UCCM demands parlaying with feds, not firms developing their land

by Lindsay Kelly

MANITOULIN-The United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin (UCCM) will no longer meet with developers, business proponents or industry representatives who seek to carry out developments on their traditional land.

The UCCM made the decision as a follow-up to a pair of Supreme Court decisions, handed down in 2004 and 2006, that placed the onus for consulting First Nations about development solely on the government.

However, from experience working on various projects, the organization and its member communities have found the complete opposite, and the processes undertaken on various projects have come in direct contravention of that agreement, said Art Jacko, UCCM manager for lands and resources.

"The responsibility rests with the Crown to meaningfully accommodate First Nations-they can't delegate that to the proponents for industry or to a third party," he explained. "What we're seeing is that the government is taking a very liberal interpretation of that and putting the accommodation of that solely on the proponent."

This is in direct contravention of the method by which First Nations have been conducting negotiations for centuries, and which have been set out in the treaties, Mr. Jacko added. The negotiations should take place on a nation-to-nation or government-to-government level, he added.

The problem, the UCCM believes, lies in the fact that the proponents or industry representatives don't understand the treaties, the historical significance that they carry, or the covenant contained within them. Proponents have even told them that they aren't concerned about the treaties and are only focussed on the bottom line, according to Mr. Jacko.

"Time and time again we have come across proponents with that attitude," Mr. Jacko said. "We don't necessarily blame them, because they're running a business."

The lands manager cites projects with Lafarge, Fisher Wavy and the Northland Power wind farm as examples in which the First Nations' concerns were not adequately weighed with regard to the impact of the projects. It's "unfair" that the proponents are given the task of facilitating the consultations when they don't know how to begin the discussion or understand the treaties, he added.

The government should take back the responsibility with which they were entrusted, he argued. That's why the UCCM has sent out notices to First Nations and government departments, giving notice that they won't entertain any consultations with developers unless the onus returns to the government and it fulfills its legal duty.

Yet the UCCM is equally critical of government officials who aren't familiar with the treaty history.

At a recent energy forum, UCCM officials met with representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure who were offering a guide on "how to consult with First Nations on energy projects that is in the best interest of the First Nations," Mr. Jacko noted.

But when questioned about the significance of treaties dating back to the early 1700s, no government official seemed to know their significance, or when that could be rectified, a fact about which Mr. Jacko is incredulous.

The UCCM's preferred alternative would be for developers to work according to the organization's own Relationship Law, which is currently in development and has passed its first reading. It outlines how industry proponents can work with the First Nations to build positive relationships, which Mr. Jacko said should be the focus.

"That's what we follow," he said, noting that communities like Sagamok and Pic River have devised similar strategies. "It's very clear and it lays out what we expect from people who want to consult with us."

Currently, the developers are doing "everything but what is in the relationship document," Mr. Jacko added, noting that developers are in too much of a hurry and try to rush projects through. "They're not interested in getting to know the people and really understand the First Nation's position and their treaty rights."

The UCCM also expects developers to get to know the community, and seriously consider their concerns about the impact of their projects on the land, the water and the air, rather than the "lip service" they're currently being paid, Mr. Jacko said. Some things are more important than money, he said: "You can't eat money."

"This is what the First Nations will follow right now until things significantly change to involve the First Nations," he said. "We have nothing against the proponents themselves, or the projects, but we have to make sure that meaningful consultation occurs."

Island doctors agree to restrict flow of opioids Oxycodone will still be prescribed,

but only for cancer pain, acute injury

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-In an effort to address the problem of painkiller abuse on Manitoulin, all of the Island's physicians recently endorsed a new policy that will severely curtail the prescription of opioid-based medicines.

