Great Lakes taps will remain closed following agreement

between Canada, US to protect the basin

Fresh water reserves to remain in Great Lakes

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-An historic Great Lakes Compact was inked by US president George W. Bush this month that will curtail out-of-basin diversions and regulate large-scale water use on both sides of the border.

The president's signature follows ratification of the compact in the US congress, and enacts into federal law a cross-border commitment between eight states and two provinces to protect the waters of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin.

The development has been applauded by jurisdictions on each side of world's largest supply of fresh water as well as by international environmental coalitions like Great Lakes United.

In a statement issued last week, Ontario's Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield heralded the international pact, calling it a "landmark in co-operation among governments and across borders." She credited Ontario First Nations and the public, as well as a multi-party advisory panel, as "critical in helping Ontario pursue a strong agreement."

John Jackson, a director with Great Lakes United, noted in a release that citizens spoke up seven years ago, demanding that their leaders "shut the tap" to large-scale diversions from the lakes. "After painstaking work between eight states, two provinces and countless stakeholders, we have the laws that will protect these precious waters for generations to come."

The compact, formerly known as the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, stems from a binational agreement of the same name forged between Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec.

The legislation was prompted by a 1998 proposal to take 598 million litres of water per year from Lake Superior to ship to Asia in a tanker. A permit to do so, originally approved by Ontario, was ultimately denied, but the prospect of such a withdrawal "outraged citizens across the region and highlighted the need for strong protections of Great Lakes water," according to Great Lakes United.

The compact was also born of concerns that parched states in the American southwest that are poised to siphon off Great Lakes water as the population and political clout in this arid region accrues, although none of the Sun Belt states, as feared by compact supporters, held up the agreement's passage through congress.

The compact places a virtual ban on removing or transferring water out of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin; establishes a common, basin-wide standard for managing the resource; sets goals and objectives for conserving water; and commits the parties to creating a science strategy for critical issues facing the Great Lakes, such as the impacts of climate change and the cumulative effects of water use.

The terms of the agreement were incorporated in Ontario's 2007 Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario's Water Act, while Quebec's National Assembly voted to endorse the agreement and tabled legislation in June. With the US ratification of the compact, the terms of the agreement will apply throughout the Great Lakes states.

MNR's crane survey on Manitoulin looks at

bird's game potential

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-A study of the Manitoulin sandhill crane population was initiated last week by Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) scientists to fill a gap in knowledge and address the question of a possible hunt.

"There have been letters to the minister regarding crop damage and a hunting season," noted Rod Brook, a waterfowl population specialist with the MNR. "We have a lack of data on this population so we thought we should be learning more."

Mr. Brook, who works out of the ministry's headquarters in Peterborough, travelled to Manitoulin last Tuesday along with research technician Kim Bennett and wildlife biologist Holly Simpson to undertake three days of field research, with help from local conservation officer John Diebolt and members of the Manitoulin Nature Club.

The trio trekked into a small lake near Spring Bay on Wednesday morning to view the most popular roosting site of these feathered friends-or foes, depending on your perspective-and spent the remaining daylight hours on both Wednesday and Thursday counting flocks in the countryside, from both the ground and the air.

"We did an aerial survey using the ministry's plane out of Sudbury," noted Mr. Brook. Totting up cranes as they flew, and taking photographs that will later be blown up to provide a more accurate census, the trio floated over a broad swath of mostly agricultural land that ranged from Burpee in the west to Tehkummah in the east.

Most of the birds were specks on the ground but a few were flapping at the height of the Beaver bush plane. "Some were right up there at 500 feet," remarked Mr. Brook.

On Thursday evening, when the Expositor caught up with the research team, Mr. Brook and Ms. Bennett were photographing a large flock that was feeding in-and making a dramatic takeoff from-a field alongside Highway 542 near the Spring Bay wind turbines.

