Northeast Council agrees to negotiate lakeside land sale for hotel project

by Lindsay Kelly

LITTLE CURRENT-The controversial hotel development for Little Current will go ahead following a six-to-three vote by Northeast Town council in favour of the proposal at a regular meeting last week.

The plan, presented by the Great Spirit Circle Trail (GSCT) at a public meeting three weeks ago, includes constructing a 65-room, four-storey hotel on the vacant parcel of land adjacent to the Manitoulin Welcome Centre. Suites, a conference centre, and a gift shop will all be part of the development, and the organization is also considering the addition of a swimming pool and spa.

The GSCT, which has eight member First Nations who will be offered the opportunity to invest in the project, plans to target specific visitor groups to fill its rooms, including tour buses, and First Nations conferences.

Council Paul Skippen, who voted against the proposal, suggested that council should heed the sentiment behind a petition submitted by taxpayers. It called for a halt to the sale of public waterfront land, asking that an alternate location be considered.

There has been a suggestion that the petition was misleading in its appeal to save Little Current parkland, as the property is, in fact, zoned as commercial land and has always been intended for commercial development.

"There were 700 names on a piece of paper, and some of them may not have understood what was going on, but at least half of them did," Councillor Skippen said. "Even if there were 350 people on there, I would have to support them, so I will be voting against this."

Voting in favour of the plan, Councillor Marcel Gauthier suggested that there are plenty of other areas of green space in the community that remain in the public domain, including the walking trails adjacent to the information centre, Low Island Park, Turner Park, a play area at the library, and others. "If there's a feeling out there that we're jeopardizing parkland, we have all kinds of parkland," he said.

A previous council set aside the land 20 years ago with the express intent of development, a move Councillor Gauthier called "astute." He noted that the GSCT proposal has received support from the Little Current Business Improvement Area, former Little Current mayor Ed Laidley, who was a member of the council who set aside the land, and the Anchor Inn, who all agree to a new hotel for the town.

"We're a tourist town-this is something that we need here," Councillor Gauthier said. "I can't understand what the problem is."

But the support of a few businesses doesn't discount the general feeling of the taxpayers, argued Councillor Bill Koehler, and their concerns need to be kept in mind.

"The petition weighs a lot to me when you have 600-700 people," he said. "A lot of those people are who I represent and that's why I'm sitting here: to represent them and their best interests."

He also expressed concern that competition from new accommodations would render current motel operators vulnerable to closure. "They've been here for some time," he said, "and I would hate to see them, in the wintertime, with a sign up saying, 'Closed for the season.'"

Councillor Al MacNevin, who has been a strong supporter of a hotel development at the Highway 6 site, noted that the council's focus has been to create economic development opportunities for the community as opposed to just unloading the land. Past studies and discussions have shown that the Highway 6 property is an ideal location for a project that would enhance the waterfront while keeping with the municipality's goals.

"I wonder what we could possibly be conceiving that would come forward that wouldn't be a hotel that would enhance the waterfront," he argued. "Not a big box store, a Wal-Mart, a Kresge's, a mini-mall. I don't think any of us would have been interested. This is the ideal location for what we're seeing proposed today."

Councillor MacNevin additionally commented on the professionalism and vision of the GSCT and expressed optimism about the organization's foresight in planning to expand the tourism market on Manitoulin.

The decision was a difficult one, conceded Councillor Melissa Peters, but she noted that she weighed the potential economic benefits to Little Current, the town and the Island, as well as job creation, tax revenue, and expanded tourism.

"It will, I believe, encourage people to come here, to stop, and to visit for a while," she said. "It's not a perfect proposal but it is a good basis on which to negotiate on building an agreement that will benefit not only the municipality and the proponents, but our surrounding communities."

In making her decision, she said did not put much stock in the petition as that form of protest is typically "error-ridden." In the case of this petition, she added, the meaning was vague, some signatures appeared more than once, others who signed were not from the municipality, and some signers "were disturbed at an inconvenient time and signed to get rid of the petitioner."

Councillor Christina Jones zeroed in on job creation, which she has previously cited as a focus during her term, as a major benefit to the hotel. "We need to have jobs and I feel that this is a great opportunity to have jobs created," she said.

