Crisis of drugs, crime among Native youth tackled at conference

AOK_treatment home hosts four-day session for First Nation social workers

by Laurel Myers

SUDBURY-With a rash of recent youth crimes and tragedies, including a suicide and a murder, alarm bells are sounding on Manitoulin Island-particularly in Wikwemikong-of a First Nation youth crisis.

On January 25, Clarence Lewis, a 62-year-old Buzwah man, was allegedly shot to death by three young men-all in their 20s, and two hailing from Wikwemikong. The violent crime came on the heels of a youth suicide, only days earlier, and a slew of stabbings and drug busts over the past few years in the same community.

At the time of the murder, one resident told the Expositor, "The community is in trauma and is aware that something has to be done."

Theda Newbreast, a Montana-born Blackfoot Indian, has more than 30 years of professional experience in providing healing and training workshops centered around mental health issues related to alcohol and drug use prevention.

She was the keynote speaker at a four-day conference hosted by the Kinoondidaa'gamig Treatment Home last week in Sudbury. The conference welcomed social workers from across the region to share stories and solutions for the ever-growing substance and drug abuse problems with the local youth.

"It becomes a crisis when we're burying our youth, when we're laying them to rest before their lives ever begin," Ms. Newbreast said.

The problem stems from a transition in the kinds of substances being abused by the youth, she explained. Moving from alcohol and regular drugs, such as marijuana and hash, the younger generation is now experimenting with methamphetamine and prescription drugs, like OxyContin-which are accessible through the home or are cheap to get, have different side effects, and are highly addictive.

"OxyContin, on our reservation, has become a big problem," Ms. Newbreast said.

However, the healer would not place the blame on the youth.

"I think it's because we, as adults, have gotten lazy on our jobs and we've become too lenient."

She said today's parents seem to have a common misconception that by giving their children monetary things, they can buy their love.

"That's not love. You have to spend time with your kids," she said. "I always tell parents you have to spend half as much money and twice as much time as what you're doing right now."

A high First Nations youth demographic is also a contributing factor, she added.

According to the 2006 census, the average age of Aboriginal people is 27 years. With such a young demographic, the First Nations history and culture is at risk of being lost.

"I think we need to do a better job as a community and as a society modelling and mentoring the youth so if they do find themselves in trouble, they come and ask us for help," she said.

"The reason a lot of young people decide to take their lives is because they don't know who they are," she continued. "I'm coming up on 52 years. I'm just relearning my language (and my culture), and pray every day to the Creator to help me."

One of the primary solutions Ms. Newbreast discussed is what she called the four-generation solution.

"All four generations have to come to the table and contribute. We can't just have one generation deciding. If it has to do with youth, there has to be youth at the table."

"Once they have ownership of what's going on, what they tell you, you have to listen," she added. "If they say 'our solution is to make mud pies,' then our job is to bring them mud."

While the focus of the conference was on the youth and the problems they are facing, Ms. Newbreast said her address was more focussed on compassion on behalf of the social workers.

"I call it compassion fatigue," she said. "This is a group of people who really give a lot. They help our children, and they are in the helping field."

"A lot of my teachings were on how to take care of ourselves because we really can't give away what we don't have."

Ms. Newbreast has a history scarred in alcohol and substance abuse problems, including a father who was alcoholic and a daughter who was addicted to methamphetamine. Her own road has been detoured on the way to sobriety, with two personal trips through treatment programs.

"My family experienced the historical trauma and aftermath of alcoholism, suicide, and mental-health crisis," she said.

"My grandfather didn't drink until it became legal in 1953-his drinking style was to binge. That's when the dysfunction began in their lives."

But in her family, she added, making peace with their past is key. Ms. Newbreast has done just that, and has been helping others to make peace with their own pasts along the way.

"When I was 12 years old, my father's alcoholism had really impacted my family and I didn't understand why," the healer explained. "I found help."

