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Thursday, 05 May 2005 11:03

Letters_May_5

Feature article,May 5, 2005

Feature article May 5, 2005

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Luminarias and Festival of Trees cant be combined

I am writing this item in response to an article which appeared in the "Business over Breakfast" brochure of March 21,2005, and which I might add was written without prior discussion with me. The article read:

Congratulations to the Villages Beautiful Committee on a very successful Festival of Trees event in Sharbot Lake in December 2004. Organizers Rosemarie Bowick and her husband Bill continue to inspire the many volunteers with their tireless dedication.

The festival attracted more visitors than ever before, including lots of guests from out of town. Rosemarie reports that the event raised enough money to once again to plant beautiful flowers in many of our Central Frontenac communities. However, volunteers are still needed to provide TLC to the flower beds. Are you available? Your uncle? Your brother?

An idea: Would it be possible to combine the Festival of Trees with the Christmas Eve luminarias spearheaded by Dave and Katie Saban, owners of Sharbot Lake Country Inn? Together, the two events could become part of a wonderful Christmas-themed promotional package to entice even more visitors to

our area in December.

I certainly agree that congratulations are due to Rosemarie Bowick, Bill and the many volunteers who make the Festival of Trees an outstanding event.

I do not agree, however, that this event could be combined with the Christmas Eve Luminarias "to entice even more visitors to our area in December". Firstly, Dave and I started this annual event 5 years ago and it is our special way of saying "thank you to our clients who patronize us throughout the year; and secondly the dates would not coincide since we choose to have our lumimarias Christmas Eve, along with our complimentary wine and cheese. This evening has become a tradition and it will always be

just a thank you from Dave and I. We appreciate all of you as clients.

Thank you Dave and Cathy Saban

Re: Mazinaw Musings

When I first considered a response to Rowsome's article, "My Future" (April 7, 2005), I considered a number of possible reactions. I reacted to the blatant sexism of assigning women to the primary responsibility of childcare in the home, despite a growing shift in these trends in modern families.

I reacted to his assertion that women that choose to work outside of the home are somehow desperate to "get out" of their responsibilities, so to speak, or that having a family and a career is selfish.

I find odd the notion of "communal sandboxes", where, according to Rowsome, parents would gladly deposit their children at some sort of baby care factory while at work.

I find it difficult to understand how families should meet Rowsome's high standards given financial realities -- a mother should, according to Rowsome, stay at home to raise a family, yet parents should have enough money saved to support a child through their post-secondary education.

Rowsome even suggests that taxes are used to pay for those who "cannot or will not" support themselves. Certainly, taxpayer monies are used to support social programs -- those that "cannot" support themselves include children, the sick, and the elderly. I understand that Rowsome is a retired educator -- certainly he must recognize that the education system that he no doubt loved is entirely supported by the tax system it sounds as though he resents?

Though I am not a parent, I am a woman, a university graduate, and a daughter. My parents both worked outside of the home, and both of them tirelessly pursued their own personal agenda - to provide for my sister and I. My parents wanted us to have choices and opportunities. They made sacrifices to send my sister and I to university, and to support us as we began (or in my case, continue to begin) our independent lives.

I do remember going to a babysitter, and we were fortunate to have parents and great-grandparents who were very involved in our lives. I also remember my mom taking us to the beach after work. I don't remember feeling as though my parents "wanted" to be anywhere other than home. No child should feel as though they are nothing but an obligation, nor anything less than the very first priority of their parents.

Rowsome no doubt taught many women throughout his career, and may have daughters of his own. It should be the responsibility of parents and community leaders to empower men and women alike to make good choices, both professionally and personally. I have goals and aspirations, and I am certain that I will continue to have them even if I one day have a family. There is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether women should work outside of the home, and I don't mean to suggest that I have an absolute answer. It isn't my place to climb up on a soapbox to preach my version of right and wrong, nor is it Rowsome's. He has been provided a platform, as a contributor to this publication, from which he can assert his worldview. While valid, I would urge Rowsome to recognize that there are other options, and to refrain from sweeping generalizations that paint women who work outside of the home as uncaring or uncommitted parents.

Being a good parent is about unconditional love and support through childhood, and through the ridiculous trials of adulthood. Love isn't necessarily absent because a mother is during the day, nor is it more necessarily present because she is. Regardless of who a child finds at the end of their school day, a good parent is one who can be found when they are needed. That is the role that every good parent strives to fill for his or her child, and no career could ever get in the way of that.

Melanie Rosenblath

Why believe Liberal promises?