From here, the MNR crew drove to Learmont Road, off Perivale Road, to watch the cranes as they darkened the sky during their evening flight from their grazing grounds to their roosting spots on marshy ponds near Lake Kagawong.

"Last night we counted over 4,000 at this site," noted Mr. Brook, in reference to the Learmont Road location. The total number for the Island, he added, based on a coordinated count undertaken on October 15 between the MNR and the nature club, is 6,272.

In the mid-1980s, birders were lucky to spy a pair of sandhill cranes on Manitoulin, but their numbers have grown impressively over the past 20 years. In 2005, bird enthusiasts counted 1,568 cranes in mid-October; by last year at the same time, that number had doubled to 3,020. Now the population appears to have hit a new high.

Mr. Brook emphasized, however, that most of the cranes seen in autumn are temporary visitors. "The majority here bred on the North Shore and are feeding here on their way south," he said. "They filter in on their way to Michigan and Illinois and then winter in the southern US."

Counting the cranes will allow the ministry to establish "an annual index," said the bird specialist, "so we can compare from year to year and get an indication of which direction the population is going."

Researchers are also assessing the reproductive capacity of the birds by looking at "the ratio of adults to juveniles," said Mr. Brook, with the latter easily identifiable since they lack the distinctive red crests of their parents.

As he spoke, a trio of cranes flapped overhead. "That's likely a family group," remarked the researcher. "A crane will only lay two eggs, maximum, and usually only one survives." In other words, a unit of mom, dad and youngster would be a typical sight.

The birds congregate in much larger flocks (or sedges, as groups of cranes are technically called) to feed at this time of year, with hundreds sometimes visible at once in a field during the fall staging. But the number that breeds on Manitoulin and resides here through the summer months is much smaller and more spread out.

"Our impression is that you have one pair per square kilometre on the Island," said Mr. Brook. "They're pretty territorial while breeding, so you don't get a real high density in one spot."

Cranes do like to dine on agricultural crops, the scientist said, but the impact isn't felt so much in the fall. "The main crop damage occurs in the spring, when they can pluck seedlings out of corn, and cereal crops can be trampled when the plants are small."

At this time of year, the cranes are mostly feeding on waste grain in stubble fields, or other food sources such as insects and amphibians. "They eat quite a range of stuff," noted Mr. Brook. "I've even seen them try to choke down lemmings."

Apparently this involves a few tries, and a bit of regurgitation, as the mammals don't quite fit in the gullets of the cranes, big as their necks might be.

The main diet, though, apart from agricultural leavings, would be aquatic invertebrates (i.e., bugs in the water), snakes, small rodents, and frogs, said Mr. Brook.

There is, however, some risk to swathed grains that are left to dry before being combined, the researcher said.

Farmers worried about crop loss can apply for scare/kill permits through the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), which has jurisdiction over cranes since they're protected under the federal Migratory Bird Act, and some amount of crane shooting is already occurring on the Island via this program.

Scaring the birds often works just as well, however, said Mr. Brook, who noted that a type of cannon has been developed which combines a blast of noise with a moving part to spook the creatures. "They're pretty smart," said waterfowl specialist. Unlike geese, which are likely to ignore (or forget) a warning and return to the same spot, cranes tend to keep their distance if they feel threatened, "to the point that if they see a truck coming, they're out of there."

Many Islanders, however, would prefer to see a hunting season put in place for cranes, as already occurs in Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as some US states, where the birds have been abundant for 40 years.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), in particular, is keen on the concept, and has financed its own study through the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetland Research Fund to count and track cranes (through radio collaring) that hail from the North Shore in order to build a case for a fall gun season.

It's an idea that is backed by both the local chapter of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Manitoulin Area Stewardship Council-which includes representation from a variety of stakeholders, including farmers, anglers and tourism operators-but firmly opposed by the Manitoulin Nature Club, whose logo includes the image of a crane.

"They do some damage but it's not as bad as it's made out to be," said club member Chris Bell, adding that "their numbers have only gone up slowly in recent years."

