by Cheryl Waugh
NORTHEASTERN MANITOULIN and the ISLANDS (NEMI) --- NEMI council has 
decided that a bentofix clay liner should be laid down around a 
leaking leachate manhole in order to finally solve the problem, and 
have set a new target date of October 1 to get the site open.
The leaking leachate manhole is the only thing blocking NEMI from 
opening its new landfill site, and it has been an on-going problem 
for the last couple of months. Otherwise, reports Northland 
Engineering, "...the (landfill) project was essentially completed on 
schedule and on budget during January 2002, with identified finishing 
details by the end of June 2002."
In a letter to NEMI council, Terry Andrews, construction 
administration for Northland Engineering,  stated that "out of a 
total project budget of $1.8 million the cost of the proposed 
additional work at the leachate manhole represents less than one 
percent of the total budget...."
Mr. Andrews was responding to concerns that councilors had over the 
fact that an attempt to fix the leaking leachate manhole in July 2002 
failed; since then Northland Engineering, Burnside, and soil experts 
Trow Consulting, advised council on a second method of dealing with 
the problem - putting a bentofix clay liner around the manhole, the 
installation of which is estimated to cost around $10,000, plus 
additional engineering costs estimated at $1,500.
In his letter to council, Mr. Andrews explained that "the earlier 
attempt to correct the situation at the manhole during July 2002 was 
undertaken in an effort to minimize the cost to the taxpayers of 
NEMI, and we felt was a justifiable approach, especially since the 
planned opening of the site was delayed somewhat at that time due to 
operational considerations, and time was therefore available for this 
initial approach."
Some councilors were unsure whether the proposed option of laying 
down a bentofix clay liner would solve the problem at the leachate 
manhole. At a Public Works meeting on August 29, councilors present 
were given three options by Trow Consulting and Northland Engineering 
on the situation. During the meeting, the Public Works committee 
decided to recommend to council the bentofix clay liner option.
At last week's council meeting, Councilor Jim Stringer wondered if 
the best option was truly chosen. "I think we all want to see the 
best possible seal around this manhole. It's the only problem we have 
at the site, and we need to make sure that we have the very best 
protection."
Councilor Stringer's concern was that the bentofix clay liner option 
was recommended because it was the cheapest option. "Obviously, there 
are no guarantees in life, but considering the money we're  spending 
on this landfill site, an extra $10,000 - $12,000 is not that much 
for a better job." Councilor Stringer suggested that rather than a 
liner around the manhole, as recommended, that one go underneath the 
leachate manhole. That option was estimated to cost $22,000.
Ron Lewis, chair of the Public Works and the Landfill Operations 
committee, said putting the liner underneath the leachate manhole may 
just cause more problems. He said that option wasn't recommended 
because it would require lifting the manhole, and the surrounding 
clay, to put the liner underneath. The result would probably mean 
less compaction of the clay in that area, leading to less stability 
of the site.
"The amount of compaction at the site is one of its strengths and one 
of the reasons why we chose the site. If we lift (the leachate 
manhole) up and set it back down, there is concern we'd lose 
stability afterwards," said Councilor Lewis. He explained the 
thinking behind the bentofix clay liner recommendation was not that 
it was the cheapest option, instead under that option the manhole 
would not be moved, but will be protected by a liner. "I'm looking 
for the most permanent fix -that is what I'm after," said Councilor 
Lewis. "How we do it is immaterial - only that we do."
In a later interview, Councilor Lewis said that the leak is not 
coming from underneath the manhole, so a liner is not required for 
that purpose. The bentofix clay liner will seal the walls of the 
manhole, as well two outlet pipes connected to the manhole also will 
be sealed.
During council discussion, Councilor Bill Koehler added that the 
Public Works committee was assured by its consultants that the 
recommended option would fix the problem. "If there are additional 
expenses after this, we'll have to figure out who is going to foot 
the bill," he said.
In his letter, Mr. Andrews said that both Northland and Burnside 
appreciate the concerns of the town, and are committed to bringing 
the project to a satisfactory conclusion. "We have every confidence 
in Trow Consulting Engineers, who have made recommendations for 
resolving the situation at the leachate manhole, and we will work 
hand in hand with Trow and Lacroix Construction Limited to conclude 
efforts to permit site opening around October 1, 2002."
Councilor Lewis said the town would like to open the landfill by the 
October 1st date, but said the town would also like to go through a 
few dry runs before opening.
A Landfill Operations committee meeting set for today (Wednesday) 
should clarify where things stand as far as laying down the liner, 
and for opening the landfill site.
The decision by council on the bentofix clay liner recommendation 
went to two recorded votes. The first recorded vote was for council 
to obtain a second opinion on the issue. It was defeated 5-4, with 
Councilors Al MacNevin, Ann McGregor, Jim Stringer and Mayor Ken 
Ferguson voting in favour of the motion, while Councilors Kathleen 
Bowerman, Marcel Gauthier, Carl Ziegler, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Koehler 
voted against it.
The second recorded vote was to accept the recommendation on the use 
of the bentofix clay liner. It passed 6-3, with only Mayor Ken 
Ferguson changing his vote.

