Island animal lovers consider formation of Pet Save chapter

by Jim Moodie

MANITOWANING-With the cold weather approaching and many homeless cats and dogs still roaming our streets and fields, a group of concerned animal advocates on Manitoulin is hustling to create a local rescue network that will likely function as part of the Sudbury-based Pet Save organization.

Last week, a dozen people gathered in Manitowaning to strategize the best solution to dealing with the chronic problem of stray and neglected animals on the Island. While most members of this core group were from the Assiginack area, the hope is that likeminded animal champions can be found in other communities and a broad framework of volunteers put in place to assist needy four-footers across the Island.

Rob Maguire, one of the main forces behind this fledgling group, noted that a number of effective models exist for pet welfare organizations, "so we don't have to reinvent the wheel." He said he'd done some research regarding the Society for the Protection of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA), as well as Windsor's Jazzpurr Society, which provides a shelter and spay/neutering services for cats, and each has its merits.

The best fit for animal protectors on the Island, however, could well be the Pet Save association in Sudbury, he suggested, given its proximity and philosophy. In speaking with the organization's founder, Jill Pessot, Mr. Maguire said he was "inspired by her no-kill policy, which means every animal is treated with dignity and given a chance to have a home."

Pet Save formed in 2000, when a small group of animal lovers in Sudbury saw the need for a safe haven for abandoned dogs and cats. The organization has since grown to count over 200 volunteers-including the Colvilles on Manitoulin, who operate a foster home for felines at their Evansville farm-and help hundreds more animals, with nearly 1,000 cats and dogs making their way through the Pet Save system last year alone.

"It's already a not-for-profit charity, and a model in place that I think we could adopt," said Mr. Maguire. "We would just have to talk to (Ms. Pessot) some more to see how we would fit under that umbrella."

When contacted separately by The Expositor, the Sudbury pet crusader-who has roots on Barrie Island-said she welcomes the idea of a Manitoulin group affiliating with her organization. "There's an overwhelming problem on the Island," she said. "And I think it makes sense to extend the umbrella instead of working as a bunch of independents. This way we can pool our resources."

Pet Save already has an arrangement with a pet food supplier, she noted, by which quality kibble is provided at a reduced rate, and also has an effective fundraising campaign in place, with a popular calendar providing much of the revenue. Were the Island group to become a part of Pet Save, she said more calendars could be provided here and "whatever they sell on the Island could go to Island cats and dogs."

There's also a precedent for a satellite group joining under the Pet Save banner, as "we took on a North Bay chapter two years ago," Ms. Pessot pointed out.

Pet Save already has a presence on Manitoulin through the cat shelter operated by Deb Colville and her son James, and has also undertaken a few rescue missions on the Island, notably when over two-dozen feral cats were scooped up from the old cattle sales barn in Little Current a couple of years ago.

But these Manitoulin waifs have been mostly taken off the Island for placement in Sudbury-area homes-or neutered and released on Nickel District farms, in the case of the incurably wild-as there isn't a system in place to deal effectively with them locally. "If we can start adopting them out over there, that would be great," said Ms. Pessot.

Adoptions, in a variety of informal and semi-formal ways, have always taken place on Manitoulin, of course. The two veterinary clinics in Mindemoya often act as de facto waif-placement agencies, keeping strays and posting notices on bulletin boards, as do animal control officers like Fionn Closs in Manitowaning.

The municipal office in Central Manitoulin has coordinated quite a few happy endings in recent years, in large part due to the efforts of employee Michelle Cunning, who started a Facebook page devoted to linking up prospective pet owners with furry foundlings.

"During my time there, the staff basically went to work to try to find homes for these animals," said Mr. Maguire, who previously served as an economic development officer in the municipality. "There are a dozen pictures on the wall (of the municipal office) of animals that found homes, so we know this can work."

The problem is that there has never been a coordinated, Island-wide approach to pet rescue and placement, much less an official network of foster homes where orphaned, stray and injured animals can be boarded-and taken to the vet, as need be-until they're ready for adoption and an appropriate taker emerges.

While the group that gathered last week isn't in a position yet to announce itself as a formal rescue society or Pet Save chapter, all present agreed that something certainly needs to be done, and that an affiliation with the existing animal-welfare organization is worth exploring.

