8/6/2019 Couchiching Toll Booth - Toll Set

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Fort Frances TimesFort Frances TimesWEDNESDAY,MAY 19, 2010$1.19 plus 6 GST, $1.25 U.S. Printed in Canada Volume 117 Number 3

INSIDE

Versatility is the key wordwhen describing the FortFrances Fire and Rescue Ser-vices new emergency mobilecommand unit, which waspublicly showcased yesterdayoutside the fire hall.

Fire chief Gerry Armstrongsaid the unit is a welcome ad-dition to the force.

New commandunit unveiled

Located at a new venue, the40th-annual Manitou Fish Frywas a great success Friday.

This was the first time thefish fry was hosted at the new pow-wow grounds at Rainy

River First Nations.I think it went well becauseof more facilities and it wentsmoothly, said RRFN ChiefJim Leonard.

Fish fry heldat new venue

The newest member of theFort Frances Lakers knows athing or two about winningchampionships the hard way.

Brett Wur, who officiallysigned with the team on Sun-day at the Memorial SportsCentre, helped his SelkirkFishermen to a Keystone Ju-nior Hockey League (JuniorB) title earlier this spring.

Lakers unveilfirst signings

See story on C1

See story on A3

See story on B1

Band sets fees for toll booth

By Peggy Revelland Duane HicksStaff writer

Couchiching First Nations planto erect a toll booth on Highway#11 just west of the Noden Cause-

way is still a go for this Friday atnoon.

For now, the band was to begina traffic slowdown today (Wednes-day), where information will be handed out to passing vehiclesoutlining Couchichings reasoningfor setting up the toll booth, whichincludes what it sees as a failureto be properly compensated forthe land Highway #11 is builtupon and failure to remedy thesoil contamination from the former J.A. Mathieu sawmill where sixresidences now sit.

Since first announcing in lateApril its intentions to set up the

toll booth, the provinces only of-fer to the community was fromthe province to put up some streetsigns, street lights, and possiblya bike path along Highway #11,noted Couchiching Chief ChuckMcPherson.

Those were maybesthosewerent definite offers, echoedCoun. Eugene McPherson.

Just today [Tuesday], we gota call from the deputy ministersoffice asking if wed like to havesome serious discussionsthat begsthe question, what were the discus-sions before, if they werent seri-ous? wondered Chief McPherson.

Meanwhile, there has been littleto no response from Indian andNorthern Affairs Canada, the pairnoted.

The only response or commu-nication received from the federalministers office was that [local MP] John Rafferty [who] had sent twoletters, along with Diane Kelly, thechief of Grand Council Treaty #3,asking Minister Strahl to convene ameeting with my council and my-selfand they acknowledged thatthey received those letters, ChiefMcPherson said.

Other than that acknowledge-ment, nothing.

Meanwhile, the fee structure forthe toll booth was approved at aband council meeting last night.

Councillors opted to set the tollat $1 per passenger vehicle and$10 for commercial vehicles, withtolls to be collected for those trav-elling in both directions.

Monthly passes also will be avail-able for $25 for passenger vehiclesand $100 for commercial ones.

Passes can be purchased at theC&C Complex and Great Bear,and tomorrow will be sold at theCouchiching multi-use facility.

All emergency vehicles, such as

First Nations,mining companyink agreementBy Peggy RevellStaff writer

Local First Nations signed amemorandum of understandingwith mining exploration companyRainy River Resources on Thurs-day afternoon to mark a mutual-ly-beneficial relationship betweenthem.

I see this as something that weneed in the district, and continue to

make it happen, Rainy River FirstNations Chief Jim Leonard said atthe signing ceremony, which tookplace at the companys gold explo-ration project site in Blackhawk.

And I hope that everyone canbenefit, not only the First Nations people but people from the sur-rounding area.

Were going to need a lot of help, and were here and wereneighbours, he added.

Representatives from Rainy Riv-er Resources and several First Na-tions that are members of the FortFrances Chiefs Secretariat were onhand to sign the MOU.

As part of it, the company hasagreed to inform the First Nationsof its exploration proposals andtimetables, and conduct all explo-ration activities in an environmen-tally-responsible manner.

Employment opportunities andthe chance to bid on contracts also

were highlighted in the memo-randum, as well as plans to hire afull-time First Nation Engagement

Specialist, who will serve as aliaison between the company andFirst Nations.