The motion passed at Tuesday's meeting authorizes town staff to enter into negotiations with the GSCT for the sale and development of the land, including the hammering out of stipulations surrounding property boundaries, the potential stopping up of Campbell Street West, the price, site plan controls, and a commitment to timelines. Any contract would come to council for final approval before going forward.

In a recorded vote, Councillors Gauthier, Jones, MacNevin, Orr, and Peters, along with Mayor Jim Stringer, voted in favour of the plan, while Councillors Koehler, Skippen and Wood voted against.

Northern Aquaculture chairman applauds Ont. review of industry

by Michael Erskine

MANITOULIN-If you want to get a quick rise out of aquaculture pioneer Mike Meeker, three words will generally do it: Georgian Bay Association. Mr. Meeker refuses to temper his outrage over what he says is blatant misinformation being put forward by the environmental group.

"They worship at the skirts of the Great God Suzuki," said Mr. Meeker, who said he has found himself in a position of trying to counter a well-organized, well-financed, media-savvy organization. Surely he does not want to be quoted on that. "Go ahead," he responded. "I am tired of getting beat up by people who claim to be concerned about the scientific evidence and then turn around and ignore it when it doesn't suit them."

The Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association (NOAA) rep took aim at the aquaculture industry's gadflies on the subject of public opinion. "They are very clever at implying, like they did in a recent story in the Toronto Star, that they have the support of most of the cottagers on the Great Lakes," he said. "I have had hundreds of people through my operation, and that includes a lot of cottagers, and I have not found that to be the case at all. Once people discover the truth they tend to be very supportive of our efforts."

While in the past aquaculture representatives have often railed against government ministries such as the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Oceans and Fisheries Canada (DFO) for what they characterized as placing obstacles in the way of the industry, there has been a recent sea change in how the industry views at least one ministry these days.

"If Donna Cansfield were to run for prime minister I would vote for her," quipped Mr. Meeker, who claims to be apolitical and non-partisan as a personal rule. The Natural Resources minister has obviously made a deep impression on the voluble fish farmer. "I like that she does what she says she will do," he said. "It kinda renews your faith in the system."

Mr. Meeker asserts that there has not been a significant change in support from government, but rather that the big difference lies in voiced support being translated into action. "We have had very positive reactions from government officials and ministers," he said. "But the difference is that Minister Cansfield has the administrative moxy to actually get the bureaucracy to moving. She is doing what she is supposed to do."

Mr. Meeker noted that although overseeing the aquaculture industry is just a small part of the minister's job, he feels that she has done an outstanding job in finding out what the facts are as well as she could.

"The point is there are no major issues here regarding the industry," said Mr. Meeker. "We, as an industry, have been very diligent in ensuring that environmental concerns are addressed. We need clean, healthy water if we are going to produce a quality product."

The concerns expressed by environmentalists about water quality are the same concerns as those of the aquaculture industry, noted Mr. Meeker. "Except we are actually doing something constructive to ensure that not only will there be fish to eat that people in Ontario are used to being able to eat, but also that the jobs to be had in raising those fish are right here in this province," he said.

Mr. Meeker said that, after a hiatus of several years, he is now once again fielding calls from young people interested in careers in the aquaculture industry.

"Listen," he said. "This is a tough business, it involves a lot of hard work, outside, in all kinds of hard weather. You are not going to get rich at it, but if you work hard, have a little bit of luck and stick at it, you can make a decent living."

The fish farmer pointed out that while the spectre of shore-to-shore fish cages stretching from Killarney across the North Shore is constantly being placed before the public, the truth of the geography belies that possiblilty.

"There is room for growth, lots of growth," said Mr. Meeker. "But there is a definite sustainable limit." The essential criteria for a good fish cage operation, especially near shore, places strict limits on how many can be put in place. "There just are not that many good sites," he said.

Mr. Meeker knows a lot about which he speaks when it comes to innovation and research in the aquaculture industry. The province recognized his efforts last year with the regional Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence for his all-natural local product, Meeker's Magic Mix.

