IT'S OFFICIAL!
Assiginack's Cardwell St. voted worst in Ontario
by Michael Erskine

THE INTERNET-Cyberspace has spoken-and to very little surprise-Cardwell Street has been voted the worst road in Ontario on the Canadian Automobile Association Worst Roads website..The reason for that dubious distinction-easily topping roads in more populous cities like Sudbury, London or Toronto-is made clear by the comments that accompanied the online votes, many of them obviously posted by disgruntled residents of Wikwemikong. "There are more potholes than pavement on the road," reads one of the more sedate comments, while the more eloquent make the point like: "It feels like you're driving on the back of an alligator. Potholes every 10 or so feet. It looks like a bunch of little meteors fell from space all along the road." Not surprisingly, since the road in question leads to the First Nation community of Wikwemikong, and since inter-governmental bickering over who should pay for the repairs has left the residents of that community risking life and limb with every transit, allegations of racism are contained within many of those postings. "Every other road in Manitowaning is paved as smooth as a baby's bum...except for the one road that leads to Wikwemikong First Nation's Reserve... I wonder why?" reads one of the tamer comments. Assiginack Reeve Les Fields found herself on a national CBC radio program Monday afternoon, attempting to explain why a road in her community has propelled her community into the limelight. "Hopefully this will prove to be a blessing in disguise," said Reeve Fields. "It will give some information to the other levels of government about the frustration being felt, and rightly so. Perhaps it will form part of the clout we need to get the support we need to deal with this situation." Although the situation on Cardwell Street will be brought to the attention of local the local MPP, Algoma-Manitoulin's Mike Brown and Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Brent St. Denis are no strangers to the issue. It has been a sticking point for both veteran politicians for several years. At issue is the fact that the road to Wikwemikong is heavily travelled by residents of the reserve and heavy logging trucks coming out of that community. Studies indicate that less than 10 percent of the road traffic is generated within Assiginack itself. That being noted, the fact remains that responsibility for the road falls squarely on the shoulders of the municipality. But the municipality maintains that they cannot bear the cost of repairs, estimated to be in the millions. Various attempts to find a solution have stymied several community leaders in both Assiginack and Wikwemikong over the years, and although both communities have put strong pressure on the provincial and federal governments to find a solution, the road continues to resemble, in the words of more than one post, "the surface of the moon." Reeve Fields said that she has a greater sense of optimism that "something positive will happen." Although there has been nothing definite to come out of any level of government, she said she knows that there are a lot of good people trying to come up with a solution. While the repair to the road would not be a significant expense for the upper levels of government in itself, the issue facing both the province and the federal government is that providing the funds directly would provide a precedent that could have a snowballing effect across the province and/or the country. In the meantime, Cardwell Street has brought a dubious distinction to Manitoulin Island and Assiginack in particular, as the site of the worst road in Ontario.


Northeast Town sets lighthouse committee
by Jim Moodie

NORTHEAST TOWN-While the group has yet to be formed, let alone named, it's already tempting to consider the possible acronyms: SOS (Save Our Strawberry) has a pretty good ring to it. Or how about LOLA (Leave Our Lighthouse Alone)? Or SAFE (Strawberry Ambience Forever and Ever)? But that's being a bit facetious, whereas the issue at hand is quite serious-enough so that council for the Northeast Town devoted the bulk of its (admittedly brief) meeting last week to a discussion of how to protect the Strawberry Lighthouse, which the Coast Guard has identified for likely decommissioning and devolution, if not outright sale. With two lighthouse aficionados in attendance-those being Bill Caesar, chair of the Centennial Museum board, and Dr. Jack Bailey, a long-time champion of local beacons-it was agreed that the landmark plays an integral role in the culture of the community, and that the best way to ensure its preservation would be to have concerned citizens rally together to form an advocacy group. "I think we need a community committee that would work in conjunction with council," said Mayor Joe Chapman, adding, "I'd certainly be prepared to volunteer my time for something like this, whatever the outcome of the election, because it's something near and dear to my heart." The mayor noted that others on council also have strong feelings about the tower, including Jib Turner-whose late father, Barney, combined with Dr. Bailey to ensure its preservation during an earlier round of automation-and Bill Koehler, who relied on the light while on marine patrol during his career with the police. "We all claim some attachment to it," said Mayor Chapman. "And these are not simply derelict government buildings. There's much more to them than that." Dr. Bailey stressed the need for vigilance in a brief but moving address to council. He noted that, from his cottage on the North Channel, he and his family were accustomed to "looking across to the lighthouse on Narrow Island. Then one day (in 1978) we looked out-and there was no lighthouse." The physician had granted permission for Department of Transportation employees to cross his property to access the Narrow Island site, on the understanding that they were just coming to service the lighthouse. "Three days later, the lighthouse was gone, just like that," he said. "There was no communication from the department to the community. This is just to warn you how quickly things can happen." Mr. Caesar noted that a process is presently under way to determine whether the Strawberry tower will qualify as a heritage structure, with the museum board providing reams of information that should support such a case. "The report has now gone in and it will be assessed for its historical value," he said, adding, "we've been told it hasn't yet been reviewed by the Heritage Building Review Office."

