Feature Article - July 27, 2006

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Feature Article - July 27, 2006

The Penguin that flew: 15 year old sets world record

by Meghan Balogh

“People with disabilities have abilities.” Jenna Lambert brought those words to life when she set her feet on firm ground after 32 hours in the water. Swimming across Lake Ontario would be a daunting proposal to most people but for Jenna, who has cerebral palsy, many would have said it would be impossible.

Jenna didn’t think so.

At 6:44pm on Wednesday, July 19, the 15-year-old Harrowsmith resident fulfilled her dream and successfully set a new world record as the first person with a disability to swim across Lake Ontario . Several hundred friends, family, and supporters waited at Lake Ontario Park in Kingston to cheer her on and greet her when she took the final strokes to the shore.

Jenna began her swim on Tuesday at 10:27am from Baird Point , New York , accompanied by a flotilla carrying her close family, her coach Vicki Keith, and Swim Master John Munro. Over the next 32 hours, Jenna battled strong winds and waves, discouragement, and exhaustion.

“I knew from the very beginning that I couldn’t quit, and because I knew that, it kept me going on,” Jenna told her supporters in a press conference minutes after she completed her swim.

Jenna’s trainer Vicki Keith coaches the Kingston Y Penguins Aquatic Club, a swim team for kids with physical disabilities. The Penguins, of which Jenna is a member, consist of over 30 swimmers, some of whom have qualified at the provincial and national levels.

Through her Kid 4 Kids Marathon swim, Jenna hoped to raise money to build a new pool for the Penguins, and she was successful over $65,000 in donations poured in while she swam.

Many of Jenna’s family were waiting in the crowd at Lake Ontario Park , anxiously eyeing the tiny boats in the distance that marked Jenna’s progress.

“When I think about her out there, I get butterflies in my stomach,” said Jenna’s grandfather Bevan Lambert, as he waited to get into a speedboat and go out to see Jenna.

“She’s got the grit, she’s got the Lambert in her that she can do it,” said her Great Aunt as she was interviewed live on K-Rock 105.7, the radio station that covered Jenna’s progress as she swam. “And she’s still smiling. I’m so proud of her.”

Jenna completed the 32 kilometers of rough water using only her upper body. This got tricky when she stopped each hour to eat. “One of the most difficult parts was eating with one hand and treading water with the other,” Jenna said.

K-Rock was on-site selling bright, lime green “Jenna Lambert’s Kid 4 Kids Marathon” t-shirts. Prior to her swim, when asked what she’d like to see when she arrived at the end of her swim, Jenna stated, “My favourite colour is lime green, and I want to see everyone wearing a lime green t-shirt.”

More than three quarters of the people present were wearing the requested lime green.

Jenna’s moment of triumph, as she reached for the walker that awaited her in the shallows of Lake Ontario , is a historical moment. It speaks of her determination and perseverance, and the commitment of the people who helped her realize her dream. “This is why I’m doing this: for all the Penguins, for all my friends. Seeing all your support is what got me to shore.”

To donate to Kid 4 Kids, visit www.penguinscanfly.ca

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Letters to the Editor

What a wonderful Community we live in!

On behalf of my kids, Harlan, Johnny and Violet, and myself, I would like to thank this wonderful community for all the help people gave us when I fell and injured myself on Father’s Day. Special thanks to Glen and Mary Howes who came to my rescue and called the ambulance and were so kind to my frightened children. Also special thanks to the Teal Family, Bob and Christine Riley and Katie, for taking care of my kids and many other things. There have been so many other people in the community who have helped with driving and delivering food etc. People I hardly knew made such generous and kind gestures. I also want to recognize the wonderful resources we have in the North Frontenac Community Services. The staff there is incredibly compassionate and helpful. They will do what it takes to find solutions to challenges people may be facing.

Our family feels very privileged to belong to such a generous and kind community, that helps without thinking twice about it.

- Karen Skuce.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Canada Day crowds

by JeffGreen

It takes a lot of work to put together a full day of activities in a small community, and for the Social and Athletic Club in Harrowsmith and the Oso Recreational Committee in Sharbot Lake, it sometimes seems as if it can all come to very little if Canada Day turns out to be cold and rainy.

Fortunately for the two groups, this year the Canada Day weather was close to ideal, bringing large, enthusiastic crowds who hung in until dusk, when fireworks lit up the sky. Rain did come, along with thunder and lightning, but not until after dark when all of the festivities had been completed.

In Sharbot Lake , Canada Day starts early. At 7:30 am, the Oso Hall was filling up for the pancake breakfast put on by the fire department. By 9:30 firefighters were scouring the shelves of the Valumart store across from the hall, trying to keep from running out of supplies.

Red and white predominated at the 11:00 am parade, and the judges awarded prizes to the Red Hat Ladies, and youngsters Nathan Domen and David Cox.