"Meeker's Aquaculture, in conjunction with NOAA's research efforts, developed the environmentally friendly compost by utilizing byproducts from Ontario's aquaculture and forestry industries," said Karen Tracey, executive director of the NOAA. The result? "A quality fish compost with high nutrient value for lawns, gardens, flower beds, crops and re-greening projects," said Ms. Tracey. "This product ensures that all waste from aquaculture operations is fully utilized.

Ms. Tracey also pointed out that there have been five new jobs created on the West End of Manitoulin directly as a result of this new enterprise.

Ms. Tracey noted that "the NOAA is taking a proactive approach regarding the importance of aquaculture for providing a healthy food that takes the pressure of the declining wild stocks," adding: "You can't save wild fish by eating them."

The NOAA presented Minister Cansfield with the final report of the Ontario Aquaculture Strategy in Toronto. Following the presentation of the report, the aquaculture team invited Minister Cansfield to a Seafood Road Show extravaganza event that was also in Toronto the same week. "Minister Cansfield not only attended," said Ms. Tracey, "she brought three staff people with her."

The food event was organized by the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (Ms. Tracey also sits on the board of directors of CAIA) to provide a fresh profile for the industry as a whole, but with "a focus on the wide range of high quality, delicious seafood products that are grown with right here in Canada," said Ms. Tracey.

"The NOAA and government are researching the establishment of a Cage Aquaculture Innovation Demonstration Farm project to develop and evaluate innovative technologies and practices designed to enhance the social and environmental sustainability of the agri-food sector," said Ms. Tracey. "Over the coming year the NOAA will be the industry lead to develop a comprehensive plan to establish this new farm in northern Lake Huron to validate and demonstrate alternative technologies including: nutrient management strategies, fallowing, feeding strategies, and new cage construction."

The NOAA has recently hired two staff to assist the aquaculture industry in the North, said Ms. Tracey. Todd Gordon is the research and development coordinator, and his job will be to report and provide advice to the executive director and the NOAA board of directors on matters of the environment, science and sector R&D. Mr. Gordon has a Masters in science from the University of Guelph.

"To meet the needs of our association mandate, the NOAA also hired Manitoulin resident Lori Thompson as our new executive assistant," continued Ms. Tracey. Lori has been a welcome asset to the NOAA, bringing a strong background in office administration, bookkeeping, record management, public liaising, communications and desktop publishing. The recently reconstructed NOAA website at www.ontarioaquaculture.com is a direct result of Lori's efforts."

Ms Tracey went on to say that the NOAA is very pleased to welcome both Todd and Lori to their office at 13 Worthington Street in Little Current. "An open invitation is extended to anyone interested in learning more about our growing, essential agri-food industry and would like to meet our staff, to call or stop by our office," added Ms. Tracey.

King George III medal

Once again in the auction catalogue while OCF_pleads for its acquistion

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-The great-great-grandson of a decorated First Nation chief is now hoping that Ottawa-named, ironically enough, after his Odawa people-will step in to prevent the sale of a rare medal that was passed down through the generations of his family.

"This is a piece of cultural patrimony that belongs to the people, not one person," said Mike Cywink, a Wikwemikong band member and former museum curator residing in Espanola. "I don't have the money to go out and fight this in the courts, so the only way to stop it is if the Crown or Veterans Affairs intervenes."

The King George III medal, awarded to Mr. Cywink's ancestor Egomenay in 1764 for his role in the rescue of British officers, is currently in the possession of Alan Cywink, a 72-year-old uncle of Mike's. But it won't be much longer, if the septuagenarian has his way.

As of this week, the artifact is listed in the sale catalogue of Bonhams-a British auction house dating to 1793-and is set to go to the highest bidder this coming Monday, November 30.

It's not the first time the heirloom has been on the block. Back in May, the elder Cywink had also put the item up for sale through Bonhams, but it was removed at the last minute due to the controversy this move caused among some members of the family and its airing in the press.

"There was a lot of bad publicity," the owner said, citing this newspaper as an example, although the scratching of the auction item occurred before the Expositor published a story on the issue. "It was giving a bad name to the auction house, and I was getting kicked around like a football, so I withdrew it."

Since then, Alan Cywink has put together more documentation and letters of support from his siblings, nieces and nephews to assure the broker that the item is clearly his to part with if he sees fit. "My mother gave it to me with no reservations when I was turning 14," he said. "All of my immediate family are aware of this."

