M'Chigeeng warns residents to watch for cougar in area

Notice follows a recent sighting of elusive wildcat on the reserve

by Jim Moodie

M'CHIGEENG-It was a cat that had Rachel Panamick fearing for the life of her dog.

At about 2:30 am on May 20, Ms. Panamick and partner Lee Taibossigai were awoken in their home at the corner of Hill Road and Church Hill Road in M'Chigeeng by a commotion outside.

"Something was at the side of the house digging through our garbage and the dog was barking at it," said Ms. Panamick. "I thought it was probably just a raccoon."

Then they caught a glimpse of the intruder, which had pried opened their garbage bin and was rooting through the contents. "We had the outside light on and were looking through the window," recalled the M'Chigeeng resident. "It was pretty big, and had a long tail."

The couple figured it must be a cougar, and later found a print in the yard that only adds to their conviction. The track, which they photographed, hasn't been analyzed yet by a wildlife expert, but looks pretty cougar-like, being round in outline, with a large heel pad and four toes, and lacking nail impressions-a telling detail, as cougars can retract their claws.

About six cougars are believed to call Manitoulin home, but this species-the largest of the continent's wildcats-is so elusive as to be nearly mythical, and sightings are exceedingly rare.

Still, when she first glimpsed the feline visitor, Ms. Panamick wasn't so much impressed as dumbfounded.

"I was shocked," she said. "Then I was scared, because I thought it would attack the dog."

Coda, the couple's year-old pooch, was outside guarding the home, and made an initial attempt to chase the interloper away. "The dog was trying to go after it," said Ms. Panamick. "Then it growled at him and scared him and he backed off."

After about half an hour, the long-tailed visitor "started walking down the street," said Ms. Panamick. As of late last week, it had not returned. Which is fine with Ms. Panamick, since she and her partner have three young boys.

All of the kids were sound asleep when the late-night yard invasion occurred, and missed the drama going on outside, but have been warned to be careful since. "I told them about the big cat," said Ms. Panamick. "I don't like them playing outside by themselves."

News also spread throughout the community, with the M'Chigeeng band office distributing a flyer to residents last week, urging them to be alert and to keep a lid on attractants like garbage and greasy barbecue grills. A bear had also been seen recently in the Cross Hill Road area, so there was a dual purpose to such vigilance.

While both bears and cougars could potentially harm a person, or their pets, the chances of this happening are quite slim. Particularly when it comes to cougars.

"We've never had a confirmed attack on a person in Ontario," said Rick Rosatte, a cougar specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), earlier this year. "The possibility is so remote that it's hardly worth talking about."

The MNR is currently devoting more manpower and technology to the study of Ontario's cougar population in order to get more information about the prevalence and distribution of the species. Forty new trail cameras-equipped with infrared and motion-sensing devices-have been deployed along routes where cougars are suspected to roam.

Expositor posts $500 prize for on-Island cougar pic

MANITOULIN-We know they're out there. Here's your chance to help us prove it.

As of this week, The Expositor is inviting readers to capture a convincing image of a cougar, the province's biggest wildcat and most elusive mammal. If you can, we'll pay you $500 for your picture.

There are a few stipulations. We'll need to see a date stamp on the image, or a date on a digital file, in order to confirm that the picture is current. We'll also need to confirm it was taken in our area, ideally through something in the frame itself that rules out another location.

For the purposes of this project, we consider "our area" any part of Manitoulin, plus the islands immediately surrounding us, including Birch Island, and the mainland as far north as Whitefish Falls and Willisville.

Grainy and inconclusive images will not suffice. The Expositor requires a photo that's suitable for newspaper reproduction and clearly of a cougar. Any image submitted to us will be subject to verification by wildlife experts before it's deemed authentic.

Should someone manage to grab that crisp and conclusive shot, the Expositor will play it prominently in our pages and as well as reward the photo taker with $500, but in return will retain exclusive rights of reproduction.

