Feature Article - October 4, 2007 Feature Article - October 4, 2007

Provincial Election 2007: A Voter's Guide to LFL&A.

This is the final issue of the Frontenac News before the provincial election on October 10. In order to help voters as they consider whom to vote for, we have included articles that provide a bit of background and some of the policy positions taken by Rolly Montpellier (Green), Randy Hillier (PC), Ross Sutherland (NDP), and Ian Wilson (Liberal). We could not reach Stella Postma (Family Coalition Party) early this week, but we did receive a letter from her, which is reprinted below.This will be the first provincial election in the new riding Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington and after it is over we will be represented by a first time MPP. The riding is listed as one of 14 “ridings to watch” by the National Post, and is either listed as too close to call, or as a riding which is expected to go PC in a close vote by various election prediction organizations. The local election results will not be printed in next week’s paper, which will be at the printer’s on Election Day, but we will post the local results at Frontenacnews.ca as soon as they come in.

Family Coalition Party: Stella Postma

Thank you for taking the time to read this introduction of myself as a candidate for the Family Coalition Party (FCP) in the electoral district of Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington. I have resided in the Addington County for 20 years and the first 17 years as an entrepreneur in the tourist sector of the Land o’ Lakes region. I have decided to run for the FCP mainly because of the referendum, which represents the real chance for the FCP to have a level playing field and fully participate in the political discussion in Ontario. A Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) has been successful in many countries. The FCP has existed for 20 years and have strived to alert the faith-based citizens of the declining morals and culture.

The FCP stands for 1. Upholding the Traditional family as a natural institution based on marriage. 2. Marriage as the union between a man and a woman. 3. Protection of life from conception to natural death. 3. Parental rights in the education and upbringing of their children. 4. The right to public Practice of personal freedoms of: conscience, speech, association, and faith. 5. The right to own property. For more detailed platform principals go to the website www.FamilyCoalitionParty.com.

Speaking for myself concerning Family and coming from a large family situation, I know how important principles are in sustaining a strong family unit. The family has been under considerable changes in many ways in the last decade. There .are many issues in this election campaign but the word "family" seems to be purged from it; it’s not politically correct and in Ontario Law every reference to real marriage and family terminology has been erased. Personally I feel that without the basic structure of family life for the present and future generation, there will be no hope for successful government.

May I urge all family conscious voters to consider exercising their rights on October 10 towards a turnaround for a stronger and healthier Ontario and a future for our children.

Green Party: Rolly Montpellier

Green Party candidate Rolly Montpellier is a relative newcomer to the region, having lived most of his life in the Sudbury area until moving to Buckshot Lake in North Frontenac with his wife Karen two years ago. He says, “The warm, open-hearted and neighbourly people we have met since our arrival have been the best part of our experience of moving to North Frontenac".

Shortly after moving to the area, Rolly joined the local Green Party and when he was approached to seek the nomination for this election, he says he "felt that the problems that we are facing as a society are serious and I had a moral obligation to run in this election". The highlight of the campaign so far for Rolly has been the opportunity to meet people throughout the riding, and he feels he has been able to give the Green Party a larger profile in Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington.

He brings an intense commitment to environmental issues to the election, hence the connection to the Green Party. "The Green Party is the only one that looks at the energy debate in terms of the limits on the amount of energy we can use in our daily lives, and as a society. There are real limits; that will have an economic impact. We can't change that simply by tinkering, by putting scrubbers on coal-fired plants, and things like that."

He has been disappointed, however, by the amount of time that has been devoted to the faith-based school debate in this election. “It has distracted from the real issues, such as the rural economy, the environment, health care and others. The faith-based schools discussion, which is not central to people’s daily lives, has derailed the whole agenda," he said.

Rolly Montpellier worked for many years in the education system in the Sudbury region, spending 20 years as a school board superintendent of business. He has long been active in his community, as a school board trustee, and a member of two different hospital boards, and the board of a credit union. He has also participated in government study groups, and served as CFO of several provincial and federal election campaigns in the Nickel Belt riding.

Rolly, the local Green Party Association, and the provincial party as a whole, have actively supported the anti-uranium exploration protests in North Frontenac. Party leader Frank De Jong visited the protest site with Rolly in July, and the two men supported the protesters at Parliament Hill last Friday.

The party is opposed to nuclear power and supports a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining throughout the province. In that sense they are similar to the NDP.

But as Rolly explained at an all-candidates meeting in Kaladar, the Green Party energy policy extends into their tax policy. They intend to introduce a 2-per-cent carbon tax on oil, natural gas and coal imported or extracted for use in the province, and a corresponding decrease in personal and corporate income taxes. The proposal goes under the slogan, “Tax what you burn, not what you earn.”

Liberal Party: Ian Wilson

"Unfortunately, I have a lot of time to devote to covering this large and diverse riding as MPP," Ian Wilson said at an all-candidates meeting in Verona when asked how he would try to be responsive to constituents’ concerns if he is elected next week.

This might seem like an odd response, but Wilson was referring to the fact that he is a widower, and he has had time to pour himself fully into the current campaign, which he has been waging since he won the Liberal nomination after a hard-fought selection process in early June.At church suppers, pancake breakfasts, summer fairs, and every other manner of summer event, Ian Wilson has been visiting and talking provincial politics for the past three months, and he seems to be enjoying himself.“It’s stimulating, it’s great,” he says, “you get up in the morning and that is what you are doing. By meeting a lot of people I’ve become better informed on a wide range of issues, and for someone who is a bit of sponge as far as learning is concerned, that makes for a good day.”

It has surprised Ian Wilson that during the writ period the issue of faith-based schools has come up repeatedly as he travels the riding.“It’s not an issue that you would think people would concern themselves with in a riding like ours, but you’ve got to find the money to do it somewhere, and if it goes ahead the impact will be felt across the province. The Liberals have invested in rural schools, and part of what makes a community is its schools,” he said.