"People already do this privately," noted Derek Malacek. "But if it's organized, we can do much more." The Assiginack resident further stressed that, for an Island effort to be successful, "this should include all of our communities, including First Nations."

Lara Pennie raised the issue of the Animal Welfare Fund, which is administered by the Township of Central Manitoulin, wondering how it would fit into the nascent group's plans and whether it could be more effectively utilized. This pot of money, established by Little Current animal champion Sandy McGillivray, subsidizes the cost of veterinary care in cases where a stray or abandoned animal is in need of medical attention.

"I think that's a separate thing that I would deem as a resource relative to what we're doing," said Mr. Maguire. "We could probably tap into that but there are resources available through Pet Save, too. Whatever we do I'd like it to complement what the fund does."

While the fund has been a welcome addition to the pet-care picture on Manitoulin, it can't address all of the issues regarding overpopulation and animals requiring care. "The part I don't like," said Colleen Castleton, "is that people with a low income can't access it."

Noting that people "are going to have animals anyway," regardless of whether they can afford the vet bills to have these pets spayed or neutered, Ms. Castleton argued some system must be set up so that these creatures can be affordably fixed. "To me, this is the biggest issue," she said. "We have to prevent all these kittens from being born and then neglected."

Ms. Pessot would agree. The Pet Save founder said the consequences of not having an animal spayed or neutered are staggering, particularly when it comes to cats. "One unspayed female, over three years, can exponentially produce up to 7,000 cats!" she exclaimed.

Female cats can have litters three times a year (even five times, in some cases), and can give birth to six-seven kittens, she elaborated. "If three of those kittens are females, and they have six kittens each, then you're already up to 18." And so on.

"I know one lady who got a place in the country and in two months she was up to 40 cats," said Ms. Pessot. There had been a few barn cats already living on the property, but the individual never expected the population could balloon that quickly. "She didn't know she was inheriting a whole cat colony."

Anyone who travels Manitoulin highways and byways will have noticed a surplus of strays roaming the roadsides, particularly in the wee hours, when the wild and semi-wild varieties tend to emerge. In Manitowaning alone, Mr. Maguire estimated that "there are 18 or more right in the downtown area," and more at the dump, where they are at least lovingly fed by the landfill attendant.

Molly McCauley, another Manitowaning resident, said the cats that people see during the day are just the tip of the iceberg. "You should see the ones who come out at night," she said.

Most of those present were pet owners, and many had taken castaways into their homes, or were planning to. Some, like Mr. Maguire, had both adopted a stray-Little Norisle, found in the bowels of its namesake ship, has now matured into a sleek, healthy beast, in case you're wondering-as well as brokered many other placements of needy pets, keeping them temporarily until a good home could be found.

The idea is now to do this collectively, and systematically, as opposed to on a random, individual basis.

"What we want to do here is capitalize on all the people on Manitoulin who could help," said Mr. Maguire. "It could be as a resource person, driving, or donating a service. And if we get potential foster parents, they could be put through a registration process with Pet Save, who would then provide all the food."

The group plans to consult with the vets on the Island as well as animal officers like Mr. Closs. While the latter-like others who perform pet control services-has a controversial prerogative to euthanize an animal if it is kept beyond three days and deemed unadoptable, it was pointed out that Mr. Closs has also gone to great lengths to find homes for animals he collects, driving them to facilities as far away as Elliot Lake, so would surely appreciate a system developing on Manitoulin for the safekeeping of strays.

"He is looking for local places to bring animals," said Annette Virtanen.

While the nascent Island group doesn't envision a local shelter facility for animals being feasible in the near future, members were intrigued to learn that Pet Save is in the process of creating such a building in Lively.

Ms. Pessot explained that the shelter is already in operation, at the site of the former Walden Animal Hospital, but requires more work before it can fully meet the needs of its furry tenants.

"We just purchased the building, but need to expand and renovate it," she said. "We currently have 256 cats living there, but we have to have proper isolation rooms with special ventilation for airborne viruses, so we have to overhaul what's there and build a new facility."

The group is currently fundraising to that end, through a donate-a-brick campaign, and according to the dog-bone-shaped thermometer at its webpage, has already drummed up $140,000 towards its $500,000 goal. Ms. Pessot said the hope is to get the remaining capital in place quickly and "finish it by next year."

Mr. Maguire, who has leveraged funds for a variety of projects through his economic development work with Assiginack and Central Manitoulin, speculated that there could be government money to be found for such a cause.