So keep your eyes open, and keep that camera with you at all times. You never know when a large, long-tailed feline just might lope into view.

Islanders seek support,face do-or-die scenario

Visit Wiky, M'Chigeeng this week to recruit helpers

by Sheila Bowes

LITTLE CURRENT-With a small turnout at its annual general meeting last week, the Mantioulin Islanders junior A hockey club's board of directors was faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to fold the team.

"Where are the season ticket holders?" asked the slightly perplexed head coach Reggie Leach as he looked around at the small group of nine fans, who had come to the meeting to show their support for the Islanders. "If people are so interested, why aren't they here?"

The meeting, which lasted just over an hour, was called to establish a renewed board of directors for the junior A team.

"If we don't get a board, we won't have a team," general manager Larry Roy flatly stated to the small assembly. "We need nothing less than six directors, preferably as many as 12 to get the job done. We need at least one from every community. That way, hopefully, we can get more fundraising in every community. We all definitely want to continue, but we need to get more directors; we can't run with just four or five or we'll burn ourselves out."

The Islanders management, which certainly hasn't had an easy road in the last few years, is looking to revamp the team, hoping that more discipline and accountability will lead to a more respected image within the Island community.

"I know we've made a lot of mistakes," said Mr. Leach, "I know I've got to be more consistent. Everyone was frustrated last year with players not showing up, missing buses, and so on. But we must move forward, we need a strong board of people who are willing to work hard. If I do something wrong, let me know, because we need accountability from all sides."

Mr. Leach outlined his hopes for this season, stating that building the team from scratch, getting organized financially and going in a new direction were ways that the team could potentially be more successful than in previous years.

According to current secretary-treasurer Dianne Nicholson, much of the advertising revenue (from signs on the rink boards) wasn't even collected.

"Some people did pay," said Ms. Nicholson, "But nobody knows who, or how much, or who didn't."

The board went on to acknowledge that some of the players didn't even pay their player fees before stepping out on the ice.

"That's something we need to change this year," said Mr. Leach. "All players need to have paid before lacing up. End of story. Before they sign their card, they must have paid their player fees."

According to Greg Lockeyer, who also attended the meeting, the board needs to have a new mandate.

"Once the board forms, we need to get together and designate various duties," said Mr. Lockeyer. "There needs to be a clear financial summary. I mean, how can you have a team with having no idea what it costs to run it? What does it cost to run a team? Is it $200,000? These are things the new board needs to work out so it can run effectively. That way, when we approach fundraising agencies, they are going to look closer at what we are doing if we are organized."

The open call, which invites any interested candidates, stressing the importance of needing people now, will be happening next week.

"We are going to hold a meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 pm in Wikwemikong at the arena, and Thursday, June 4 at 7:30 pm in M'Chigeeng at the UCCM Police Service in the Dashboard Room and everyone is welcome," said Mr. Roy. "Hopefully this will bring people from other places including Manitowaning, Tekummah, Kagawong, Gore Bay, and Mindemoya to a central location. I know there are several people from those places who attend games so if we bring the meeting to them, maybe they will come."

Those who are interested in becoming board members can contact current volunteer staff to put their name forward for a position, or to attend the upcoming meetings. Although there will likely only be 12 directors, Mr. Roy is hoping that there will be several additional volunteers who will aid in fundraising initiatives and advertising to keep a healthy stream of revenue available to help the team.

"Ultimately, we are here for the kids," said Mr. Roy, who says that the team will definitely be playing at least one game in both M'Chigeeng and Wikwemikong next year.

"Friday we will have a league meeting where we must make a commitment to the new season," he continued, "We will say 'yes' for now, but the support we receive from the community in the coming weeks will be the final determinant of that decision. So many say they want to help, but we need to act now if we want to see a team next year."

