MNR_earmarks $1 million for researching Manitoulin

as appropriate turkey habitat

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-Over $1 million will be spent by the province to determine if conditions are appropriate on Manitoulin for a release of wild turkeys and pheasants.

"We're making the investment and following through on a promise," said Don Mark, information specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in Sudbury, pointing out that Dalton McGuinty indicated he was in favour of a turkey release on Manitoulin during a round of questioning from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) prior to the last provincial election.

"There were 10 questions asked of the premier, and one of them was whether he supported turkeys on Manitoulin," said Mr. Mark. "The premier unequivocally said 'yes.'" Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield has echoed that position in subsequent comments to the OFAH and others.

Still, this doesn't make an introduction of gobblers-or pheasants, for that matter-a done deal. "This does not mean turkeys are coming," said Mr. Mark. "We still have to live within our legislation and do a full EA (environmental assessment) in order to justify putting the birds there."

The MNR, he emphasized, "doesn't fall on one side of this equation or the other." Its role is "to determine the impact" of a potential release and "approach this from a scientific perspective."

The ministry has done some preliminary research regarding turkeys on Manitoulin in the past, but now has the green light to delve deeper with this full-fledged EA, which is expected to take two years and cost in excess of $1 million. "We're going to spend a lot of time and money on this," said Mr. Mark.

Some local expertise will likely be engaged in the study, which will involve, among other things, looking at the number of endangered species that could be affected by turkeys and pheasants; assessing potential impacts on agricultural crops; and determining if the landscape has the appropriate climate and habitat to support populations of the game birds.

Apart from the fieldwork that will have to be carried out on terra firma, the MNR spokesman said aerial mapping of the Island is also apt to occur. And while the focus will be on how turkeys and pheasants might fit into the ecological fabric, the research will have broader value. "This is also an opportunity to get a really good environmental picture of Manitoulin," said Mr. Mark.

The study details will eventually be posted at the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) registry, but at the moment "we're still working on the terms of reference," said Mr. Mark, "and are in the process of hiring a project manager."

Input on the study will be possible through the EBR posting as well as information sessions on Manitoulin. "The public will have ample opportunity to speak at open houses, and we still have to chat with the First Nation communities, farming groups and other stakeholders," said Mr. Mark.

For Scott Willis of the Manitoulin Longbeards, a chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the MNR commitment is a welcome step forward after years of uncertainty. "The beautiful part of this is that now we know where we stand," he said. "We've had so many years of not knowing, so to me this is fantastic."

He recognizes, however, that this is a "tentative start," and there are no guarantees that the study will conclude in favour of a release. "It's still in an infancy stage, and we can't count our chickens before they hatch," he said. "But we're super happy to know that it will at least be weighed by an independent party, and everyone will have their say. We'll just have to wait and see what the answers could be, and be supportive of the process."

Eyeing the process more critically will be members of the agricultural sector on Manitoulin, who have already voiced a strong aversion to the idea of a turkey introduction, viewing the species an extra pressure on crops that are already being ransacked by cranes, geese, raccoons and other wildlife.

"This has been going on for some time," noted Jim Anstice, a dairy farmer from Tehkummah and member of a policy advisory committee with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). "We've made submissions to the EBR (when the province's management plan for turkeys was updated last year), and the cattlemen's association, the agriculture federation and the soil and crop association have all made motions to oppose this."

Turkeys, according to these groups, have wreaked havoc on cropland in the parts of southern Ontario where they've been reestablished, and this kind of damage would "be much greater in an area such as Manitoulin where cropland is in smaller pockets."

The local farming associations further argue, in a joint resolution, that "Manitoulin is not the natural habitat of the wild turkey" and that their introduction could "threaten the biosecurity of operations that have diversified beyond cattle into other livestock, including meat turkeys."

Were damage to crops or livestock to occur, the Island agricultural organizations fear the cost will be borne by the farmers themselves. "Who is going to be responsible for the care and control of these birds?" they ask. "Who will compensate the farmers for the damage they cause?"

OFA president Geri Kamenz, in a letter sent to Minister Cansfield in the spring of 2008, indicated that his association "fully supports the position taken by its local members to not allow the introduction of wild turkeys onto Manitoulin Island." Noting that the Island hosts 215 farmers, with cropland spanning about 28,000 acres, Mr. Kamenz asserts that "the unnecessary introduction of turkeys will provide minimal benefit while damaging these farm businesses."

Not all farmers are unhappy about the presence of wild turkeys, however, according to Mr. Mark. "We know the agricultural community is divided," he said. "In southern Ontario they seem to be embracing turkeys because farmers are making money from the hunt."

On St. Joseph Island near Sault Ste. Marie, which had 65 gobblers introduced in 2004, the reaction to the new presence has been generally favourable. The population proved stable enough that the island was approved for its first spring hunt in April and May of this year, and "the reeve of St. Joe said his community was thrilled with the economic benefits," said Mr. Mark.

John Hawdon, a dairy farmer on St. Joe, isn't a huge fan of the bird being present, noting that "in the spring they were right here, picking up the seed on top of the ground as we planted grain." But he also said "they aren't as bad as geese and cranes pulling up the plant."_And when 30 wintered near his farm this year, he "got softhearted"_and decied to feed them so they wouldn't starve.

Just because turkeys have fit relatively seamlessly into the scene on St. Joseph Island doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same case here, however. "Manitoulin is so unique," said Mr. Mark. "It's not apples and apples."

Some turkeys already roam the Island, but these are not legally released birds and likely of an inferior, semi-domestic type than the true wild variety, said Mr. Mark. Were the MNR to approve a release of the species, "we would put in a good wild strain," which are "wily, hardy, and hard to get."