Rainy River Resources also will begin working with the First Na-tions to develop and implement anImpact and Benefits Agreement.

Thursdays signing ceremony be-gan with elder Willie Wilson say-ing a blessing and some openingremarks.

From what I know about the

document, its going to provideopportunities not only for our FirstNations people but for people inthe whole district, noted Wilson.

And I think that theres oppor-tunity here that should come as aresult of this.

We started off with some foolsgold first, he remarked. Eventu-ally thats going to become real, Ihope.

To the chiefs and the com-munities of the secretariat, theseven areas that we could havesome potential impact, too, werereally looking forward to this,working with you, said RaymondThrelkeld, president and CEO ofRainy River Resources Ltd.

He also thanked the local staffof the company for their efforts tomake the MOU come together.

And this is just a start, thismemorandum of understanding,Threlkeld stressed. This memo-

randum of understanding will leadus farther on to [a] true impact

Underpass closureextended to May 29Staff

The Portage Avenue underpasswill be closed eight days longerthan expected due to an unfore-seen delay in construction.

The underpass originally wasto be closed to through traffic for10 days in order to install pipingin the Third and Fifth Street in-tersections, but that has changed,Operations and Facilities managerDoug Brown reported yesterday

afternoon.Initially, town records indicated

the presence of a storm sewermanhole in the middle of t he ThirdStreet intersection, but further fieldinvestigation revealed this was notthe case.

As a result, special storm sewerfittings had to be ordered andmanufactured.

These fittings are scheduled toarrive at the site next Tuesday(May 25).

Brown noted the contractor hasadvised the town that upon receiptof these storm sewer fittings, thework can be completed by Satur-

day, May 29 (weather permitting).The Town of Fort Frances apol-

ogizes for this eight-day delay inthe opening of the underpass tovehicular traffic, stated a pressrelease from the town.

The town understands the pub-lic frustration over the closures dueto the reconstruction of PortageAvenue, including the underpass,it noted.

In closing, the Town of FortFrances would like to thank you

for your patience and understand-ing in this matter as it helps toensure the project can proceed ina safe and effective manner.

Previous arrangements with re-gards to emergency services willcontinue during this extended clo-sure.

Vehicles accessing the north endof town must continue to useMcIrvine Road crossing in the westend.

Pedestrian traffic, however, willcontinue to have access throughthe underpass during the construc-tion.

By Duane HicksStaff writer

The relocated and refurbishedHallett and lookout tower alongthe La Verendrye Parkway openedFriday and have been quite busyso far.

Marina operator Meagan Berrysaid the sites saw about 50 visitorson Saturday, and every other dayhave drawn 15 or more people.

The combined lure of the new at-

tractions, the sunny, warm weatherand availability of ice cream at themarina, has meant plenty of busi-ness for the Sorting Gap Marinalately, added Berry, who noted, Itwas one of our best opening week-ends.

Some of those who toured thesites in the first few days sharedtheir thoughts on the waterfrontattractions.

I think its sweet, said DustinMelrose just after coming down

from the lookout tower Mondayafternoon.

Its really good for exercise,noted Karen Jensen.

I like it, she added. You cansee a lot of the townyou can evensee how deep the water is from upthere.

You can see the Point overthere, even, echoed Melrose.

Jim Engelman and his six-year-old son, Colton, visited the sites

Heritage sites off to busy start

Alyssa Chiasson, front, Kaitlyn Chiasson, Mikayla Chiasson, and their uncle, John Storm,climbed the stairs of the relocated and refurbished lookout tower here Saturday. The tower,Hallett, and Sorting Gap Marina all opened for the season on Friday, and so far have beenquite popular. Duane Hicks photo

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8/6/2019 Couchiching Toll Booth - Toll Set

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010 FORT FRANCES TIMES A5

Band setsfees fortoll booth

More from A1 police, fire, and ambulance, willbe exempt from the toll, as will be

school buses.First Nations members with astatus card also will be exempt,which includes status First Nationsfrom elsewhere such as the UnitedStates (the status card must belongto a passenger who is in the ve-hicle).

Couchiching band members alsomay apply to get an exemption forvehicles owned by immediate fam-ily members who are non-status.

An exemption application will be available online and at theCouchiching band office.

The fee for launching a boat atthe Five-Mile Dock has not beendecided yet.