Paul Martin and the Liberals broke their promise to cancel the GST. They broke their Red Book promise about National Day Care (first promised in 1993). They broke their promise on a reasonably priced Gun Registry, which they said would make the country safer; the streets are no safer and the Gun Registry has cost the taxpayers $2-billion.

A year ago Paul Martin and the Liberals broke their promise to get to the bottom of the Sponsorship Scandal before calling an election. They shut down the Public Accounts Committee before key witnesses were heard, and before the Gomery Inquiry even got underway. Then Paul Martin called a snap election.

Now Paul Martin wants to avoid a timely election about the voters verdict on the Sponsorship Scandal, so hes promising an election 30 days after the final Gomery Report, due November 15. That takes us to next Christmas and an election in the Canadian winter (and eight months of electioneering and Liberal spin-doctoring).

Why would anyone believe this latest Paul Martin promise either?

- Val Crandall

Re Ardoch Algonquins

I want to commend the Frontenac News for your continuing coverage of the Algonquin Land Claim. Your coverage is fair and comprehensive.

I would like to explain more fully several issues that were referred to in your article of last week. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) is the original. AAFNA retains the original logo (osprey with shield and feathers), original bank accounts, original membership registry, the original newsletter Point of Contact and the original governance structure. We have an active membership of over 500 Algonquins. With that being said, I will let the readers judge for themselves who is the original Ardoch Algonquin First Nation.

The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation does not just represent the village of Ardoch. We chose that name because of its history of successful resistance to government excesses and abuse. Ardoch is where the government of Ontario was defeated in 1980 in their attempt to exploit Algonquin resources, and represents an awakening of Algonquin self-respect. AAFNA is inclusive of families who find their historical and ancestral roots in the Mississippi, Rideau, Madawaska and Tay watersheds.

I also believe your readers would like to know that last spring we discussed representation of AAFNA in the current Land Claim with Mr. Robert Potts. Our Family Heads Council suggested that we would seek a competent negotiator from among our membership. Further to this we would hold a membership referendum to confirm by consensus the appointment of this negotiator. We even suggested that if the choice did not receive 100% approval in a mail out ballot, we would seek an alternative nomination that would have this level of support. This is the way that consensual government works. We have found in the past that elections divide people. No matter which way you look at it, elections become popularity contests and political in-fights. Small communities need every one of their leaders to work together, sharing ideas and resources. We felt we had suggested a fair alternative in determining who our negotiations representative would be. Mr. Potts reviewed our proposal with the Pikwakanagan Band Council and the Algonquin Nation Tribal Council. The answer was no.

It is my hope that your readers will continue to find interest in the Algonquin Community.

- Robert Lovelace, AAFNA member

Looking for uncle

I am trying to contact my uncle, Bill MacDonald, who recently moved to Bob's Lake from Scotland where he bought a cabin and whom I have lost touch with. I have tried to reach him to tell him his sister in law has died and I have information on a new relation of his deceased wife. I do not have his Canadian address and he may have died, because he was not in best of health, but I believe he is still alive and kicking. If anyone has any information, please email me at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mike Twaddle, Scotland

Re: Crisis in Agriculture (April 21, 2005)

I have followed the Canadian and international agricultural landscape for a number of years. Just about every developed nation has advocacy groups claiming that its agricultural section is in crisis.

On a global scenario, we are in an over-capacity mode. The vast majority of western nations produce more food that they can consume. Technology and economies of scale have led to less area producing higher yields. To realize this, take a look around this area and notice all the land that used to hold crops and grazing animals, and is now (1) residential, (2) recreational or (3) gone back to forest/bush; this despite the fact that Canada has more than quadrupled its population since this land was originally cleared. Obviously, we do not need as much farmland or as many farmers as we had a hundred years ago.

There are a couple of areas where our excellence in over-capacity has worked to our advantage. In both beef and pork, we Canadians produce far more than we consume. Of course, we export this surplus - primarily to the US - to profit from it. The downside is that now our internal prices are tied with our export prices, and our producers are directly linked to overall sales. In these areas, Canada has reached consolidation that many other industries have attained over the last century. And like other industries, can suffer/benefit from exchange rates, global/regional calamities and market changes.

There are other areas where the industry has not advanced.

Canada, like most western nations, has introduced policies and measures to keep the agricultural enterprise vibrant. In most cases, this has prevented the consolidation and optimization of the major components of the industry; it promoted the small farm operation. In Canada, sectors such as dairy and poultry, the sustenance of small operations has been promoted mostly through supply-managed regulations.