He has also found that the issues that concern people “are very personal, and vary across the riding. The uranium exploration is important in North Frontenac and Lanark, and health care continues to be an issue throughout the riding.”

Ian Wilson came into the campaign with an extensive background in public service. He worked at St. Lawrence College for 36 years, as a professor and dean of the school of business: served as a councilor, deputy reeve and reeve of Ernestown Township and county councilor and warden in Lennox and Addington; served as board member and chair of the Kingston Area Economic Development Commission (KEDCO), and as founding president and chair of the Kingston Area Recycling Corporation; served on the board at Kingston General Hospital and chaired the board from 2001- 2003, and on the board of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority.

He describes himself as someone who is adept at working with government. “We are going to get a lot further in this riding by working with the government to make improvements,” he said.

In terms of health care and hospital funding, issues that are close Ian Wilson’s heart, he says the Liberal government is on the right track.“The Liberals have moved a long way in terms of improving the hospital situation, including a $21.5 million addition to the Lennox and Addington Hospital in Napanee and the redevelopment at Kingston General Hospital … this is a government that is investing in health.”

Ian Wilson has also taken a stand on the issue of mining rights and uranium exploration in the riding. He supports a moratorium on uranium exploration and has made the proposal, which he acknowledges is a position “that goes much further than the party,” that in certain parts of the province such as LFL&A, which is a tourist-based economy, “mining rights should be extinguished altogether.”

New Democratic Party: Ross Sutherland

This is the third time Ross Sutherland has contested an election for the NDP. He ran federally in LFL&A and provincially in Hastings Frontenac Lennox and Addington during the last provincial election.

"I'm enjoying it more this time around," he said earlier this week, "I'm getting a much more positive response than in previous elections, more sign requests, more literature requests. A lot of the traditional NDP vote seems to have come back, partly because people are unhappy with John Tory's ideas, and there is a general dissatisfaction with McGuinty. There's a lot of movement out there, people are going in different places, and I feel great about it.”

Another difference for Ross in this campaign is that he is a full time campaigner. A career registered nurse who worked in the emergency department at Hotel Dieu hospital for years, Ross stopped working last year to complete his Master's degree, and after receiving the NDP nomination he redoubled his efforts and completed his thesis in August to free up the entire election period for the campaign. This is one of the advantages that have come from the scheduled elections that Ontario has adopted; candidates are able to plan their time to take on the commitment to run.

As always, health care is an important policy issue for Sutherland, who in his role as a co-chair of the Kingston and Area Health Coalition has been an outspoken critic of privatization of health care delivery in Ontario, which he says is costly and inefficient. In his view, this has hit rural Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington in terms of the delivery of home care services.

"The province is spending more and more money on rural home care, and delivering less and less service, because of the competitive bidding system that was introduced several years ago."

He has noticed during this current campaign that people in the riding are concerned about the issue of downloading of services from the province to the municipalities and its impact on property taxes.

"People understand the downloading issue; they link it right back to Mike Harris, which is a problem for the Conservatives” he said. “The NDP have a plan to upload $1.4 billion in municipal services over 4 years.”

Sutherland has also taken an active role in supporting the anti-uranium exploration protests in North Frontenac, visiting the site on the first day of the occupation and several times since, and participating in rallies. He was in Ardoch when the canoes left for Parliament Hill in September 22, and was at Parliament Hill last Friday when the canoes arrived.

"The NDP is opposed to nuclear power, and to uranium mining as well. We support the moratorium on uranium mining that the Algonquins are calling for. Energy policy is something people want to talk about in this election," he said. “The McGuinty proposal to build two nuclear power plants at a cost of $40 billion is an expensive mistake.” To illustrate the financial costs of nuclear power, Sutherland has been bringing blow ups of his own hydro bill to all-candidates meetings, with the item “debt retirement charge” circled on the bill.

“That is the charge we are still paying on our hydro bills for the 30-year-old nuclear power plants we already have. The Liberals, and the Conservatives, would have us repeat an expensive mistake on a technology that will be devastating to the environment,” he said at an all-candidates meeting in Kaladar.

PC Party: Randy Hillier

Randy Hillier has already had a political career, of sorts.

As the former President of the Lanark Landowners’ Association and the Ontario Landowners’ Association, he has been at the forefront of what he calls “a rural revolution.” For several years, rural landowners, farmers and small business people who have run up against government regulations, ranging from the size of eggs for sale at farmers’ markets, to rules under the Nutrient Management Act, to regulations about sawdust piles, Randy Hillier and the Landowners’ Association have come forward to confront the situation on their behalf.

On a macro-political level, the Landowners organized tractor convoys to Parliament Hill in Ottawa and Queen’s Park in Toronto to protest against government policies and assert the rights of the farm community and rural landowners in general.

Randy Hillier’s flair for the media, and his steadfast commitment to a landowner’s right to the “enjoyment of his land”, have been the basis of the work he has done as a political activist.

Many of the issues he has taken on have to do with the relationship between rural landowners and government officials.

In a radio interview that is posted in his election website, he described the source of this conflict.

“Government does not respect or trust landowners and this is evident from the host of regulations. Trust and respect are traits that are earned and never is achieved through coercion, intimidation or legislation.”

Randy Hillier described his decision to run for office in an interview with the News by saying “I found that I’d gone as far as I could working from the outside, and decided to make changes to the system from the inside.”

Even though he is committed to working within a party structure, Hillier says he will not shy away from his political beliefs and the wishes of his constituents.

“There is nothing more powerful than a sensible, reasonable argument, delivered with conviction. That’s what I do now, and that’s what I’ll do in government as well.”