Pheasants are also present, following releases for "put-and-take" hunting by a group of Sudbury sportsmen between 2001 and 2004. The group, since organized as a Pheasants Forever chapter, headed by Mark Laberge, reports that the birds have survived the winters quite well, with chicks born each spring.

These releases were sanctioned, said Mr. Mark, as licences are available for a release of game birds on private property, but a more general release of pheasants might be permissible on Manitoulin if the EA determines they can flourish and won't have a detrimental impact on other species or farmers' livelihoods.

An experimental release of turkeys in the St. Charles area near Sudbury about 10 years ago didn't go so well, with all of the 29 birds perishing over the course of a particularly snowy winter. But since then, as winters have turned less severe, turkeys released in central Ontario have been gradually migrating north, with birds spotted in Muskoka, Parry Sound, and even Britt and Pointe Au Baril.

"They're moving up," said Mr. Mark. "Eventually you'll probably get some on Manitoulin anyway."

A Georgian Bay bird could well wing its way over to Manitoulin before a population is established here through planting and deemed stable enough to hunt: in the case of St. Joseph Island, it was five years following the initial release before a season was approved. It took that long for the population to grow from the initial 65 to 500-plus.

Mr. Willis and his fellow Longbeards are no strangers to waiting, however. "In June, we had our 10th annual banquet," he noted. For a decade-ever since the MNR ramped up its strategy to reestablish turkeys in the province-they've been patiently making the case for Manitoulin to be included in that program.

"I'm ecstatic things are now moving forward," said Mr. Willis. "But at the same time, I'm a little cautious, because we've heard it before."

The game bird deserves serious consideration for release here, in his view, as the Island has the sort of habitat that's been identified as conducive to supporting the species, and turkeys could add an interesting and economically useful piece to the Island mosaic.

"If you look at St. Joseph Island, I'm not hearing people saying there are problems there," he said. "They just had their first hunt, and it stirred things up economically at a time when it's tough, with poor smelt fishing and no spring bear hunt. With the turkey hunt, they had people opening their cottages six weeks early."

If people on Manitoulin are already acquiring semi-wild turkeys and allowing them to roam their land, it shows there's an appetite locally to have the species here, he suggested. "People want them," he said. "So let's have some reassurances that we're getting the right stock."

That principle, he added, is one that farmers would understand. "If you look at the agricultural side, they always want good stock for their farms."

But while farmers may identify with the need for well-bred animals, they are not likely to support an introduction of a bird they deem foreign-whatever its bloodline-any day soon.

"One fellow suggested to us that it would be okay if you brought the turkeys in and kept them on your own property, but obviously they're not going to stay in one place," said Mr. Anstice. "It would be like me taking a flock of sheep up onto your lawn, and saying, 'Here, feed my sheep.'"

Farmers already have enough of a problem with geese and sandhill cranes dining freely on their crops, said the dairy operator. This year, he personally had to replant 20 acres of feed corn due to crane damage, he said, which "cost me about $2,000."

There's no compensation for that unless you pay an insurance premium, and even then it typically would only cover you for damage wrought by weather, not wildlife, he noted.

Grain-eating birds like geese and cranes-and, God forbid, turkeys-"are to farmers what cormorants are to fishermen," analogized Mr. Anstice.

Any movement on the part of the MNR to bring turkeys to Manitoulin will, in other words, not happen without a fight.

Danny Dodge's family makes peace with clan of Gore Bay widow after 70-year rift

Reunion at Dodge Lodge adds to history but doesn't entirely solve mystery of strange death

by Jim Moodie

MAPLE POINT-Judy Lavander, niece of the ill-fated Daniel ("Danny") Dodge, is standing on the porch of her uncle's former getaway at Maple Point near Kagawong. Standing next to her is John Van Etten, the son of Danny's bride, Laurine MacDonald of Gore Bay, widowed here following a bizarre mishap in 1938.

Asked to edge closer for a picture, these descendants of Danny and Laurine readily comply, with Ms. Lavander playfully patting Mr. Van Etten on the back and quipping: "We'll squeeze together as if we actually like one another."

That they actually do is both obvious and rather remarkable, given that Danny's death, mysterious enough to spark a media storm and fuel numerous theories of foul play, drove a wedge between the families that would last for decades.

The auto scion was 21 at the time of his demise and worth an estimated $9.5 million. Laurine, 19, was a telephone operator and the daughter of a tugboat captain. Less than two weeks into their honeymoon, a dynamite explosion occurred at the Maple Point retreat, and in the ensuing panic to reach medical help in Little Current by boat, Danny pitched into the choppy waters of the North Channel. Three weeks later, his lifeless body was found by fishermen.

The death was ruled an accidental drowning, but questions lingered, and the settlement of the estate was bitterly contested. Matilda Dodge, Danny's mother, would never get over the loss of her only son, or vouchsafe Laurine her inheritance of an estimated $2 million. Laurine would sell the Maple Point property, remarry twice, and rarely discuss the accident, even with those closest to her. No member of either family ever felt much like coming back to this haunted spot-let alone in the company of an in-law.

Until now. Mr. Van Etten, of Indiana, is happily sharing some photographs that depict himself and his older sister during a childhood trip to the property with mom Laurine, who passed away in 2004. Ms. Lavander, visiting here for the first time ever from Albany, New York, remarks that Mr. Van Etten's sister "looks just like your mother."

Others are milling around on the sprawling verandah, which features several pendular love seats and a striking view over Mudge Bay to Honora Point-the very stretch of water crossed in 1938 by the injured honeymooners-but Ms. Lavander and Mr. Van Etten are clearly the guests of honour and a focus of attention: not just for the distance they have travelled to be here, but the wider gulf they have bridged between families in doing so.