After the parade, people streamed over to the beach for the afternoon. Pedal boat races were brought back this year for the first time in several years. Winners included, in the junior category, Aadan Kempe and Michael Riddell, in the senior category, Jacob and Josh Neadow, and in the intermediate category a mother and son team Marlene and Derrick.

The Masons ran the canteen for the first part of the day, and sponsored a draw for a rocking horse made by Guy Cooke with wood supplied by Willis Crain. The winner of the rocking horse was Keena Brash.

By mid-afternoon, cars were lining up along Highway 38, and local musicians were taking turns entertaining the people.

Michele Greenstreet, who is the chair of the Rec. Committee that organised all of the events, said, “We don’t know how many people attended but there were bigger crowds than I’ve ever seen”.

In Harrowsmith, the parade at 10 am streamed out from Centennial Park , wending its way down Road 38, and heading back to the park, bringing the crowds back with it. After Heather Bell sang Oh Canada , people settled in for the day. There was continuous live music, food, and games, games, games.

At around 4:00, it was time for the serious business of crowning Little Mr. and Little Miss Canada . Among six entries, eight-month-old Madison Hunter was crowned Little Miss Canada , and among three entries, 16-month-old Leverne Fraser was named Little Mr. Canada .

A draw in favour of minor baseball delivered signifigant prizes to Fred Henwood ($500), Melanie Davison ($250) and Julie Eamon ($100).

“The entertainment was awesome, and the day went really smoothly,” said Pam Morey of the Social and Athletic Club, “The water slide, put on by fire department, was a real hit. We have to thank all the volunteers; a lot of people came through for us. It was a great day.”

Fireworks ended the day, not only in Harrowsmith and Sharbot Lake , but in Sydenham, Plevna and other communities as well.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Cloyne Pioneer Museum opens in style

by Karyl Steinpatz

As always, the annual opening day celebrations of the Pioneer Museum were great fun. This year’s festivities took place on June 24, and although the starting time was slated for 11am, by 10:30 the museum was teeming with folk who were eager to tour the museum and view both the permanent and special displays.

There’s so very much to absorb in this museum as it’s full to the brim with local artifacts. Tourism through the years is exceptionally well represented, as is logging, mining, and of course there is a whole room dedicated to the pioneering of the area. Lots of attention was given to the Heritage Quilt that, for the first time, graced a wall of the museum just inside the main entrance. The quilt, a project of the C&DHS, has been in the making for four years and its squares, embroidered with names of people and places, honour the memory of many of our ancestors, businesses, and birthplaces as well as the founders of the original Pioneer Club. Many people have worked on this beautiful work of art, but special kudos to Eileen Flieler who conceived the idea of the heritage quilt, and carried it through.

The display of clocks from the private collection of Hans Steinpatz, a collector and restorer of antique clocks and music boxes, was highly admired, as were all the donations from painter Carol Brown, including one of her original works of art which is housed in the portion of the 1840s schoolhouse the C&DHS has resurrected, and rebuilt, in a prominent corner of the museum.

Around noon the sweet perfume of barbecued goodies lured the artifact-lovers to the picnic tables. Barbecue chef Hugh Rose did a fine job on the “exotic hotdogs”, as he so named them.

Just as the barbecue was drawing to a close, a very strange but somehow familiar male figure hove into view across the parking lot. His cocked hat and red uniform somehow smacked of the olden-times British uniforms in our history books. The dashing figure headed for the hall, so lunchers headed after him, wondering who and what he was all about.

In the hall, the white-wigged, red-coated figure was found to be none other than Charles Lennox, Fourth Duke of Richmond, who had been dead for 147 years and was the guest speaker. Very alive he became, in the person of Robin Derrick, who is President of the Goulborne Historical Society and has done an intensive historical study into the life of the Duke and his part in the British move into “The Colonies” (us).

The audience was held spellbound as Mr. Derrick truly acted out his part. When wearing his cocked hat he was the Duke of Richmond and Lennox . He apologized for his clothing (red uniform jacket and white breeches) being dirty. That had happened, said he, when his wagon had broken down on the very rutty Addington Road and he and his wife had had to push it in order to get to the hall. He recounted many a tale, all historically correct, of how the Duke of Richmond, from being Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and then commanding troops to protect Brussels in the battle of Waterloo, had been sent by King George III of England to Canada to check on the loyalty of colonialists. Many streets and outlying areas near Ottawa are named for the Duke of Richmond. Robin Derrick’s knowledge and recounting of his life, took the audience back in time. A perfect speaker for an “old time day”.

The Cloyne and District Historical Society, that same afternoon, received another great treat, when Faye O’Brien, Worthy Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star (Tweed Chapter) presented President Margaret Axford with a cheque for $600. Every year the Chapter chooses a worthy charitable organization to assist, always keeping donations local if possible, and this year the C&DHS was the proud recipient.