Islander says flea product caused pup to be paralyzed

Health Canada issues advisory stressing careful use of certain pest-ridding agents

by Lindsay Kelly

TEHKUMMAH-When Laura-Lynn Case brought home a 10-week-old puppy earlier this year, it was with the hope that it would ease some of the grief felt by a family who had just lost its matriarch. Little did she know that her family would soon be grieving for the puppy, which nearly lost its life after being treated with a readily available flea control product.

The family's puppy was so young it hadn't yet been to the vet, but because her family lives on a farm, Ms. Case wanted to prevent the young pup from becoming infested with fleas, and purchased Hartz One-Spot Flea Remover, thinking it would do the trick.

"Within 24 hours, he was partially paralyzed," she writes in a letter to the Expositor. "Eventually he had absolutely no control whatsoever, and the only thing he could move was his eyes. We took him to the vet, who said he'd heard of this but ours was the first pet he'd seen with these symptoms."

Over the course of three weeks, the family bathed the puppy twice a day, administered medicine prescribed by the vet, hand-fed and watered him, rubbed his body to keep the blood circulating, and prayed, Ms. Case said. Gradually, the pup began to heal, and one day he greeted his family at the door.

"Now he could move and eat some soft food, and by the next week he was nearly back to normal," she writes. "But his puppy nature changed-much of his play has gone out of him."

Ms. Case blames the flea control product for her puppy's condition. In a subsequent interview, she explained that she actually used less than the dosage suggested on the product's packaging and yet it still seemed to be too much.

After her puppy became ill, she began to conduct research into the product and others like it. What she discovered horrified her.

"The day I put it on the puppy, there was a warning about the product," she said. "I just felt awful because I just didn't do my research."

An online search reveals hundreds of claims by furious pet owners who have experienced similar health scares with their pets. Websites like www.hartzvictims.org and www.geocities.com/againsthartz are filled with stories from people whose pets have either become very ill or died after receiving treatment with Hartz flea and tick products. One poster even took out an ad on Craigslist to warn people against using them.

But Hartz maintains that its products are safe for use on pets, when administered properly, and has even set up a website in its defence,www.thetruthabouthartz.com, to "present the facts and dispel misconceptions about Hartz flea and tick topical products."

The company notes that its products go through rigorous testing required by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and any adverse affects must be reported.

"Tests conducted on Hartz active ingredients show the lowest toxicity ratings of any spot-on flea and tick products," reads a statement at the company's website. "According to the EPA's classification of toxicity, the active ingredients in Hartz topical treatments for dogs and cats are rated the least toxic of any pet pesticide active ingredients on the market."

Tests are conducted with five times the recommended dose to ensure that the products are still safe in any case of accidental overdose, the website reads. Even the two most common brands of flea and tick products sold by vets are classified as being "mildly toxic," the statement adds.

An independent study conducted by Charles T. Gaskins, PhD, professor of Animal Sciences at Washington State University, in 2008 indicates that "Hartz topical products account for less than 5 percent of all adverse effects" in pets during the 24 months of the study, and that, overall, "Hartz topical products account for 7 percent of all adverse effects" in pets studied.

The study looked at a variety of pet treatment products, including other brands such as Advantage and Sergeant's.

Taken in perspective of how many Hartz products are sold in North America, the number of pets that experience adverse effects is relatively low, the company argues. The key to preventing a pet from reacting to the product is proper usage.

"All EPA-regulated topical flea and tick products, including Hartz products, are non-systemic," the company argues. "They do not penetrate the skin, they do not enter the bloodstream and, therefore, they do not result in damage to internal organs."

Instead the active ingredients are dispersed across the skin via the animal's natural oils and the product remains on the skin and in the skin's oil glands, the company adds.

However, Hartz concedes that there are a percentage of pets that will react to the product, and they should be treated immediately.

"As with all flea and tick treatments, a small percentage of animals may be sensitive to some products," the website statement reads. "Most of these reactions tend to be mild and transitory, appear within 24 hours, and can usually be resolved by bathing. If the symptoms persist, the pet should be taken to the nearest veterinarian as soon as possible."