Meanwhile, he and his fellow animal champions on the Island are eager to explore the potential arrangement with Pet Save and put something in place locally so that temporary-and permanent-homes can be created on Manitoulin for all those animals that risk a long hard winter of isolation, deprivation, and potential starvation.

"The nights are getting colder, and we have all these wayward animals," said Mr. Maguire. "We have to act fast."

Anyone interested in joining this cause is encouraged to contact the following point people: Annette Virtanen, at 859-2918 (h), 859-3722 (w); Derek and Rose Malacek, 859-2399; Sue Wilson, 859-3401; and Rob and Lisa Maguire, at 859-2436.

Hospitals get unexpected funding boost

by Lindsay Kelly

MANITOULIN-An announcement of additional funding for the Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) will translate into an expanded operating budget for the hospital.

Last week, the North East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) announced the MHC would receive more than $126,000 from two funding packages under the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, including $57,700 in base funds from the Small Hospital Funding package and $68,600 in base funds from the Growth Funding package. Each is applicable to the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Hospital CAO Derek Graham said the hospital was pleased to receive the money, part of which was an unexpected, but welcome, addition to the funding the centre already receives from the ministry.

The Small Hospital Funding addresses an economies-of-scale issue that small hospitals often face because they don't have the same advantages of larger, urban hospitals.

"The Small Hospital Funding is a pot of money that the ministry targets towards rural hospitals of a certain size in the province," he explained. "Just by nature of being a dedicated and recognized small hospital provider, and the fact that the ministry recognizes that we cannot find the same economies of scale that larger hospitals can as far as efficiencies, there is a funding need there to augment those hospitals to help them operate."

Hospitals can help save on costs by buying supplies in bulk quantities, but because smaller hospitals don't require the same quantity as larger hospitals, it's difficult for them to negotiate those costs, Mr. Graham said.

Most other small hospitals across the region also receive that funding, he added; however, the MHC was the only hospital under the North East LHIN that received the Growth Funding. It is unusual in that the MHC has only received funding under that package on one other occasion.

"The nice thing is that these funding pots are going to be rolled into our base, so they're not just one time, but we'll receive those amounts each year," Mr. Graham said.

The ministry may decide to add on to the funding allocations in subsequent years, but in general, the hospital will receive the same amount multiplied by the inflation factor. This year, for example, the health centre received Growth Funding multiplied by 2.1 percent, which is money in addition to anything the health centre has already received.

Since the hospital is already halfway through its fiscal year, Mr. Graham conceded that the board would have to decide fairly quickly how the money is to be used, but there are no restrictions or guidelines dictating how the money must be spent. It goes into the general operating funds and can be used at either site, wherever the board sees fit to use it.

The CAO said the funds will come in handy as the hospital moves through the rest of the year.

"It's encouraging from the standpoint that so far this year we've been operating under a balanced budget position and so heading into the fall and winter months having this additional funding will certainly help us," Mr. Graham said. "Those are typically heavier months for hospital utilization."

Farmer group eyes Prov-area site for creation of slaughter facility

by Jim Moodie

PROVIDENCE BAY-Proponents of a new abattoir for the Island are hoping that a deal can be struck with Central Manitoulin for use of municipal land near Providence Bay.

"It's at the waste disposal lot on the southeast corner of the Monument Road and Cranston Road, where the sewage lagoons are," explained Birgit Martin, chair of the Manitoulin-LaCloche Slaughter Facility Steering Committee. "We're looking into whether it's possible to acquire 10 acres off the corner of it."

A formal request was recently submitted to the municipality's property committee, with members of council debating the idea at their last regular meeting. As the land in question falls under a permit issued by the Ministry of the Environment, it was agreed that the first step, prior to making any decision on the issue, would be to determine whether the certificate of approval for the waste disposal site could be amended to allow for rezoning of the lot.

Ms. Martin said the location is ideal, from her group's perspective, as wash water from a slaughter plant needs to be properly disposed of, and "the closer you are to the sewage lagoons, the more economical this is." The effluent wouldn't consist of anything too gory, she noted, as "all of the blood, offal and brains from livestock get composted." Rather, it would basically be sudsy H20. "With the wash water, you use detergents, and that has to be dealt with," she said.