To him, the resurgence of the crane population is a success story, as it had been virtually wiped out in this part of Ontario, and it wasn't until the late 1980s that the birds started to reappear in appreciable numbers.

The club has recently passed a motion articulating its objection to a crane hunt that will be sent to the CWS and MNR.

The federal wildlife service has denied all requests to date for an Ontario hunt of the species, based on a lack of scientific data to justify such a development. That said, the agency is providing funding for the research presently being undertaken by the MNR.

Mr. Brook couldn't speak to the political aspects of this issue, noting that his role is confined to "the science"-namely, "getting an idea of the size and productivity of the population"-but he did say that "we have to know if they can be harvested in a sustainable way before we allow a hunt."

The MNR also hopes to learn something about the genetic makeup of the cranes in this area, which are believed to differ subtly from their counterparts in the Hudson Bay lowlands. "The Hudson Bay birds are a different breeding population," said Mr. Brook. "But we don't know a whole lot about these (Near North) birds, because their population was so low before."

The species is native to the area, but was virtually obliterated by the early 1900s through a combination of hunting and habitat loss. It has rebounded in recent years, in part because it became protected as a migratory bird, but little study of the resurgent population has occurred. "We still have a lot to learn," said Mr. Brook.

He's curious to find out, among other things, whether the Hudson Bay and North Shore flocks mix as they intersect on southerly flight patterns. "They could intermingle in winter areas," he mused.

To determine the genetic distinctions and possible interbreeding between the groups, the MNR hopes to undertake some DNA analysis in the future, said Mr. Brook. This would be accomplished by taking samples from birds that were lawfully killed in each area.

It's possible, too, that the study could expand to include banding of birds, which would provide "an indication of how long individual birds stay" on the Island during the fall staging period, said Mr. Brook.

Speaking last week, he noted that many visitors from the North Shore had already completed their Manitoulin stay and continued south, so counting the ones visible right now doesn't provide a complete picture of the crane presence on the Island.

The researchers wrapped up their data collection on Friday before heading back to Peterborough, and will crunch the numbers over the next few weeks and author a report by late November.

Mr. Brook said they will almost certainly be back next fall to continue the study, and possibly more than once during that period. "The future might involve repeated surveys through the fall," he said.

As for the cranes, they will likely have peaked in number by now, and dwindle considerably as November begins. "They're keying on high energy crops right now, and that's what's holding them," said the bird specialist. "But when you start getting a skiff of ice on the ponds, they've had enough."

Is there an Elder in the house?

Northern medical school seeks guidance in formal

relationship with First Nations seniors

by Lindsay Kelly

SUDBURY-A new handbook put out by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is making history in the medical community in its recognition of Aboriginal values and traditions as a essential to treating First Nations patients in communities across the North.

The Elders Handbook, published this past March, is a 34-page spiral-bound reference guide for med school students and staff on how to respectfully incorporate Aboriginal customs and values into their curriculum and practices.

"There are so many different activities or events or teaching conferences where we could have an Elder participate," says Ian Peltier, interim director for NOSM's Aboriginal Affairs department. "The idea is to encourage staff to get acquainted with this, so that when there are events on campus, they might consider having an Elder be part of it."

The project began after a proposal was submitted to the Aboriginal Health Research Initiative branch of Health Canada that would connect Elders throughout the region. Various Elders were contacted across Northern Ontario, and 19 Elders and staff members were selected to attend the 31st Elders' conference in Peterborough. "It was the perfect place to consult and receive feedback from them," Mr. Peltier says.

Staff surveyed and spoke with Elders, held workshops and gleaned as much information as they could in a respectful manner, and by the end of March 2007, a document containing the information provided by the Elders was prepared.

The intent, Mr. Peltier said, is to provide students, staff and faculty-of which there are more than 500 across over 70 sites, 32 of which have Aboriginal student placements-with a guide to working with Elders at the medical school. The resulting handbook follows the school's mandate to meet the needs of Aboriginal, francophone, rural and remote students in a simple, straightforward package that is easy to read.