For example, in the dairy industry, we actively promote small dairy farms through dairy quotas. The last time that I checked, a milk quota was about $25,000. This makes farm expansion a bit prohibitive. The milk quota also ensures that farmers receive more for their milk in a global market, and consequently Canadians pay more for their dairy products.

In countries such as Australia and New Zealand, where most supply management policies and farm subsidies have been reduced or eliminated, the agricultural industry is flourishing. What is not present in these countries are small farms. A dairy farm with 100 head in these countries would be deemed a hobby farm.

Their agriculture system has advanced along with all the other key manufacturing and service sectors. Over the last 100 plus years, all our major production based industries have consolidated- lumber, auto production, and electronics, to name but a few. Most of the farming and (not surprisingly) fishing communities did not. This has cost us Canadians dearly both in our pocket books and for those people who are still stuck in an inefficient industry.

- Frank Molnar

Published in 2005 Archives
Thursday, 05 May 2005 11:03

Muddying_the _Mitchell_Creek_Waters

Feature article,May 5, 2005

Feature article May 5, 2005

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Muddying the Mitchell Creek waters

by Jeff Green

Three people appeared before South Frontenac Council this week, urging the township to stick to its guns and insist on a simple repair to the Mitchell Creek bridge rather than cede to the wishes of the Federal Department of Transportation and build a larger 1.5 metre high bridge.

While the Council listened to the presentations, Public Works manager Steve Archibald responded for the township by saying I would like to coordinate a group of concerned citizens to deal with mitigation [of the effects of building the higher bridge], which the township has already been moving towards.

While two of the three presenters did talk about mitigation as a last resort, all three exhorted the township to bring the Department of Transportation to heel, and force them to justify their refusal to allow the bridge to remain basically as it is, a one lane bridge that is only high enough for canoes or small boats to pass under.

Lori Gordon spoke on behalf of the Friends of the Mitchell Creek. She outlined a litany of concerns, including the danger and inconvenience the two-month road closing will bring to residents on the far side of the bridge, and the threats to species, notably loons that could come with larger, faster boats on the creek,. As well, she talked of the safety concerns posed by increased driving speeds over a two lane bridge, and of the fact that the footings for the new bridge might eliminate the Mitchell Creek Canoe Launch, which is how campers access some campsites in the adjacent Frontenac Park.

Robert Lovelace then spoke as a representative of the Family Heads Council from the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. He said that Mitchell Creek was important to Algonquin peoples because it is unspoiled land, land that contains evidence of occupation by Algonquin peoples going back 2,000 years, and we seek to work with our neighbours to maintain the integrity of this territory. He said there are some plants that are important to Algonquin medicines in Mitchell Creek and in the lakes that it leads to, and said the Federal government is forcing what he called incremental development on South Frontenac Council, which is what happened to the Algonquin people 160 years ago, with devastating impact on them.

He then said, You are being indianized by the Federal Government, and urged Council to resist.

Finally Ross Sutherland addressed Council. He brought their attention to section 10 of the Navigable Waterways Protection Act, the very Act being cited by Transport Canada in their insistence that access to the Mitchell Creek waterway be improved with a new bridge.

Section 10. (1) of the Act reads Any lawful work may be rebuilt or repaired if, in the opinion of the Minister, interference with navigation is not increased by the rebuilding or repairing.

It is time to insist that Transportation Canada send a representative to a public meeting to explain why this section of the Act does not apply. It seems to justify repairing the bridge exactly as it is, which would maintain navigation exactly as it is now.

Sutherland exhorted the township to go slow, and said the cost of waiting would not increase the cost of the project in any substantial way.

On this point Public Works Manager Archibald disagreed, pointing out that Timing is a concern. If we dont repair the bridge this fall, it might mean further weight restrictions on the bridge, perhaps meaning limiting use to cars and light trucks. This would be a health and safety concern if ambulance and fire vehicles had to detour around the bridge.

The township has completed an environmental assessment, and plans for commencing construction of a 1.5 metre steel arch culvert in line with Ministry of Transportation demands on September 4 is considered the preferred option at this point. The public has 30 days, from April 30, to request a further environmental impact study from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment on the proposed construction project.

Before the issue was laid aside for Council to proceed with its agenda, Deputy Mayor Hahn told the assembled supporters of the Mitchell Creek activists that he would be presenting a notion of motion later in the meeting, informing Council of his intention to ask them to request a visit from a Transport Canada official to explain to Council and the public why the Mitchell Creek Bridge must be made bigger and not simply repaired.