"Doctors need and want to treat pain, and we trust our patients, but it is clear that too many pills are going out to the illicit market in our communities, and that this has become an urgent public health problem on the Island," said Mindemoya physician Kevin O'Connor, who drafted the prescription policy on behalf of the Island-wide medical staff. "As doctors, we can't be policemen, and it's very difficult to decide who is and isn't abusing the system, so our goal is to decrease the overall amount of medicine going out into the illicit market in the community."

Henceforth, no type of opioid-a synthetic narcotic that resembles naturally occurring opiates-will be prescribed through emergency rooms for chronic, non-malignant pain, such as ongoing back woes or headaches. Patients suffering from cancer or an acute injury like a broken arm are in a different category and will still be eligible for this kind of treatment.

On the clinic side, meanwhile, doctors will be much more judicious in the doling out of these painkillers, especially when it comes to oxycodone-containing medications, "which are particularly addictive and profitable on the black market," noted Dr. O'Connor, with a street value estimated at $1/milligram.

"For any new case, we won't prescribe any," said the physician. "And for existing cases, we will try to wean people down off them over the next year, and replace them with non-opiate medications and other treatment approaches, like physiotherapy."

An exception to the policy could be made in the rare case "where a physician really believes a person needs that kind of medicine and there are no alternatives," said Dr. O'Connor, in which instance a case review process would be available, allowing the prescribing physician to consult with other doctors.

If opioid medication is deemed necessary for a patient who falls into the "chronic, non-malignant" category of pain, urine drug screens would be applied to ensure the medication isn't being mixed with other non-prescribed drugs.

Additionally, all patients receiving opiate-type drugs will be screened via a standardized addictions-risk tool, and be required to sign a contract, consistent throughout the various physician practices on Manitoulin.

Dr. O'Connor stressed that "we're not targetting any community in any way," and that "we'll still treat people with legitimate needs as best we can." He also emphasized that scaling back the prescribing of opiates doesn't mean people will be left without any pharmaceutical option to alleviate their discomfort. "There is still a range of pain relievers we can use," he noted.

While the policy could result in an inconvenience or burden for some patients, Dr. O'Connor believes the physicians have a responsibility to do their bit to counter a glaring and growing problem.

According to a 2007 survey conducted through the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Toronto, almost a third of high-school students in Northern Ontario-27 percent-admitted to taking prescription opiates for non-medical use, he noted, and there's evidence that opiates are now among the most common street drugs, and overdose deaths from these drugs now outnumber heroin and cocaine combined.

And while Manitoulin's particular problem with painkiller misuse is far from unique or unprecedented-the drugs were plentiful enough, illicitly, in the Appalachians in the 1990s to earn the nickname "hillbilly heroin," and have also circulated to a worrisome degree on Canada's east coast and other diverse communities across North America-it is significant enough that the bulk of the clients served by an Espanola physician running a regional methadone practice hail from the Island, and doctors here have been made increasingly aware of the scourge.

They've heard about prescription-drug abuse "anecdotally, through patients we see," said Dr. O'Connor, and "have seen it directly in our clinics and in the emergency rooms." Doctors have also received input from community groups, such as a drug task force in M'Chigeeng. "People have been telling us it's a problem, and that they need our help. This is getting worse and worse, and we have to do our part to try to limit that."

A methadone practice, an outlet for which is presently poised to open in Little Current, provides a "good treatment option for those who are addicted," said Dr. O'Connor, but doesn't deal with the issue of the supply of drugs upon which people get hooked in the first place. "One aim of our policy is to prevent people from having those addictions," said the Mindemoya physician.

He feels doctors on Manitoulin have been largely responsible in the way they have prescribed medication, but also need to reassess their approach, given the illegal trade in these substances.

"Unfortunately there are too many prescriptions out there on the street, and I'm as guilty as anyone," he said. "Our health-care system is so stretched that in some instances it's easier to sign a prescription, because a longer appointment or ancillary care is not as feasible."

Dr. O'Connor feels it's a complicated issue, and that doctors are only one part of the solution. "It's a multi-faceted problem," he said. "Pain is a real issue, but there are social aspects and legal aspects to this, too."