From there, Ms. Newbreast moved onto college, where she witnessed other families going through divorces and domestic violence as a result of addictions.

"I really wanted to understand addictions so families could get help," she said.

After college, she became a clinician, working with pregnant addicts and other kinds of addicts along the way.

"I'm more into the joy of living now," she said. "I really work with people who have put the addiction aside, and just have a joyful life."

Anne-Marie Corbiere, program manager at the Kinoondidaa'gamig Treatment Home, said the focus of the treatment home is to reintegrate the youth they accommodate and work with safely back into the community.

"The thing is we need to invest time into them," she said. "They're going to be adults in our society no matter what. Unless we invest the proper time and include them, then they're not going to be healthy."

"Whether they're causing problems when they're youth, they're going to be causing much worse ones when they're adults."

Ms. Corbiere added if the youth know they are valued members of the society, they are more apt to make changes in their lives to live healthier and cleaner lifestyles.

"It's time we start taking care of our own kids and stop sending them down south, because they will come back home," she said. "Often you see kids who have been sent away from their communities, and when they come back home they feel like they don't belong anywhere.

"I have a belief that kids belong with their families and that's what we're trying to do," the program manager added.

Ban on spring perch fishing proposed

Closed season would run from April 1 to Victoria Day weekend

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-If proposed changes to Manitoulin's perch fishery are approved, this date-April 1-will in subsequent years be the start of a closed season for the species that would last until the long weekend in May.

Two regulatory changes for yellow perch have been recommended by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in order to "reduce the effect of exploitation," according to a notice posted at the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) registry.

These include a closed season from April 1 to the third Saturday in May for all of Manitoulin's inland lakes, including Lake Wolsey, and a reduction of the catch limit to 12 per day for those who possess a conservation licence. The latter stipulation is already in place for Lake Wolsey, which is considered part of a separate management zone.

"The proposed closed season will selectively reduce angler exploitation of larger spawning-size perch, hopefully allowing this component of the fishery to rebuild," states the EBR posting. "April and May fishing pressure accounted for a lot of effort historically when populations were higher. Thousands of large spawning-size fish were taken annually, a contributing factor in the decline of the fishery."

The proposed adjustment to the conservation limit, meanwhile, "will better reflect the intent of the conservation licence and will match Zone 14 (North Channel) limits, thereby reducing complexity."

The changes are part of a broader set of fishing amendments, primarily concerning lake trout, which have been proposed for Zone 10, a sprawling management area that includes Manitoulin.

Lake Manitou, the Island's only inland waterbody to host lake trout, will be spared any significant change to its fishery, however, as the MNR has recognized the unique nature of this resource relative to the rest of the management area.

While other lakes in the zone stand to have shortened seasons and slot-size restrictions put in place for the sport fish, "the specially designated waters of Manitoulin Island will be managed by exception and will retain the current lake trout open season of January 1 to September 30," reads the MNR proposal.

The sole change to affect Manitou would be a reduction in the daily limit of three lake trout, of any size, to two.

Jim Sloss, chair of the United Fish and Game Clubs of Manitoulin (UFGCM) and a member of the subcommittee that relays Island concerns to the Zone 10 advisory council, said issues concerning both lake trout and perch were raised at a meeting in March of last year.

"We decided on a policy for two things," he said. "One was that Lake Manitou shouldn't have any changes to its lake trout season. And at the same time, we asked for a period of no angling for perch when they're staging to spawn and during the spawning itself."

Both requests are reflected in the regulatory proposals now put forth by the MNR, and Mr. Sloss will be particularly gratified if the closed season for perch is implemented, as it's something his group has been advocating for some time.

"Perch tend to stage before they spawn, and in April the fish are congregated on the spawning beds," he said. "I don't feel a strong argument can be made for not protecting them at this time, when they are so vulnerable."

Should the spring ban on perch fishing become official, Mr. Sloss said it would represent "a precedent for the province," as there is currently no closed season for the species anywhere in Ontario.

