Letters: Mar 7/13

Jeff Green | Mar 07, 2013

Re: Algonquin Landclaim

Re: "MNR Meets with Crotch Lake Park Neighbours" (Feb. 28, 2013).

I served on the Committee of External Advisors and the preceding Citizens Committee for 21 years. We were always cautioned by negotiators that anything they shared with us was confidential and we were promised that our concerns and recommendations would be considered. There is nothing in the AIP that reflects any of our input. It was all done in complete secret!

For years we have urged governments to start a serious and open public consultation process. We felt it imperative there be genuine public debate and input opportunities BEFORE the AIP was written!!

I can assure you negotiators and governments were never listening.

I am reminded of the lyrics by Don McLean

"They would not listen; they're not listening still, Perhaps they never will."

I certainly hope it is not true that they "never will". That would be a disaster for all of us in the land claim area. It will also be disastrous for all Ontarians and Canadians, including Algonquins, when this AIP and carved-in-stone Final Treaty is used as a template for future treaties across the country.

Also instead of a parcel of land for each community, which would be disruptive enough, we are faced with the transfer of over 200 parcels of land from 2 to 30,000 acres each. This disrupts the lives of thousands of people AND what will surveys, legal descriptions and land transfers cost? ($20,000,000 has already been spent on this process and the product is a mess!)

Most of the parcels chosen creates access concerns for many, such as access to private property, hunt camps, cottages or whole large areas of Crown Land and lakes where they traditionally recreate, fish and hunt.

This approach to lands to be transferred invites a deluge of access problems and possible conflict. As we have seen, access issues have not been handled well by Ontario and Canadian authorities.

In addition, I think we need to be clear about the role of the management plan of any provincial park.

The management plan dictates how a park will be developed, rules of access to the park and which activities will be permitted. The formation of an Algonquin Management Planning Committee for Crotch Lake and all the other parks in the Land claim area is in the AIP.

The government handout from the Landowners Meeting on the new Crotch Lake Park clearly states that changes and restrictions " may be made though management planning" for boating, camping, snowmobiling, ATVing, hunting, and more.

Also the AIP states that "additional terms of reference" may be developed for the Algonquin Planning Committee.

From the time it is suggested that private property is located near or surrounded by Algonquin owned or controlled land such as the recommended Crotch Lake Park, that property has diminished fair market value and decreased saleability with a limited target market. These property owners deserve guaranteed compensation for their properties' diminished value. An appeal process will be necessary to ensure fairness to all.

And almost half - over 53,000 acres - of the land to be transferred "would be exempt from property taxes as long as they remain unimproved". Structures used for fishing and hunting "such as cabins" would not be "improvements".

Municipal governments, assured of increased economic benefit to their areas in secret meetings with negotiators, are seeing a continuing decline in tourism and economic investment and reduced property values instead.

Shirley Giffin

Re: Algonquin Landclaim

I recently attended one of a series of meetings held throughout Eastern Ontario chaired by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), and including the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association and the Federation of Ontario Cottagersʼ Associations.

The meetings offered an opportunity to find out WHATʼS AT STAKE? in the Algonquin Land Claim. The ad stated that, “The government wants you to believe that you wonʼt lose public access to land, water, fish or wildlife.” OFAH's ostensible dissatisfaction is with the provincial government and its lack of public consultation in the land claim process.

Much of the content of the OFAH slide presentation was based on a few partially supported facts distorted to alarming conclusions. It prompted many questions and much doubt and encouraged contact with elected officials. During the public comment period, focus on the issues of consultation was lost and not regained.

More dismaying, however, than the sloppy facilitating of the meeting, was the subtext of the OFAH presentation. Participants were invited to believe that "Non-Algonquins will lose…", that the natural resources of Ontario will be mismanaged and potentially destroyed by Algonquins and that the people present were the true protectors of and, more entitled to Ontario Crown land and nature.

With change comes anxiety. These meetings were a lost opportunity. The management of OFAH did nothing to bring understanding and ease to the public in eastern Ontario. I can only ask why the executive of this service organization would do such a disservice to us all?

For accurate information visit www.tanakiwin.com. Or, attend the upcoming tripartite meetings where it is hoped that people will attend with an open mind and engage in meaningful dialogue regarding the "preliminary draft".

Lynn Clouthier, Algonquins of Ontario,
Algonquin Negotiations Representative

Granite Ridge Education Centre

The announcement by the Limestone Board of Education of the name for the new K-12 school now being built in Sharbot Lake on the site of the old high school seems to have aroused some controversy.

First there was a protest group at the high school, which was reported on CKWS TV, and this was followed by reports in this paper on February 21 and February 28. There is no doubt as to where the protest group and the editor of the Frontenac News stand on this issue.

May I present another side to the issue and suggest that the school board chose this name for a good reason.

In 1965, when the Hinchinbrooke Township School Board decided to build a new central school replacing the one and two-room schools in their township, there was certainly controversy as to where it should go. The decision to build in Parham was not popular with all residents, but naming it Hinchinbrooke Public School seemed to soothe some bruised feelings and certainly let the students know that they all came to the new school on an equal footing.

The same situation took place when Land o'Lakes Public School, Clarendon Public School and North Addington Education Centre were built. By not including the names of the villages where the schools were built in the schools' names, residents and students alike felt more ownership of their new accommodations.