The pair has actually flown up together from the US in a twin-engine plane, with Mr. Van Etten at the controls, while his wife Lynn, and Ms. Lavander's son Jim Bartlett, a freelance journalist and free-spirited globetrotter, have filled out the remaining seats in the tiny aircraft.

A veteran of 198 combat missions during the Vietnam War, Mr. Van Etten obviously knows a bit about flying, and can be trusted at the wheel. But the foursome's trip can't help but evoke a bit of a queasy feeling, given that the 1938 tragedy also featured a small crew-five, soon to be four-in a cramped mode of conveyance.

Piling into the speedboat with Laurine and Danny for that desperate run to Little Current 71 years ago now were caretakers Frank Valiquette and Lloyd Bryant, plus the latter's wife, Mary. Mr. Van Etten's mother, Laurine, was at the wheel.

Fortunately, there has been no tragic hitch to this voyage, with Mr. Van Etten's four-seater smoothly taxiing onto the runway in Gore Bay on July 27. After spending a night at a cottage on Tobacco Lake, the group has made its way by car-following a freshly rebuilt road that looks nothing like the goat trail their Depression-era predecessors had to navigate-to the Maple Point hideaway.

The occasion? A reunion-or The 2009 Dodge Invitational, as it has been officially dubbed on cards sent out to attendees-organized by Rick Nelson, curator of the Old Mill Heritage Centre in Kagawong, and Bernie Schwarzli, the current owner of the Dodge spread on Maple Point.

The goal, never attempted before in such an ambitious or inclusive way, is to bring together descendants of the star-crossed couple along with family members of former lodge caretakers, plus a few local residents with personal recollections from that era and others with a strong connection to the spot, in the interest of filling out the historical picture and putting some rumours to rest.

Some three dozen people have taken up the invite, most of them gathering at the Old Mill museum beforehand and boarding a bus for the trip to the lodge, which was painstakingly restored by previous owners Dave and Sandi Hurcomb, and looks remarkably true to its time. Minus the overgrown tennis court, and the missing wooden staircase to the dock, it's virtually unchanged from the days of Danny and Laurine.

After tours of the sprawling, rustic facility and some casual socializing, Mr. Schwarzli, whose family is cooking up a lavish spread for all present, summons everyone together on the lawn between the main lodge and the former servants' quarters, still attached by a covered walk, to issue a formal welcome.

"I thought it was important for the Dodge and MacDonald families to learn about the history," he says, stressing that it is critical "to do this now," while the handful of people with first-hand memories are still alive and the lore is still fresh in the minds of others who have had stories passed down to them by parents and grandparents.

For Ms. Lavander, knowledge of her uncle and his time on Manitoulin has been sketchy at best, not to mention strikingly late in coming. As a girl spending time at Meadowbrook Hall, the family mansion-cum-Dodge shrine on the outskirts of Detroit, the subject of Danny and Laurine was taboo.

"As children growing up we weren't even allowed to speak the names," she says. "My grandmother, Matilda, locked my uncle's bedroom door and no-one was to go in there, including my mother, who was devastated."

Ms. Lavander's mother, Frances, was three years older than Danny, and had wed just a month earlier. She would go on to become an internationally renowned horsewoman, breeding many race-winning steeds, before passing away in 1971. But according to her daughter, the death of Danny remained a lifelong blow, albeit one that was rarely discussed.

"My mother and grandmother could not deal with my uncle's death," she says. "When they lost him, everything fell apart. And years went by when I didn't even know who this person was."

Ms. Lavander believes that, in the immediate aftermath of the accident, her family remained "cordial" with Laurine and her clan. But during the lengthy search for Danny's body-it took 23 days, with an amphibious plane and submarine dispatched by the Dodges to assist in the quest-the tension mounted. "Once they found the body, that was it," she says. "Our family never spoke about this place again."

Laurine-or Annie Laurine, as she was known to the Dodges, who preferred to use (to the extent that they spoke it) her full given name-had never been fully accepted into the auto-family fold. Even prior to the accident, "she was looked down upon," says Ms. Lavander. "Not," she quickly adds, "that I ever bought into any of that crap."

About a decade ago the niece, who was always curious about Daniel and his mysterious wife from Manitoulin, learned through communication with Meadowbrook Hall (now a museum and part of the Oakland University campus) that "Annie Laurine had a son, and so John and I started writing back and forth."

That connection led to Ms. Lavander actually visiting Laurine, in California, a few years before she passed away. And she's extremely glad she did.

"It occurred to me at some point in my adulthood that I shouldn't listen to people in my family, and just go and find out," she says. She's grateful to Mr. Van Etten for brokering that meeting with his mother, and also for "graciously putting up with me" during this trip to Maple Point. One that is important not only to her, she notes, but her son, who has had little but vague stories about his great-uncle to go on, and "needs to take part in this heritage and understand it."

Mr. Bartlett, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Danny, has found it fascinating to see the rugged country in which his relative loved to come to hunt and fish, as well as mingle with local inhabitants, regardless of their social status. "I grew up in Maine, and I think I'm a lot like he was," Mr. Bartlett says. "I wouldn't be hanging out in the mansion-I'd want to be with the servants."

While Danny fled the fancy trappings of the family manor in Greater Detroit to find adventure-and love with a Northern gal-at his Manitoulin refuge, Mr. Bartlett headed farther afield in his own youth, to the war-torn Balkans, where he served as a volunteer medic and freelance photographer and writer. "He pulled a Jack London," assesses Mr. Bartlett. "And I pulled a Hemingway."