Published in 2005 Archives
Feature article, May 26, 2005

Feature article May 26, 2005

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Algonquin Negotiation Representative Election results confirmed

by Jeff Green

We are now getting underway with preparations which will lead to the negotiation of the land claim, said Robert Potts, the principal negotiator for the Algonquin Land Claim, as the announcement was made that Negotiation Representatives from nine communities have been confirmed.

Four candidates were acclaimed and five polls were held. Chief Electoral Officer Bob Johnson said that 3917 people were eligible to vote in the five communities, and 1650 votes were cast (42%). A total of 47 ballots were rejected for various reasons.

The participation by the Algonquin People and by the electors in those elections that were contested exceeded our most optimistic expectations, said Robert Potts.

There were three protests filed after the election took place, but according to Gary George, Communications Director for the Algonquin Land Claim, after carefully considering those protests and the written submissions from the parties, Mr. Johnson [The Chief Electoral Officer] rejected each of them.

Candidate Melinda Turcotte of Sharbot Lake submitted a complaint against the election of Doreen Davis, and candidate Lynn Gehl of Greater Golden Lake submitted a complaint against the election of Patrick Glassford.

The main thrust of both complaints was that the winning candidates, Ms. Davis and Mr. Glassford, misrepresented themselves as candidates for Nation Representative rather than Negotiation Representative. This, in the context of an election that was intended, according to Melinda Turcottes official complaint, to distinguish between political Algonquin Nation Tribal Council (ANTC) Chief positions and non-political Algonquin Negotiation Representative positions. She cited sections 21 and 22 of the protocol agreement that established the election.

In his response to Melinda Turcotes official protest, Chief Electoral Officer Johnson wrote that It was conceivable or even was anticipated that some confusion might arise from Algonquin Nation Tribal Council (ANTC) Chiefs running for the position of Algonquin Negotiation Representative.

Both Doreen Davis and Patrick Glassford are ANTC chiefs.

However, Johnson wrote that three factors mitigated against this confusion: the original election announcement made it clear the poll was for Negotiation Representative alone; the candidate forum in Sharbot Lake was moderated by Robert Potts, who made it clear to all who attended what was being voted for; and mail-in ballots made it abundantly clear what the purpose of the election was. Johnson also said that the number of people potentially confused by the process would not have affected the outcome of the election as there was such a substantial difference in the number of votes cast for Doreen Davis and yourself. Doreen Davis received 280 votes to Melinda Turcottes 60. The protest was disallowed.

In the case of Lynn Gehl, Johnson wrote that one of the names on her list of 10 supporting signatures, Carol-Anne Maidment, is not on the list of electors for Greater Golden Lake. Accordingly, wrote Johnson, the requirements of section 8 of the Electoral rules have not been met and your protest is disallowed.

The nine Negotiation Representatives from off-reserve communities will now join with the seven members of the Council from the Pikwakanagan Reserve to prepare for negotiations with the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada.

Published in 2005 Archives
Thursday, 12 May 2005 11:03

Algonquin_rep_elections_complaints

Feature article,May 12, 2005

Feature article May 12, 2005

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Acrimony, official complaints, as Algonquins elect Negotiation Representatives

by Jeff Green

Doreen Davis has been easily elected as Algonquin Negotiation Representative to the Land Claims Process for those registered Algonquins who identify Sharbot Lake as their community. On Monday after the votes were counted in Pembroke, it was announced that Davis had defeated her opponent Melinda Turcotte in a vote of 280 to 60.

Complete election results are available at http://www.blaney.com/files/algonquin/Election%20Results%20Postings.pdf

In an entirely separate process, Davis was also elected last fall as Chief of the Sharbot Mishigama Algonquin First Nation under the rubric of the Algonquin Nation Tribal Council (ANTC).

With this latest election, five of the nine positions for off-reserve non-status Algonquins at the Land Claims table will be held by members of the ANTC executive, and four will be held by independent community representatives. The seven members of the Council of the Pikwakanagan First Nation of Golden Lake will also be at the negotiating table.

There has been at least one official complaint levied about this latest election. It alleges that Patrick Glassford of Greater Golden Lake confounded the Algonquin Negotiation election by confusing his role as ANTC chief with that of candidate for Algonquin Negotiation Representative. The complaint further alleges that two other candidates, Richard Zohr of Bonnechere, and Doreen Davis of Sharbot Lake, have done the same thing.

In order to understand all this, a bit of history is necessary. The Algonquin National Tribal Council, established a few years ago as a political body to represent the interests of member communities, has become controversial for the Council of Pikwakanagan and certain other off-reserve Algonquins. The reasons for this are many. The hunting agreements entered into by the ANTC and the Ministry of Natural Resources have been challenged, as has the political structure of the organization. Two communities within the Land Claim territory, contain competing Council structures, one affiliated with the ANTC and one opposed to the ANTC.