Still, he's pleased that all of the Island's family doctors-spanning practices in Little Current, Mindemoya, Manitowaning, Gore Bay, and the Noojmowin Teg health centre in Aundeck Omni Kaning-have felt concerned enough to collectively hammer out a new, Manitoulin-wide approach. "It's quite a thing to have all the doctors agree," he said.

It won't serve as "a panacea to solve the drug problem," said Dr. O'Connor. "But we need to listen to community members and do our part to deal with it."

The problem has been apparent for some time, and the prescription policy is not in response to a single event, said Dr. O'Connor, noting that the Mindemoya physicians were discussing a new prescription approach long before the shooting death in Wikwemikong this winter that appears to have had a connection to painkiller abuse.

But incidents like the one in Wiky, along with others that have occurred in various Island communities since, have certainly thrown more light on the problem.

It's a problem that doesn't rest only-or even mainly-with individuals who seek pain relievers from physicians, in the view of Dr. O'Connor. Many, if not most, of these people are in genuine discomfort and could benefit from an opiate-type analgesic.

"Unfortunately, studies show that some people are selling their medicines," he said. "People with chronic disease or pain could be pressured by someone in their family or community, and often poor people are vulnerable to this type of pressure." The drugs are also stolen from homes, he pointed out.

That variety of crime, along with the coercion of people who happen to legitimately have opiates in their medicine cabinets, should occur less frequently once doctors apply the stricter approach to prescribing. "If those medicines aren't out there as much, there should be less of this," said Dr. O'Connor.

The main goal, he said, is to spare human suffering and improve "the safety of the community." Drugs like OxyContin create a false sense of security in abusers, since they're prescription medications and presumed to be safe, but they can actually be as harmful, or moreso, than other types of street-variety sedatives and hallucinogens when used for a high, the physician noted.

"If you take a long-acting medication and tamper with it to release it more quickly, it can stop your breathing and you can die," he said.

He and the other doctors on Manitoulin want to see a decrease in crime, such as break-ins and illegal trafficking, but above all they want to ensure that people, especially young individuals na.ve about opioid, don't meet a tragic fate.

"Our main goal is to not have overdosed teenagers," said Dr. O'Connor.

Language conference stresses immersion at higher grade levels

by Sheila Bowes

WIKWEMIKONG-To break language barriers that exist throughout the community and enable Anishinabe culture to flourish in future generations, the Wikwemikong Heritage Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Wiky band office held a language conference on July 15-16 at the community centre to teach community members the importance of language acquisition.

The two-day event, which brought in double the expected turnout, followed the message Kammoozhigzme wii Anishnaabemiyiing, which means "let's all work together to speak our language as a community-one mind, one spirit, one body."

"We wanted to show community members what is happening in other territories throughout Canada in regards to language retention," said Cynthia Bell, cultural programmer and organizer of the event. "In 2006, the Wikwemikong Heritage Organization implemented a community-based language training strategy. Our goal is to make Anishinabe language the predominant one in our community by 2016."

She continued that organizers thought the conference could act as a forum to discuss future plans as well as determine the differences among the languages in Wikwemikong.

"There are three languages in Wikwemikong," noted Ms. Bell, "Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe. The majority of people here speak Odawa. We wanted to test the differences and similarities between the three dialects."

Ms. Bell noted that "it's difficult at times to use only our language, because there aren't always translations for some of the more modern words. Words like computer were not invented long ago."

For situations like this, "we have a panel and committee that work together to formulate translations," she said. "We often pick the most predominant dialect, and put the other less-common ones in a glossary."

The conference also focussed on motivating attendees about the importance of language retention.

"Some people are resisting," said Ms. Bell. "Some, but not all, and it's important to show those people why there is a need for us to maintain our language."

In 2005, the Wikwemikong Board of Education implemented immersion from kindergarten to Grades 1-2, and since has been eager to expand immersion education to other grades.