But to Mike Cywink, that inheritance is not something for which his uncle should claim sole ownership, but rather a stage of custodianship. "From 1764 to 1904, this medal passed from generation to generation, with a member of the Crown to register its passing," he said. "It came to my great uncle, J.P. Sinabe, who died in World War I."

Following the latter's death, the medal and related documents ended up in the war museum, but were then delivered to his grandmother Agatha in Whitefish Falls, he said. Two great aunts subsequently had the artifact, which was finally handed down to Alan's mother and then to Alan himself.

To Mike Cywink, it has always been his family's responsibility to maintain the relic on behalf of the Odawa people. "It's not for us personally," he said. "We're caretakers of the provenance."

Only three such medals, along with letters of commendation from high-ranking British officials of the day, were ever bestowed, according to Mr. Cywink. "This is the only one we know of that is still out there, with papers attesting to its authenticity," he said. "The other two are likely in the Smithsonian."

The decorations were conferred for heroic service during the Pontiac rebellion of 1763. The Cywinks' ancestor, Egomenay, sheltered British soldiers whose garrison at Michilimackinac had been captured, and safely delivered them to Montreal.

In an original certificate addressed to Egomenay, Sir William Johnson, the superintendent of Indian Affairs at the time, writes: "These are to Certify that the Bearer, an Indian Chief of the Ottawas Nations, has been well recommended by the Officers commanding the outpost for his Services in saving the Garrison of Michilimackinac and La Bay last year from the Fury of the Enemy and also taking them down to Montreal with the Traders Goods. For all which as well as for his behaviour here, and the engagement he has now entered into before me, I give him this Testimonial as a proof of my Esteem for his Services. Given Under My Hand and Seal at Arms at Niagara the first day of August 1764."

The round medal, cast in silver, bears the bust of King George III on the face, and a royal coat of arms on the reverse, and is described as an Indian Peace Medal.

Alan Cywink said he appreciates the value of this artifact and his decision to put it up for sale was not made lightly. "I've sat on it for 60-odd years," he said. "If I wanted to get rid of it, I could have gotten rid of it a long time ago to private collectors."

In the meantime, "I've also spent a lot of my own money to bring it back to good condition," he said, noting that he hired a restoration expert "to work on the original parchment," which had come apart over the years and been roughly glued back together. "That took a year, and it wasn't cheap."

In his view, the historic material is "not doing any good to anybody sitting here," and his hope is that it will be acquired by a museum or cultural institution. "It should go to a public place where everybody can see it, and if it goes to a Native organization, all the better," he said. "I don't think it's something that should be left in the cupboard of my house. It's part of Canadian history."

The risk, of course, is that a well-heeled individual could place a higher bid for the relic-its estimated value, at the Bonhams website, is $20,000-$30,000-than those cultural or heritage groups that may covet the item.

"The main thing is to keep it out of private collectors' hands," stressed Alan Corbiere, curator of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation (OCF) in M'Chigeeng. His own institution would love to have the item in its collection, but lacking the means to put in a bid, Mr. Corbiere hopes "somebody blocks the sale or purchases it on behalf of the OCF or some similar organization."

The Anishnabek Nation-also referred to as the Union of Ontario Indians (UOI)-has expressed interest in the medal in the past, while other potential takers include the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa and the Little River Band of Odawas in Michigan. But, again, there is no guarantee that any of these groups will place a bid on the artifact, let alone the winning bid.

As the auction date looms, Mike Cywink is feeling far from confident that a First Nation group will come to the rescue. "Maybe the UOI will be one of the people bidding on it," he said. "But after the process of getting it stopped the first time, I never got a call from any of the chiefs; all I got was a brief support letter from (then grand chief) John Beaucage, and then the same letter signed by (current grand chief) Pat Madahbee."

Meanwhile, he's sought the support of MP Carol Hughes-whose party, he noted, has put forward "a bill to prevent the sale of war medals"-and is hoping some last-minute political pressure can be brought to bear on this situation.

"As far as I'm concerned, the only way it can be preserved is if the government gets involved to stop the sale," said Mr. Cywink. "It should be held in trust as something for our children and grandchildren."