"If it's a rural or remote student, they can talk to them any time they're wanting advice from an Elder," Mr. Peltier says. "It's open to all students."

The handbook details the important roles that Elders perform in the community and the benefits their participation can bring to activities and events surrounding medicine.

"NOSM Elders are Aboriginal persons who have certain gifts for working with community members," the handbook notes. "Each of these 'gifts,' separately or together, is related to maintaining the holistic health of a community, and each of these gifts could be utilized in a 'healing' effort by Elders."

"At the same time, all Elders share qualities or characteristics which are recognized by the community as qualities or characteristics which the community may reference when bestowing Elder status on an individual," the handbook continues. Those characteristics include honesty, wisdom, patience, humility and more.

The school is currently compiling a database of Elders with various gifts from across the North, who can be consulted based on individual cases, Mr. Peltier explains.

"We'll have a pool of Elders, the idea being that whenever there is an event or activity on campus, if a faculty member or student wants to have an Elder present, they can submit a request to the cultural coordinator, who will look through the database to see which Elder is specialized in that area," he says.

One of those Elders is Julie Osawagosh of Whitefish Lake First Nation just outside of Sudbury, who has been closely involved with the initiative from its inception, and continues to provide input to the school.

"When the school actually started running, they needed a protocol for how to approach Elders, and there wasn't really anything out there about what to do, so that's why it was developed," she said. "The handbook was developed to provide them with a better understanding of the protocols of approaching Elders and how they can be involved, so they don't feel embarrassed."

Though an Elder's gifts aren't discussed publicly, Ms. Osawagosh believes that as students and staff work more closely with the Elders, they will come to know which Elder and her gifts are appropriate for individual situations.

Ms. Osawagosh believes that the program and the handbook give students a very good understanding of what to expect in the First Nation community, especially since students arrive with varying levels of knowledge about First Nation communities.

After working with the First Nations community in Sudbury for close to 20 years, Ms. Osawagosh says she has a good understanding of the issues affecting First Nations people, and she's happy to bring that knowledge to the medical school.

"It's quite exciting to know we're on the cutting edge of implementing this curriculum with the medical school," she said.

The program has already received accolades within the med school community and from faculty and students who have availed themselves of the program, but it is far from complete.

The initiative will continue to evolve and change as regular consultation with the First Nation community continues, and a "report card" will be issued every three years to ensure the program remains on track. Elders will participate in quarterly meetings of the Aboriginal Reference Group to advise the school in its initiatives.

In the meantime, staff are pleased at being pioneers in this area of collaboration between the First Nations and the med school, and believe it is a model for other schools in Canada and around the world.

"This is unique to NOSM," Mr. Peltier says. "I don't know of any other school that's developed a program-there are similar types of programs, but I don't think they approach it quite this way."

But the concept is certainly catching on. When the initiative is presented at conferences around the province, representatives are quick to request guidelines for the program so that they can implement similar strategies at their schools. Mr. Peltier said NOSM is quite happy to comply and that, "ideally, they would be in every school across the country."

Former MP_expresses concern about potential disappearance

of riding through redistribution

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-For over 70 years, it was a safe Liberal seat, predictably painted red. Now it's gone to the NDP, as part of the "orange crush" that swept the North on October 14. In five years, it could evaporate altogether.

Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, as the current incarnation of our riding is called, is one of 10 electoral districts in Northern Ontario, all of which are likely to be given a serious second look when the next review of riding boundaries occurs in 2012-2013.

Brent St. Denis, who represented AMK (and its predecessor, Algoma-Manitoulin) prior to being unseated by Carol Hughes, believes there's a good chance the number of northern ridings will be reduced when that day comes, and that one of the casualties could well be this riding.