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

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Feature Article - July 6, 2006

Letters to theEditor

Regarding the Algonquin Land ClaimThese letters were referenced in the July 27, 2006 edition of the Frontenac News, but due to space constraints we were unable to publish them in our newspaper. Please find them here for your interest.

Re: Letters to the editor by David Bate and Robert Lovelace

Mr. Bate informed the readers that “we have never been conquered by military action.” We believe the Algonquins were defeated in war and lost their lands in the Iroquois (or Beaver) Wars of the 1640’s and 1650’s.

The Iroquois wanted to get control of the fur trade routes in Southern Ontario . They wanted furs to trade for needles, cloth, kettles, knives, hatchets, blankets, muskets, powder, ball, and shot from the Dutch and subsequently the English at New York. All of these items were European made and highly desirable. They attacked and slaughtered the Hurons, Petun, Neutral, Nipissings, and the Algonquins.

Those few Hurons, Petun, and Neutrals that survived, were assimilated by the Iroquois. Others became refugees. Some fled north and west while others (Algonquin and Nipissing) fled to Quebec , settling in Trois Rivieres under the care of the French Government.

The Iroquois maintained military control of Southern Ontario until the late 1690’s when they were finally pushed out by the Ojibwas. Thus the Ojibwas (Mississaugas, Ottawas, and the Chippewas) came to occupy all of southern Ontario except for the area east of the Gananoque and Rideau Rivers.

The proclamation act did not give land to any particular Indian group nor did the act give land between the proclamation southern boundary line and the Ottawa River as outlined by the boundaries of the Algonquin Land Claim.

In fact, after the British defeated the French in 1759-60 in Canada , the Proclamation Act in 1763 was passed, resulting in the formation of the Government of Quebec.

The act stated “And We do further declare it our Royal Will and Pleasure, for the present as aforesaid, to reserve under our Sovereignty, Protection, and Dominion, for the use of the said Indian, all the lands and Territories not included within the Limits of Our said Three new Governments.”

The southern boundary of the Government of Quebec was described as “to the South end of the Lake Nipissim ; from whence the said Line, crossing the River St. Lawrence ..” Note that this southern boundary was not the Ottawa River it was south of the Ottawa River . The “Government of Quebec” at the time included both sides of the Ottawa River .

After the proclamation Act was passed, three conflicting claims of ownership to the land south of this line emerged.

The Iroquois claimed all the land in Ontario as far north as the Ottawa River by “right of conquest.”

The Ojibwas made claim by conquest over the Iroquois all of Southern Ontario west of the Rideau and Gananoque Rivers .

The Algonquins claimed ownership and have appealed to the government of the day since 1772.

When the Crown needed land for settlement in Ontario , however, they negotiated with the Ojibwas (Mississaugas) who occupying the land and who had claimed it by right of conquest over the Iroquois. The Treaty that affected North Frontenac was Treaty 27 May 31, 1819 and Treaty 27 , November 28, 1822. These treaties included the townships of Barrie , Clarendon, Palmerston, Millar, South Canonto, and part affected by this surrender included Renfrew, Carlton , Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, and Hastings . The total area surrendered was some 2,748,000 acres “more or less.”

The government of the day obviously did not recognize any Algonquin claim.

In 1991, the Governments of Ontario and Canada determined that the Algonquins’ claim should be considered. At the present time, the negotiators for the Algonquin First Nation, Ontario , and Canada are working hard to come to an Agreement in Principle. Also at the present time, all Crown or Public land is owned by our Governments of Ontario and Canada and is subject to the laws of Ontario and Canada .

Breaking the law does not help your cause, BBQs are not going to gain you public support or sympathy for your cause. You have failed to convince the public that your actions, in destroying the environment on Pine Lake , were justified. The Land Claim negotiating process is well underway. Why are you not involved in the process?

If the Canadian Government, which really is the citizens of Canada , owns the Crown Land , how can you say that this is a Canadian Land Claim. After all, are you not simply asking for consideration and compensation for land that you used to “own” and lost militarily? This would then make it, an Algonquin Land Claim.

Did the various ethnic groups who settled in the area remain as separate communities or didn’t they assimilate over time?

Don’t all citizens in this area, regardless of ethnic background, have equal access to schools, health care, economic opportunities, freedom of speech, association, and worship?

We cannot rewrite history. Those of us who are of Irish and Scottish ancestry in this area could complain about historic maltreatment and even genocide by the British under these same Articles of the United Nations Genocide Convention?

What is a “genetic non-Indian”? If a person has some aboriginal ancestry does that make that person a genetic Indian?

What is meant by “blood quantum”? What fraction of aboriginal ancestry must a person have to qualify as an Algonquin? How can a person ignore the other part of their ancestry? After all, if a person is 1/16 Algonquin, then that person is 15/16 something else.