His uncle feels the sale is legitimate, as there was never any directive from his mother to hand it down to a younger Cywink. "There's nothing saying it has to be that way," he contended. "When my mother gave it to me, she never said you have to give it to somebody within the family."

The keeper of the heirloom said he "did ponder for a long time who I might give it to, but couldn't find anyone I could honestly say would hold it in the family." He feared a subsequent guardian, with less respect for its history, might "run to the nearest antique store."

Even if it ends up in a museum or the like, the family can still have a virtual connection to this history, he argued, as he's scanned both faces of the medal, as well as the documents. "It's all on disc," he said. "If anyone in the family wants copies, they can just call me. Many of them already have."

To his nephew, who previously served as curator of the OCF, that kind of legacy isn't nearly as meaningful as preserving the actual artifact.

"To give it up is to give up a part of our history," said Mike Cywink. "If it goes to an individual buyer, where's the remaining history for the Cywinks and the Odawa people?"

FLU FILES

There's enough swine flu vaccine for every citizen

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-A bigger batch of the H1N1 flu vaccine is on its way and everyone is now being welcomed to roll up their sleeves for a shot, along with primary candidates like pregnant women and young children.

"It's open to the general public now," said Lisa Schell, manager of clinical services with the Sudbury and District Health Unit. "We're expecting more shipments of the vaccine, and are no longer restricting it to priority groups."

On Friday, CBC news reported that 4.8 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine were on their way to the provinces, with shipments expected to have arrived early this week. Prior to this, the biggest batch distributed by supplier GlaxoSmithKline was less than half that amount.

"At this point we haven't received our next shipment," said Ms. Schell on Friday. "But as we receive it we will look at the potential for additional community clinics. In the meantime, we're advising people make an appointment with their health unit or health-care provider to receive the vaccine."

The vaccine was also provided within elementary schools on Manitoulin this week so that students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 could be immunized. Clinics were set up in Little Current Public School on Monday, and at Central Manitoulin Public School on Tuesday, with students from other Island schools being transported to one of these two locations.

"All the schools are involved," said Ms. Schell. "But the boards agreed on doing this in larger schools, where kids can be bussed. It seems to be working quite well."

Originally, community clinics had been scheduled for Tehkummah on November 19, and Espanola on November 21, but these, among others in the district, were cancelled due to a brief holdup in vaccine supply.

The shortage developed when the supplier had to temporarily shut down production of the regular H1N1 vaccine so it could make an adjuvant-free version for pregnant women. (Adjuvants are chemicals added to a vaccine to boost the immune system's response.)

At this point, the health unit is expecting the inoculant to arrive in regular and sizable enough quantities to satisfy demand. "We receive weekly shipments, and we're certainly confident that we can offer it to anyone who wants it," said Ms. Schell. "As we get it, we'll look at where we can hold clinics."

The health unit has already begun scheduling clinics again, with one held this past Saturday in Sudbury, and another slated for this Friday (November 27) in Azilda, from 8 am to 8 pm at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre. Such clinics aren't restricted to members of the communities in which the are held, so Manitoulin residents are welcome to attend an off-Island clinic if they wish, said Ms. Schell.

To date, the Sudbury and District Health Unit has administered over 17,000 doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine and has distributed over 23,000 doses to hospitals, health-care providers, walk-in clinics and First Nations.

While the vaccine is now available to all adults and children over six months in age, the health unit is still emphasizing the importance of the shot for those who fall within the more vulnerable population. "Although everyone can benefit from vaccination, we continue to encourage people in priority groups to get vaccinated," states a release from the unit.

Priority groups include: people under 65 years of age with a chronic medical condition; pregnant women; healthy children from six months to five years in age; people living in remote and isolated settings or communities; health-care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health-care services; household contacts and care providers of infants under six months of age; and household contacts and care providers of people (regardless of age) who are immuno-compromised or who may not respond to vaccine.

Healthy children five to 13 years of age are additionally urged to receive the vaccine; if they missed the school-based clinic, parents should arrange an appointment through the health unit or their family physician.

Children under three years of age are encouraged to receive a second dose, as are those between three and nine years old with underlying medical conditions. In these cases, the health unit recommends that parents call their health-care provider first; if the vaccine is unavailable through this setting, they should make an appointment with the health unit.