Mindemoya-based veterinarian Dr. Ted Delange agrees that there is always a risk when giving any animals treatment, and that the key is to apply it appropriately.

"The problem, even for a vet, who is legally able to dispense it, is that you have to have a relationship with the owner, and make sure they know and understand how to use it," said Dr. Delange, who was not the veterinarian treating Ms. Case's puppy.

The active ingredients in these products are permethrins, insecticides that Dr. Delange says are very effective in dogs, but can be toxic to cats. Quite often owners will purchase a large quantity for use on their dog, and then apply the remainder to their cat, but "they're using the wrong product on the wrong animal," he said.

Another common problem is that the product is applied incorrectly. Some treatments must be applied in a specific spot behind the animal's head, and if it is not applied high enough, out of the area that can be reached by a tongue, the animal could lick off the product, ingesting it, when it is meant for strictly topical use.

Even tea tree oil, which is commonly thought of as a more natural product, can be toxic, the veterinarian noted. The tea tree oil works as a topical agent, but an unwanted side effect is dermal absorption. Just because it's natural, it doesn't mean that there aren't risks associated with that product as well, he advised.

A bigger problem, he said, is that many of the products available for over-the-counter sale are ineffective. But he cautions against painting all treatments with the same brush.

"There are so many products out there, you can't really make a blanket statement about them," he said.

However, on April 16 of this year, Health Canada issued an advisory to the public about using flea and tick control products, indicating that treatments sold in retail outlets can be dangerous to animals.

"While many people have used these products without any harmful effects on their pets, adverse reactions reported range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases death," the warning reads. "As such, Health Canada is taking a precautionary approach and is advising pet owners to carefully read and follow all instructions noted on the product labels. Pet owners that are concerned with the use of flea and tick products should consult a veterinarian to ensure the product is appropriate and used safely."

The Health Canada statement further indicates that it is working in conjunction with the EPA to address the issue.

Dr. Delange agrees with the warning's cautionary tone, and suggests that the safest route for any pet owner is to bring their animal to the vet for proper treatment of fleas and ticks. That way they can be sure that the pet is receiving the right medication in the right dose.

"The upside is that a lot of the flea and tick stuff we're using now is much safer than the stuff we were using 20 to 25 years ago," he said. "It's long-lasting and effective and has pretty much no effect on people."

Regardless of what the science shows, Ms. Case said she will stay away from these products, often readily available in supermarkets and retail chains.

"The biggest thing, for me, is the guilt," she said. "It's tough because I think I'm doing the best thing for my pet and I caused this horrible thing."

One consolation is informing other pet owners about the precautions needed when using flea or tick control products on their animals. She'll be content if her story can prevent other pets from going through a similar situation.

The family continues to notice improvements in their puppy, and Ms. Case said he's growing, starting to run again, and some of his "puppiness" has returned. But there continues to be a lingering effect from his experience.

"Every day we see a difference in him," she said. "But he's closer to us now. He's not as adventuresome. He's not secure to leave too far, or do too much; there's an insecurity about him."

More information is available from Health Canada about flea and tick control products via its toll-free Pest Management Information Service at 1-800-267-6315.

EDITORIAL

Nuke-industry Cassandra vindicated by recent reactor shutdown

Sixteen months ago, the head of Canada's nuclear watchdog was sacked by the Harper government after calling for a maintenance closure of the antiquated Chalk River reactor. She was labelled a Liberal appointee and an alarmist.

Now that the same Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) facility is on the blink again, and worse so than before, it seems obvious that Linda Keen, the former president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, was not only a scapegoat-she was a seer.

In late 2007, the issue worrying Ms. Keen concerned a pair of cooling pumps that, contrary to safety stipulations, were not hooked up to an emergency backup system. Parliament overruled her demand for an extended shutdown to deal with this oversight and rushed the Chalk River reactor-which supplies a third of the isotopes used globally for diagnostic imaging-back into production.