"We are now trying to have immersion until Grade 4," said Ms. Bell. "In the future we would like to have it available throughout high school. However, when students leave school we also have to make it possible for children to learn outside of school, and that's where this community-based learning strategy comes in."

"Our language and ways of life are who we are as Anishinabe people," she continued. "If we lose those components then we will lose ourselves completely."

The event employed the use of workshops, meditation, and storytelling, and even had a "speaking bee"-which allowed those who could speak their original language to compete for prizes.

"I was impressed at the competitors," said Ms. Bell. "There were 14 contestants of all ages. When we gave each participant an English phrase they had to say it back to us in their native language. Garret Peltier, son of Norma Peltier won a new laptop. He is only about 10 years old and he was the last person standing."

The conference also brought in keynote speakers from near and far to express the importance of learning First Nations language and culture. Although most of keynote speakers spoke Ojibwe to immerse audience members in the language, many non-fluent community members also attended the conference, so Dominic Beaudry of the Wikwemikong Board of Education discussed his ideas in English.

"If you want to teach language you have to do it as children," said Mr. Beaudry. "Linguists believe that when children learn a language from when they are born to age seven, they never lose it."

Mr. Beaudry went on to say that in New Zealand, Indigenous children are learning the language of their culture from when they are born until age five, at which point they are capable of retaining it entirely.

"In Wikwemikong we don't have a policy like this," said Mr. Beaudry. "But we must if we are truly going support language acquisition. We need to model it like the people in New Zealand in order to have effective language programming. The children there have the option of full immersion all the way throughout high school and an option of doing a bachelor's degree in their own language."

Although Mr. Beaudry acknowledged some of the barriers-such as government funding-that hinder progress to date, those who attended were given an idea of what it will take to revive language within the community. Many who attended the event were excited during the second day and saw the conference as a stepping stone toward protecting First Nations culture.

"I thought it was very interesting and very informative," said Marie Eshkibok, member of the heritage organization and board of education. "If our MP Carol Hughes could lobby for us that would be great. If she, or some of our other leaders, showed some support of Native language, we might vote. Many Elders live the culture and are very active in it. It is so important to have language because if we lose it then we are no longer Anishinabe."

After taking in the two-day event, Josephine Eshkibok, an 80-year-old Wikwemikong resident, remembered the importance of keeping her language during years of residential school.

"They tried to take my language," said Josephine, who attended residential school in Spanish. "I was punished with the strap when I tried to speak. When I was 15 or 16 years old I went back to using my language. It is who we are."

Although it is yet to be determined if the conference will be an annual event, many agreed it was definitely a step in the right direction towards empowering community members and keeping culture alive.

Internet upgrades to begin this fall

by Lindsay Kelly

MANITOULIN-As soon as late summer or early fall, Islanders could begin to see towers go up that will support a new high-speed Internet network. In the meantime, residents still using dial-up are being encouraged to register with the federal government, which is creating a map of unserviced and underserviced areas across Canada.

"We're still looking at the end of summer or early fall for when the process is physically being started," explained Susan Church, general manager of the Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation, the organization facilitating the project. "A lot depends on the weather. I really can't put a timeframe on it because there are too many variables."

Earlier this spring, Blue Sky staff was on Manitoulin touring the area and testing to determine which areas are unserviced and which communities currently receive high-speed Internet, Ms. Church noted.

It's an important step in ensuring that OmniGlobe, the company tapped to create the network, isn't moving into an area already serviced by another broadband company, she added.

"We can't go into an area that is already serviced by Amtelecom," she offered as an example. "But we need to be sure, because residents are telling us that they're still not getting service."

One way in which residents can take action is to contact Blue Sky with information about their location and service needs. It will assist the organization in creating a more precise picture of where service exists. Ms. Church is quick to add that Blue Sky is not aiming to compete with any of the existing service providers; their goal is strictly to provide better service to residents.