People 65 years of age and over are generally not considered at risk of contracting H1N1, but those with an underlying health condition are advised to undergo vaccination.

While the impression might be that the worst of the H1N1 wave has abated, research undertaken in Ontario-utilizing blood tests and a questionnaire-suggests that two-thirds of the population is still at risk of contracting H1N1.

"What we are saying is that the majority of you out there, you are still susceptible to this," Dr. Michael Gardam, of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, told the CBC. "So, just because we have had two peaks, this doesn't mean that everybody has had it and we can all go home."

EDITORIAL

Structure at swing bridge lends itself to amber alert

The new steel superstructure that now spans Highway 6 on the Little Current side of the swing bridge appears more than sturdy enough to carry more than the array of stop lights it was built to display.

The new multi-lane approach to the swing bridge required that the new structure be built as each lane now has its own stoplight.

This sturdy edifice, with a foot firmly anchored on each side of the highway, appears that it could also easily support, on its top side, another sign display: a digital, amber sign.

So far, these large amber signs have only appeared above Highway 400 and 401, on the four-lane portion of Highway 17 west of Sudbury and on the four-lane portion of Highway 69 just south of Sudbury, as well as on other major provincial routes.

They are a useful convention as they warn of road conditions, remind drivers and passengers about seatbelt safety and, lately, have been a useful reminder of the law concerning driving while using hand-held cell phones, texting or emailing.

They are also, of course, used to give the "amber alert" public alarms when a child is feared missing.

In the summer months, especially, a tremendous amount of traffic passes off Manitoulin Island, funneled to the single-lane swing bridge, and every car leaving Manitoulin by this route must pass under this new superstructure.

A digital amber notification system could easily be added to this sturdy support unit, sitting above the stop light array.

In the winter time, it could warn northbound motorists of weather hazards between Little Current and Espanola, or of the occasional road closure, in addition to all of the useful educational information concerning seatbelt safety, the use of cell phones and penalties for exceeding the speed limit.

In the busy summer months, friendly warnings about drinking and driving, cell phone use by drivers, and seatbelt and infant car seat safety, would have the force and effect of several additional OPP officers. It could also remind drivers of potential animal hazards (deer) and notify them of upcoming delays in crossing the bridge as it continues to undergo a major retrofit.

And, of course, such a sign could be a Manitoulin link to the amber alert network that is designed to put every citizen on watch to help locate a child that may have been abducted anywhere in Ontario.

It would seem that the superstructure for a such a sign is already in place.

An amber notification system would help to make us all more careful drivers and, of course, in the event of an amber alert, would effectively deputize the citizenry of Manitoulin Island to help ensure a missing child's safe return home.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) should seriously consider utilizing the expensive sign support system it has already put in place in order to help Manitoulin's visitors and full-time inhabitants alike become better informed and more helpful citizens.

Letters to the Editor

Another dog falls victim to careless hunters

It will take a human fatality before something is done

To the Expositor:

I am writing about a dog that died needlessly today. Shot down literally in the prime of his life. Once again a dog was mistaken for a deer. I don't know how many dogs stand as high as a deer but I guess maybe the hunter thought it was a fawn (lots of meat there you know). The hunter at least went to the owner and apologized for the mishap and offered to bury the pet. A loved pet-as if that makes it all right. I figure we are just waiting for a child or adult to be killed and then something will be done. There are so many plots of bush on the Island that are secluded and this is where they should be hunting; and if a shot goes wrong they will either shoot each other or air. I understand most hunters are responsible and make sure they are shooting what they are supposed to, but this does not help the owners of other animals that are needlessly killed because of the hunt. My deepest sympathies go to the owner of the poor dog.