But having seen so much strife on the global scene-Mr. Bartlett has been to Iraq, among other hot spots-and studied military history, he also feels that the loss of his great-uncle in the year prior to the Second World War shouldn't be overstated. "Yes, this was a tragedy," he says. "But at the same time, Canadians would be mourning hundreds of thousands lost at Dieppe, or at Paschendale before that. It all needs to be placed in perspective."

Mr. Van Etten, whose exploits in South Asia during the Vietnam conflict are partially represented in the Hollywood film Bat 21, no doubt agrees. "I was in a squadron based out of Thailand," he recounts. "If someone was shot down, our job was to find them."

It was a pair of local fishermen, Wes Ryder and Albert Bateman, who finally-despite the amphibious plane buzzing about, and a submarine poised to be put into action-found Danny Dodge, sharing a $1,500 reward for their grim discovery.

While his family and his widow were the ones most obviously impacted by the death, there were others on Manitoulin who mourned the loss of this colourful young man, who apparently made an impression without coming across as the sort of spoiled brat you might imagine.

Aus Hunt, whose family ran the docks and a nearby store/telegram office in Kagawong in those days, has vivid memories of Danny arriving by boat, or in his "beautiful red Graham-Paige convertible that entranced us all," but he never found him to be vain or distant. "He was a likable chap, and he got along well with everyone I knew," he relates. "I was a few years younger, but all of the youth would gather at the dock to swim, much like they do now, and to us, he was always Danny."

Linda Hunter, whose mother Doris Ritching was a close friend of Laurine's, says the young Dodge scion was always welcome in the home of her family and other Gore Bay abodes, both due to his polite manners and easygoing charm. "A big thing to remember is that everyone talked about how nice he was," she says. "There's a lot of legend about him, but he was a nice person."

He did have a reckless quality, though. Jiggs Elliott, old enough to have met Danny in his day, recalls how the Dodge heir talked about "driving a car over Bridal Veil Falls, just to see how it would look at the bottom."

An obsession with explosives also seems to have been a trait. Janice Delvecchio, whose grandfather Ed Drolet was the caretaker of the lodge during the period when it was frequented by original owner Helen Ford, and for a short period after Danny took over as proprietor, says dynamite used in the initial building of the camp-dubbed Nayaushe in those days-had been stashed underground on the property, and the new lodge dweller had an almost fanatical curiosity about it.

"Danny seemed to have a fascination with this dynamite," she says. "My grandfather, who had a short fuse, would say, 'If that fool ever touches it, he's going to blow us all to kingdom come.'"

For that reason, the location of the buried explosives was kept secret during Mr. Drolet's tenure as groundskeeper. Not long after Danny took over control of the Maple Point lodge, Ms. Delvecchio's grandfather either quit or was dismissed.

Frank Valiquette Sr., subsequently serving as an assistant caretaker, apparently knew where this dynamite was hidden, though, and when Danny became fixated on its whereabouts during his honeymoon, the keeper and colleague is said to have been the one to produce a few sticks for the amusement of his employer.

Frank Jr., who spent many summers as a youth "picking weeds out here," says his dad rarely discussed the accident, and passed away at the young age of 48 due to rheumatic fever. But he did eventually learn that it was his father who lit the fuse, at Danny's request, that fateful day in August of 1938. "It was a gold lighter, and he had it around the house for years after," he remarks.

Why Danny would want to fool around with explosives during the second week of his honeymoon has never been satisfactorily explained, except through descriptions of him as being an inveterate tinkerer and a bit of a daredevil, but what's clear is that old sticks of dynamite, as well as caps, were ignited on that day, to tragic effect.

A statement made by Laurine 11 days after the accident, while recuperating in the Mindemoya hospital-it was given to a Toronto Daily Star reporter, masquerading as an assistant to the coroner-describes the procurement of the explosives, and a chain of events, but is vague on the reasoning behind this stunt.

Lloyd Bryant, another worker at the lodge, "stated that my husband and Frank were back in the woods getting some dynamite," she recounts. "He did not say what they wanted the dynamite for."

Next thing she knew, her husband and his helper were in the garage, planning to ignite the stuff, just "to see whether the dynamite would go off or not," which they "didn't think it would, (as) it was so old," according to her testimony.

Mr. Bartlett, who has encountered plenty of explosive devices, improvised and otherwise, during his tours of international war zones as a medic, shudders at the mere thought of this experiment. "It's not just dynamite, but old dynamite buried in the woods," he says. "That stuff would be sweating nitroglycerine. You could sneeze on it and it would go off."

Off it indeed went, injuring Danny, Mr. Bryant (the latter enough so that, in Laurine's version, he told his wife: "I think I am finished"), and Laurine as well, who felt like she was "on fire" and incurred a wound to her right arm, making it, in her account, quite difficult to drive the boat later.

Mr. Valiquette, somehow sensing the whole dynamite thing was about to go badly, managed to leap out of harm's way and avoid injury. He wasn't a practised boat driver, however, according to accounts, so Laurine was the one to take the wheel as all five individuals crammed into the Dodge speedboat for the trip to Little Current, deemed preferable to driving around on bumpy back roads, in a cramped sportscar, to the hospital in Mindemoya.

The North Channel was bumpy itself that day, however, with waves estimated in the four-foot range. Somewhere near Honora Bay, with Mr. Valiquette taking over the wheel from Laurine, who was having trouble steering due to her bleeding arm, as she tells it, her husband suddenly fell overboard.

"I looked around and saw him with one foot on the seat and one on the side of the boat, just falling over into the water," she says in her statement, first published in the Star and recently procured, as an official transcript filed with the coroner's office, from the Archives of Ontario by Mr. Nelson and Marcus Mohr, a filmmaker hoping to tell the Dodge story in docudrama form. "We tried to get to him, but the sea was so heavy we couldn't get close to him before he sank."