Can a person having no Algonquin ancestry be considered Algonquin and receive the rights and privileges of being an Algonquin? Would that person also be part of the compensation package in any settlement?

Finally, we all want to be treated fairly. We all want to see that compensation be provided, if compensation is justified.

We all want a land claim settlement with all members of all communities as well as all members of the Algonquin communities involved and satisfied with the outcome. We all want finality and closure. How can there be a settlement, finality, and closure if your particular community is not at the negotiating table participating in the process? This process has gone on long enough. We do not want a group like yours, coming back making demands on the rest of Canada , after an agreement has been signed and accepted by the other Algonquin communities. Why is your group not at the table?

- Ron Pethick

Understanding the Algonquin Land Claim

Understanding the Algonquin Land Claim is not easy. To understand the complexities of “the claim” it is important to consider history, legal and policy issues, economics and politics. It is also important to consider Algonquin culture and values. The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation has prepared a series of articles for the summer issues of the Frontenac News to provide readers with a basic understanding of the issues.

Algonquins have occupied the Ottawa River watershed and surrounding territory since time immemorial. Algonquins do not know of a time when, as a people, they lived somewhere else. This is the Algonquin homeland, tanakin Ominin There is no other place in the world where an Algonquin can find his or her roots. Since time immemorial Algonquins summered along the Great Ottawa River, KijZ trading with neighbouring peoples; the Odawa, Huron, Montagnais, Innu, Mi’kmaq and Iroquois. They wintered in family hunting territories, ascending the rivers that flow into the Ottawa and dispersing along the lakes and creeks of the backlands. Early European explorers called the Algonquins nomadic. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Algonquins used their intelligence and knowledge of the land to secure a healthy and prosperous livelihood. They harvested over 250 plant species for food and medicine. They hunted and fished in an ecologically balanced fashion and preserved an abundance of game and fish for themselves and future generations. For Algonquins there was no sense of “wilderness”. The whole of the Ottawa watershed was their home. European settlers criticised the Algonquins for not employing agriculture to produce crops. Algonquins were horticulturists; creating and sustaining a productive environment through controlled burning and replanting, selective harvesting, and succession engineering. The science of the Algonquins was far superior to the rudimentary plough methods that emerged in feudal Europe .

Algonquins made first contact with Europeans sometime in the mid 16th century. Some Algonquin traders may well have met Jacques Cartier but more certainly many were witness to the free-enterprisers, who reported to no Monarch, and had preceded Cartier in the St Lawrence by decades. The privateers dominated European trade in the St. Lawrence until the arrival of Samuel Champlain in 1606 at what is now Quebec City . Champlain asserted French authority in the St. Lawrence region with regular visits by French gunships. The affect of European trade during the 60 or so years between Cartier and Champlain were devastating for the Aboriginal peoples of the region. Disease, warfare, alcoholism and the destruction of the environment had drastically reduced the Aboriginal population of the St Lawrence lowlands. When Champlain arrived he had two purposes; he would colonise the devastated environment of the St. Lawrence, replacing the dwindling Aboriginal population with French peasants, and secure trade with the westerly Algonquins and Huron.

Champlain’s royally sanctioned intervention into the western fur trade resulted in a continuation of destructive consequences. Champlain initiated an arms race between the Algonquins and Mohawks, introducing fire arms for the first time. Soon the entire eastern woodland peoples were in mortal combat to secure furs and profits for the French, Dutch or English. Champlain’s legacy, known as the Beaver Wars, lasted for nearly a century leaving the Algonquins a diminished people. Along with warfare, diseases took the oldest and the youngest, at once robbing the people of their knowledge keepers and the strength of the next generation’s work force. For all of the destruction wrought by Champlain’s pioneer vision, the Ottawa Valley remained Indian country. The “ups” and more often the “downs” of the French economy left Champlain’s “volunteers” in a permanent state of crushing poverty and unable to develop as a viable population beyond the original settlement areas. More often than not the futile life of the “habitant” was traded for the free and healthier life of the Indians in the woods.

Champlain’s dream of New France ended with the fall of Quebec City to the English in 1759. Four years later, in 1763, King George II, issued a Royal Proclamation that intended to establish a fresh start and contain the growing separatism among American colonists. First of all, the Proclamation of 1763 established the colony of Quebec , which is the legislative and legal fore-runner of modern day Canada . In addition, the Proclamation attempted to establish a loyal aristocracy and citizenry in the American colonies by providing British military officers and soldiers with land grants as incentives to stay and make homes in the colonies. Thirdly, the Proclamation recognised the nation-to-nation relationship that the Crown has with the indigenous peoples of North America and acknowledged the Aboriginal title of their homelands. Furthermore the Crown established for itself a duty to protect Aboriginal people and their lands from encroachment and exploitation. The Proclamation is clear in stating that the Crown is honour bound in its relations with Aboriginal peoples. Interestingly, the Proclamation also imposed the right of extradition of British felons when they fled to the protection of “Indian lands”. While this imposition is arbitrary it assumes all other civil jurisdiction of Aboriginal nations was in place. The Proclamation also stipulated that individuals trading with Indians were required to obtain a licence and subject to tax. No such stipulation was imposed on Indians. King George’s vision of an American Camelot, loyal to the Crown, economically productive, free of costly wars and at peace with its Indian neighbours was embodied in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Thirteen years later, thirteen American colonies would declare their independence from the Crown, leaving Quebec and Nova Scotia the only British colonies in North America .

