NEMI)---A pair of
meetings
to inform residents of how water meters would be installed into
homes
in Little Current and Sheguiandah did not all go as planned,
when a
large group of angry citizens led primarily by candidates for
NEMI
council forced the Little Current meeting into an angry debate
on why
water meters were needed at all.
The Sheguiandah meeting at the Senior's Hall on the afternoon of
September 24 was, as advertised, an information meeting in which
the
intricacies and procedures for the installation of water meters
proceeded quietly and without any controversy, attended by
perhaps 20
people through the two hour session. The evening meeting at the
Little Current Howland Recreation Centre was a raucous affair,
with
angry outbursts against NEMI staff and councillors interjected
throughout.
Many of those attending the Little Current event identified the
meeting as having been advertised as a public meeting on water
meetings, indicating they had not learned of the meetings
through the
advertisements in the local paper, which clearly identified the
meetings as information sessions.
Initially, the meeting was to be held in the Little Current
Curling
Club, but it quickly became apparent that the over 100 person
crowd
could not be accommodated in that venue. The meeting was moved
to the
main upstairs hall, and extra chairs and a sound system were
brought
in.
Ken Sharratt, the consultant who guided NEMI council through the
water meter process, and representatives of Neptune Technology
Group,
of Mississuaga, were in attendance to answer questions about
water
meters, but the crowd wanted to talk to the NEMI councillors who
were
in attendance.
Mayor Ken Ferguson took the brunt of the crowd's angry
outbursts, as
well as fielding considered questions. He stood stoically
through the
entire meeting, which lasted almost an hour past the allotted
time
for the open house, often facing the wagging finger of resident
Sheila Rowlands.
When Mayor Ferguson's voice finally dried out, Public Works
Chair Ron
Lewis took over the mike for the last half hour.
Despite Expositor stories on the progress of the implementation
of
water meters dating back to a page one story in the November 13,
2002
edition of the paper, and follow-up stories in the NEMI Notes on
February 20, 2003, a story on page six of the April 9, 2003
edition
covering the passing of a motion to proceed on tendering for the
meters and an August 27, 2003 story detailing the awarding of
the
$277,015 contract to Neptune Technology Group, many of the angry
residents claimed there had been no notice of any debate or
consideration of installing water meters until now.
Although there were no advertised public meetings on the
installation
of water meters, as NEMI Councillor Carl Ziegler had said there
would
be in the November 2002 story, Mr. Lewis noted the matter was
discussed in great length at meetings on water rates held in
both
Sheguiandah and Little Current.
The question of paying up front for water meters appeared to
catch
NEMI councillors by surprise. The decision to amortize the cost
over
an extended period was intended to lighten the impact on
families and
low-income residents, explained Mr. Lewis. The question of
residents
being able to pay for the meters outright would, however, be
brought
back to council and staff to see if it would be possible to
implement.
The meeting was originally opened to the open house format that
had
served well at the Sheguiandah meeting, but it quickly became
apparent that the crowd was too large, and too angry to work in
that
venue.
Mayor Ferguson requested that everyone take a seat back in their
chairs, and suggested the consultant from Neptune be given a
chance
to deliver a short presentation on the water meter process.
Despite this attempt to return to the original purpose of the
meeting, after the presentation the angry questions returned.
Some
residents insisted they would not allow the installers into
their homes,
one woman even suggested she would be meeting them at the door
with a
shotgun.
"We came to talk to the council," asserted Steve Blouin, of
Little Current.
Mayor Ferguson then gave a brief recap of the process to date,
noting
that the idea of water meters as a fair way to allocate the cost
of
water to users, as mandated by the province, was to implement
water
meters.
"We do not take this step lightly," said Mayor Ferguson. "We did
in
fact hear you," he said, referencing the Sheguiandah and Little
Current meetings. We are here tonight to explain the process."
Mayoral candidate Joe Chapman challenged the councillors as to
why
the newly built water plant could not meet the needs of the
community.
Mayor Ferguson replied that the plant will meet the actual needs
of
the municipality, based on a standard water usage per person.