The group continued to search for about 10 minutes, according to one account, then continued on to Little Current, since Mr. Bryant was in a bad way and needed prompt attention. In Laurine's testimony, she describes circling the site where Danny went into the water "about four times, thinking he would come up." When he didn't, "we drove to Little Current, skirting the shore."

For Mr. Nelson, this account, rendered soon after the event itself, and matched up with other eyewitness reports, should rule out the idea of foul play once and for all. "Her memory was still fresh after the accident," he says. "We can speculate why Daniel was standing up-was he trying to get up to the front to help her drive?-but to me, this was a tragic accident."

Mr. Bartlett believes that, while Danny was conscious, and might have survived had he not fallen in the water (as an autopsy has argued), he likely suffered a severe head injury in the explosion, and that would account for his strange stumble overboard.

"From my experience in various battlefields around the world, and in doing combat medicine, I'm convinced he was suffering from a traumatic brain injury," he says. "We know now that when you have an injury of this type, you may seem lucid, but you're not."

To Mr. Nelson, the circumstances that day built up to a "perfect storm." On top the injuries suffered by several of the lodge dwellers from the dynamite blast, there "was bad weather, and bad luck." His hope, he tells the reunion attendees, is that "this will put to rest the rumours and show that this was nothing other than a tragic accident."

For John MacDonald, a nephew of Laurine and a resident of Tobacco Lake, the gathering has provided a welcome form of closure to what has been a long and confusing burden for his family. "It's been good," he says. "I think it's laid a lot of things to rest."

While his aunt was alive, she would rarely, if ever, talk about this tragic episode in her youth, so Mr. MacDonald "got most of my information from my grandparents." Asked if Laurine would have been pleased by the events of today, with so many people discussing the incident openly and seeking to mend fences, he produces a somewhat apologetic grimace: "I don't think she would have enjoyed it."

Mr. Van Etten, her son, seems quite touched by the conciliatory tone of the proceedings, though, as does his wife Lynn, whose eyes mist up at one point during the exchange of memories and various testaments to what most attendees describe as a beautiful-if tragically truncated-bond between Danny and Laurine.

It's a view that Danny's niece, Ms. Lavander, is inclined to share. "It's such a nice honour and privilege for us to be here," she says towards the end of the evening, speaking for both herself and her son. "It's pretty clear this was a young love story."

Earlier, though, she has made a remark that seems equally telling. Standing on the long shaded porch, amid a throng of other reunion-goers clenching bottles of Heineken and Perrier in their palms, she turns to one attendee and says: "We'd just like to hear one story that makes sense."

MP_lobbied for support on wind-power protest

by Lindsay Kelly

LITTLE CURRENT-As the Northeast Town enters negotiations with a consultant to provide advice on the proposed McLean's Mountain wind farm, residents challenging the project are seeking help as well.

On July 31, a small group of landowners with concerns about the project met with Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes, whom they hope will be able to exact some influence in their favour at the provincial level.

Though clearly sympathetic to the concerns of the residents, Ms. Hughes acknowledged that wind energy comes under provincial jurisdiction, suggesting her authority may be limited.

"I'm here to listen to your comments," she said. "(The NDP) does support alternative energies, but I need to look at what the issues are: is there a balance here and can a balance be found or not?"

Major concerns of the residents include future land use, environmental deterioration and the health effects of the turbines.

Resident Ray Beaudry, whose property is located in the vicinity of the proposed wind farm, is worried that, once the project is approved, the environment will deteriorate quickly.

"The amount of land they're going to clear is just staggering," he said. "Fifty percent of the turbines are in treed areas that support wildlife."

He fears the managed woodlot he operates could also be in jeopardy, and the money and time he's invested into practising sustainable harvesting methods will become too costly to continue.

The argument extends beyond just this development, he argued. A total of seven wind-power projects are in the works for Manitoulin, and if they are all approved, he's concerned that the landscape will be irrevocably altered.

He's worried that Manitoulin could become another Wolfe Island (an island off the shore of Kingston supporting a 197.8 MW, 86-turbine farm), which "is all turbines," he said, suggesting there needs to be balance between the effects on the environment and the lust for green energy.

Though it's been noticeably quiet on the debate, the Manitoulin Landowners Association has not let the wind power debate go unobserved.

"As a landowners' association, our position is that we don't think it's our business to influence what a community does with their project," said chair Mike Meeker in a separate interview. "We're not for or against wind power in general, or this project in particular."

While he hesitated to make an official statement on behalf of the organization, in preliminary consultation with some other members, he said their view remains true to the group's original mandate: to protect the rights of landowners to enjoy and use their property as they see fit.

"If a landowner's ability to use their property is impacted in the future, then that is wrong," he said.

He takes exception to the notion that the wind turbines could affect the future use of a landowner's property. If noise level restrictions prevent a landowner from constructing a home or other building because a turbine is located nearby, "that's absolutely wrong and we will fight that," Mr. Meeker said.

He doesn't disagree that green energy is a positive move in the right direction for renewable energy, but communities and landowners need assurances that the community will be allowed to decide what is best for its constituents. "If it suits them, the province takes control," he added.

It should be common sense that turbines are set far enough away from landowners' properties to avoid negative effects, he said.

"If they looked at a map, they know where the properties are, and if the turbines have to be 1,000 metres away, then how hard is it to look at a map?" he queried. "If that means that they can't put up 43 turbines and they can only put up 29, then so be it."