Barbara Taylor Black

Spring Bay

Remembrance exhibit at Old Mill credited to many helpers

Museum would not exist without contributions from board

To the Expositor:

I just wanted to add a thought to the letter Larry Killens wrote to Billings museum board chairman Wes Newburn that was printed in last week's Expositor ("Kagawong Remembrance Day display a world-class exhibit," November 18). I greatly appreciate Larry's kind words, but I would like to deflect the credit for the success of this year's Remembrance Week exhibit to the members of the Billings museum board. The organizing and planning for a military display of this magnitude is a joint effort. I am so grateful to have such a dedicated team of volunteers who care so much for the heritage of this community. There is no way I could function as curator, nor would this museum exist, without them. Each one had a hand in putting together this military exhibit and I am very much in their debt for helping me. Kindest, warmest regards go out to board members Wes Newburn, Barb Edwards, Brad MacKay, Sharon Alkenbrack, Dianne Fraser, Austin Hunt and Tom Imrie. Rolling up their sleeves and pitching in at the Old Mill Heritage Centre is not an isolated occurrence for this museum board. It happens all the time. I would also like to thank everyone responsible for loaning their military artifacts for this year's display. Finally I offer my deep gratitude to the veterans and their families who have provided their personal belongings to our permanent military exhibit at the Old Mill Heritage Centre.

Rick Nelson

Old Mill curator

Kagawong

Politicization of communications disturbing

Political sleaze distributed through 10 percenters on gun registry

To the Expositor:

Over the last few months I have been getting increasingly concerned about the politicization of communications at all levels.

First, let me deliver kudos to your reporting staff, specifically Tom Sasvari at the Recorder and to Sharon Jackson (with a small suggestion to Sharon).

A while back, I reminded Tom that his role as reporter of news is to present a balanced view. Hat tip to Tom, I have absolutely no complaints in his recent handling of local electoral events.

Sharon Jackson interviewed both candidates running in the Billings election. As far as I can read, she did not challenge the stated positions of either candidate, although had she done her research, she would have found some glaring conflicts or about-faces in the positions of one of those candidates.

Neither did she appear to question some statements that clearly needed a hard challenge, such as "the marina will not cost the taxpayer one dime." While literally that is true, it would, if ever approved, cost taxpayers multiple millions. The concept appears to be a rehash of a study made at least six years ago and in the dollars of the day was then priced in excess of $6 million! Astonishing! What is more troublesome-Billings scuttlebutt being ahead of formal reporting-is that should Mr. Foster be elected, he, plus some members of the existing council, would have a voting lock on swiftly passing a motion to move ahead with this project!

I have a suggestion for supporters of this proposal. Any elected council member who has a pecuniary interest in any of the lands surrounding the marina, and who might benefit from advancement of such a project, is duty bound to recuse themselves from any discussion and vote on any related motion. I'm pretty sure that this would dramatically change the balance of power in this matter.

On other politicized communications, I have been royally ticked off by receiving from Conservative Party MPs from other parts of the country, mailings (usually called ten-percenters) blatantly promoting a private member's bill (not even official government policy) and encouraging voters in this riding to pressure our elected MP Carol Hughes to support this bill.

A dart for those sleazy MPs who play this game. They are funded to communicate to the voters in their own ridings what they have been doing in parliament. Using these communications privileges for proselytizing partisan policies through the backdoor is perverting democracy as far as I am concerned.

I won't comment on Ms. Hughes's apparent lack of any principles, but I will point out to any opponents of the gun registry that 74 percent of Canadians in a recent poll want the laws changed to force any guns to be kept out of city limits (shades of the Wild, Wild West) and slightly more than 50 percent of those polled want guns banned totally in Canada-so this issue is not going to go away, and this private member's bill will be fought tooth and nail.

Another dart for the contributors of a so-called community newsletter that circulates in very narrow circles, specifically what I refer to as the HQ of the "unelected self-appointed shadow Billings Council." When Ruth Farquhar, who writes opinion pieces for the Osprey Media group, offers her opinion about this election in particular, openness of Billings council in general and is critical of regular news writers in the Expositor and Recorder, she does so from a questionable factual position, since I do not believe she regularly attends council meetings (unlike Tom Sasvari who is always there).

In closing, the one thing I agree with Ms. Farquhar on is that democracy should be the clear winner and that everyone who has an opinion (like me) votes. Without knowing the results, I have a pretty confident feel that democracy will win in Billings on the 23rd and that, in the future, taxpayers can be assured that important issues will be debated openly in public fully and completely before they are brought to council for votes.

Paul Darlaston

Kagawong