For this reason Algonquin Chief Negotiator Robert Potts set up what he called a non-political Algonquin Negotiation Representative Process, to come up with popularly elected individuals with the sole task of representing their electors, (groups of 125 or more individuals who have agreed to align themselves with a particular community).

Both the Pikwakanagan Council and the leadership of the ANTC signed on to this process. The registration process was completed earlier this winter, and it confirmed over 5,000 individuals of verified Algonquin descent as electors, affiliated with nine different communities. When it came down to holding an election, six of the ANTC chiefs sought the positions.

Of those six, two were acclaimed, and three of the other four were easily elected last week. But it is the conduct of these three campaigns, those of Richard Zohr, Patrick Glassford, and Doreen Davis that has led to complaints, both official and unofficial.

In all three cases, campaign literature used the phrase Algonquin Nation Representative in place of Algonquin Negotiation Representative, a distinction that may seem subtle to outsiders, but to opponents signals an attempt to confound voters.

When questioned about this prior to official complaints being lodged, Robert Potts told the News that he considered these wording changes as mistakes. (The word Nation was also mistakenly used in place of the word Negotiation in an article, Elections Rejuvenate Land Claim, published April 28, 2005, in the Frontenac News).

However, as Lynn Gehl, who has launched a formal appeal, has stated, in one case the information from the official Algonquin Negotiation Representative website was copied directly by Patrick Glassford into his Greater Golden Lake First Nation website, with the only change being that of the word Negotiation to Nation.

As well, anothercandidate who lost out to Richard Zohr, David Laronde, said in a circulated email message that the website of Richard Zohr was altered on May 6, with the word Nation being changed to Negotiation. Further he asserted that it was his understanding that this was done under instructions from Robert Potts office in response to complaints from people from Pikwakanagan.

The complaints extend beyond the words Nation and Negotiation to the various aspects of the election process.

While it is up to the election team, headed by Bob Johnson, to adjudicate any complaints, a cursory look at the campaign literature of Richard Zohr, Patrick Glassford and Doreen Davis does reveal a certain defiance in regards to the current process. All three consider themselves legitimate leaders, with the ANTC being a legitimate body, and their literature reflects that.

Patrick Glassford wrote that he strongly disagrees with those that are saying the two positions [chief and land claims negotiator] are or should be separate. I believe this would inevitably divide us. I firmly believe it is in our collective best interests to send a strong chief with the political authority to do the job.

At the conclusion of his literature he made a commitment, tying his candidacy for negotiator firmly to his authority as an ANTC chief.

If the community should choose not to support the Chief, I promise a graceful exit of my leadership. Now is the time to support your Chief!

Whether the complaints are successful or not, Paul Lamothe, the acclaimed Negotiation Representative from Ottawa community, an outspoken critic of the ANTC, has said his community is considering whether they should carry on with the negotiations or not.

Lamothe was not able to lodge a formal complaint about the election process because he was acclaimed, but has said he will look closely at how the complaints are dealt with, and will report back to his community.

Paul Lamothe claims that at an election meeting in Pembroke, Robert Potts said that all nine communities must be party to any agreement. If one community leaves the table, the process is finished, he said Paul Lamothe told the News this week.

For his part, Robert Potts told the News he considers that the election was a fair and honest attempt to come up with democratically elected representatives to conduct land claims negotiations within an admittedly tight time frame.

This is only the beginning. The representatives will be expected to consult, consult, consult, with their communities as we go along. Any final agreement will be subject to some sort of ratification process as well. The elections are not the end of community involvement.

Robert Potts is planning to convene a meeting of negotiation representatives shortly, intending to resume negotiations with the federal and provincial governments in September.

Before getting to those negotiations, he will have to overcome defiance from all sides of the table he has been painstakingly populating over the past 18 months

(The above article was edited after a similar article was printed in the Frontenac News. The original article contained errors of attribution which were corrected for posting on newsweb.ca)

Published in 2005 Archives
Thursday, 01 September 2005 10:26

Ardoch_algonquin

Feature Article - September 1, 2005

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September 1, 2005

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Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Pow Wow - 2005

The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, under honourary chief Harold Perry, invites all people and nations to attend its 2nd Annual Pow Wow and gathering of families at the Clar-Mill Hall and grounds in Plevna this Saturday and Sunday.