Northland Power maintains that it has done its due diligence, and is taking the concerns of citizens seriously. In a recent edition of the Expositor, the company took out a half-page ad "to help answer many of the questions raised" at the June 25 public meeting, in addition to the concerns raised since then.

What follows is information about concerns such as the environment, transmission lines, noise limits and setbacks, and lighting.

The company says it is "taking a diligent and transparent approach" to the environmental concerns surrounding the project, assuring residents that the required studies and analyses are being done.

"The provincially regulated assessment process includes studies by independent experts of the potential impacts related to animals, turbine noise, land use, and value," read the comments. "Feedback from the public meeting on June 25 is being considered and reflected in the project's environmental screening report, which has recently been released for comments."

The company has pledged to implement an environmental management plan to guide activities, and continue environmentala monitoring at the site after the project is complete. Residents are also encouraged to visit the company's website at www.northlandpower.ca to view the environmental screening report (ESR).

But Dr. Roy Jeffery, who was also in attendance at the meeting, is alarmed at the adverse health effects alleged to have been caused by wind turbines. In areas where wind farms are already functioning anecdotal research has shown evidence of "wind turbine syndrome"-a series of symptoms such as issues with balance, migraines, sleep interruption and depression-cropping up in residents living near the turbines.

While not all people will be affected by wind turbine syndrome, "a certain group is prone to it," he noted, suggesting that 5 percent of people living within a kilometre of the turbines are at risk. "It seems to be more of an issue when you multiply the turbines in a small area," he added.

The problem seems to stem from the low-frequency noise created by the rotating turbines; although the sound is measured at around 40 decibels-the same level of noise created during a regular conversation-research has shown that that measurement is actually a low estimate, Dr. Jeffery said. Low-frequency sounds travel farther and are not blocked out by buildings in the manner of other types of noise, he added.

"For people who have their life's fortune invested in their home, it can be devastating, " he said, suggesting there needs to be a definition of safe distances between turbines and schools, bedrooms and communities.

It's an argument supported by Lionel Rudd, an engineering technician recently retired from teaching at Laurentian University who frequently vacations on Manitoulin. He's been struck by the human reaction to wind turbines, and suggested that every resident will have a different response to the project.

"You'd have the same effect if you put all the people of Little Current in to a luxury cruise boat and anchored them out in the North Channel somewhere: some will think they've died and gone to heaven, a few will say, 'This is nice,' and some people will suffer from an almost terminal seasickness," he analogized.

The retired professor, who specialized in ventilation, air measurement and air movement, believes the information put forward about the minimal impact of the turbines is inherently flawed. Air, when going through a turbine, pulsates, creating fluctuation in the barometric pressure, a change to which some people react negatively.

"If that fluctuation is continuous, the body never gets to reach equilibrium," he argued, suggesting it is a similar effect to migraine sufferers who feel pain coming on when the weather changes.

Mr. Rudd also points to the effects of shadows and light reflecting off the turbines as "hypnotic," creating in some an optical effect akin to motion sickness.

He cautions the town and its residents against climbing on board with the project, concurring that land use will be limited under the new Green Energy Act, noting, "if a turbine is placed near your property, there is nothing you can do about it. Once the community has embraced the things, they have to live with it forever."

Again, Northland suggests that it has met all the requirements under the Green Energy Act for setbacks, and their proposal has even gone beyond in some areas.

"With the current McLean's Mountain project layout, turbines would be set back from residences at least 550 metres, as is currently proposed under Ontario's Green Energy Act," the ad reads. "In fact, 37 of the 43 turbines would be ver 700 metres from their nearest residence 'receptor,' and the average distance from each turbine to its nearest receptor would be over 1,000 metres."

The company maintains that the noise detected by residents would be negligible: "the noise of a car passing by at 100 metres away, at 65 km/hr, is about 55 decibels, and the noise (inside) of a library is 35-37 decibels."

Northland addresses other concerns, such as transmission lines, which many have charged would be a blight on the landscape. Crossing the North Channel, an underwater cable will be used to transmit power-at a significantly higher cost-while on land, the plan currently calls for overhead power lines to run along Morphet Side Road using single wooden poles. Yet, that plan is not set in stone.

"In consultation with homeowners in the area, we are investigating whether there is a viable alternative route for this line from the transformer station to the connection on Goat Island," the ad notes.

Northland suggests that residents consider the turbines not as industrial machines, but as unique technology that offers one solution to air pollution, global warming and other climate change.

It also indicates that the wind farm will not be concentrated in one area, but spread out over a vast distance, reducing the sense of clutter.

"By spreading out 43 turbines over the 2,400 hectares (6,000) acres of land optioned for this project, the density of turbines would be much lower than most other wind farms," the ad reads. "The turbines would be spaced at least 600 metres apart."

The company expresses a desire to be "good neighbours," encouraging residents to contact them with any questions or concerns about the project.

The town, meanwhile, has been researching environmental consulting firms, seeking an advisor to guide council on the McLean's project, which has proven to be a challenge.

"It's difficult because we have to seek the services of an unbiased consultant," town CAO Dave Williamson noted.

Town staff have looked into a few different consultants, but some firms had clearly made known their perspective, either for or against wind power, while other firms had worked on behalf of Northland in the past. While it's possible that those firms could work for the town, providing a fair analysis of the project, council wants to ensure there isn't any perceived partiality on its part, the CAO added.

The town is aiming to have a consultant in place as soon as possible so that council can immediately begin evaluating the project.

"It's critical that we have a consultant in place prior to the review period on the ESR, which is out now," Mr. Williamson said. "That's one area that council wants advice on, because there are a number of issues in that package."

The public has until August 20 to comment about the ESR on the Environmental Bill of Rights registry (EBR) and after that, the wind farm plan goes forward for approval.