I am confident the Limestone Board had this in mind when they chose the new name and I would urge them to stick by their decision.

I do have one question regarding Mayor Gutowski's appearance on TV. Was she speaking as mayor of Central Frontenac or as a private citizen? It would be interesting to know.

Eric R. Wagar

Re: Treatment of Aboriginal Peoples

Mr. Scott Reid, MP

Regarding your recent mailing: "First Nations Chiefs should reveal spending"

The first thing I felt when I read your mail was that my intelligence was being insulted.

After all, thieving, cheating, betrayal, and sexual abuse was taught to them in white schools. So I would suggest you clean your own house before trying to force someone else to clean theirs.

Requiring chiefs to reveal their salaries. To the general public NO. To their band members. YES.

Disclose their finances on line to the general public NO. To their band members. YES.

First Nations governments should be only accountable to their own people. Not to a government that has been trying to make them white or kill them for hundreds of years.

First Nations had a better and more just government before the white man. No I do not advocate bringing down the Canadian government. It's the best thing available at this time. Even though most voters are utterly ignorant of what is going on thanks to our oh so great schools that turn out so many happy, uneducated and ignorant students every year.

I still can't get over the utter stupidity of the Canadian government regarding First Nations.

1. Putting Native reserves on flood planes so the government, in its beneficence, can move them and disrupt their lives even more every spring.
2. Putting sewer processing outlets upstream of their so called fresh water intakes. Therefore making them drink the water that contains their own excrement and urine which has so much chlorine in it that children and adults alike are damaged.

It is obvious that you are pandering to the First Nations Haters' Votes. Your mailings will go to the trash until you educate yourself.

David Bate,
Proud to be an Algonquin First Nation Member. NOT AN ABORIGINAL

Re: Scott Reid Mailings

The infamy of Scott Reid and the Harper government continues with his latest ‘Keeping-the voter-out-of-touch’ mailer. The point of these mailers is to get the voter ‘to look the other way’ so as not to see that the dice are loaded against truth and transparency. The focus on First Nations' financial accountability is extraordinarily small minded in the face of promoting awareness of, and dealing with, their third-world housing, impure drinking water, health care, education, resource sharing, employment and environmental protection.

So Scott, why not ask, “Should the Harper government reveal: the impact of government cuts on services to Canadians? The $1.5 billion short-fall to replace 45 year-old naval supply ships? The billions to be wasted on the purchase of F-35 fighter jets? The costs of harassment of seasonal workers and their benefits? The financial abuse of Harper appointed Senators such as Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin, etc.?"

Yes or No?

Ken Fisher

Re: Scott Reid mailings

The latest mail-out by our “Honourable” Scott Reid arrived just in time. Here I was getting all upset about the rampant greed and corruption of some fat cat Conservative senators, on top of Harper unleashing government inspectors to hound and intimidate legitimate EI recipients in the hunt for “potential” nickel and dime fraud (like the “unreported crime” that prompted the odious law and order, minimum sentencing agenda while crime rates were falling) when lo and behold what Honourable Scott wants to bring to my attention, in big bold type, is the need for First Nations to be held fiscally accountable.

I thought that bus had left the station months ago. No reasonably informed person would argue with the theory of that, but the funding structure is a federal government designed rabbet warren which confounds simplistic analysis. There appears to be a whole lot of apples being compared to oranges. But, undeterred, Honourable Scott includes a handy yes/no option like his buddy Honourable Vic Toews on internet surveillance: “either you’re with us or you’re with the child molesters.”

Weren’t these the same Harper Conservatives that promised “open and transparent government”? Well according to Honourable Scott’s mail-out “Our Conservative government is keeping our election promise to bring transparency to First Nations in Canada”.

Apparently the promised transparency doesn’t apply to Conservative senators that bill Canadian taxpayers for partisan Conservative Party expenses, or Conservative Party election fraud 2008, 2011 (“in & out”, Robocalls etc), or the slashing of funding, muzzling and firing of scientists and government watchdogs, or providing Parliament with pertinent budget information, or informing Canadians of incredibly damaging details of far reaching trade agreements (FIPPA, CETA etc.), or burying the unannounced gutting of environmental oversight and inspection in omnibus bills (C-38, C-45) to shield them from debate, the F35's, G8 & G20 etc, etc, etc.

The list is getting longer every day but it’s always good to know that the Honourable Scott and the Right Honourable Stephen have their eyes firmly on those cheating First Nations. Conservative Senator the Honourable Pamela Wallin’s $321,000. travel expenses shilling for the Conservative Party? Look over there, cheating chiefs.

Patrick Maloney

Re: Algonquin Landclaim

How about this for a Win Win deal with the Native Indians and the rest of Canada.

First let's give each Native Indian (already born) 1 million dollars each. When they accept the 1 million dollars they can purchase any houses, land, or whatever they choose to spend it on and then they pay taxes on each and every purchase just like the rest of us. This will only be a one time payout and will not be given to any child born after the agreement has taken place.

Giving the 1 million dollars each will sting a little at first but just think of all the taxes the Canadian public will benefit from when the Native Indians pay tax on everything just like the rest of people living on this Great Land.  

If the government doesn't do something drastic soon for the Native Indians we will be paying a debt recovery charge for many generations to come just like we have and will be with Hydro. Just think how liberating it will be for all Native Indians never to have to ask for anything ever again.

Mary Chapman