The steering committee had earlier identified the central part of the Island as the preferred location for the facility, based on voting by the broader abattoir membership, which consists of 70 farmers, said Ms. Martin.

The site on municipal property isn't the only option the group has considered, but it has been deemed most advantageous due its proximity to the lagoons, as well as its access to an appropriate power source. "We need three-phase hydro, because it makes running motors and winches more efficient, and that's available at that corner," pointed out the committee chair.

As well, the location would be relatively handy to a cutting and wrapping facility that the organization hopes to utilize in connection with the slaughterhouse. "The proposal is to purchase a secondary processor," said Ms. Martin.

A feasibility study that was completed in regard to the abattoir concluded that slaughter fees alone, based on the number of animals farmers could commit to having processed locally, wouldn't make the venture viable, said Ms. Martin. "What is being proposed now is that we get into secondary processing and use revenue from cutting and wrapping to subsidize the kill plant," she said.

Funding of $345,000 has already been pledged by the Ontario Cattlemen's Association (OCA) for the project, while grant applications filed with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and FedNor are still being considered. While there is no guarantee regarding the latter being approved, Ms. Martin indicated "it looks very favourable."

Time is of the essence, however. "For the OCA funding to stay in place, the project has to be under way by December 31," said Ms. Martin. This doesn't mean a shovel in the ground, necessarily, but "basic project steps" being taken to prove the initiative is moving forward, such as acquiring a building permit.

Central council is generally sympathetic to the group's aims, but wants to ensure that the land transaction is doable and won't compromise the ongoing municipal interest in the property.

Councillor Harold McCutcheon, for instance, pointed out that "this site is one of the properties we may be looking at to develop our own landfill." Given that potential future use, he said he "would be very leery to give any of it away."

There is also the question of whether the land should be donated, leased or sold to the abattoir group. While other townships have already donated-or pledged-money to support the slaughterhouse, Central Manitoulin's deputy reeve, Sarah Bowerman, worried that donating 10 acres of municipal property would set a precedent, so it would be critical to establish the value of the land. "This is important to know if other groups ask for the same type of property donation," she said.

Councillor Adam Smith said he was in favour of the development but felt caution should be exercised in the dispensing of a township asset. "I certainly support the project fully, but I'm afraid of what could come out of it," he said.

Ms. Martin said that if it proved "too sensitive to donate the land," her organization could purchase the 10 acres and then ask the township to provide a monetary contribution, as other municipalities have done.

Farmers utilizing the slaughterhouse would also be required to invest in the plant, based on how many animal units (with a unit equalling one cattle beast, two hogs, or three lambs) they would process at the facility. "The farmers know we have to raise money to acquire land, but we needed to figure out a way to structure the contribution so that it's fair," said the committee chair.

Each member was initially required to pay a $100 fee, but more is now required. "We're asking them to pay an additional $200, and then invest based on the volume they do," said Ms. Martin.

Of the 70 farmers who have signed up to be members of the slaughterhouse, 20 are residents of Central Manitoulin.

The municipality has authorized its clerk, Ruth Frawley, to contact the province to find out if an amendment to the waste site certificate is possible. Ms. Frawley said it could take six-eight weeks before receiving a reply.

"All we can tell the group at this time is that we are considering their request," said Ms. Bowerman.

Should an acceptable arrangement be worked out for use of the land, Ms. Martin said her organization could move forward quickly to begin realizing the facility. "We'd be building it by spring," she predicted.

Multi-service agency marks 25-year milestone

Wide spectrum of supporters joins in fundraising celebration

by Jim Moodie

MICHAEL'S BAY-The range of supporters who turned out for a fundraising dinner and 25th anniversary celebration for Manitoulin Family Resources (MFR) on Saturday illustrated just how diverse the organization has become since its inception as a women's shelter in 1984.

Women were certainly present-as befits an agency that continues to make the protection of women a priority through the provision of a safe haven as well as counselling and court-support services-but this wasn't some stereotypical cadre of militant feminists, much less the only demographic on hand.

A quick scan of those assembled revealed a couple of yawning newborns, several older children scampering about, a few elder statesmen like Bert Hill and Delmer Fields, and enough guys in their middle years that you almost feared for the future of sports bars.

"I'm really impressed by the turnout and the good cross-section of people," remarked executive director Elizabeth Patrick. "I think it shows how we really are a multi-service, family organization."