Flash forward a year and a half, and the facility is down again, this time due to a heavy-water leak, and will remain so for at least three months. The problem is separate from the one identified under Ms. Keen's watch, and may have occurred regardless. Still, that red flag she raised in late 2007 about the physical condition of the plant now looks quite astute and prescient.

Ottawa, meanwhile, has adopted a weirdly tranquil attitude towards the crisis this time around. Whereas the demand for isotopes in 2007 was deemed so urgent as to override the concerns of an arm's-length regulator-and to warrant the canning of its president-the Conservatives are now assuring us we can get by with help from other countries and there's no need to panic.

Yet the problem is actually worse. The reactor is older, the hole in its corroded base is more serious and will take longer to fix, and the global stock of isotopes is ever more precious. Only a handful of Chalk River counterparts exist worldwide and each is getting grey in the tooth and subject to its own periodic shutdown.

All of which begs the question: What has Canada been doing since that scare in 2007-the one that caused a global medical chill and cost Ms. Keen her job-to rebuild its isotope infrastructure and ensure a safe and ongoing supply of these particles?

The latest move by the Harper government has been to announce a partial privatization of AECL, stating last week that the nuclear arm of the crown corporation should be sold. It also pledged to bring in a private-sector partner to manage its Chalk River albatross.

A better strategy would be to apply more care and scrutiny to the present incarnation of the taxpayer-funded corporation-a public inquiry into the AECL, as Green leader Elizabeth May has demanded, has merit-and to aggressively pursue alternative methods of isotope production that could ensure an uninterrupted supply of these medical necessities without fear of a nuclear mishap.

A world-class physics lab affiliated with the University of British Columbia, in collaboration with experts from across North America, has pioneered a way to create medical isotopes without the need of a nuclear reactor. This made-in-Canada technology, termed "photo-fission," would utilize photons in place of uranium-splitting neutrons and provide a sounder, less-scary source of the material.

It's a new idea, and not entirely proven, but it certainly warrants some serious consideration and support, because the current system in place-as Ms. Keen dutifully pointed out 16 months ago-clearly isn't working.

Letters to the Editor

Volunteer tree-planters lauded for restoration work

Trout-breeding facility will benefit

To the Expositor:

A large and heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help plant 2,000 trees along Norton's Creek last month. The students from Little Current and Manitowaning, our neighbours, Seija Deschenes from Manitoulin Streams and her family, Bob Florean from the Ministry of Natural Resources and his wife, Pauline, Paul Moffat from the Lake Manitou Association, and Delmer and Leslie Fields and their family were some of the many people who made the tree-planting day go smoothly.

Everyone's hard work of digging and planting brought Norton's Creek another step closer in its restoration to becoming a sustainable trout-breeding creek on Manitoulin.

Bob and Jean Hutton and family

Assiginack

Yarn biz praised for hosting fundraising quilt marathon

Money generated will help people living with cancer

To the Expositor:

On behalf of The Quilt, we would like to congratulate Wool 'n' Things for the success of their 30-Hour Quilting Marathon held on May 22 and 23, raising just over $15,000. We would like to like acknowledge the outstanding support that local businesses, service clubs, quilters and friends of Wool 'n' Things and owner Sharon Watson received at their recent Marathon. The money raised from the marathon is used to support people living with cancer.

This marks the fifth year quilt store owners across the country have stepped up to the plate and hosted 30-Hour Quilting Marathons (quilting bees) in their stores. To date, The Quilt has raised over $1.6 million to fund cancer support programs through partnerships such as Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in their development of an online support website, www.caringvoices.ca, as well as Wellspring (www.wellspring.ca) and other similarly purposed organizations providing free emotional, physical and psychological programs.

The quilting bee is one of the oldest forms of support for women and men; we want to publicly thank the dedicated quilters for their commitment to both The Quilt and Sharon Watson. Everyone at The Quilt salutes you and thanks you for supporting the efforts of Wool 'n' Things. You are part of an awesome and caring community!

Carol Miller

Stratford