"We encourage people to contact us-that would really help us to know where there is service," Ms. Church said. "One of the dilemmas we have is that a company will claim they have service in an area, but residents are saying they can't get service."

Residents have an additional option to speak out through the recently announced Industry Canada initiative that is aiming to map out unserviced and underserviced areas to expand the broadband network across Canada.

The federal government has pledged $225 million over three years to "develop and implement a strategy to extend broadband coverage to as many unserved and underserved households as possible, beginning in 2009-2010," the website notes.

The mapping website is accessible at www.ic.gc.ca by navigating to the "broadband Canada" area and typing your information into the feedback section.

"Basically, they're providing interactive maps and inviting Canadians to provide feedback about their area and whether they have Internet access," Ms. Church explained. "The information people provide will be the basis for where they think they have to spend the money."

By the end of the summer, the government will announce a call for applications to be announced, and that's when organizations like Blue Sky can submit proposals for projects similar to the one that will service Manitoulin.

As an added bonus to the Manitoulin project, Blue Sky will be able to assist businesses that have not previously had access to high-speed Internet. With funding left over from a previous pilot project, Blue Sky will set up satellite service for those businesses that don't currently have access to broadband, a service formerly offered through the Satellite Internet for Remote Areas (SIRA) program, designed to provide cost-effective high-speed Internet service to the business sector.

"Since we were building on the Island, it made sense for us to take over the program," Ms. Church reasoned.

At some point, public consultation sessions for the Manitoulin project may be required, but their necessity will be determined based on the height and location of towers. Industry Canada is responsible for that aspect of the project.

Blue Sky also plans to offer an option on its website for residents to determine whether their area is eligible for service by punching in their postal code. That information will become available when the final network design is determined.

Ms. Church acknowledges that people who are stuck with dial-up are frustrated and eagerly awaiting a sign of progress. But Blue Sky is keen to ensure the project is implemented properly, and for this to happen, the organization needs time.

"When we start a project, it takes a very long time, from the time you apply for funding, to issuing the RFP (request for proposals), to choosing a company to build the network," she said. "So a lot of things have to change."

To contact Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation, visit www.blueskyegc.ca, or call (705) 476-0874, extension 205.

FAMILY FUN! Some interesting apparatus-including a gyroscope, a rock-climbing wall and a sort of giant human slingshot-provided plenty of heart-fluttering

amusement for youth during the M'Chigeeng Family Fun Days held on the shore of West Bay over the weekend.

photo by Jim Moodie

Editorial

AMK_candidates should spark voter turnout this fall

There is going to be solid competition for the federal Liberal nomination for the Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing (AMK) riding and this fact portends a renewed interest among voters when the next federal general election comes, likely within the next year of the current Conservative minority government.

New Democratic Party MP Carol Hughes has quickly distinguished herself as a hard-working, constituency-oriented member who is also making her mark in parliament through the introduction of private member's bills on a standard national qualification for Employment Insurance benefits as well as on the concept of a national day memorializing infants and children who have died before their time.

At least on Manitoulin, Ms. Hughes has been a busy presence at community events, following in the tradition established by her predecessors: Liberal MPs Brent St. Denis and Dr. Maurice Foster.

Similarly, just as AMK voters have also come to expect, Ms. Hughes (or her staff) take and/or return phone calls and work with groups and individuals on their needs.

In short, Ms. Hughes has quickly established herself as a presence in this riding-and a hard-working one at that.

But in this Liberal camp, there is keen awareness that the evolving riding of Algoma East-then Algoma-Manitoulin and finally Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing-had been an uninterrupted Liberal stronghold since 1932.

And with that kind of pedigree, the Liberals want Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing returned to the red fold as quickly as possible, and that means the next election.