MFR board chair Les Fields agreed. "We've evolved to the point that we're much broader and represent more than just women's issues," she said. "Now we talk about how to involve men and families."

The event was sold out, with over 100 people paying $20 each for a spaghetti dinner at the Royal Michael's Bay Resort, which waived all fees outside of the food itself. Staff of the restaurant, from the kitchen out through the bar to the serving area, worked for free as their contribution to the cause.

"Management sat us down and asked if we'd mind donating our time," said waitperson Shawna Tonery. "We said, 'No, that's great.' We like to give back to the community, too."

Fifty-seven businesses and individuals also pitched in by donating items for a silent auction held in conjunction with the meal. Tables were laden with everything from artwork (compliments of such talents as Sophie Edwards and Ivan Wheale) to a fancy set of barbecue utensils provided by Dibrina Sure Group. There was even a load of gravel-admittedly not on a table-that had been made available to bidders thanks to Randy Noble Construction.

In her welcoming remarks, Ms. Fields praised the restaurant staff and the auction participants for their generosity, noting that all proceeds from the event would go towards the agency's various programs, which "are important to the health and wellbeing of the Island."

While the organization has its origins in the creation of Haven House, a residence where women and their children continue to find refuge from abusive home environments, it has grown over the years to encompass many other programs, the breadth of which eventually required a rechristening, with the more inclusive (if less alliterative) name of Manitoulin Family Resources put in place of the shelter moniker.

The services offered by MFR now include a 24-hour crisis line for both men and women; the food bank and clothing depot known together as the Manitoulin Community Help Centre; outreach services such as sexual assault counselling and court support for women navigating the legal system; and a spectrum of children's services, including home daycare, the Magic Rainbow learning centre operated through Little Current Public School, and a mobile children's program (formerly referred to as the toy library and bus) which visits five communities across the Island.

The agency even extends its reach beyond Manitoulin-encompassing Espanola and other parts of the North Shore in its catchment-and has become a major employer on the Island, with its workforce (discounting home daycare providers) now numbering the same as its age: 25.

Many of the current staff members were on hand for the anniversary celebration, including a few whose time with the organization dates back to its earliest years.

Brenda Clark, who now serves as shelter supervisor, started out 19 years ago as an outreach worker. The veteran MFRer recalled how she and Gerlinde Goodwin shared the outreach responsibilities in those days, providing the equivalent of 1 1/2 workers. "Now we have 3 1/2 doing outreach," she said.

Ms. Clark's time has spanned most of the major changes at the agency, including the addition of children's services like the toy library, the advent of the home daycare program, and renovations to the shelter facility. "I remember four of us in one little office in a converted bedroom," she said. "Now we have a new administrative wing-four separate offices for outreach, and a new board room and staff kitchen."

Similarly, "when I was first there, the food bank and clothing depot were in a small room in the shelter, and just for the clients," she recalled. The service has since been moved into a separate building next-door to the shelter, and made available to anyone in the community, but already it has overgrown its space. "Now they're bursting at the seams and need money to expand," noted Ms. Clark.

The Help Centre counts 20-some volunteers year-round, with 40-50 pitching in at Christmas to coordinate the hamper program, which provides 300-400 baskets of food and gifts for families facing a challenging holiday season. "Both the food bank and the clothing depot are heavily utilized," noted Ms. Clark. "That's really grown."

The shelter has been busy, too. "We had a few years when the occupancy was low, but it's been much higher in recent years," noted the supervisor. While that sounds like a lamentable trend, Ms. Clark believes it's more a case of women becoming comfortable with accessing the service. "If it's not used because there isn't a need, that would be great," she said. "But we know the need is still out there."

So, apparently, is the need for therapeutic services. "The demand for counselling is still strong," said Ms. Clark. "They (counsellors) are always full to their caseload."

Veronica Bingaman dates her relationship with MFR back nearly as far as Ms. Clark, but shows little sign of burnout. The zestful outreach worker, formerly a residential counsellor, remains a vibrant presence with the organization and was on her toes most of the evening to help board organizers like Sara Turner.

Ms. Fields singled her out in her remarks to attendees. "Veronica has been an inspiration behind this evening and has done a super job," she said, while also acknowledging her fellow board members and those who have served in this capacity in the past.