Randy Hillier made reference to two very recent developments to illustrate this point in an interview with the News on Monday.

He talked about the decision by Conservative party leader John Tory, announced earlier that day, to allow a free vote on extending provincial funding to faith-based schools, which he said came about because candidates from across the province convinced John Tory that they did not support faith-based schools.

Hillier had expressed support for the faith-based school funding proposal at all-candidates meetings, with the proviso that it would only be done after a process of public consultation.

“I still support the process that John Tory has outlined, which will allow everyone to look at this situation,” Hillier said in Verona on September 24th.

However, he said this week that he does not support funding faith-based schools, although he thinks looking at the idea in more detail is reasonable.

Randy Hillier has been an advocate for changes to the Ontario Mining Act, partly as a response to the ongoing protest in North Frontenac, and because of his commitment to landowners’ rights. This week, he announced that at his request, the party “has committed to addressing the conflict associated with the exploration of uranium in our riding.”

The release quotes John Tory, who said in a speech in Thunder Bay, “The PC Party will undertake a complete review of the mining Act.”

Letters - October 4, 2007

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Letters - October 4, 2007

Letters

October 4 Enforce Uranium Moratorium, Helen ForseyMPP Criticisms Unfounded, Hali Foster Enforce Uranium Moratorium

The following is a statement developed by setters at the site of the anti-uranium blockade at the Robertsville mine site in support of the proposal by the Algonquins for a mediation process to resolve the issues. We are urging people to press our governments to support and engage in this mediation process and the accompanying moratorium.

We are citizens of Ontario and Canada, many of us residents of the Ottawa River watershed, which is now being staked by uranium mining interests. We know that the Government of Ontario, along with that of Canada, has been formally negotiating with the Algonquins since the early 1990s to try to reach a just resolution of the Algonquins' historic claim to this territory.

We have therefore been shocked to see that same provincial government enabling corporations to stake claims for uranium on those same unceded lands. We are deeply grateful to the Algonquins of Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan who have joined together to protect these lands and waters from the multiple threats of uranium exploration and mining. Their current blockade has our full support.

As citizens of Ontario and Canada, we require our governments to change their irresponsible and contradictory position of allowing uranium exploration on lands where title and rights are in dispute and under negotiation, where the environmental consequences of uranium development would be disastrous, and where the public health of millions of people downstream and downwind would be put at risk.

The Algonquins have now proposed a mediation process to resolve this complex and vital set of issues, supported by a moratorium on drilling or further exploration in the territory while all parties seek a permanent solution.

We require our elected representatives and democratic government to direct their negotiating teams and all relevant ministries to fully and immediately support this mediation process, and to enforce the moratorium and other conditions on which the process will rely. This action will defuse a dangerous situation, restore the honour of the government, and build a basis of trust for moving forward.

Helen Forsey, Ompah

MPP Criticisms Unfounded

In recent discussions about the referendum on October 10 and the recommended change to Ontario’s voting system, Mixed Member Proportional (MMP), I have heard several un-foundedcriticisms, which I would like to address by clarifying the process.

The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform worked independently of government and does not represent a political party. Its mandate was to assess Ontario's current electoral system, and to recommend the retention of the current system or theadoption a new one. The system remains basically unchanged, while adding a new component to fix the shortfalls.

The new MMP system encourages more people to vote to make those votes count.

You have to be a member of a political party in order to vote on who thecandidates will be, a process in which very few voters take part. The party will nominate the local candidates just like they do now,plusa top-up list of provincial candidates. Before an election, voters will know who is on the list.

Voters will vote for a local candidate and for a party. The local candidates will be elected like they are now.The party vote determines the share of seats a party will have in the legislature. If a party doesn't have enoughlocal candidates elected to match its share of the party vote, it gets additional seats elected from the top-up list.

Parties would hold seats in proportionto the votes they receive.This does not happen in our current system. For example, a party that receives 5% of the vote would not likely get any seats in the legislature, but in the new MMP system it would get 6 seats out of 129.

All elected officials will serve the local needs of citizens, and may also be involved in regional or provincial issues.

Hali Foster, Northbrook

Feature Article - December 13, 2007 Back toHome Feature Article - December 13, 2007 Donna Dillman takes protest further By Jeff Green

Three weeks into her stay in Toronto, at the start of her third month without food, Donna Dillman said she was “feeling rather weak, and emotional, very emotional” when she talked to the Frontenac News over the phone from Queen's Park.

Dillman was still waiting for a response from Premier McGuinty to information she had provided to him when they met two weeks earlier about how much Canadian uranium is exported.

“He told me that we needed nuclear power, and I told him that we had enough uranium for Canadian uses and that most of what we produce is exported. He said he would look into that. But I haven't heard from him,' Dillman said. “The credibility of the premier has just gone down in my eyes,” she said.

In response to the provincial government’s silence, Donna Dillman announced over the weekend that if the government does not signal by Tuesday, (December 11) at noon that an inquiry into uranium exploration will be called, she was going to take her hunger strike to a more extreme level, and restrict her intake to water only. Until then, she had been drinking herbal teas and fruit juices as well as water.

“The government was not going to act, had not acted, despite all the evidence we've made available, and as they were going into recess this week, we were (and I was) running out of time. Even with the minimal amount of nourishment that my drinks are providing, I would not likely make it to see the Legislature resume in February, so this has to end and I have to take it all the way to water only, if the Premier does not act by Tuesday at noon,” she posted on her blog last Saturday evening.

Donna Dillman has been in attendance at the legislative gallery every day the house has been sitting has since she arrived in Toronto, and every day Peter Tabuns, the NDP environment critic, has introduced her to the house.