While numbers of perch could once withstand an April/May harvest on Manitoulin, the population is no longer so robust, in large part due to cormorant predation, said the UFGCM chair. "It's hard to justify taking them out now, with such a low population level," he said.

At present, anglers are still permitted to fish for perch at this time of year, as the change in season wouldn't take effect until the spring of 2010, but Mr. Sloss hopes people will still voluntarily hold back from baiting their hooks until the spawning period is complete.

"I don't think there's a defensible argument for harvesting perch when they're procreating and concentrated in schools," he said. "They're in a very defined area and will take a minnow because they're trying to drive prey away and protect the spawning."

As for the proposed reduction in the lake trout limit from three fish per day to two, Mr. Sloss personally welcomes this move. "I think it's a good thing, and most guys on the United Fish and Game Clubs are not unhappy with it either," he said. "We have a lot of pressure on our fisheries, and will have to take some reductions in order to keep these fisheries."

To learn more about the changes proposed for Zone 10, and in particular the specially designated waters of Manitoulin, visit the MNR website at www.mnr.gov.on.ca, or go to the EBR site at www.ebr.gov.on.ca and type registry number 010-6066 in the search field.

Comments on the regulatory amendments will be accepted until April 30.

Waste management group narrows

search for Manitoulin-wide landfill

Preference for public land rules out most of Island

by Jan McQuay

MINDEMOYA-The Island-Wide Waste Management Committee has moved one step closer to identifying a landfill site that would serve the majority of Manitoulin's communities.

At a meeting on March 18, members of the committee directed Eve Casavant, from the consulting firm AECOM, to assume that all the municipalities except Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) would participate in the landfill site, and that the municipalities would achieve an average recycling target of 34 percent.

The Northeast Town had earlier expressed strong reservations about another dumpsite being located within its boundaries. Tehkummah, Robinson and Dawson were not represented at the meeting.

These assumptions determine the size of landfill site required for the next 25 years, which is the planning period for the committee. AECOM will use this as the basis for developing a site selection methodology for approval by the municipal councils and the Ministry of the Environment.

Ms. Casavant, who participated in the meeting from Markham via telephone, suggested that the committee narrow its search to publicly owned land only. Steve Orford, chair of the committee, pointed out that almost all of Manitoulin is privately owned and much of the municipally owned land is in an unsuitable location or too small.

The requirement that a landfill site be located at least 15 kilometres away from an airport effectively rules out Gore Bay and Barrie Island. In the end, it appeared that only two or three potential sites are on public land. Ms. Casavant said a closer look at these properties is now in order.

Achieving a recycling rate of 34 percent of waste generated implies a significant change in how waste is handled here. Central Manitoulin, Gore Bay, Dawson and the Northeast Town each have some municipal waste recycling in place, but Billings, Assiginack and Tehkummah currently do not have recycling programs.

The average rate of waste diversion in Northern Ontario rural communities is 21 percent, compared to 37 percent for medium-sized urban areas such as Sault Ste. Marie, according to figures assembled by Waste Diversion Ontario, a corporation established by the Ontario government to develop and implement waste diversion programs.

The Northeast Town and Central Manitoulin reported that they collected and sold 370-380 tonnes of waste for recycling through the blue box program in 2007. No figures were available for the other municipalities.

Lake Huron level up a foot over last year

by Jim Moodie

LAKE HURON-The level of Lake Huron is a foot higher than it was last year at this time and nearly two feet higher than it was in 1964.

That's quite a turnaround from just two years ago, when the lake dipped to within three inches of its all-time low and many feared a new record for shallowness might be set.

As March drew to a close, Lakes Huron and Michigan had risen 31 centimetres (12.2 inches) above last year's measurement for the same date, and were 51 centimetres (20 inches) above their mid-'60s nadir, according to data from the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The lakes-which function as one system, being connected by the Straits of Mackinac-are still below average, but only marginally so. As April begins, these big bodies of water are just 23 centimetres, or nine inches, shy of their long-term mean, which is as close as they've been to normal in years.