In 1800, 206 years ago, there was not a town, road, damn or farm in the Ottawa Valley . The language was mininowin. Even the few English and French in the valley spoke the native language. The Algonquin population had rebounded and rebuilt its traditional presence in the Valley. Since the American Revolution the British had come north as loyalists to settle the area along the St Lawrence and the shore of Lake Ontario . Iroquois Loyalists were among these immigrants. In order to clear Aboriginal title for these newcomers the Crown purchased title from the Mississaugas through the Crawford Purchase (1783) and the Rideau Purchase (1819). In doing so the Crown included some Algonquin Land but excluded Algonquins from negotiations or compensation. This oversight would become the main point of a hundred years of formal grievances directed to the Crown by Algonquin chiefs. In 1820, Philemon Wright reported to the Legislature of Upper Canada how he had come to secure the protection and cooperation of Algonquins along the Ottawa River in 1800. Wright described a Treaty of Peace and Friendship that had been negotiated at what is now Hull , Quebec , across the River from the present day Parliament buildings of Canada . The Treaty clearly permitted Wright the use of a small portion of land for the development of a mill, farms and village. In return Wright was extended Algonquin citizenship and agreed to protect Algonquin resources, lands and titles. He recognised the needs of the Algonquin people to sustain themselves on the land. He agreed not to interfere with their economic activities and offered them fair compensation when he did. Embodied in this Treaty is an agreement of mutual recognition, mutual respect and shared benefits. While the intentions of the Wright/Algonquin Treaty were honourable and local, the development of Philemon Wright’s mill at the Chaudier Falls initiated the environmental destruction of the entire Ottawa Valley .

Three waves of European immigration took place in Upper and Lower Canada after the defeat of the French at Quebec in 1759. The first immigrants were American mercantilists who took over the failed economy of New France . As the Fur Trade had shifted its focus toward the North West and James Bay , these mercantilists concentrated their interests on the exploitation of pine forests and the production of potash. Potash is used in the manufacture of soap and other industrial products and is produced by rendering entire woodlands to ash. The potash and white pine timber was exported to England and Scotland and were returned to Canada as manufactured products. Following the American Revolution, Loyalists with capital, servants, slaves, stock and equipment followed the American mercantilists and began to convert the fertile land of the north shore of the St Lawrence and Lake Ontario to agricultural use. Throughout this time Algonquins were loyal allies to the British Crown and provided protection and assistance to the newcomers. However, as early as the late 18th century, Algonquin chiefs observed to Crown representatives the destruction of the environment that followed European settlement. As settlers converted indigenous environments to European landscapes entire ecosystems collapsed diminishing the diversity of both plant and animal species.

European exploitation and settlement of the Ottawa Valley took place after 1800. Within a generation of the establishment of Philemon Wright’s mill the best of the tall pines were being cut and floated down the Rideau, Mississippi and Madawaska Rivers . The immigrants who came to the Ottawa Valley were not the cultured merchants or Loyalists who were now developing civil governance for Canada but the rude, backward, poverty stricken Scots and Irish peasants, fresh off the boat. The critical convergence of these desperate immigrants and the opening of the Valley for settlement spelled the destruction of the environment and the Algonquin way of life. Within a hundred years no forests of real value existed. The soil of marginal farms had been eroded and deposited in the swamps and lakes. Surface mines that offered short term gains were exhausted leaving the toxic tailings for other generations to clean up. The settler population in the backlands of the Ottawa Valley in 1900 was 4 times greater than it is today but with the environment so over exploited and devastated the economy collapsed and most people got up and left. The Algonquins stayed close to their homeland and struggled to survive on the devastated land.