What is particularly exciting about the process the AMK Liberals are presently absorbed in is the fact that the race for the candidate's job has attracted qualified people from all corners of this vast riding: Joe Chapman from Manitoulin, Francois Cloutier from Moonbeam, Marc Dupuis from Hearst and Chris Wray from Wawa (although as of this writing, Mr. Wray has not yet been officially recognized as a candidate by the Liberal Party of Canada).

Mr. Chapman is a busy lawyer and former mayor of the Northeast Town. Mr. Cloutier works for the provincial Attorney General's office and is also a small business owner. Mr. Dupuis is a town councillor and vice-president of his area's regional economic development organization and Mr. Wray is the long-time chief administrative officer for Wawa-Michipicotin.

Clearly, the Liberals have put together a stable of heavy hitters who will come together to face riding-wide Liberal Party members for run-off votes in Blind River on August 22 and in Hearst on August 23.

With these four individuals campaigning for support across and around the riding during the next month and with Ms. Hughes going about the business of being an active MP in her riding during the same period, the level of political consciousness of the electors of AMK is bound to be heightened.

With any luck, the federal Conservatives and the Green Party will be as fortunate as the Liberals in attracting a variety of qualified individuals to contest for their nominations.

If we aren't already beginning to take an interest in this process, no matter what the cut of our political jibs, it is the best opportunity in many years to do so by joining one or another of our local riding associations and so become qualified to help select a candidate.

After every recent election-federal, provincial or municipal-we have lamented that voter turnout has dwindled yet again, not a useful comment on our important democratic process.

Just now, we have the opportunity to become involved, learn about the process and the people seeking office, and to help reverse the recent trend of voter apathy-at least in AMK.

Letters to the Editor

Fisher Harbour explanation unsatisfactory

Public needs to mobilize against environmental damage

To the Expositor:

I am writing in response to the July 15 issue of the Manitoulin Expositor regarding the article "First Nations, Fisher Harbour lock horns over water lot lease."

In 2003 the water lot lease at Fisher Harbour expired but this has not prevented the company from operating as it wishes. Are you or I allowed to drive our vehicles with an expired licence? Since then I have met over half a dozen times with various representatives from Alexander Centre Industries Ltd. (ACIL), the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Ministry of the Environment and the Whitefish River First Nation and have spent countless hour-reading and researching information regarding Alexander Centre Industries' application for renewal of its water lot lease.

Gillian Woodrooffe, current president of the McGregor Bay Association, on the other hand, has met once with ACIL and the MNR and is presently wading though the mountain of background information available on this issue. She is totally correct in expecting the Ministry of Natural Resources to take a more serious look at the dangers associated with the storage and handling of salt, metal concentrates, and other questionable commodities adjacent to the pristine shoreline of Georgian Bay at the mouth of McGregor Bay.

I do, however, take exception to Ms. Woodrooffe's view that she "came away from the tour (of Fisher Harbour) thinking that ACIL was trying very hard to satisfy the concerns of the various stakeholders" and that "they are a company that is going about its job the best way they can." She appears to have taken away any responsibility that should be that of Alexander Centre Industries. Historically, this company has carried out its operations with no regard for government regulations. Examples of this include the infilling of the shoreline at the port site and installing a very large culvert both without obtaining approval permits before commencing the work.

To this day, ACIL continues to chase the almighty dollar by operating as they wish with little or no regard for environmental concerns. Since 2003 when it was realized that ACIL was handling salt and sand that were not, and still are not, on their approved permit list, the company continues to receive and ship these products with, evidently, the blessings of the MNR. To give the company a little credit, they have cleaned up the debris and rusting machinery parts that used to be blight on the shoreline. Aside from that, salt stored adjacent to the shoreline continues to leach through inadequately built berms toward the lake. Ditches dug to collect salty water from the salt pile area leads to the water instead of away from the lakeshore and into an impervious collection pond. Salt blows into the air and water when salt is unloaded due to the use of open conveyer belts.