Last week, she was joined in the gallery by members of the Ontario Landowner's Assocation, who came to the house for the maiden speech by Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington MPP Randy Hillier. During his speech, Hiller railed against the government's record in Rural Ontario. “When will you show respect for the people of rural Ontario?” Hillier asked Premier McGuinty

In his response the premier said he found Hillier to be too negative, and he talked about what he, as a citizen of Ontario, depended on the government for. “I depend on the government for clean air and water” McGuinty concluded.

“Well, don't we all,” replied Donna Dillman.

Late last week, Dillman went to a naturopath in Toronto for a long delayed physical examination. “My blood pressure is low, but in a good range for me” she reports, “and a very minor but noticeable irregular heart beat has developed, but my organs are all in good shape.”

After the house lets out for the Christmas break, either today or tomorrow, Donna Dillman will return home to Lanark. She said she has not decided what she will do after that. One option is to maintain her hunger strike, and perhaps pressure the premier over the Christmas holidays.

“I could be outside his house as he sits down to Christmas dinner,” she said.

Letters - December 20, 2007 Back toHome Letters - December 20, 2008 Letters December 20Hillier’s stand on Uranium Mining,John McEwen, Verona. Hillier’s stand on Uranium Mining.

I believe we are all pleased that Mrs. Dillman has decided to end her hunger strike. And while she failed to end uranium exploration in Ontario, I believe that she has certainly impressed upon all members of government the fact that there is opposition to the way we pull this element from the ground.

However, your story leaves the impression that MPP Randy Hillier railed against uranium exploration in the Sharbot Lake area. To the contrary, during the “all candidates” meeting in Verona, he said point blank that he would not hesitate to send in OPP swat teams to clear out protesters so that Frontenac Ventures could exercise their “rights” as private property holders and mine for uranium on their land.

Hillier did “rail against the government”, but only on behalf of the dozen or so LLA members in attendance. Citing the narrow interests of the LLA, he named the members off one by one; explaining their failed businesses as solely the fault of “excessive regulations”. And then disappeared from the House for the entire second week.

John McEwen, Verona.

Feature Article - December 6, 2007 Back toHome Feature Article - December 6, 2007 Mediation starts slowly in uranium dispute by Jeff Green

It wasn’t until Tuesday morning that all of the parties to a mediation process concerning uranium exploration in North Frontenac gathered at Katie’s Pub at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn. And even then the mediation began with baby steps.

The mediation had been scheduled for Monday December 3, but Tracey Pratt, a lawyer for Frontenac Ventures Corporation, and the mediator, Richard Moore, were not able to make it to Sharbot Lake because of a snow storm.

Representatives from the Ontario government, and the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nations, did meet on Monday. They discussed how the mediation will be funded, and listened to a presentation by Ardoch Algonquin Elder Bob Lovelace on the history of Algonquin and European settlement in the Ottawa Valley.

On June 20, the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan Algonquins occupied the Robertsville mine, a site that has been leased by Frontenac Ventures Corporation as a base camp for a 30,000 acre uranium exploration project. The land is claimed by the Algonquin communities since there never has been a treaty with Algonquins to cede the land to Canada or Ontario. The Algonquins wrote to Premier McGuinty, asking for the province to negotiate

Frontenac Ventures initiated a lawsuit, and eventually secured an injunction ordering the Algonquins to leave. When that did not happen, they initiated contempt of court proceedings. In early October Judge Cunningham of the Kingston Superior Court coaxed the parties to seek mediation, and delayed hearing the contempt of court proceedings until mid-February of next year. On or around November 5, Frontenac Ventures reclaimed the Robertsville mine site, and have initiated a 40-week exploration program, with test drilling set to begin in the 13th week if the program stays on schedule.

The date of drilling is important because the leadership of both Algonquin communities have vowed they will re-institute their blockade if and when the company attempts to bring a drilling rig on site.

It took until this week for mediation to begin in earnest, and negotiators came up with a meeting schedule that extends until February. Many of the details concerning the dates for negotiations, what will be discussed, or whether it will be an open or closed mediation process, have not been resolved. The protocol for monitoring Frontenac Ventures activities on the site has also not been finalised.

Steve Reynolds, the lawyer for the Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation, said he would prepare a proposed work plan for the next meeting, which is scheduled for December 17.

Meanwhile down in Toronto … Donna Dillman has now been at Queen’s Park for 10 days, as her vow to live on only liquids heads towards the 60-day mark. She is demanding that the government of Ontario conduct an inquiry into uranium mining before she will eat. Early in her stay she met with Premier McGuinty. She reported that he said he was “committed to maintaining the present level of 14,000 megawatts of electricity generated by nuclear”, and she responded to him by saying “Eighty percent of Canada's uranium is exported and the country has stockpiles estimated to last for 40 years at current levels of use.”

Since then several people have spoken out in support of Donna Dillman’s stance.

MPP Peter Tabuns, the NDP Environment critic, made a statement in the house early this week. He said, “The Ardoch Algonquin First Nation have repeatedly pointed out that the provincial government has failed to consult with them about uranium exploration on their lands. Communities across eastern Ontario warn how uranium exploration and mining will release contaminants into their drinking water supply, and farmland.”

Last week, rising in the House of Commons in Ottawa, MP Scot Reid made a comment concerning the Frontenac Ventures uranium exploration project and the mining act.

He said, “If the uranium deposit proves rich enough to warrant a mine, it will be the prospecting company, not the landowners, who will profit from selling the mineral rights. The land itself will be turned into an open pit mine and, in return, landowners will get essentially nothing”.

Finally, David Suzuki weighed in on the issue this week.

In a letter to Premier McGuinty, he said, “It appears that opening up uranium mines is part of the nuclear future [of Ontario], but they themselves have a terrible history of leaving a legacy of radioactive pollution. I know that in Frontenac County, there is potentially a large open pit uranium mine on what is the traditional territory of First Nations people. There is no way those lands should be exploited before settlement of the claims of FN people. I hope this is the government's plan.”