The theme for this year’s Pow Wow is “honouring leadership”. On Saturday, September 3 at 1:30 pm, the Pow Wow grand entry will take place. The host drum will be the OPP drum and singers (Zhowski Miingan) and guest drum will be the Pikwakanagan Drum of Golden Lake. Head dancers for the weekend will be Glen Marsden and Paula Sherman. Vendors and displays will be available throughout the weekend, and a BBQ will be ongoing.

An Algonquin history workshop will be set up in the Hall.

On Saturday evening, at 9:00, an all-ages, alcohol-free dance will take place in the Hall with Disc Jockey Pete Vance.

Last year the first annual Pow Wow coincided with the unveiling of a plaque commemorating a coming together of the native and settler community to save the wild rice stand at Mud Lake, Ardoch. The second annual Pow Wow carries on that tradition, welcoming members of the diverse communities of North Frontenac and beyond to share in a celebration of Algonquin Culture.

The Pow Wow starts at 1:30 on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday. It is a free event. Donations to help cover costs will be gratefully accepted. For information, call 268-2688.

Published in 2005 Archives
Thursday, 26 January 2006 04:37

Ah_economic_development

Feature Article - January 26, 2006

Feature Article

January 26, 2006

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Addingon Highlands EconomicDevelopment Strategic Plan

by Jeff Green

Forty or so business people from the Highway 41 corridor met in Kaladar early last Thursday morning. They spent the morning considering the strengths and weaknesses of the township as a place to do business. Using laptop computers and a network hook-up, a consultant kept track of individual opinions, slowly constructing a coherent strategy for economic development in the township.

The strategic planning initiative was funded by the Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC). The session was organized by the Addington Highlands Economic Development Committee, under chair Bill Brown.

At the planning session, which coincided with a business breakfast, Bill Brown announced that he will be leaving the area to move to Kingston at the end of March. Brown has been living in Addington Highlands for seven years, and he was the founding Chair of the Economic Development Committee,

The Committee has been very active in recent years, particularly in promoting a resort development initiative. Just last week, committee members travelled to Golden Lake, with a developer, to talk to the Council of the Pikwakanagan Algonquin First Nation in an attempt to convince the Pikwakanagan Council to join Addington Highlands in trying to convince the Province of Ontario to free up some Crown Land for the project. (Most of the Crown Land in Addington Highlands is included in the ongoing Algonquin Land Claim).

Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 23 February 2006 04:25

Letters

Feature Article - February 23, 2006

Feature Article

February 23, 2006

Letters to the Editor

Re: Algonquin land claims

First, I must express my thanks to you for bringing to public awareness that we are in a land claims process. I find myself in the position to help clarify a few things in regards to your recent article "Algonquin Land Claim faces many hurdles", page 2 of your February 16, 2006 issue.

The Algonquin in the Sharbot Lake and surrounding areas did have the opportunity to become reservation natives but our Chief at the time in the 1700's wanted us to remain on our lands to keep our culture and traditions alive and to work our own relationship with the new comers. Assimilation comes with contact and adopting different customs, attire and detachment from one’s own customs and beliefs and traditions. We refuse to be assimilated, we are here and we are staying. We are working on making all our local communities vibrant multi-cultural communities.We Algonquin are not a "vanished culture" or "eliminated" and we don't have "only a faint connection to this past". In the Sharbot Lake area alone we are approximately 1,700 strong. And to your statement "non-status Algonquin are anything but a unified group and have many divergent, seemingly irreconcilable, viewpoints about the land claim and their own future as a community" - yes, we may have political differences, but that is no different than the mainstream society having at least threepolitical parties. Not even all members of the same parties agree on everything. It in no way detracts from our community. I am Danka (Timmerman) Brewer, daughter of Paul Timmerman Sr., son of Mary Ann Guigue, daughter of Margaret Innes Sharbot, who is the daughter of Mary Ann Sharbot, who is the daughter of Chief Francis Sharbot and Mary Susan Negig (one of the first Algonquin persons settled in Sharbot Lake) and proudly Algonquin. Danka Brewer

Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 16 February 2006 04:35

Algonquin_land_claim

Feature Article - February 16, 2006

Feature Article

February 16, 2006

AlgonquinLandClaim faces many hurdles

by Jeff Green

Although the Ontario Algonquin Land Claim process was initiated in 1992, it has never gathered momentum, and for the past few years it has been suspended as the Algonquin people have been trying to deal with internal issues.

These issues have centred on some very important questions, such as who is an Algonquin for the purposes of the land claim process, and how these people are to be represented at the talks.