"The implications of this project for this community will last 30 or 40 years, so council wants to ensure at all times that they understand both sides of the issue," the CAO added.

Mr. Williamson emphasized that, at this time, the town does not have any agreements with Northland, only an agreement-in-principle, and that the resolutions agreed to so far only affect setbacks.

But the town may be restricted in the limitations it can impose. Under the new Green Energy Act, the province has the authority to override any municipal bylaws governing wind power.

"The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations governing transitional matters that, in the opinion of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, are necessary or desirable to facilitate the implementation of this act," reads schedule A of the document.

The Lieutenant Governor in Council represents the lieutenant governor, who acts on behalf of cabinet in enacting provincial legislation.

Last night (August 4), at a regular meeting, council was to hear from Northland president John Brace, in addition to entertaining a motion to rescind all previous motions with regard to the McLean's Mountain wind project. This was being sought as a way to start fresh, while heeding the advice of the consultant to be hired by the municipality.

Friday's meeting with Ms. Hughes resulted in a promise from the MP to consult with federal NDP energy and environment critic Peter Tabuns and get more information about wind farms, including a consultation with Schneider Power to determine how they dealt with the issues they encountered and how they bridged the gaps between the company and the residents.

"Your concerns are very legitimate when it starts to impact your land," she said. "If you're not able to use it later on, it is problematic, so I'll see what I can find out and what we can push for."
 

Energy minister responds to questions

by Michael Erskine

SPANISH-As the guy who oversees the super-ministry of Energy and Infrastructure in the McGuinty government-and serves as the deputy premier-Toronto Centre MPP George Smitherman stands astride the vast majority of stimulus and infrastructure funding currently flowing out of the Ontario government and into the province's recession-battered economy.

Local politicians and business people flocked to Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown's summer barbecue, willing to pony up $200 a plate in order to meet the man with his hand on the floodgate, and plenty brought proposal outlines with them to pitch one-on-one with the infrastructure minister.

Minister Smitherman pointed out in a media scrum following the event that the McGuinty government will be pouring $32 billion into infrastructure spending in the province-with the federal government ponying up some $5 billion to help top up the efforts.

"We are investing money into colleges, universities, hospitals, and schools," in addition to roads and bridges, noted Mr. Smitherman. "Most of those dollars are accessible over the short term."

The goal of the heightened pace government investment goes beyond rebuilding the aging infrastructure-much of it built in the mid-60s-to helping people suffering in the current economic turmoil weather the storm.

Government will continue to work with municipalities to improve highways and roads.

Asked whether the Green Energy Act is primarily geared toward ensuring that renewable energy projects are easier to implement, Mr. Smitherman noted that the act is designed to make it easier to bring renewable energy projects on stream. "The government is ready to do anything it can to help," he said.

Asked about the concerns being raised about setbacks on wind energy projects in particular, the energy minister pointed to the current debate and committee work on the Green Energy Act legislation.

"It is important to note that Ministry of Energy has at its disposal a wide range of studies from all over the world," he said. Those studies are being gleaned for information to ensure that setbacks implemented in the act are at the appropriate distance from residences. Minister Smitherman said he was confident that those setbacks would address the vast majority of legitimate concerns.

Northeast Town Mayor Jim Stringer attended the meeting armed with a number of technical questions about the wind farm development proposed for atop McLean's Mountain. "We have a lot of questions, but not a lot of answers right now," said Mayor Stringer prior to the meeting.

Although he did not come away with all of the specific answers he sought, Mayor Stringer did receive a contact and telephone number of the government advisors who could provide those answers. "Municipal councils are faced with difficult questions," he noted. "We want to make the right decisions to ensure the health and safety-and the property values-of the taxpayers and residents of our community, but we are getting some very conflicting information about all of this."

Mayor Stringer agreed that, at the end of the day, the municipality also has only so many legal avenues available to it to pursue in dealing with the issues, and that municipal councils must be cautious that tight tax dollars are not spent in pointless litigation.

Assiginack Reeve Les Fields travelled to the Spanish event as well, but she had an interestingly different tack on stimulus and infrastructure spending.

"You have to keep an eye on the road, but you had better know where you are eventually going," she said. Her community has a number of projects currently being funded, and Ms. Fields said she wanted to extend the gratitude of her community to the minister for his ministry's assistance to the community, but she did not have an extended wish list in her pocket.

"Sure there is lots of money out there right now," she said. "But how you are going to support it down the road, you have to consider that too."
 

Editorial
 

Wind turbine setbacks must respect private property

The Green Energy and Green Economy Act-the piece of Ontario government legislation that have come into being to enable the construction of wind turbines (and other forms of renewable energy technology) and set out general rules concerning the situation of these large structures-will specifically override any local, municipal authority.

Clearly this legislation is meant to make it as easy as possible for entrepreneurs to get into the wind turbine business and so provide sources of green energy to Ontarians with minimal concern as to how the location of these big structures, together with the accompanying power transmission line corridors, will impact neighbouring landowners and residents.

The fact that this new provincial Act of the legislature superside municipal authority in virtually every respect is very telling for, under ordinary circumstances, property owners with zoning concerns can appeal to their local municipal council and any local decision can, in turn, be appealed by either party to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and an OMB hearing (should it be granted) at least has other sets of eyes considering the merits of the concerns of all affected parties.

But giving wind turbine projects special status over and above the normal channels has the effect, in some cases, of pitting neighbour against neighbour without any identifiable remedy or protocol to sort out concerns and make compromises, except on a voluntary basis.