But while chances are good that the tower will be deemed historically significant and granted some safeguards in terms of future use or alteration, that doesn't oblige the Coast Guard to continue to own and maintain it, so the community should brace for a change and develop a model for possible local ownership in the meantime, suggested Mr. Caesar. "I like the mayor's suggestion for a stewardship group," he said. Mayor Chapman noted that the issue goes beyond the Strawberry Lighthouse alone. "We have more lighthouses (on Manitoulin) than any other community in Ontario, including the one at Great Duck, which is the largest light (on Georgian Bay)." The original keeper's house in this location was "burned down," he said, while at Lonely Island, a keeper's house on the beach was similarly destroyed. While light towers still exist in both locales, "the sites are diminished by these acts," he said. Other local lighthouses, however, are "totally gone," said the mayor, such as the one that used to stand at Cape Robert. "I'm told that the lantern from Cape Robert is now at the Coast Guard building in Parry Sound," he noted with some irony.

While an advocacy group would obviously have the Strawberry Island tower as its priority, given that no other Island lighthouses are currently on the chopping block, Mayor Chapman suggested that, "if we got organized, we could probably protect others, like the one at Mississagi Strait." That landmark is currently safe, and functioning quite smoothly, according to Jennifer Sayyae of the Manitoulin Tourism Association (MTA), which leases the site from the Coast Guard and contracts out its operation as a tourist attraction to a private business, while Lafarge maintains the access road. That wasn't the case last spring, when operation of the lighthouse (and adjacent campground and restaurant) was up in the air following the departure of the previous 'keeper,' but a new family that took over this summer has made it a going concern again, and the MTA couldn't be more pleased. "Our lighthouse was a real success this summer," said Ms. Sayyae. "There were tons of visitors, and lots of campground reservations." While the two locations aren't perfectly analogous-Strawberry is only accessible by water, to begin with, and there's no restaurant or campground there-Ms. Sayyae suggests the Mississagi model might be something to consider, if not perfectly duplicate. "The way we have it set up, as a bit of a business, seems to work," she said. The tourism association manager also noted that a strong appetite exists among visitors for an appreciation of local towers. "You'd be surprised how many people come here just to tour lighthouses," she said. "A lot are from the US, and they're following the 'lighthouse trail.' They even have T-shirts with lighthouses on them; it's quite cute." The Northeast Town is still a long way from owning, leasing or otherwise overseeing the Strawberry Lighthouse, let alone developing the site as a highly trafficked tourist stop, but all present at the meeting last week were in favour of developing a community group to help ensure its survival. "I agree 100 percent," said Councillor Marcel Gauthier, noting that, during a recent visit to the home of a former reeve at White's Point, "the first thing I noticed was that he had a painting of the lighthouse on his wall. It's something that should be cherished, and I think it's important that we get a jump on this." The site has an obvious appeal for visitors, but "it's more than a tourist attraction," suggested Dr. Bailey. "It seems to be part of the soul of Little Current." The retired physician noted, "when I'm driving back home across LaCloche, especially if I've been away for a few days, and I get far enough that I can look to the left and see the lighthouse, well, it's a pretty great feeling. And it would be a sad day when that doesn't happen. This is part of our history that needs to be protected." It also serves an ongoing navigational purpose, it was noted-as did the now-vanished Narrow Island beacon in its time. "That light at Narrow Island got me home many nights," noted Councillor Koehler, in reference to his times on marine patrol. Dr. Bailey suggested that "some consideration should come forth for a replica on Narrow Island," while Mr. Caesar pointed out that Central Manitoulin township recently endorsed a plan to recreate the vanished lighthouse at Providence Bay. Such possible replica efforts, however, are secondary to the cause at hand. "We have to protect Strawberry first," said Dr. Bailey. Mayor Chapman suggested that "we make time to start a committee in the next couple of weeks," noting, "time is of the essence with this."