Archived records show that Algonquin people suffered the loss of subsistence occupations and were the targets of racism and economic marginalization. Algonquins were not permitted to own land and when indifferent governments permitted Indian settlement they failed to provide protection. This was clearly the case in Bedford , Oso and South Sherbrooke townships where Chief Shapenes(Sothernbird) was given a licence of occupation of 2000 acres in 1844. This was the first Algonquin reserve to be set aside in Ontario or Quebec . With a dream of establishing a sustainable community for ninety or so Algonquins, Shapenespetitioned for the protection by the Crown. Within a year, loggers from Perth invaded the reserved lands, raping the women and beating the men. When Shapenescomplained to the Crown he was told that the land had been reserved for his people, but the trees had not. When he begged the Commander of the Garrison at Perth to protect his people he was told that it was not in the interest of the Army to protect Indians but should the Algonquins harm the loggers the Army would certainly come to the area. The politics of the 19th century were confusing for Algonquins. They had begun the century as important military and political allies with a viable economy and growing population; by 1844 they were being treated as vagrants in their own land. It is important to note that in the year that Shapeneswas petitioning the Crown for a licence to occupy a limited tract of Algonquin land that Queen’s University opened its doors to the sons of Loyalist immigrants and the walls around Kingston Penitentiary were completed to hold the most unruly sons and daughters of the Scots/Irish immigrants. What is absolutely clear is that the Crown failed in its obligation to secure for itself, Algonquin title. The lands that the Crown had permitted to be occupied by European immigrants, was never acquired by a purchase or treaty. The construction of Canada ’s foundations was underway but Algonquins were ignored and their previous contributions were forgotten. While the Crown negotiated with many other Aboriginal people in Ontario , more than twenty treaties in keeping with the mandate of the Proclamation of 1763, it failed to resolve clear title to the Ottawa Valley . No amount of ignorance, racism, dominance, paternalism, violence or political blindness can change the fact that Algonquins have retained Aboriginal rights and title to their homeland in the Valley.

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Feature Article - July 13, 2006

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Feature Article - July 13, 2006

LOLCSDrivers needed

The medical transportation program of Land o’ Lakes Community Services is vital to our area. Many people have no other way of getting to necessary appointments. In the past year, 11 volunteer drivers for Land o’ Lakes Community Services drove over 60,000 km. We now have even fewer drivers. The decrease is due to a number of different factors, including retirement, moving, and some much-deserved time off for the summer. We are looking for some very committed people to continue our medical transportation program.

In particular, we need drivers to take clients to dialysis treatments in Kingston (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday). These drives require a large time commitment from the volunteer there is usually a minimum 4-hour wait while the client has her/his treatment and then there is the driving time involved. In the past, we were lucky to have one individual, Marion Sibley, who drove all three days. Marion and her husband, Pastor Bob Sibley transferred out of the area so she will no longer be available. We will miss Marion , as will the clients she was so dedicated to helping. We do not expect any volunteer driver to make the commitment of driving for all three days, but we welcome individuals who can offer some time.

We will also miss two of our regular medical drivers, Dale and Pauline Thompson. Dale and Pauline have decided to retire after driving for our program for a number of years.

The dedicated volunteer drivers we have need some backup. This is a great way to contribute to your community and to ensure everyone can access the care they need. If you have some spare time and would like to join a wonderful team of caring individuals please call Marlene @ 613-336-8934.

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

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Feature Article - October 26, 2006

VISIONSoup:News from Central Frontenac CommunityServices

Some local women, including Josey Steel and Leslie Reade, are teaming up to raise funds for CFCSC in an event that should wet the community's appetite.

Wilton Pottery has donated 40 bowls towards the desired 150 bowls. Local food suppliers are being asked to donate pots of soup, coffee, buns, butter, baked goods, etc.

On Saturday, November 25, following the Sydenham Santa Claus parade, people receive their bowls and get to eat/sample the soups and trimmings. The bowls will be sold for $20 and people get to keep the bowl.

More details will be provided in next month's newsletter. If you are interested in assisting with this fundraiser (come on, churches and community groups - let's have a soup or cookie competition), please contact us at Rural VISIONS Centre and we will put you in touch with the organizers.

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

Routes toWork expands toSharbot Lake

Routes to Work is a program designed to help people who have a mental illness obtain employment. It is run through the Canadian Mental Health Association Kingston Branch, which has received some funding to run the program out of Sharbot Lake a few times a month.

The program not only helps people to find jobs but helps them to maintain them. Routes to Work has a successful formula in finding employment for people who suffer from a mental illness because it has the right combination of education and support.

The program provides career counseling, goal setting, resume writing, job search, skill development, workshops and employment maintenance. Participants can chose to remain anonymous through the program or have the employment support worker contact potential employers on their behalf.

People who are interested in the program must first qualify. People who are in receipt of employment insurance would not qualify. People must also self identify with a mental illness.

The main barrier for persons with a mental illness is stigma. The people who participate in Routes to Work are educated, intelligent, honest and hard working individuals and they would be an asset to any workplace. They sometimes just need a few considerations such as an extra break, flexible hours or being able to work different hours.

Funding is provided through Social Development Canada Opportunities Fund, which pays for the program to be delivered and for the client support.

For the Sharbot Lake area the program would run out of the Northern Connections Adult Learning Centre located at 24719 Hwy 7 near the corner of Hwys. 38 and 7.