"I went through this process last time," he said, in reference to a redrawing of the electoral map in 2003 that expanded Algoma-Manitoulin to include Kapuskasing (not to mention a few other far-flung communities). "We lost one seat in Northern Ontario in the last go-around, and originally they were talking about taking out three."

Ms. Hughes said she'd "heard some rumblings along the way" regarding a future shakeup of ridings in the region, but pledged to "advocate for the fact that we don't need a reduction of seats in the North."

The new MP is confident that her party, which now holds all but two of the seats in northern Ontario, will fight hard to maintain representation in this sprawling and sparsely populated area.

"As a party, we've been advocating for proportional representation for some time, and Jack Layton recognizes the geographical differences between the north and south," she said. "At the end of the day, proportional representation needs to happen so that the North, which is so vast, has enough MPs to represent them."

Mr. St. Denis, who served as chair of the Liberal caucus for Northern Ontario during the last redrawing of ridings, and later tabled a private member's bill that called for the North to maintain at least 9 percent of the seats in Ontario, is clearly in favour of riding retention in the region. He was relieved that the North maintained 10 of 11 seats in the previous slicing and dicing of districts, even if his own constituency became spread out over a vast area.

He's not so sure, however, that AMK will survive the next round of redistribution. "With the shift of our population to the cities being more pronounced, I predict that, at the very least, one more riding in the North will be lost," he said.

A review of federal riding boundaries occurs every 10 years, following the decennial census that is taken in the first year of each decade (e.g., 1991, 2001). An Electoral Boundaries Commission, headed up by three non-partisan individuals, is appointed for each province by the speaker of the house "to look at the current boundaries and population shifts," explained the former MP.

When Ontario's ridings were reassessed in the early part of this decade, based on the findings of the 2001 census, the North was deemed to have an inordinate number of ridings for its population. "In its report, the boundaries commission said we should be cut from 11 seats to eight," said Mr. St. Denis. "And the first draft of the report had Manitoulin and Elliot Lake going with Nickel Belt, for a Manitoulin-Sudbury West riding that would have stretched from Elliot Lake to Chelmsford."

Fortunately, that drastic a reconfiguration didn't occur, and there was only one seat lost across the North. "They invoked an 'extraordinary circumstances' provision, which means you can basically create a riding way out of whack in size, which they did for Kenora, to reflect its fly-in communities," said Mr. St. Denis.

The commission also made the most of a rule that allows for flexibility when it comes to apportioning ridings. Mr. St. Denis explained that a precise figure to reflect the average number of citizens per seat is reached by dividing the existing population by the number of ridings, but from there some leeway is afforded in the interest of regional representation.

"The law allows for a variance of 25 percent, plus or minus, to accommodate rural ridings with less population," he said.

That option isn't much favoured by the reigning Conservatives, however, who are philosophically opposed to the 25 percent rule that allows under-populated areas to pick up extra representation at the expense of voter-dense communities.

"The Conservatives believe every vote is equal, regardless of whether you're in the city or rural," he said.

And since the riding cartographers begin at the edges of the province and work inward to create the electoral chunks that properly reflect demographics, Mr. St. Denis said the "ones in the middle" are at greatest risk. "So, in Northern Ontario, sadly, AMK will be very vulnerable."

His suspicion is that Manitoulin will "gravitate back to Sudbury West," while the Soo riding could grow to include Blind River and Wawa, as the population of the Lock City isn't, on its own, enough to meet the number required by the census-based formula.

This isn't going to happen tomorrow, or even in the next few years, though. Any retooling (and retiring) of ridings will await the 2011 census, after which the Electoral Boundaries Commission will be appointed, and spend six months before filing a draft report.

The final report wouldn't be released until after the next election, which would happen in October of 2012, assuming the new law setting fixed election dates is followed.

Ms. Hughes, in other words, will almost certainly have at least one chance to defend the seat that she fought so determinedly, over the course of three elections, to win. But after that, who knows?