by Michael Erskine
M'CHIGEENG---History is written by the victors, so they say, and 
quite often that history bears little resemblance to reality, yet it 
can form the foundation of our day-to-day beliefs. A group of First 
Nations history buffs are hoping to educate people of all communities 
as to the full story behind the events 140 years ago.
Forty years ago, Manitoulin Island was caught up in a frenzy of 
celebration marking the centennial of the signing of treaty which 
ceded most of the Island to the Federal Government.
The centennial of the 'founding' of Manitoulin was viewed by the 
non-native community as a cause for great celebration and rejoicing 
and a was the subject of a 16-page publication by the Manitoulin 
Expositor, complete with a congratulatory message from H.R.H. Queen 
Elizabeth II and a huge story illuminating the history of the white 
settlement of Manitoulin Island called 'The Story of Manitoulin.'
Expositor Publisher Rick McCutcheon arrived on the Island almost a 
decade later, and he was struck by the impact the celebrations had on 
Island communities.
"The celebrations had apparently been an all-year affair," he said, 
"and people were still talking about it when I arrived, seven or 
eight years later. It was quite an event."
In contrast, the local First Nation communities had little cause for 
celebration. The centennial marked 100 years of controversy and 
resentment over the events leading to the ceding of lands to the 
crown, a sentiment which remains to this day.
"None of us want to call it a celebration," said Al Corbiere, of 
M'Chigeeng, one of the people working on the history project. "Some 
people would like us to not talk about it at all, they discourage our 
even bringing the subject up."
Mr. Corbiere said he has found more support among the younger 
generation for the project.
"I shouldn't really say younger people," he said. "But there are 
people who don't seem to want to talk about this at all. I don't know 
why exactly, I haven't sat right down and asked why they are really 
against it."
Mr. Corbiere said he and Terry Debassige, of M'Chigeeng, one of the 
group of history buffs behind the 140-year history-education project 
feel they have an opportunity and a duty to go forward with the 
project.
"We have an opportunity to remind ourselves and our non-native 
neighbours of the circumstances and history of the Manitoulin Treaty."
Mr. Corbiere and Mr. Debassige are working on a four-part series of 
articles for publication in the Manitoulin Expositor, the first of 
which is to appear in today's paper. In addition to articles written 
by each of them, Shelly Perrin, author of the best-selling Exploring 
Manitoulin and an Elder from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve 
has agreed to write articles for the series.
"We found that there was almost no information about the Manitoulin 
Treaty being taught in the public schools," said Mr. Corbiere. "It is 
an important part of all of our communities and we need to understand 
it in order to understand what is going on today. A lot of people 
live on this Island without knowing or caring about the history which 
lies behind it."
Mr. Corbiere and Mr. Debassige have started a group called 
'Kinoomaaboog', literally translated as 'They are teaching each 
other.' They are hoping to use the 140th anniversary of the signing 
of the Manitoulin Treaty as a springboard to help educate all of the 
Island's communities as to the history and importance of that 
document.
Two M'Chigeeng artisans are creating wampum belt replicas to 
commemorate the event.
"In the old days, they were always trying to get the government to 
continue to give gifts to the warriors and their families for their 
help during the War of 1812. Those entreaties were recorded in wampum 
belts."
Linda Migwans and her son Emrick are working on creating the belts.
"We are hoping to have other area First Nations come on board for an 
event on October 6," said Mr. Corbiere.
The non-native communities of Manitoulin have reason to celebrate the 
signing of the Manitoulin Treaty, in which the First Nations 
allegedly agreed to share the Island with non-native settlers, but 
for the First Nations it is more like a time of mourning, noted Mr. 
Corbiere.
"For years the Native people had banded together to oppose the 
treaty," he said. "All the chiefs were against it. The signing was a 
shock to most people at the time."
In the intervening years since the treaty was signed, and hordes of 
settlers swarmed to Manitoulin's fertile shores, the common interests 
of both individuals and local communities have led to a great number 
of friendships and cooperation between First Nation and non-native 
communities, but fundamental misconceptions about the historical base 
of the Island's settlement has run as an undercurrent. It is those 
fundamental misunderstandings which Kinoomaaboog hopes to address 
through education.

by Michael Erskine
MANITOULIN---National nursing shortages are hardly news, but the 
impact hits local health care institutions in different ways.
"It is certainly hitting us now," said Kathy Deacon, administrator of 
Manitoulin Centennial Manor, in Little Current. "We can't recruit 
registered staff, either RNs or RPNs. It is very difficult to manage. 
We have ads in the local newspapers. There has been no response."
Other positions at the Manor have not faced the same shortage.
"We recently placed an advertisement for an administrative 
assistant," said Ms. Deacon. "We got tons of response. There were 20 
applications for one position."
Ms. Deacon noted that the difficulty was not only faced by the Manor.
"I was just speaking to someone at a facility in North Bay," she 
said. "They are barely able to cover with registered people. There is 
a very limited supply even in a larger centre like that."
The Island has two hospitals and three nursing homes, said Ms. 
Deacon, all competing for a very limited pool of registered staff.
"We need to come up with creative strategies," she said. "Especially 
for registered staff."