Hallowe'en celebrations take many forms worldwide
by Nilser Rosales and Nicole Uhlick

MANITOULIN-With jack-o-lanterns popping up, witches and ghosts hanging by doors, and fake spiderwebs draping off porches, it appears to be that time of year again: Halloween is shortly upon us. Halloween finds its roots in Ireland. Long celebrated as the pagan Celtic festival of fire, called 'Samhain Night' in Gaelic, villagers used to light bonfires in honour of summer's end and to ward off evil spirits. With today's celebrations carrying with them a Christian overtone, Halloween is said to be the night when witches and supernatural beings rise because they couldn't appear during All Saints' Day which follows. Today in Ireland, Halloween is still widely celebrated; children receive a day off from school in honour of the holiday. On this festive day, children and adults alike all dress up in costumes resembling supernatural spirits (i.e. goblins, ghouls, witches), light huge bonfires all over town and watch a spectacular display of fireworks. The children walk around door to door and are given fruits, nuts, and homemade sweets. "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween," is the chant commonly used by children in Scotland. There, trick or treating is called 'guising' where children not only dress up, but also provide entertainment at the doors of houses for gifts. Here, it is not uncommon to also be given a small amount of money instead of treats. Elsewhere in the United Kingdom people generally dress up for costume parties that are held in pubs and bars. The children will do the same; however, their parties involve games such as bobbing for apples, or hanging treacle (molasses candy) from a string and having to eat it without their hands-a game that results in very sticky faces. For decorations, the usual carved pumpkins or turnips are common, as well as 'witchballs' (brightly-coloured hollow glass spheres) gracing houses. Witchballs are hung by doors and windows and are said to glow when a witch passes by. Halloween's celebration is left largely to the local businesses on the island of Bonaire, located in the Caribbean Sea. There, all the children in a town gather and together trick or treat at shops in town instead of at people's houses. In Central America and Mexico, although the commonly-known version of Halloween is not observed, Dia de los Santos (All Saints' Day) is celebrated on November 1, and Dia de los Muertos (Death Day) is feted on November 2. The first is a celebration for all deceased children, and the second is for all other deceased. The Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of duality-life and death. During these days people gather at mausoleums and cemeteries to clean and decorate the grave markers with flowers and candles. As well, food is brought there to share with family and friends. These days are spent praying for the deceased. Finally, in North America, Halloween is mainly a time for children to get free sweets and tell ghost stories, and for adults to dress up in fantastical costumes in order to become someone else. Here, this is ultimately where the holiday draws its appeal. It is the one day of the year where people everywhere can pretend to be someone else for a day.




EDITORIAL

Worst road designation brings less desirable focus to Island
It is with some dismay that we learned of the designation of Assiginack's Cardwell Street as Ontario's worst road in the Canadian Automobile Association online competition, although staff who travel that road weekly agree the designation is well-deserved. Still, it is hardly the kind of advertising of Manitoulin as a desirable location to live that will likely be cheered on by those working diligently on the Manitoulin Living initiative. Islanders take great pride in the way our municipal roadways are maintained, often comparing them favourably to what we find in much larger and more affluent parts of the province. That one single road should define our infrastructure to the rest of the province (indeed the nation and the world through the Internet) is lamentable and hardly fair. Luckily, for us at least, the City of Toronto has garnered the laurels of community with the worst roads, but Cardwell's standing has the District of Manitoulin showing up as fifth worst community overall-all for the sake of a single road. The short attention span of the media-devouring public will likely mean that the worst road appellation will quickly fade from the forefront of the public's attention, but it will leave a lingering negative image which will offset much of the positives that people across the Island have tried to project to the global marketplace. The blame game will mean nothing to those people whose lingering image of the Manitoulin District is of Ontario's worst road. It will likely mean even less to those who are looking for a rural First Nation community in which to invest. With this kind of publicity we all lose. We can only hope that Reeve Les Fields proves to be right in her optimism and that this matter will be dealt with positively and soon by all levels of government. It projects an unfair and distorted view of Manitoulin and the interaction of its dual cultures, not to mention the millions of tax dollars that go into maintaining roadways across the Island. The condition of Cardwell Street has been an embarassment to the communities of Assiginack and, without any fault of its own, Wikwemikong, for far too long-and now, the added notoriety of its 'worst' place posting on the Internet, it has proven to be an embarassment to all of Manitoulin District. It is long past time for this issue to be dealt with-let us not win the distinction two years in a row.