Eleven municipalities in Eastern Ontario have now passed motions requesting that the province declare a moratorium on uranium mining, including North, South, and Central Frontenac; Lanark Highlands; Tay Valley; the Town of Perth; and the City of Kingston.

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Feature Article - November 15, 2007 Uranium: Power or Poison?By Jeff Green A ribbon wrapped around a metal marker where one on hundreds of old drill holes near Robertsville are located. The rock behind the drill hole is typical of the type that uranium prospectors look for.

The current round of politics that are focused on uranium exploration in Frontenac County has now lasted from Good Friday to Remembrance Day, and have become enmeshed in concerns about the free entry system under the Ontario mining act, as well as Aboriginal rights in general, and the Algonquin Land Claim in particular.

As the result of the actions of the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan Algonquins, the political, enforcement and judicial arms of government have become involved at relatively high levels. Last week the issue was raised in the House of Commons by MP Scott Reid, and the question of court injunctions, contempt of court charges and mediation, are ongoing in the Kingston courts. The exploration company is considering suing the Ontario Provincial Police for their policy of maintaining the peace instead of enforcing court orders over the past two months, and the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation is contemplating suing the lawyers who have been negotiating the Algonquin Land Claim for not heading this situation off years ago by insisting that mining exploration be frozen during the land claim process.

And by the publication date of this newspaper, Donna Dillman will be on Day 39 of a hunger strike, with the demand that the Province of Ontario initiate an inquiry into uranium mining.

At the root of all this is an element: uranium. In media coverage of the political machinations over the past six months, including the coverage presented by this newspaper, the question of whether uranium is a miracle mineral that can solve our collective energy problems, or a poison that should be left in the ground where it is, has been relegated to the background.

To Frontenac Ventures and their supporters, as well as to the powerful nuclear industry, uranium is a commodity that fluctuates in value, one that rose as high as $140 a pound this spring after languishing at less than $10 a pound for 20 years. It is now trading for $93 US per pound.

But to people such as Dr. Gordon Edwards of Vanier College in Montreal, releasing uranium from the ground is like opening Pandora’s box, since it has done untold harm for the past 100 years.

Gordon Edwards, and photographer Robert Del Tredici, presented a slide show in Carleton Place last week that chronicled a sorry tale of pain and death that has come about as the result of human exposure to uranium and the elements it breaks down into, such as radium, radon gas, thorium, strontium, and polonium - and the devastation that has been caused by nuclear weapons and nuclear waste.

Interestingly, given what has been happening in Frontenac County this year, Edwards pointed to the fact that the first deaths from uranium mining anywhere in the world were Dene peoples living at Great Bear Lake. The impact of poorly managed uranium tailings storage on people in the Elliot Lake region and downstream in places like Serpent River, where there is a First Nations community, have been well documented.

Edwards and Del Tredici made a compelling case, a scary case, for abandoning all forms of nuclear ambition, whether they have to do with weaponry, energy production, or simply taking the stuff out of the ground, crushing it, milling it, and disposing of the residue of crushed rock.

Gordon Edwards has carried on a crusade, largely self-financed, against the uranium and nuclear industries, for well over 30 years. People who were living in Frontenac County the last time uranium exploration took place in this region back in the late 70’s, might remember that Gordon Edwards gave a talk at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake in 1977 or 1978.

Gordon Edwards presents one side of the nuclear story, and although there are many scientists providing alternative views, as a cursory search of the web can attest, he presents authoritative information that is hard to deny.

His many opponents present well-documented information as well, but it must be said that they invariably have a financial connection to some aspect of the nuclear industry; it is in their financial interest to support nuclear. The general argument is that while mistakes were made in the past, uranium can be mined safely under current regulations, and nuclear power is a safe alternative to coal.

In terms of uranium exploration, the issue at hand currently in North Frontenac, Gordon Edwards said in Carleton Place, is that “many of the bore holes that are drilled become chimneys for radon gas; the more you put in the ground the more vents you have created. Holes should be completely sealed with a material like bentonite clay.”

Jamie Fairchild, from Frontenac Ventures Corporation, said the company would definitely cap all of their drill holes if they do get the chance to drill, and they are open to the idea of filling the holes if that will ease the concerns of local people.

A major, perhaps the major concern of the Algonquins and others who were occupying the Robertsville mine until a couple of weeks ago, and who continue to scrutinize what is taking place at the site from the roadside of the gate, is that uranium mining be prevented in this region. Exploration leads to mining, they say, so why permit exploration in the first place?

We will look at uranium mining in more detail in part 2 of this article in the coming weeks.

Before doing that I think it is fair to point out at this time that the chances of a uranium mine ever being established in North Frontenac have been greatly diminished by what has taken place this summer and fall, no matter what happens to the protest from this point forward. This has little to do with the viability of the resource, which is still undetermined.

In order for a mine to actually be established, there would be a great many regulatory hoops to go through, and numerous opportunities for opponents to make their views known, and to block the progress of a mining proponent.

What has been demonstrated by the sometimes disorganized and dysfunctional, but always stubborn, vociferous, and media-savvy opponents of uranium mining in Frontenac and Lanark County, will not be lost on anyone who is thinking of buying this claim from Frontenac Ventures. The alliance between Algonquin and non-aboriginal peoples has been powerful and has proven hard to shake.

There are no active low-grade uranium mines in Canada at this time. No matter how good the Frontenac resource is, there are bound to be equal resources elsewhere in the country, so why would a mining company want to mess with the motley crew of unyielding protestors that have descended on the ghost town of Robertsville over the past four months?