Employers or job seekers who are interested in the Routes to Work program are encouraged to call Sara Carleton at 549-7027 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

Understanding History and Relationships

Letter to the Editor

Ron Pethick brought up some interesting points in his letter to the editor regarding particular understandings of history: Algonquin and Mohawk relations in the 17th century, Proclamation of 1763, 18th century land cessions by the Mississauga people, as well as contemporary Algonquin relationships with the Crown, province, and local neighbours. I was particularly impressed with the point that he made regarding the genocide that was committed against Scottish and Irish people by the British historically and how they would be entitled to “complain” about that treatment to the United Nations. Ron is very correct in pointing out that Scottish and Irish peoples do have a right to educate the public about that genocide and yes, seek compensation, if they so desire. Genocide is genocide, and Ardoch Algonquin First Nation would be happy to support their efforts to pursue that if they choose.

When it comes to understanding what has happened here in Algonquin territory over the past 400 years, Ron has the same handicap as many other Canadians. That handicap is the history that has been taught to Ron and other Canadians. This history was written using documents that were created by Europeans. Those Europeans were interested in gaining control over Indigenous people’s lands and resources, therefore their understandings of the past are influenced by their desire to profit from our lands and resources. As a result of that history, Algonquin people have been marginalized to the fringes of Canadian society and the true nature of Canada ’s relationship with us remains hidden from the public. This can be seen in elementary and secondary history text books where all Indigenous peoples in Canada receive minimal coverage. We only appear as noble Indians who were deemed to disappear, or as brutal savages who infested the banks of the rivers. Every word that was created about us in the pages of European writings was designed to create a image of us in a negative way that were permit Europeans to occupy and exploit our resources for themselves.

It was only through a process of decolonizing my own mind as an adult that I was able to see past the whitewash that has passed as the actual history of this continent. In the spirit of furthering that decolonization in other people, I would like to offer the following comments on the topics Ron’s letter to the editor.

First of all, Dave Bate was correct in stating that Algonquin people were not conquered by military action on the part of the French, English, or Dutch. At least not in the same way that Indigenous peoples were tortured and killed in the West and in the US . Nor were Algonquin people conquered and driven off their lands by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). In fact most of what is in the history texts about Algonquin/Mohawk relations is absolutely incorrect. Algonquin and Mohawk peoples had relationships with each other as human beings that reflected the relationships they had with the rest of the Natural World. Any shift in that relationship was the result of the French and the English playing us against each other so that they could both gain access to our resources (ie…furs).

Secondly, the Proclamation of 1763 was a direct result of Pontiac and his followers near Detroit who had successfully resisted British encroachments on their lands by destroying 14 British forts. The Proclamation was issued by the King of England to prevent further encroachments on ALL Indigenous peoples lands within the territory claimed by the British. This was understood by Algonquins at the time as a guarantee of their rights and title. This understanding was also recognized by several British officials in the late 18th and the 19th century. Sir John Johnson even signed the Proclamation and gave it to Algonquin leaders as proof that it guaranteed Algonquin title and rights within Algonquin territory.

Thirdly, Ron told us about the land cessions by the Mississauga people in the early 19th century, and yes that definitely happened. The Mississauga people did agree to sell some of their land to the British Crown. It is the way in which that cession happened that explains the sale of Algonquin land. Oral and documentary evidence shows that the treaty commissioners tricked the Mississaugas into ceding Algonquin land in the following manner. Commissioners pulled in the oldest men in the region and put a map in front of them and pointed to areas on the map and said to them “have you ever hunted here or there”……..until they were all the way up past the Kiji Sibi (Ottawa). Mississauga elders admitted that yes they had hunted and fished all the way up to the Kiji Sibi, with the approval of Algonquin people. They even told the commissioners that it was Algonquin land, but the commissioners told them that it was ok if they sold Algonquin land. Additionally I should point out that the Mississaugas are still waiting for full payment from the government.

There was clear and concise evidence at the time of that land cession, including petitions from Algonquin leaders, and British official correspondence that shows the British knew Algonquin title and rights were still in effect. Therefore, Ron is incorrect when he states that the government did not recognize Algonquin title and rights. The government knew very well that it was Algonquin land and even talked about ways to protect remaining lands while also compensating Algonquin people for the lands already taken for settlement. The only way the lands could be purchased legitimately was through the guidelines set out in the Proclamation. So regardless of whether or not Mississauga people ceded land to the Crown, Algonquin land was never legitimately purchased from Algonquin people. Algonquin people did not surrender, sell, or otherwise dispose of their territory to the British Crown. Nor was it ever transferred to Canada after Confederation. As a result, Algonquin territory is not under the jurisdiction of Ontario or Canada , it is under the jurisdiction of Algonquins.