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tobermory group offers assistance in saving Strawberry
Caretakers have wealth of ideas on preservation strategies
To the Expositor: I have been following the Manitoulin lighthouse issues in the newspaper and send my congratulations to the Anstice family for the re-lighting of Michael's Bay!  Now it is time to save Strawberry Island light. Our volunteer group, The Friends of Fathom Five, are the caretakers of the Flowerpot Island light station. We manage this property under an agreement directly with the Department of Oceans and Fisheries. Flowerpot Island, except for the light station property, is part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. Visitors to the island must pay a Parks Canada day use fee but there is no fee to tour the light station (donations are welcome of course). The Friends sell cold drinks and snacks at the light station in order to raise enough money to maintain the site each year. The Friends operate several successful programs at Flowerpot Light. 

1. Each spring a group of volunteers takes a 'volunteer vacation' at the site and spend eight to 12 days painting, cleaning, repairing, planting, etc., making the light station shine in time for the busy tourist season.

2. Volunteer Lightkeeper Program-operated from mid-May to early October each season, volunteer lightkeepers live right at the light station for a period of time and while there, they keep the site beautiful, maintain and clean the buildings open to the public and sell cold drinks and snacks. Volunteer lightkeepers pay a fee for this holiday at the light station and, as Ms. Hastings noted in the Expositor on October 4, we have a waiting list.

3. Hard-working Flowerpot Island Co-ordinators. These people (volunteers) organize each season and plan the opening and closing schedules as well as any special events that take place at the light station each summer. They prepare a list each year of all the work that needs to be done and any improvements that we would like to see and can afford. They organize the volunteer lightkeeper program and make sure all supplies get to the site in a timely fashion.

These are very successful programs and provide enough money each year to pay for the maintenance of the site. Nearby, the Friends of Cabot Head Lighthouse manage that property in a similar manner under an agreement with the local municipality.

The Friends of Fathom Five would be pleased to offer advice and assistance to anyone interested in a community group effort to save Strawberry Island Light. We have been caretakers at Flowerpot Light for 10 years now and have a wealth of knowledge and experiences we would be glad to share.

Please contact the Friends at fbf5@canada.com or PO Box 66, Tobermory, Ont., N0H 2R0 or call 1 (519) 596-8181.

Holly M. Dunham

general manager, Friends of Fathom Five

Tobermory

Kagawong potluck dinner a magnificent gesture
Welcome appreciated by Island newcomers
To the Expositor: Having recently decided to come and live on the Island in the "most beautiful village" of Kagawong, my wife and I were astonished within just a month of settling in to receive  an invitation to a Community Pot Luck  Supper that was attended  by approximately 150 of the under-300-member community. Now, we know it wasn't really for us-because in the last year, apparently quite a few families have moved in around here-but what a magnificent gesture nevertheless , a chance to meet your neighbours and make friends before winter sets in and really start your new life in a new community off right! Congratulations to the likes of Mary Buie and her family-including her brother and sister-in-law, Linda Ferguson and her family-Sharon Alkenbrack, who did a lot of the work behind the scenes and all the folks (I'm sure I've missed some names) who prepared and brought such wonderful food, and a special thanks to Leatha  and Gerry Lloyd who so graciously invited us to their home afterwards. On behalf of all the newcomers to Manitoulin, please accept our thanks for a great great welcome.

 Paul & Suzanne Darlaston

Rainbow Heights

Kagawong

Garbage stations needed
Convince me to vote for you
To the Expositor:

Recently, I had the good fortune to stay with friends at a cottage near Tobermory, which is located in a subdivision similar to Bayshore Road where I have a cottage. At the site where mail boxes were located, the town also installed garbage transfer bins for the residents to use.

I would like to ask the mayoral candidates and those running in Ward 4, if you are elected, will you fight for garbage transfer stations for Bayshore Road and the other cottage developments in your ward? What other things will you fight for which will benefit those who live in cottage subdivisions?

In other words, convince me why I should vote for you.

Tom Lockyer

Northeast Town and Brantford