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Letters - November 8, 2007

Letters

November1Arden Halloween Party, Katie LaddCentral Frontenac Budget, Michael WiseRe: Letter on Bull Moose, Greg MorrisAre Ontario Drinking Water Standards Negotiable?, Julie DoyleRe: Hydro Lane ATV Problem, Mr. & Mrs. Robert BuskeSupport Your Local Economy, Doug BoulterAnti Uranium Hunger Strike Enters Second Month, Donna DillmanArden Halloween Party

I was so pleased with a Halloween Party that was held on Saturday October 27th at the Arden Community Centre sponsored by the recreation committee.Lisa Matson was the one who planned and organized the busy afternoon. We were invited as my roots are from Arden, although I do live near Perth.

Many volunteers worked hard at keeping 40 children busy with different activities.They were able to make ghosts out of a plastic white bag and a white balloon, create an edible haunted house using graham wafer squares, icing and candy decorations. A photographer wason site taking pictures of children in their costumes and printed them off on the spot so they could take them home. Kids were allowed to make a picture frame and color it any way they wanted. The entire afternoon was filled with great costumes, a parade and lots of fun things to do. Prizes were given to each age category for costumes. Hotdogs, chili and juice were served.All the children went home with a large treat bag. Kids won pumpkins for prizes and all the kids seemed to have had a wonderful time.

My two children, Quinton and Libby had an absolutely wonderful time and are looking forward to going again next year.

Thank you Arden Recreation Committee for allowing kids to have fun in a warm and caring environment.

Katie Ladd

Central Frontenac 2008 Budget

It was refreshing to learn that our councilors, at their last meeting, elected to take aproactive and timely approach to the setting of the 2008 budget. This is as it should be - as our elected representatives, it is their responsibility to ensure that the township budget provides for a fair balance between the level of service we expect and our ability to pay, and that it is approved and implemented in time to effectively influence next years spending.

Hopefully, better planning will result in reduced cost overruns and lead to improved services, while avoiding the large tax increases we have sometimes experienced in recent years. Dare we hope that council will achieve Councilor Gary Smith's objective - a zero tax increase?

Michael Wise

Re: Ms. Boutilier's Letter on Bull Moose

This is a rural area and like it or not, many people are interested in hunting and fishing. Successful outings by local people are considered news by many like myself.I myself am often offended by other stories, but they are also news, and I have the right to quietly turn the page. If you choose to live in a rural setting, you should expect to find items oflocal interest in a local paper. Perhaps Ms. Boutilier should stick to the National Post or the Globe and Mail.

Greg Morris

Real Issue is Mining Rights on Private Lands

I keep reading about the uranium mining issues. Are we forgetting that the real issue is mining rights on private lands and the fact that someone can become a prospector for a small amount of money. This will allow you to then stake a claim on someone’s land for a 2 year usage.

The important part to remember is that this prospector only paid $25 for his/her prospector license and approx. $75 for staking the claim on approx. 200 acres. There is no recovery for property taxes paid, or the fact that the landowner purchased the property and now has to be inconvenienced for 2 years and possibly more if mining ensues.

Uranium is only one mineral of issue in a particular area.

The main problem is how in today’s day and age you as a landowner after purchasing land must open your door to allowing the government to let your land be staked.

Mining has a use and purpose for our province but not in the backyards of property owners, small townships etc.

Do the right thing Premier McGuinty, allow all property owners to purchase the mining rights on their own property. If they decide to negotiate the usage of their land then it is their decision and not the government making decisions for us or the revenues. Either that or have the prospector or government go into negotiations with the landowner to purchase the property outright for fair market value. Those who want to sell fine, if not leave us alone.

Richard Reid

Are Ontario Drinking Water Standards Negotiable?

They seem to be in Sydenham. Municipal water test results covering July 2006 to October 2007 confirm that the maximum acceptable level of 100 micrograms per litre for trihalomethanes (THM) have been exceeded in every month but one. Trihalomethanes are described by Health Canada as having mutagenic (cancer) and possibly teratogenic (damage to babies in utero) properties. Most THM’s are produced in the plant when raw water comes into contact with chlorine before the organic matter can be removed.

Whether this has occurred due to poor plant design or is just part of start up hiccoughs (15 months worth) remains to be determined. But the fact is anyone consuming this water or bathing in it has been exposed to a higher dose than standards allow. I’m told the Health Unit is composing an information bulletin for the village right now, just in the nick of too late, while attempts are being made be made to correct the problem.

South Frontenac Township, the Health department, the MOE and PUC Kingston have known all along that we had a problem. Why didn’t they tell us? They could have put a notice in our water bill.

I encourage everyone to visit the Health Canada Website and type in trihalomethane / cancer / pregnancy then you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether you should consume or bath in this water. I have been assured that short term exposure for adults is not a concern according to the best available science! Unfortunately I am old enough to remember when the best medical advice available suggested thalidomide for morning sickness and we all know how that turned out.

Why do we have these safe drinking water standards if we don’t have to meet them?

Julie Doyle

Re: Hydro Lane ATV Problem

In the past there were no ATVs, and taxes back then were 5% of what they are today. And Councilor Perry’s remark that 75% of the cottagers bought properties with access by boat – that was 50 years ago.

Taxes are rising and times are changing. Why are we paying full residential rates? How can you justify living on a provincial road and paying municipal taxes, and having to maintain the road ourselves?

We have a tremendous amount of ATV traffic that destroys our efforts and cost to the road every weekend. We are not receiving any assistance from ATV permit fees, or any municipal or provincial assistance for the said 2.8km from the Mosque Lake Rd. to the Hydro Lane where it terminates at the Wendorf/Truelove driveway.

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Buske

Hunger Strike Enters Second Month

Into my second month without eating, I am still camped out at the side of the road just north of Sharbot Lake, ON in a quest for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in eastern Ontario. After discovering that 30,000 acres had been staked for uranium 20 km west of my home, my conviction that we can go a long time without food, but that clean drinking water is essential to all life encouraged me to begin a hunger strike on Thanksgiving Monday, October 8.