Ms. Deacon lays part of the blame on the shortage of registered 
nursing staff on unreasonably high levels of red tape involved in 
qualifying off-shore professionals to work in the province.
"There are some very competent nurses in other countries, but the 
process can take over a year," said Ms. Deacon. "Just to be able to 
work, you have to be recognized by the College of Nurses, and that 
means writing the exam."
Many nurses in other countries do not have the same system as 
Ontario, which means, for instance, a nurse from Great Britain would 
have to study obstetrics, and or other modules, before being able to 
gain accreditation.
"In England they don't have obstetric nursing, they have midwifery 
programs," she noted.
Ms. Deacon's own daughter works in nursing in South Africa.
"She is a very qualified nurse, she has her nursing degree, and yet 
she would not be eligible to work in this country," she said. "There 
are lots of qualified nurses in other countries, but the process of 
recruiting overseas is almost a waste of time. It takes over a year 
to become qualified under Ontario's system."
Ms. Deacon said the great challenge for encouraging home-grown nurses 
is hampered by the working conditions current nurses face.
"Look at the hours, for a start," she said. "Then there is a 
monstrous workload. Why would anyone want to do it? I certainly 
wouldn't do it the second time around."
The Manor has one registered nurse for 60 patients, said Ms. Deacon. 
"You divide one nurse among 60 patients and how much time can she 
really devote to each patient? We have RPNs who are able to provide 
care, but if you look at the RN, how much care can they be expected 
to give each individual?"
A similar situation exists for the Manitoulin Health Centre, except 
their principal problem is recruiting the part-time staff they need 
and holding onto the part-time registered staff they do manage to 
recruit.
"What we find is that we are having to recruit more often," said 
Director of Patient Care Debra Bennett. "Our full-time group is 
pretty stable, but we have what seems like a revolving door in new 
hires."
Ms. Bennett places the blame for retention directly on working conditions.
"We are losing people to a Monday-to-Friday workplace, as opposed to 
our own 24-7. It is not a money issue, it is lifestyle."
The difficulty in recruiting and retaining part-time staff places 
huge strains on the full time staff as well, as senior staff are 
continually having to train and work with new staff and the 
decision-making tends to fall on the shoulders of a few.
"Nursing is a very collaborative profession," she said. "If you are 
the senior nurse on every shift, everytime, it places a tremendous 
amount of strain on you."
The high turnover rate also places more work on the administrative 
and human resources staff.
"The checking of references, the orientation, it actually takes one 
or two years before someone is fully up and running on their own," 
she said. "In a small institution like ours, a nurse has to be all 
things to all people. A new nurse might be highly skilled in one 
area, but when it comes to obstetrics she may have not seen a birth 
since graduating out of nursing school."
Ms. Bennett noted that in 1999, 5,100 nurses were produced by the 
system, as compared to 6,200 in 1993.
"The numbers are declining each year," she said. "The studies are all 
quite clear, the difficulty lies in the workplace. There needs to be 
improvement in the working conditions."
Luckily for the Manitoulin Health Centre, working conditions as far 
as staff relations go are quite good.
"Our exit interviews show there are very few complaints about the 
quality of the workplace," she said.
Many of the employee loses at the Health Centre in recent years has 
been to the new clinics opening in the First Nations.
"On the one hand that is a very good thing, the nurses all have 
hospital experience," said Ms. Bennett.
The nature of the work schedule can also be a challenge, especially 
under today's tight budget constraints.
"I can't keep a nurse on hand 24 hours a day, just in case someone 
goes into labour," she said. "If someone needs to be transported, 
then we call someone in. We don't keep a nurse on just in case 
someone needs to be transported, as an employer you simply don't have 
that kind of money."
The hospital has used innovative recruitment strategies, including 
signing bonuses and incentives to keep people from leaving, but so 
far they have not been universally successful.
"It isn't just a question of money," she said. "You can give them all 
the money you want, if they can't walk at the end of the day you will 
lose them."
Tight health budgets have another detrimental effect on nursing that 
is harder to quantify.
"Nursing is an art," said Ms. Bennett. "It is what sets nursing apart 
from the other professions. You can handle all the technical and 
scientific aspects of the job, but if you don't have time to truly 
care for a patient, that is, I think, what burns people out. They 
don't have the time to care the way they must as nurses."
Ms. Bennett said she likes to believe that the Manitoulin Health 
Centre still provides a good level of client service, but the stress 
on the profession is evident in many institutions and it is becoming 
increasingly difficult to recruit new staff.
Accommodation is an issue for Manitoulin Centennial Manor, said Ms. 
Deacon. If nurses have to travel from off the Island to work 
part-time, the long hours of driving can be too onerous to be viable 
for some candidates.
"We are looking at trying to get staff in for two 12-hour shifts," 
said Ms. Deacon. "If you can provide them with accommodation while 
they are on the Island, that might help to make the difference."
A recent report commissioned by Canada's health ministers indicates 
there will be a predicted shortfall of 78,000 nurses in the nation by 
2011 and 113,000 by 2016.
With those kinds of shortages, nurse recruiters will have to be very 
creative indeed.