A few former directors were on hand, such as Beth Lindner, but the many more who couldn't be there in person-Ruth Farquhar, Susan Snelling, Ruth Mohammed, Heather Thoma, the list goes on-were surely there in spirit, and could take some pride from afar in the continued success of the organization. The same would be true for pioneering administrators like Mary Nelder and Esther Taylor.

One stalwart of the organization who was present for the festivities sheepishly confessed to having been involved with the children's program since 1988. "I started with the toy library 21 years ago," admitted Lynda Peever, while qualifying that the service didn't join the MFR fold until 1995.

In the years since, Ms. Peever has seen the program "change with the times, as the government changed its priorities," but in many ways the early childhood offering has remained true in spirit. "The core has been the same," she said. "It's about reaching children, parents, grandparents."

The veteran childcare worker said that "the programs and how we present play groups have changed the most," but if anything the usefulness of these services has only become more apparent with time. Rather than just offer a distraction, "toys are very necessary, because children learn to socialize through them," she said. "There's a lot of role modelling, and they learn from each other, and we provide a venue for that through our play groups."

On Manitoulin, where populations are spread out and opportunities for young children and their parents to meet with others of their age and ilk are limited, the early years programming provided through MFR remains particularly pertinent, in the view of Ms. Peever, who also conducts parenting workshops.

For Ms. Fields, the evening was a great success, as much for its familial vibe as its fundraising effectiveness. "This has been a feel-good night," she enthused, as attendees lingered over coffee and tea-or wine, as the case may have been-as well as to collect the items they'd earned by upping a silent ante.

The strong showing and the bonanza of donated auction items, not to mention the big-hearted gesture on the part of the Royal Michael's Bay crew, struck her as further proof that MFR has become a truly entrenched and cherished part of Island society.

"The need for this organization remains with us, and will for some time to come," she said. "There are always family issues, and we need to provide support to allow people to grow as a family, whether it's through daycare or intervention, when people don't know where to turn. And we have a wonderful staff who can provide support services where necessary."

The women's shelter remains a key part of the agency's mandate, as "women still need a safe place to land," said Ms. Fields. "But it's just one component of the organization. Violence against women isn't our only focus."

It's still the historical focus and heart of the operation, though, and one that long-time staffers like Ms. Clark are pleased to see has become more accepted as the years have gone by. "I remember that in the early days I found real barriers going up because I worked here," she said.

In the mid- to late-1980s, a facility like Haven House, the first of its kind on the Island, was perceived by some as a challenge to the existing order-a ploy by feminists, possibly of the bra-burning variety even, who were intent on staking some territory and upsetting the status quo. Resistance came not just from men, but from some of the very women the shelter was meant to support.

Twenty-five years later, few question the validity of such an institution, which has helped countless people-of varying socioeconomic status-while also branching out to provide a wealth of connected services.

"For me, personally, I don't feel those barriers as much now," said Ms. Clark. "We still have a long way to go to get people to understand the distinction between our agencies, but we have made some real inroads."

The passage of time, the expansion of programming, and a general awakening of understanding among the public are all part of that transformation, but perhaps the most telling factor is the number of women who have made use of the shelter and its related services over the years and used these as a springboard to a better life.

"The perception is different now," said Ms. Clark. "And the best testament to that is the victims we've assisted."

Editorial

Body bags bumbling needs more than apology

The outrage expressed by the leaders of the affected communities over the recent shipment of copious quantities of body bags to remote Northern reserves-communities who were seeking aid for the coming flu season-are neither misplaced nor are they simply sensationalizing an inadvertent error in judgment made by a faceless bureaucrat.

The outrage is justified because the issue reflects a deeper, more fundamental shortcoming of our government bureaucracies, a shortcoming of cultural ignorance and, worse, indifference. This is not a partisan issue, though opposition parties will doubtless try to use it as such, for the outrageous incident could easily have happened under any regime-indeed its apologists can be found among the ranks of the left, right, and centre of the political spectrum.

Such an incident could happen, does happen, and will happen again, because of a tendency to find one-size-fits-all solutions to governance exists in the halls of Canadian power. That tendency is set upon a baseline that does not encompass a multicultural sensitivity, nor is it based on truly civic norms. People become statistics, numbers, seas of clients whose faces and concerns are sublimated into the needs of the bureaucracy for efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The more inflammatory critics will speak of this incident in terms of systemic discrimination, decrying the white, Anglo-Saxon roots of our educational and bureaucratic training; they will call the incident racist, genocidal. And those who hold the reins of power at every level will dismiss that burst of outrage out of hand as demagoguery and rabble-rousing-or even cynically view the outpouring of anger as posturing to secure greater benefit from the public purse.