There is no safe level of uranium.History has shown that uranium mining has been an environmental and social disaster wherever it has been done and that there are huge financial costs to taxpayers once the mining operation closes up shop.

Elliot Lake and the Serpent River system is a case in point.While the community has been rebuilt around an aging population and cheap housing, the river system is essentially dead from the uranium mining operations that took place decades ago.The miles of tailing piles require constant monitoring, ‘in perpetuity.’ Closer to home, an abandoned processing plant has polluted the Moira River, near Madoc, and will cost the Ontario taxpayers an expected $50 million before ‘cleanup’ is complete. And beyond the financial cost, there’s the increased rates of several different cancers, some for generations to come - lungs (the second highest cause after smoking); stomach; breast; liver; kidneys; pancreas; thyroid; gonads; lymph ones; bones and four types of leukemia; somatic cell and reproductive damage - community disruption; decreased property value; and the all too obvious environmental destruction and degradation.

This is not the legacy that I choose to leave for my descendants.The Mississippi River system, upriver of Ottawa provides the drinking water for over one million people, including three of my children and two of my grandchildren.The prevailing winds will move air born particles around eastern Ontario, and beyond, affecting millions more.When I saw this happening, I realized that it was time for me to take a stand – to say “Enough.” Living on the side of the road, outside the mine site, without eating and without creature comforts is about as simple as life gets.It affords me time to write a daily blog, and to encourage people to write letters to Premier Dalton McGuinty asking him to rethink his nuclear energy plan in favour of the clean, safe and sustainable communities that he talks about.I’m also encouraging people to join in the ‘Bring Gramma Home’ campaign.” Both can be found at www.ccamu.ca

Donna Dillman, currently at Robertsville, ON,

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Feature Article - November 1, 2007

Dillman Hunger Strike Reaches Day 24, with No End in Sightby Jeff Green

“I reserve the right to make a new decision every day.”

That’s how Donna Dillman describes her commitment to carry on a hunger strike to pressure the Ontario government towards calling an inquiry into the environmental impact of uranium mining.

When interviewed on Tuesday from her current home, the road allowance between Highway 509 and the Robertsville mine, Dillman said she continues to feel well, physically and spiritually, although she is prone to some dizziness when she moves suddenly, and her upper body strength is not what it normally is. Her blood pressure and pulse rate have remained constant throughout, and although she was finding it difficult adjusting to the cold about a week ago, the addition of wood stoves and other amenities have improved the situation.

She continues to subsist on a mixture of maple syrup, hot water, lemons, and cayenne pepper; to date she has gone through about 3 litres of syrup, and she also takes vegetable or fruit juice that people bring to her.

“People have been bringing an average of about 1 litre of juice each day,” she said, when interviewed from inside a trailer on the site. “But I’m not drinking any kinds of smoothies or anything like that, only liquids,” she added.

It is also important to Donna Dillman that she remain at Robertsville, rather than at her house near Lanark Village. It allows her to demonstrate her resolve at a location that has been a focal point for anti-uranium forces ever since members of the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonqun First Nations established an encampment behind the gate on June 28. The occupation effectively prevented a tenant of the mine, Frontenac Ventures Corporation, from carrying out a uranium exploration project on a 30,000-acre mining claim that is accessed from the site. A court injunction is now in place, which enjoins the First Nations to allow the company free and unfettered access to the site, and even though the First Nations have removed themselves from behind the gate, the Ardoch Algonquins still have a lock on the gate.

Negotiations aimed at setting up a mediation process continue to take place, although the issue of observing or monitoring the company’s activities on the exploration property during a 12-week mediation process remains outstanding.

Contempt of court hearings, stemming from the injunction, will start on November 14 if mediation is agreed to.

As the First Nations communities have been occupied with legal matters and mediation, the focal point at the site has shifted to Donna Dillman’s hunger strike, but she continues to receive support from the Algonquin communities.

“All along this has been a tremendous example of aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples working together for a common cause, and that story has not been told,” Dillman said.

A few days into her hunger strike, Donna Dillman got the idea for a “Bring Grandma Home” campaign, and she began asking people to wear buttons and put up signs on their lawns with that message.

“To me it is more open-ended than a no-uranium sign. People know where they stand on that, but a “Bring Grandma Home” sign opens conversations, plus it has an emotional appeal. The fact is I’m not a camper, and I don’t like the cold, so I would like to go home.”

So, why is Donna Dillman living out in the cold, and not eating?

“I have made it clear that I don’t have a death wish, but I have said I have a death willingness, which is of concern to people who are close to me. There is a broader concern here; we have to look at what we are doing with this planet.”

She has decided to ask for an inquiry into uranium mining because an inquiry in Nova Scotia about 20 years ago led to a moratorium on uranium mining in the province that has persisted to this day. “My goal is for a moratorium in eastern Ontario, followed by a moratorium in the entire province, but an inquiry would be a start.”

Dillman has not heard anything from Premier McGuinty since starting her hunger strike, but her husband, author Mike Nickerson, told her that he met last week with Mr. McGuinty’s brother David, who is a federal MP.

“He told Mike that he has received a lot of letters about this, and his brother has received even more. So I am hopeful.”

Donna Dillman sits on the National Council of the Federal Green Party, and Party Leader Elizabeth May has expressed public support for her cause.

“Donna’s effort plays an important role in the campaign to end uranium mining and prospecting in Canada,” said Ms. May. “Her actions are indicative of the broad-based, community opposition to uranium extraction and the severe environmental and health effects posed by a uranium mine in Eastern Ontario.”