We must all take responsibility for our environment and protect this precious little place in our backyard. I ask you all, whether you live or vacation on Manitoulin, in McGregor Bay, in the Bay of Islands, or in First Nations communities, to participate in letter writing to the MNR_and ACIL, and by attending future meetings and public hearings to voice your concerns against industrial development that could negatively impact our environment.

Ann McGregor

McGregor Bay and Birch Island

Residents shouldn't worry about McLean's Mountain wind farm

Nuclear power is a worse evil than wind power

To the Expositor:

May I reply to the article in the recent Expositor regarding windmills around the Manitoulin ("NE Council seeks advice on windmills following plea by irked citizens' group,) July 15. Well, I have lived with my family in Little Current and area for 60 years, with 30 years in a self-employed electronics business. We came on an old rickety steam train from Halifax. When I saw that Little Current was the "last stop ladies and gentlemen" (as noted by the late Boyn Heis, who worked at the CPR station in Little Current) I said, "My God, what have I done!" Well I did very well, as well as five years as deputy cop with the municipal police department, under the late Fred Sagle, the chief, and 10 years as manager of the Manitoulin Island Telephone Company (Amtelecom) in Mindemoya.

My point is all this bitching and moaning over windmills, by people who weren't born when we came to the Manitoulin, would have got on the train back to Sudbury. These people who do nothing for us except gripe, but do nothing except sit in their summer cottages and then bugger off to Florida and spend their money in the Orange State. Please, I don't include our Manitoulin citizens. It's these outsiders who come and buy up land and think they own the country, but who feel they own the whole Island. The windmills don't bite, by the way.

Don't worry about the windmills. They said that about Dr. Bell, Einstein, and Henry Ford. How do you feel about atomic bombs?

Don Patrick

Little Current

Benefits of wind farms trivial next to those of major local employers

Bigger land-use tax should be levied in return for massive change

To the Expositor:

We live on an Island with a swing bridge. With respect to future wind projects on the Manitoulin, it's time to swing the bridge.

Please recognize that the McLean Mountain wind power project is likely a done deal. Northland Power is a global Canadian company with just shy of $200 million in revenues last year. This McLean's Mountain project is fast-tracked for completion as the government has provided sufficient incentive to Canadian wind-power companies to allow them to quickly monetize their investments. Northland Power's stock has increased 10 percent in value in the month of July.

The benefits to Manitoulin Island have been stated as follows: There are the lease payments to the 14 farmers/property owners, there are the taxes which will be approximately $100,000 per year, and following all of the initial building and placing of the turbines which will have a huge impact on the Island job-wise, there will be two-three operating positions and six-seven full-time maintenance positions.

The benefits are clearly trivial and mostly short-term, especially when compared to the benefits that other Island businesses provide. Consider Manitoulin Transport, the largest employer on the Island, which contributes millions to the Manitoulin every year through employment, technology and training with little negative environmental impact, or Lafarge, which patiently chips away at our western edge and employs many men from Gordon Township to Meldrum Bay. The Anchor Bar in Little Current employs more people than this operation will.

We, as the community, are giving up a huge piece of pristine environment so that 14 farmers/property owners can get lease payments, the municipality can pick up a pittance a year in taxes, and a handful of people can get employment. The shareholders of Northland Power get to reap profits for in effect perpetuity. Our representatives at least should have bargained for stock in the company so that we could see a reasonable return on this investment. Alternately a substantial land-use tax should be levied on this project that is a fair annual payment to the community for its tolerance of a massive change to our environment.

As a community we should look for businesses to invest on the Manitoulin that will enhance our lives and employ our people. We are being flim-flammed, and unfortunately in my opinion it is probably too late to bar the gate on this project. We should do what we can now to mitigate the many negative effects: light pollution, noise pollution, visual pollution, and I am sure numerous other unanticipated effects. We should at the very least bargain harder with Northland. They need us more than we need them.

Our representatives are dupes for accepting so little for so much. Let's not continue to cede our territory for baubles.

Bert Liffmann

Gordon Township