Ron wondered why we were not participating in the claims process like other Algonquins. This has already been addressed previously, but I will point out some of the major obstacles that prevent our participation. To begin with, the land claims and treaty process is designed to eliminate our autonomy within our territory. We do not agree that this land claim is in our best interest. It is Canada who wrongfully occupies our lands and supposedly exploits our resources (along with other Indigenous peoples) for the benefit of the entire Nation. Indigenous peoples for the most part do not benefit from this exploitation and remain the poorest of all people in Canada . Most live below the poverty line in unsafe housing and drink unsafe water because of the ways in which mining companies have contaminated the land and water in many regions. In addition, many of our elders go hungry and cannot afford the medication they need to live a healthy life because of this inequality. The fact remains that Canada continues to prosper as a nation from the resources stolen from our lands every day while Indigenous peoples continue to suffer on a daily basis.

Another obstacle to our participation is the discriminatory requirement that we hold elections to send a reprehensive to the negotiation table. Elections compromise our traditional governance practices which are based on consensus. Forcing us to do so is against numerous international human rights legislation and constitutes genocide on the part of the government. Another factor that calls into question the legitimacy of the clams process for us is the fact that if we were to participate we would be limited to one person at the table while Pikwakanagan is allowed to have the Chief and entire Council as representatives for that community. This practice is discriminatory because it establishes a hierarchy where Algonquin people must compete with each other for the little bit of land that will remain of our territory because of the extinguishment clause in the treaty process.

These are insurmountable obstacles that prevent our participation in the land claims process as it currently exists. We cannot compromise our responsibilities to our elders, women, and children. Ultimately we cannot compromise our relationship with the land. We need the land to maintain our traditions and spirituality. We cannot do this by extinguishing our autonomy through a claims process that is discriminatory. Therefore the path we follow is one in which we continue to use our lands and resources within the guidelines of Algonquin Law. This does not mean that we cannot live in harmony with our neighbours. We have every intention of supporting the efforts of year round residents and cottagers to enjoy their lives to the fullest. We have always shared our lands with others, all we ask is that you give us the same consideration and support our efforts to live our lives as distinct human beings who have connections to this land that go back thousands of years.

Paula ShermanArdoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFNA)Professor: Trent University Department of Indigenous Studies

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

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Feature Article - August 10, 2006

FlintonCountry BluegrassJamboree

byJeffGreen

In the winter of 2005 when Duane and Donna Thibault began working with the Flinton Recreation Committee to promote a bluegrass festival, they were hoping that they could develop a small festival that could cover its costs and promote the local community.

The first Jamboree did just that, and for their second annual festival the Thibaults hoped to see some growth in attendance. But the growth that occurred surprised everybody.

“Last year we had 65 trailers come for the weekend, and this year we had over 170. The walk-in crowd was up as well. It was quite something,” Donna Thibault told the News on Tuesday.

The response to this year’s entertainment was excellent as well. “We have booked over 100 trailers for next year already,” Thibault added.

Some of the popular acts on this year’s schedule were White Pine and the Mustangs, who also appeared last year, and the Abrams Brothers, making their first appearance on the Flinton stage.

“The Abrams Brothers have a following, and some people came just to see them, but people liked everything they heard,” Donna Thibault said.

During the Abrams Brothers’ set, John Abrams gave the first performance with a special fiddle that “the boys” will be playing for the next year.

The fiddle was presented to the brothers at the end of a week-long fiddle camp in San Diego that is run by the renowned session fiddler and composer Mark O’Conner (composer of “The American Seasons”).

It was made by American violin maker Jonathan Cooper to honour Daniel Pearl, a journalist with the Wall Street Journal who was kidnapped and murdered while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002. Pearl was an avid fiddler and his family decided to honour his memory by giving the custom-made fiddle to Mark O’Conner, to be handed out each year to a promising young fiddler to play for the year. The goal is to promote violin music and peace by playing the fiddle.

The Flinton Jamboree was the first concert the Abrams Brothers played after receiving the fiddle, and halfway through their afternoon set, John Abrams played the Pearl Fiddle while James sang one of their best-loved tunes, “Can I get an Amen.”

The Flinton Country Bluegrass Jamboree relies on a large corps of volunteers, with Flinton Rec. Committee members such as Carolyn Hasler handling the food, and at least 50 other people lending a hand.

There is little doubt the Jamboree will build on its success next year. The Thibaults like to stick with the excellent bands that come from the local region, and bring in some new talent each year. “It’s a year-round effort,” said Donna Thibault, “we being talking to bands and listening to CD’s they send us, as soon as one year’s jamboree is over.”

They will also be looking at their camping facilities, trying to free up extra space for more campers. Eventually, they might have to open up a second camping site, a few minutes’ drive away from the Flinton Recreation Centre, and set up a shuttle bus, in order to accommodate the demand that might be coming their way.

With such growth in only one year, Donna Thibault wonders what might happen in the next few years. “Word of mouth seems to have brought a lot more people in just one year, so you never know what could happen next year.”

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