Letters - January 10, 2008

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Letters - January 10, 2008 LettersDecember 20Re: Hillier’s stand on Uranium Mining, Gail kennedy, Harrowsmith. "RE Randy Hillier on Uranium Mining"

My husband is a supporter of Randy Hillier, having watched him for four years before being convinced Randy was not just another "politician", the clincher being at a Verona “Meet Randy Hillier" meeting, when before introducing Mr. Hillier, he asked Randy what he should say, and received the answer, "Say anything you want as long as it is the truth."

That statement sealed his loyalty, and dedication to Randy Hillier, further enjoined by witnessing his cool calm attitude, courage, and defence of our rural people.

As to the comments in John McEwen's misinformed letter to your paper, Randy Hillier was the only one that night in Verona who had the courage to tell the truth about the Robertsville fiasco and not kowtow to political correctness, as the other three candidates did, falling all over themselves in the process. Mr. Hillier, also attacked the Mining Act as the real problem, which allows prospectors legal right to stake claims and mine private property, and he was the only one to take a stand on this, a stand he has always taken, long before the Robertsville fiasco occurred.

While it appears to be that John McEwen and his cohorts fear landowners organizations, he might be pleased to know that such attempts at discrediting Randy Hillier and using the police in failed attempts to intimidate people into silence have only had the opposite effect, a fact that shall soon present in the very near future.

Gail Kennedy, Harrowsmith

Letters - January 17, 2008

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Letters - January 24, 2008 LettersDecember 20From the Algonquin Frying Pan to the Mohawk Fire, Jennifer Tsun, Nishnaabe Kwe, McDonalds CornersThumbs Up to Central Frontenac Road Crews, Marcie WebsterRunning Lights Don't Turn on Tail Lights, Bob MacPhersonFrom the Algonquin frying panto the Mohawk fire

From the beginning, the Crown, Ontario and agents wanted the farcical mediation meetings to be held behind closed doors. Did they want to isolate the Ardoch and Shabot Algonquin "leadership" to make secret $deals$ over a supposed uranium mine? According to Indigenous law, such meetings that concern the people should be open to the people, as the Algonquins have repeatedly insisted.

Suddenly, Ontario says the meetings are open to the public but now they are to be held in Kingston, outside of Algonquin territory, two hours away from the affected community. Moving the mediation out of Algonquin territory is also a breach of Algonquin law.

However, this is a clear case of the proverbial "Out of the frying pan and into the fire!" Kingston is in Mohawk territory!

Why, we must ask, would the meetings be moved to Kingston? For whose convenience?

The new location was certainly handy for the Mohawks, perhaps too handy. When they changed the venue, the mediation team knew Kahentinetha Horn of MNN was planning to attend - Randy Cota and Bob Lovelace had invited her!

(In July 2007, the Algonquins sent a wampum to the Mohawks seeking their help in the blockade against uranium mining at Robertsville. Nuclear development on Algonquin land would affect Mohawk communities downstream. This official nation-to-nation agreement is ongoing.)

The mediation team was surprised to see a large delegation of Ongwehoneh women and men from the four Mohawk communities of Kahnawake, Kahensatake, Akwesasne and Tyendinaga.

The mediation team was even more shocked to hear Elder Kahentinetha speak in Mohawk to open the meeting according to Ongwehoneh customs and protocols. Ardoch Algonquin Negotiator Bob Lovelace sought to ignore her and defer to one of the Mohawk men. The Mohawks were not about to let the farce continue without exposing it for what it is.

The details of the derailed meeting are best described by those who were there. MNN has published an informative report that can be accessed at www.mohawknationnews.com. The outcome will become more apparent in the days ahead.

One thing's for sure from where I sit.

Mohawk people have tried to help us Algonquins over and over again since the uranium crisis began last June at the Robertsville mine site. From the Mohawk warriors who came to put their lives and liberty on the line at the mine site to Mohawk elders like Kahentinetha who publish the MNN articles in support of the Algonquin struggle, they have given their time and resources to us.

Yet I have been told that people in this community have been warned not to talk to Kahentinetha and not to talk to me. This is colonialism, intimidation and outright gangsterism. This is not the Nishnaabe way.

Indigenous people all over Turtle Island are renewing their alliances. The Mohawks are our nearest neighbours down-river and long-time allies. They have much wisdom and expertise to share with us. They cannot take over our land or ways according to our laws. They simply want to stop any desecration of the Earth such as a uranium mine would create. Together we must protect the Earth for the future generations.

Gratitude is an essential Nishnaabe principle. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mohawk women and men who took the time and had the courage to stand up for our rights. Nia:wen and Chi miigwetch.

Jennifer Tsun, Nishnaabe Kwe, McDonalds Corners

(Editor’s note: According to the leadership of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, Kahentinetha Horn had not been invited by them to the mediation meeting in Kingston.)

Thumbs Up to Central Frontenac Road Crews

Just wanted to pass on a "BIG THUMBS UP" to the Central Frontenac Road crew that has been working on the Townline Road. I have lived on this road for the past 13.5 years and I have never been as impressed as I am today with the plowing, sanding or grading that has been done in the pastseveral months. You are making my roads passable this year for my children to ride the bus safely and for me to get to work. I don't know what has been done differently this year than in past years, but please keep up the good work.

Marcie Webster

Running Lights Don’t Turn on Tail Lights

On Monday during the snowstorm, my friend Greg and I were watching the traffic and we noticed something that concerned us. The newer cars all have running lights, and so most of the cars were traveling along with headlights, but without any taillights on. They disappeared into the snow as soon as they were past, especially if the car was a light colour.

Perhaps people don’t realize that their running lights are just headlights, and if they don’t actually turn their lights on, they have no taillights.

So I just wanted to give people this safety tip: in bad weather, always turn your lights on.

Bob MacPherson