Lake Superior is also on the rise, up 13 centimetres (five inches) from a year ago, and just 15 centimetres (six inches) short of its long-term average for this time of year.

This also, of course, bodes well for Lake Huron, as the mighty lake to the northwest contributes a massive amount of H20 to its downstream neighbour via the St. Mary's River. The average annual outflow from Lake Superior into Lake Huron is 2,000 cubic metres-70,600 cubic feet-of water per second.

Great Lakes experts credit two snowy winters for an increased supply of water to the basin and a reversal of the dwindling trend experienced through most of this decade.

As promising as this is, there remain disconcerting signs that the lakes may not continue to swell over the long run, however, unless climate change and structural issues are addressed.

According to a recent story from the Associated Press, scientists affiliated with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are alarmed by shrinking ice cover on the lakes, which in turn leads to lower lake levels due to increased evaporation over the winter months.

These researchers say the ice cover on the Great Lakes has shrunk by more than 30 percent since the 1970s, a development that is particularly noticeable in the deepest parts of Huron, Michigan, and Superior.

The Georgian Bay Association (GBA), meanwhile, continues to bemoan what it calls "a staggering daily loss" of Lake Huron water through the St. Clair River, which has been deepened and widened by dredging and erosion.

In the estimation of the GBA, six billion extra gallons are flushed from Huron each day because of changes over the past two decades to the shipping channel at the lake's outlet. "This represents a 5 percent increase in outflow!" the association charges in its spring newsletter, adding that this is a non-renewable loss of water.

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has been examining the St. Clair situation as part of a five-year study of the Upper Great Lakes, and is expected to share its findings in late April, according to the GBA. A public comment period will follow, although it "looks as if there will be only one Georgian Bay public meeting, which will probably be held sometime in June," the association reports.

The IJC researchers have acknowledged an increase in conveyance capacity through the St. Clair River, the cottagers' association says, and it is imperative for "everyone who cares about the bay (to) attend the June public meeting and send in written comments in support of encouraging the IJC finally, after 90 years of neglect, to do the right thing."

Editorial

This bump is a hazard, not just a mere setback

It is not uncommon for an editorial to address a particular "bump in the road."

Not unusual, at least figuratively. Such an editorial might discuss some kind of setback to, for example, a municipal project resulting from environmental changes or unforeseen costs. This would be considered a "bump in the road" as the project would face delays while solutions were sought.

In this space this week, however, attention will be focussed on a real, literal bump in the road-one that poses a danger and requires immediate attention.

The bump in question is on Highway 540 in the westbound lane at the top of the rise the highway follows as it continues on to Gore Bay after skirting Ice Lake, just past the turn onto Emery Road.

It is a bump that, this year at any rate, has grown to epic proportions yet it is marked by an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Ministry of Transportation bump sign that is located in such a way that, at least the first time an unsuspecting driver encounters this obstacle, leaves minimum reaction time to brake for the bump.

The result is that the first time drivers have to deal with this bump, they hit it-and it is not a small bump. In degree, it's akin to the "traffic calming" or speed bumps we encounter in some urban parking lots or even some city streets.

Add to this the fact that most drivers will be accelerating slightly to compensate for the hill climb up from the Ice Lake portion of the highway and unsuspecting drivers are, literally, hit with a double whammy.

The fact is that this is a dangerous obstacle and drivers hitting it have complained that, apart from possible damage to their vehicles' alignment, the trajectory of their forward movement has been diverted towards the oncoming lane. Not a good thing.

At the very least, the bump sign should be immediately augmented to give the message that this is not merely a "bump" but that it is a "BUMP!" and as such is a hazard of serious magnitude.

But much more importantly, even though this is spring and half-loading time and the frost is (gradually) leaving the ground, this hazard should be fixed right away, both because of its size and its critical location.