A little over a year ago, the current Algonquin Chief Negotiator, Toronto lawyer Robert Potts, proposed that for the purposes of choosing negotiation representatives, anyone who can prove direct Algonquin descent can be eligible as an elector. Whether or not all of these people will share in the fruits of the negotiations is a question that has been deferred.

Seven Algonquin communities were identified, and an election process to determine seven representatives was undertaken last year. While the process was controversial, the seven people were chosen. These people have joined with the nine-member council of the Pikwakanagan First Nation, the only Algonquin Reserve on the Ontario side of the border, to form a 16-member negotiating table.

This table has been meeting for six months and has now informed the federal and provincial governments that they are ready to resume negotiations.

As the negotiations start up, it is worth considering what purpose this land claim process is intended to serve.

The land claim serves different purposes for different parties. The federal and provincial governments would like to have clear title to the Ottawa Valley . The Crown has granted much of the land for development by farmers and others, (the land includes the City of Ottawa ), for hundreds of years, without benefit of a treaty. The land claims process may cost millions of dollars, but it will legitimise 300 years of transactions that have been completed in the name of the Government of Canada.

For the people of the Pikwakanagan First Nation, it would open up economic development opportunities, and perhaps lead to an increase in territory.

For Algonquins who live off the reserve, most of whom are not considered native according the Indian Act, the land claim has many possible outcomes. Some would like to use the process to revive a vanished culture. European civilization eliminated the culture of their ancestors over time, and there is among them a genuine desire to find a place in the world that includes their Algonquin heritage. Many of these people have only faint connections to this past, and would like to change that.

Some feel that their community is in such a weakened state that it is premature to enter into a land claims process for fear they will sell off their ancestral rights for limited gains that will disappear within a generation or less. In spite of Robert Potts’ efforts, it’s fair to say that the non-status Algonquins are anything but a unified group, and have many divergent, seemingly irreconcilable, viewpoints about the land claim and their own future as a community.

Municipal governments in the Ottawa Valley have a direct interest in the land claim as well

Some of the townships within the claim territory contain large tracts of Crown land. Among these are North Frontenac and Addington Highlands . From the beginning of the process, all sides agreed that private land would not be part of any settlement, but since 1992, development on Crown land has been stymied by the land claim.

Recent initiatives by the Addington Highlands council have illustrated the problem that this unresolved land claim brings. A resort development initiative and a wind power initiative would become much more attractive if the status of much of the Crown land within the township were clarified.

The community at large also has a stake in the process. Under the surface, there is the potential of resentment among non-native people who trace their own roots in the land claim territory.

Resentment over native hunting and fishing rights is widespread in the region. Groups such as the Conservationists of Frontenac-Addington (COFA) take the position that there should be one set of rules for hunting and fishing for everyone. If hunting, fishing, and mineral rights are included in any settlement, it would lead to anger among non-native sportspeople.

As well, there are some people who question whether the Algonquin people are the historical inhabitants of the Ottawa Valley .

All in all, the Algonquin Land Claim is a complicated stew of interests and issues, and will have to be considered carefully by all involved, which includes virtually anyone who lives or works in the Ottawa Valley .

Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 13 April 2006 05:16

Letters

Feature Article - April 13, 2006

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Feature Article - April 13, 2006

Letters to theEditor

Re:Algonquin Land Claims

It was disheartening to read Jeff Green's latest article on the Algonquin Land Claim. On the face of it there seemed to be good news: Algonquins are happy, Ontario is happy, and Canada is happy. But that is not the whole story. The truth is that the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) with 600 plus members remains outside of the Claim negotiations along with several other historic communities.

The real story might have been entitled "Algonquins Treated Like Third World Colony" because the truth lies somewhere in that comparison. Fourteen years ago the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) met with the Algonquins of Golden Lake to discuss joining in a Land Claim which had been initiated under the Federal Government's Comprehensive Land Claims policy. AAFNA insisted on several criteria for its participation. They asked thatcommunity autonomy be respected, that all Algonquin communities share equally in funding for community development and education in regard to the claim, that each community have equal representation and that consensus be used for developing unity among communities. Early on it became evident that none of these conditions would be respected by the Band Council at Golden Lake . In fact every effort was taken to undermine the Algonquin communitieswhich were not recognised by the Department of Indian Affairs. In the end, Negotiations broke down. This is what happens in colonial countries where some of the colonised are recognised as the "the leaders" and the others are expected to fall into line. The Golden Lake Reserve acquires its legitimacy as "the leaders " because they are a Federal corporation under the Canadian Indian Act and because they arefully dependent on transfer payments from Canada . As such, they are in a naturally compromised position and therefore make the very best representative in negotiating a modern Land Claim.