The issue arises only at the height of the summer season, when
both
the demand for water by year round residents is at its peak, and
the
pressures of summer residents are added to the mix.
Ward 1 candidate Jib Turner suggested that the council should
have a
price for water before the contract to install meters was
signed.
"We want to know how much per meter," said Mr. Chapman.
The normal procedure for implementing water meters in a new area
is
to run the meters for a year to measure baseline costs, and an
accurate price, replied Mayor Ferguson. An assertion that was
later
borne out by Diane McMahon, Neptune project manager for the
water
meter implementation.
"That is how we have done it in other municipalities," she said.
"It
provides the most accurate data from which to work."
"Can we put this off for a little bit?" asked candidate Jennifer
Sayye.
"How much will it cost to get us out of this contract?" asked
Mr. Turner.
The tenders have been awarded and the process is proceeding,
noted
Mayor Ferguson, indicating the process is too far advanced to
step
back now.
Councillor Ron Lewis noted the need to meet Ministry of
Environment
concerns over the town's Certificate of Approval made it
difficult to
postpone the process.
"So the real purpose for these meters is to meet the MOE
standards,"
interjected Mr. Chapman. "You built a plant that couldn't meet
the
town's needs."
"It (MOE standards) is one of the reasons," replied Mr. Lewis.
"Hopefully, we will be consuming less."
Mr. Sharratt noted that municipalities that have brought in
water
meters typically see a 20 to 30 percent reduction in water use.
Although his suggestion that many people have leaking toilets
without
being aware of it was met with loud ridicule, Ms. McMahon later
confirmed that has proven to be the case in practice.
"People think they would notice," she said. "But until the water
meter shows that there is water flowing in the system, they
often do
not know."
Angry exchanges continued until 10 pm, when most of the
candidates
and their supporters left the meeting.
Mr. Lewis characterized much of what went on in the meeting as a
direct assault on Mayor Ferguson, and to a lesser extent the
other
sitting members of council.
"That's politics," he sighed.
"Ken isn't the strongest public speaker," Mr. Lewis volunteered.
"But
he does care about the public. He cares about the public and
what is
going on."
Mr. Lewis said he found the water meter meeting to be a bit
aggravating in light of the tremendous soul-searching the entire
council went through to try and reach the best decision for
everyone.
The recommendation to proceed with water meters came from the
Public
Works Committee, in consultation with members of the public and
invited business owners over two years ago. The decision to move
ahead on water meters was thought to be a consensual one, and
the
vocal opposition caught many by surprise.
Mayor Ferguson was aware the evening meeting was going to be
politicized before he attended, and he had been advised to not
attend
the meeting. Mayor Ferguson, to his credit noted Mr. Lewis, did
not
shirk from meeting with the public even though he suspected what
was
coming and knew he would be facing a hostile environment.
The personal attacks on NEMI staff member Ed Bond, the man who
has
been assigned oversight of the project for the town, were also
uncalled for, said Mr. Lewis.
"Ed has a wealth of experience and knowledge gained over the
last 15
to 20 years," he said. "There is no one who is better at finding
the
funding we need to proceed with any number of projects."
More than that, Mr. Lewis said that Mr. Bond is a person with
the
best interests of the people of Little Current at heart.
"We would be remiss if we didn't use that ability for the
welfare of
the community," he said. "It is an asset to have that history."
As to the people who stayed at the meeting after the attacks
began to
be clearly political, Mr. Lewis said there was nothing council
or
the mayor could have said to satisfy them.
"It was clear they just came for a fight," he said.
Water meters, said Mr. Lewis, give people the opportunity to
monitor
their own water use, and to allow them the incentive to
conserve, and
the ability to transfer a fair portion of costs to those
businesses
and individuals who use a larger portion of the treated water.
Water meters were suggested to the town originally by the
Ministry of
the Environment as a positive approach to reducing demand on the
water system, said Mr. Lewis. The simple goal was to provide the
safest water possible, while fairly allocating costs.
"I don't understand why those people have a problem with that,"
he said.
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