In the case of the Northland Power project in the Northeast Town, there are reports that some landowners, whose properties are located adjacent to lots where wind turbines are to be built, have taken out building permits and will strategically erect buildings (which they likely do not need) on their properties just to ensure that the setbacks for the nearest wind turbines, should they be deemed to cross property boundaries, will not prevent them from such development later on, and in so doing, ironically, establishing a claim on property they already own.

Manitoulin may be a windy area, but it is hardly a remote region of Ontario and any large-scale wind turbine development on this Island should certainly recognize that, increasingly, this is an area to which people are choosing to relocate, especially in their retirement years and there is virtually no part of Manitoulin, especially high elevations that afford beautiful views, that will not be attractive to someone seeking to situate a home.

Since these high spots are also the most attractive for wind power developers there is bound to be more of the conflict and concern that we are already witnessing.

Energy Minister George Smitherman, whose ministry oversees the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, told a reporter from this newspaper last week that his ministry is listening to concerns about setbacks and other issues relating to wind turbine location and that the eventual regulations that will accompany this Act may reflect some of these issues.

That is all well and good, but the fact is that people who right now feel that their property already has been or soon will be devalued because of the threat of these larges structures on adjacent lands seem to have no where to go for their concerns to be heard or, for that matter, for redress should the market value of their land actually fall as a result of a wind turbine project in their neighbourhood.

It's clear that the regulations that are being crafted to accompany this legislation need to focus on Manitoulin Island and other similar areas of the province where the wind turbines will be, literally, in someone's back (or front) yard.

And while NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) is considered by some people a selfish motivator, that is hardly a fair assessment of situations where a family's enjoyment of their property or their ability to develop it as they had planned or their ability to sell it except at a marked-down price becomes the new reality.

A legal mechanism must be put in place whereby brokered compromises can be reached. Clearly, some of this is taking place voluntarily as a statement in a Northland Power newsletter published in last week's paper indicates. The company states that rather than put up a set of high towers (one on Manitoulin near the swing bridge, the other on Goat Island) to take the project's transmission lines across the North Channel, the company will voluntarily (and at higher cost) use submarine cables for this portion of its power transmission process.

Since it's evident from this statement that these power lines can be submerged, this means they can also be buried and it would be a particularly meaningful gesture if Northland Power would offer to bury their transmission lines, rather than put in place a string of giant new transmission poles along sideroads and highways where people live now or may conceivably live in the future.

Realistic setbacks that will not compromise neighbouring landowners' property values or their ability to enjoy their real estate together with the visibility of the power transmission line process must be identified in the regulations that will accompany the Green Energy Act and realistic safeguards must protect the rights of neighbouring property owners.

These must include the current Northland Power project locally as well as any other similar projects in this province that are on the verge of beginning construction.

Letters to the Editor

Visitor dismayed by shrinking of Providence Bay beach

Spreading grasses, rising water are reducing tourist draw

To the Expositor:

For the past 20-plus years, my family and I have been visiting Manitoulin Island during the summer. For the most part, we spend a great deal of time at Providence Bay, camping at the Providence Bay Tent and Trailer Park. Each summer, we spend several weekends and try to stay during the week to explore all the Island has to offer and spend some time on the lovely beach at Providence Bay.

This year, we were stunned to find there is no beach. The grasses have moved in, the water level was high and the white sands we used to stretch a blanket and picnic on are depleted. I know there are indigenous species of plants that are only found in this area, hence the construction of the boardwalk to prevent trampling of plants. But what about your beach, a major tourist draw to the area? We enjoy visits to Carter Bay and Mindemoya, but we love Providence Bay. I would think it would be a great loss to the local economy to negate this obvious tourist draw. Photographs of this beach are even featured on the website for provincial parks.

In closing, I wonder if there is concern amongst those relying on tourist dollars in the area. The fishing isn't what it used to be, the beach isn't what it used to be; what will the future hold for this Island paradise?

Susan Horvath

Lively

Island docs lauded for drug crackdown

Drug abuse a provincewide issue

To the Expositor:

The Jim Moodie article on the use and abuse of opioids was excellent ("Island doctors agree to restrict flow of opioids," July 22). As Dr. Kevin O'Connor pointed out, this is a widespread issue throughout North America. There have been several tragic incidents on the use of oxycodone in southern Ontario and every community is dealing with this troubling issue. I am impressed with the community response of interest groups to get a handle on the problem. We in southern Ontario could learn something from you.

Norm Mohamid

a summer vacation Islander
 

Drivers should slow down

Must we wait for someone to be injured, killed?

To the Expositor:

Slow down, speed kills, leave space, maximum speed 80 km. Why do they put up these signs on our highways? Nobody pays heed to these signs, so why are they there? Everyone drives 10 to 20 kilometres over the posted limit to keep traffic moving.

Of course, there is always some white-knuckled idiot who comes from out of nowhere and sits 10 feet behind us waiting, not so patiently, to pass two, three and four vehicles. Of course they cannot always make it, and we are forced to brake suddenly or veer off to the side so this pea-brained idiot does not cause a head-on collision.

What are we to do? We cannot get away from these idiots, unless we lower ourselves to their level of intelligence, or lack thereof, and speed up ourselves. Maybe buy a pick-up truck?

Unfortunately, there are not enough law-enforcement officers to witness this and so it continues day after day.

What does it take for us to come to our senses? Must we wait for someone to be seriously injured and put in a wheelchair for life or, heaven forbid, be killed?

Can you imagine the pain and suffering that ensues from any accident whether fatal or crippling? Just think it may be you.

It is a privilege and a pleasure to drive on our highways and enjoy this beautiful country of ours.

It's not hard: all it takes is a little common sense and a little courtesy to slow down and obey the posted limits.

Eugene Debassige

M'Chigeeng