The truth is, bureaucracies kill the soul of those trapped within them-bureaucracies smother empathy and, like corporations, the people within become sociopaths in dealing with their fellow human beings. We need more than apologies, we need more than inquiries: we need the people who administer our government programs to stop and consider their actions through a lens of humanity-and we need government policy that allows that perspective and sensitivity to flourish.

This demand for a human lens in government dealings is a tall order to be sure-an expensive order even-but a lens of humanity is something that we, as Canadians, must demand as a baseline for our bureaucracy-no matter who holds the reins of power. Basic decent humanity in our dealings is what has made us different from other players upon the world stage. We owe no less to each and every one of our fellow citizens than to treat them with dignity and empathy-not as variances from the median or the mean.

Letters to the Editor

Honora resident seeks support for plan to build monument

Seafarer dismayed at lack of interest from Northeast Town council

To the Expositor:

Little Current's public servant Mr. Williamson gave me a list of town councillors on September 2009-Jim Stringer, Will Koehler, Dawn Orr, Paul Skippen, Jib Turner, Marcel Gauthier, Alan MacNevin, Melissa Peters and Bruce Wood.

None of the above I talked to supported the law, the people of Little Current that by majority of those voters I talked to, some 400 supported the establishment of a second Little Current area giants' monument, a non-obstructive one, measuring 12 feet high, and 10 feet from the 1 Meredith sidewalk, such that walkers can see and learn of Canada's history, including Doctors Norman Bethune and Henry Morgentaler, the unrecognized Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, Canada's oppressed Merchant Marines, the unknown Camp X of Canada that broke the German Naval Code saving many a Canadian ship, Canadia's unrecognized female ferry pilots, the pioneers of Manitoulin Isle, giant Christine Baird who assisted in abolishing capital-corporal punishment, 12,000 school army cadets, opening Toronto's secret Regent Street Court to the public, establishing freedom of speech at Toronto City Hall Square and parks, etc.

Although Prince Charles and others have said this planet has but 10 years of life due to money-minded persons armed with nuclear weapons, the majority of Little Current's store owners did not support the law (i.e. the education of citizens).

On speaking to Little Current's politicians on September 17, they did not surprise me in breaking the law (i.e. the people's support of education and history) by not moving in principle support of education, freedom of speech, respect of Manitoulin pioneers.

Mr. Williamson, without mentioning any law, or my proposed monument there being no law in Canada against monuments said, 1 Meredith has to have a setback of 20 feet (i.e. 25 feet from the sidewalk) so the people can't read monument plaques and thus be kept ignorant of Canada's giants and in continued support of little people.

I failed to educate and free the town's money-minded politicians by saying Mr. Williamson's unmentioned zoning bylaw may refer to ornaments, signs, accessories, structures, but not monuments. The word "structure" being an adjective modifying a noun.

The various politicians later supported a gravel money issue on the agenda.

The suppression of education, history, and freedom of speech by money-minded persons is not new.

When I pick up hitchhiking "students" at Little Current and take them to West Bay's secondary school, not a single one knows of Canada's history, including the characteristics of tamarack trees, a Grade 5 requirement.

Little Current has a tremendous human asset, a daughter of a father that was a member of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion.

As I previously told council when they flooded the basement of 1 Meredith, destroying a wall-to-wall rug and then charging me $30 to turn the water on, would be representatives of the people (i.e. the law must know the physical and human aspects of Little Current).

I have but a few years to physically live but in those years I will continue as a giant to help my fellow workers. We have but one purpose to free our fellow human beings from ignorance and the disease of money and thus save the planet.

Captain Douglas K. Campbell

Honora

Family grateful for support

Report on deaths largely speculation

To the Expositor:

The families of Hugh and Heidi Ferguson are dealing with a terrible tragedy that occurred on September 12. We have received tremendous support from family and friends on both sides as we try to understand what went wrong. The police forces are continuing their investigation and have not released that information to us. What we do know is that what people are hearing and reading is only speculation and most of it is not true.

Jack and Sharon Ferguson

Green Bay