Letters to the Editor

Quilting marathon to raise money for support services

Organization's mandate to ensure nobody faces illness alone

To the Expositor:

I would like to personally thank you for printing Myra Tallman's article ("Quilting marathon to raise money for cancer research," March 25) on the 30-Hour Quilt Marathon happening May 22 and 23. The heading, however, is misleading. In fact the money raised during this event is not for research as written, but to support the survivors of cancer and their families when they need it most. Organizations such as the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation's Survivorship program, Wellspring Centres and Y-ME offer free physical and emotional therapies in a non-threatening environment. Services include information, community support, one-on-one counselling and alternative therapies. The Quilt's goal is to ensure that no-one faces cancer alone.

More information can be found at www.TheQuilt.com.

Also the quilting shifts are, of course, in May and not March as written in the article.

Sharon Watson

Wool 'n' Things

Mindemoya
 

Letters to the Editor
 

Strange that animals enjoy more protection than humans

More stringent laws needed for unborn

To the Expositor:

Re: "Tougher animal-protection laws met with mixture of applause and alarm" (March 25).

Like most people, I care about the welfare of animals. It saddens me, however, that the Ontario government has found the time to improve the rights of animals while human beings at the fetal and embryonic stages still have no rights.

As a society, we have come to the point where we recognize that it is wrong to physically harm an animal like a horse, or a dog, or a cat. We even recognize links between animal abuse and child abuse. But how morally advanced can we claim to be when we leave members of our own species unprotected?

For the record, a human baby can be aborted in Ontario and in Canada up to the moment of birth, simply because we have no laws to protect our own selves for the first nine months of our existence. A human baby can be aborted for any reason. Even sex-selection abortions are permitted because we have no laws to protect unborn children from being a female. By contrast, animals now enjoy even greater protection through expanded powers given to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

How strange that we see a need for the SPCA to protect the welfare of animals, but have no agency or law to protect our own babies.

Ray Scott

Mindemoya

The creator of the universe resides in eternal space

Should we not ask what caused the cause?

To the Expositor:

In a March 25 letter to the Expositor, Barry Epstein asked me, "If the universe had a creator, where did the creator come from?"

Good question! And a fair one too! The fundamental principle of science is the law of causality that affirms "everything that had a beginning had a cause." The universe had a beginning, therefore the universe had a cause. But what caused the cause?

If we find that cause, will we not ask what caused that cause? Obviously we could ask that question to infinity. Our real task then is to discover the first cause. Our logic informs us if the first cause did not have a cause, it must be eternal. Our next task then is to show how the first cause can be eternal.

The answer to Mr. Epstein's question lies in establishing where the creator existed prior to the Big Bang creation of the universe.

We know the creator did not exist within our universe-prior to the Big Bang there was no universe. We know also that the creator did not exist in time or space-Einstein's theory established that time and space did not exist prior to the Big Bang. Wherever the creator existed, it was not in our dimension of time and space.

Where there is no time, there can be no beginning and no end. The creator of the universe resided in just such a place. Does it require a great leap of faith from this point to the conclusion that the creator is eternal? I don't think so.

From this evidence we can discover some characteristics of the first cause and we can do it without the aid of religion or someone's subjective experience. We know the first cause must be:

¥self-existent, timeless, non-spatial, and immaterial. In other words, he is without limits, or infinite;

¥unimaginably powerful, to create the entire universe out of nothing;

¥supremely intelligent, to design the universe with such incredible precision;

¥personal-an impersonal force has no ability to make choices. The first cause made a choice to convert a state of nothingness into our time-space-material universe.

This list was taken from the book, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Authors Norman Geisler and Frank Turek point out these characteristics of the first cause are exactly the characteristics theists ascribe to God.

There is so much more I'd like to say, particularly on the third point of the above list; our whole universe is extremely fine-tuned (designed) to support human life here on earth. But space does not permit. So I say to Mr. Epstein and to others, keep those really good questions coming and perhaps I'll get the opportunity.

Jack McMillan

Espanola