Should AMK disappear, and the eastern part of the riding get lumped in with Sudbury West, the current MP could find herself fighting against a fellow NDPer-namely, Claude Gravelle, who won the Nickel Belt riding last week over Liberal candidate Louise Portelance-for the nomination.

Mr. St. Denis almost faced a scenario of this nature when Algoma-Manitoulin grew to include Kapuskasing. The representative at the time for Timmins-James Bay-which also grew in size, while losing Kap-was a fellow-Liberal who happened to live in the northern mill town.

"Had he decided to run again, we would have had a nomination contest," said Mr. St. Denis. "He retired, so we didn't have to duke it out within the family."

FARM-GATE GO-GETTERS: Young entrepreneurs Marena and Alaina Verboom flagged down passing motorists on Highway 542 on Saturday to peddle some produce from their cart. The yield at their Providence Bay-area garden included pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, and a few jumbo zucchinis.

EDITOR

FedNor, NOHFC doing good for Manitoulin marinas

Manitoulin's North Channel marinas have been well served by the FedNor funding mechanism and by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.

These agencies exist to funnel, on behalf of the federal and provincial governments, respectively, economic development funds into useful Northern Ontario projects.

The recent completion of the extensive break wall at Meldrum Bay is an example of the best use of these funds where an unorganized municipality, working through local volunteer groups, put together partnerships involving a local industry (Lafarge Canada), FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

The result is a new, man-made piece of landscape that gives that part of Meldrum Bay shelter from the prevailing westerly and north-westerly winds.

This is the most recent project to be completed, but it is only one of several North Channel marinas that have been upgraded using development funds on the Island.

In Gore Bay, for example, the harbour now boasts many new, serviced slips. Additionally, the wharfinger's building on the western waterfront has been doubled in size, making it ideal for the marine store business it now houses and which has been able to expand as a consequence.

Little Current's waterfront, although completely renewed, was funded in a somewhat different fashion in that the Northeast Town was, several years ago, given money to renovate the old front-street docks at the time when the town assumed their ownership from the federal Department of Transport (Small Crafts and Harbours section).

This money was put to good work in the winter, spring and early summer of 2006-2007 when almost all of the old timber-framed docks were removed and replaced by masonry construction, together with its adjacent decking.

The two sets of finger docks, which have added mightily to the downtown docks' capacity, were also assisted substantially by FedNor and NOHFC funding, as have the two new sets of public washrooms.

There's always more to do, of course, but the fact is the main public marinas on Manitoulin Island's North Channel are all fresh and shiny and, in each case, it's been a long time (in Little Current's case, over a half-century) since public funds were spent to renew these important facilities that bring boaters to our ports to purchase whatever they need and, in so doing, helping create employment in these small towns.

Hats off to FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, for their development funds have made these important projects realities in their respective communities.

Letters to the Editor

Students argue headline referencing marijuana misleading

MSS pupils interested in more than drugs and drinking age

To the Expositor:

We would like to comment on the article published on October 8 titled "Marijuana legalization, environment dominate MSS candidates debate; Grade 10 civics class calls New Democrat candidate victor despite mistruths." We don't think this heading is entirely accurate. The students got an opportunity to ask many questions after each candidate spoke about themselves and some issues they thought would be of interest to the MSS audience. One question was asked about the marijuana issue and one follow-up question. While the headline of the article might attract reader interest we don't think this dominated the debate.  Your article makes it seem that most Manitoulin Secondary School students are only interested in drugs and the drinking age. That is simply not true. You did get the environment issue correct.

Teenagers can sometimes have difficulty sitting quietly for 90 minutes, but again this does not mean we were "disinterested" in the issues that were being discussed. Most of those who chattered were doing so in response to a "burn" slung usually by Ms. Hughes toward Mr. St. Denis. We want to be informed so they can be future voters and this assembly was one means of generating discussions in classrooms and at home.