Over the years other regions and some communities have been identified as having a possible interest as Algonquins in the Land Claim. This is important to ensure that the Treaty which emerges from negotiations will be the last one between Canada , Ontario and the Algonquins. Even though Ontario and Canada deny that Algonquins have ever existed as a people in the Ottawa Valley they are willing to negotiatethis Treaty as long as it extinguishes any future claim that Algonquins might have. To give these other communities legitimacy, a sham election was held last year to give the impression that representatives were being elected in a democratic fashion. While many Algonquins were excluded from electoral lists, others who were dead appeared. Algonquins who asked to be removed from fraudulent community lists were told that they could not be while others were shifted to a non-aligned list that had no voting privileges. An election is the best way to convince people that the selection of competent representatives has taken place, even when it falls short of the mark.

The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA) has chosen not to be party to the present Land Claims negotiations for a variety of reasons. Having fought for Algonquin rights and responsibilities on the ground, in municipal and environmental tribunals, and all the way to the Supreme Court we know what it takes and we are willing to fight again if necessary for the honour of Algonquin people. The Algonquin homeland is a sacred place that can be shared with many diverse peoples, but it is not for sale. If Canada and Ontario are interested in working with AAFNA, then AAFNA is interested in working with them.AAFNA will no longer accept the extinguishment of Algonquin rights and responsibilities either through colonial ignorance or by way of a Treaty.

- Randy Cota, RobertLovelace

Recycling - How are we doing?An open letter to SouthFrontenacTownship

Now that we’re six months into our roadside pick-up “Recycling Program”, I’m wondering when we can expect some feedback with regards to how it’s going. On the whole, as a participating community, how are we doing? Is participation good? Are we remembering our scheduled weeks and days for pick-up? Are we complying with the appropriate items that we’re placing in our blue boxes? We take great strides in sorting and organizing our recyclables each week, but I’m wondering if that is even necessary as there does not seem to be any differentiation of items when dumped into the recycling truck. Is this necessary? And, where exactly does our recycling go, once picked up? Are there holding depots for each district of our township or does it all go to one centre, and where is that centre?

Our family of six have been completely active in the recycling program since its commencement nearly two decades ago when we lived in Kingston . We have always been very environmentally conscious, and we have never had more than one bag of garbage per week, so we were happy to have this new expanded program begin, and now we’re wondering: How are we doing?

- Jeri Walker, Hartington

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Published in 2006 Archives
Thursday, 06 April 2006 05:16

Land_claim_talks

Feature Article - April 6, 2006

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Feature Article - April 6, 2006

Land Claim talks resume

by Jeff Green

After a four-year hiatus, talks aimed at settling the Algonquin Land Claim have resumed.

The Land Claim territory stretches from Algonquin Park to the Quebec border, the entire Ontario side of the Ottawa Valley . Most of Addington Highlands , and North and Central Frontenac are part of the claim, as is much of Bedford District in South Frontenac.

Monthly meetings have commenced between Algonquin representatives and the federal and provincial government negotiators.

The federal and provincial governments agreed to the hiatus in order for the Algonquin side to settle internal matters.

CB Pappin, the spokesperson for the Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat, said that the talks had been suspended “so that the Algonquin side could be able to come to the table and speak with a unified voice.”

A process was undertaken last year to elect a series of Algonquin National Representatives for the nine off-reserve Algonquin communities. They are joined at the table by the seven elected members of council from the Pikwakanagan First Nation.

The election process for Agonquin National Representatives was organised by Algonquin Chief Negotiator Robert Potts, of the Toronto law firm Blaney/McMurtry. Eligibility for the election was determined by Joan Holmes and Associates of Ottawa.

Many eligible Algonquins did not participate in the election process, and there were complaints from some of the candidates; but according to CB Pappin, the two governments recognise the legitimacy of the people who have come forward to the negotiation table.

“They have agreed to resume negotiations; that speaks for itself,” she said.

The Ontario chief negotiator is Brian Crane, and the interim negotiator for the federal side is Jean Francois Tardiff.

“The hope is that we can reach an agreement in principle in two or three years,” said Pappin.

Municipal township councils within the land claim region have received in-camera briefings in recent weeks concerning where the negotiations may be heading from a government standpoint. Similarly, meetings have been held among Algonquins at three locations in the claim territory.

Previous articles on the Algonquin Land Claim can be viewed at http://www.newsweb.ca/2005/Algonquin_index.html

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Published in 2006 Archives
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