Based on the results of our school vote, we got it right with regards to the October 14 election. In our election the NDP candidate Carol Hughes earned 199 votes, Ms. Rekmans (Green party) got 99, Mr. St. Denis (Liberal) got 48 and Ms. Musgrove (Conservative) received 37. Teenagers are generally pretty good at reading what adults have to say even if we don't always seem to be paying attention.

Charles Adam's Civics Class

Manitoulin Secondary School

Motocross brings life to struggling retirement town

Sport is better alternative to drug and alcohol use

To the Expositor:

On September 30, I attended a community meeting at the Providence Bay hall regarding the motocross track. I listened to some of the letters written by residents stating they were unhappy with the noise created by the track. A couple of business owners also stated that the noise is disrupting their businesses. My feelings about these statements is that Providence Bay is a retirement town, and therefore there should be no noise, just peace and tranquility. The people of Providence Bay are getting older, but not all are retired. Families are still being raised in our town.

There were approximately six letters read, and of these letters I only knew three of the people who wrote them. Please don't get me wrong, I would hope our community welcomes everyone who decides that Providence Bay is where they wish to live. Our town is slowly dying, with very few businesses still here. Unfortunately, most of the people who move here do not remain with us during the winter months. They either go back to their permanent homes in the cities or to the southern United States where there is only more noise and pollution.

I believe that the Manitoulin Dirt Riders Association (MIDRA) advised everyone at the meeting that there are only three sanctioned races per summer: one in June, one in July and one in August. Unfortunately, these three races fall on Sundays. There is nothing our club can do to change this. Practices are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Sundays when there are no sanctioned races. I realize Sunday is a day for worship and family, but there are families that do not attend church, but do like to spend the day with their families doing many different activities, motocross being just one of them.

The motocross association stipulated the days the track is used, and advised everyone to contact the police if there is misuse of the track, including anyone using the track on the off. Let the police do their job. It is not MIDRA's members using the track on the other days of the week.

A few years ago there was very little for the kids to do, so some youth decided the boardwalk was a good place to gather and smoke pot or drink alcohol. I truly hope this does not happen again.

Many of the racers come to the track and see what a beautiful town we live in and come back to spend their holidays here, which translates to money for tourism and our struggling little town.

I do not feel that our kids should have to suffer from having no track, or that the Providence Bay Agricultural Society board or MIDRA should have to spend thousands of dollars to unsuccessfully try and stop noise where there is going to be noise. I would hope that all people of Providence Bay will take a good hard look at just what their children did growing up, no matter where they lived prior to coming here, and leave the kids of today at the track in peace to enjoy their practice time and competition. Let's get together and support these kids because before we know it, they will be the adults of the town.

Let's race!

Beth McDougall

Providence Bay

New voting laws make no sense for rural polls

ID not necessary when officials know voters personally

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letter was sent to poll station supervisor Mary Smith and is reprinted at the author's request.

To the Expositor:

Dear Madam:

I didn't vote in the election just past so I suppose I have no right to complain, but let me tell you why, before you condemn me.

I am from a small community on Manitoulin Island where I would say the voting population is fifty people tops. Everyone knows everyone and it has been this way for the past number of years.

Before the polls opened, one of the officials from the polling station, and also my neighbour, came to our house to make a phone call in regards to the election. We had been asked before hand if they could do this as there is no phone in the polling station.

Before she left I asked if it was necessary for me to show identification at the polling station. I was told yes I would have to because this was what they had been instructed to do.

I have always been of the opinion that ID was used to identify a person you don't know. I can understand asking for ID in big cities or smaller towns because it would be impossible to know everyone by sight. I imagine that across Canada there are hundreds of stations in the same circumstances as this one.

Would it not make more sense at these instructions seminars to tell the people that if they don't know the voter they must ask for identification? Maybe we are supposed to wander down the path like sheep and never question our brilliant leaders.

Remember, what Hitler said was gospel, and look where that got us.

Dale Van Every

Meldrum Bay