While band council has approvedthese tolls last night, these amountswill be up for final approval at aCouchiching community meetingslated for this evening.

Well try to achieve consensus,Chief McPherson said about whatthat meeting will entail, notingif a large number of communitymembers disagree with the chosenamounts, council will revisit itsdecision.

Fort Frances Mayor Roy Avissaid hes concerned about the vari-ous ways the toll booth will impactFort Frances and the surroundingarea.

I think it will really affect thecommercial sector in our munici- pality and throughout the wholedistrict, he warned.

I strongly believe it will becomequite contentious, in that it will putfamily against family.

Theres so much inter-marriagein this area, he added. I hope itdoesnt get to that.

Mayor Avis said he has writtena letter to provincial AboriginalAffairs minister Chris Bentley and has met with Chief McPherson

regarding the toll booth, and ex-pressed his concerns.It is a provincial issue and it is

a federal government issue, butas a municipality we are veryconcerned, and we hope it can getresolved, he remarked.

Since first announcing plans forthe toll booth in late April, there has been tremendous supportfrom band members who attendedthe first community meeting onthe matter, said Chief McPherson.

There were some concerns

about how they were going to bereceived in neighbouring commu-nities, how kids were going to be

treated in schools, he conceded.But for the most part, we thinkthat common sense is going toprevail and the people of the Townof Fort Frances and neighbouringcommunities, for the most part, aresensible, logical people and theyllsee that its a cause worth fightingfor.

Meanwhile, the duration of thetoll booth will be for as long as ittakes for solutions for both of theissues, Chief McPherson vowed.

Talking to people in the districtand thatthe sad part is, those people that come to me and saythey have mixed emotions aboutthis, those people dont understandthe true story of whats going on,Coun. McPherson.

Its not a fight between us andthem, its a fight between thosegovernments.

All were asking for is the truth.Tell us the truth for a change. Sim-

ple, simple request, he stressed.We want to stress the point that

its not a race issue, echoed ChiefMcPherson. Its non-aggressive, itsnon-confrontational, and the wholeinitiative is to help Couchiching,and its just claiming that which isours.

Were trying to stress a pointthat the government isnt livingup to their obligations, he added.If theyre not going to do it, thenwere going to have to take theresponsibility for it, and with thatresponsibility theres some fiscalcosts, and we dont have thosemonies to do it.

And we have to generate themonies to do that somehow.

Many people have come for-ward to talk about the issue, noted band manager Smokey Bruyere,especially the ministers for localchurches who want more informa-

tion and understanding of the issueso they can discuss it with theircongregations.

People who come in to ask, people who phone, were verycourteous to everybody that calls,explaining what the situation isand asking them to call the MPPsand MPs, the ministers, stressedBruyere.

The band also will be postingupdates and information at it web-site at www.tollboothinitiative.com

By Peggy RevellStaff writer

The first of the two main issues

surrounding the bands action iscompensation for the 33.9 acres ofCouchiching FN land which High-way #11 was built upon decadesago.

The province and federal De- partment of Indian Affairs origi-nally negotiated an exchange ofthe 44.5 acres within whats his-torically known as the two-chainshore allowance, Chief ChuckMcPherson had explained in a pre-vious interview with the Times.

But the band says this originalsurvey of the two-chain shoreallowance land was done er-roneously because the surveyorcommissioned to survey the neigh- bouring Agency #1 reserve backin 1876 included land that alreadywas part of the Couchiching re-serve.

As well, dam construction in theearly 1900s meant only nine acresof the original 44.5 acres exists.

The other reason for the tollbooth comes from the federal gov-ernment not yet having relocatedthe six families whose residencesare situated on the identified con-taminated site of the former J.A.Mathieu sawmill dipping ponds.

The whole approach fromHealth Canada and First Nations,Inuit Health Branchtheyre quiteflexible in changing their stan-dards, said Chief McPherson, re-ferring to all of the testing andreports concerning the high levelsof dioxins, furans, and other chem-icals that have been identified atthe site.

On a scale of one to 10, if fourwas the danger zone, and we wereat a six, well, they elevated it toeight so we were under that healthstandard.

Its not a hazard anymore.A report earlier this month, writ-

ten by hired consultant Dr. Naz,outlined how the identified chemi-cals have been linked to the origi-nal site INAC had leased to thesawmill, and as such INAC has acontractual obligation to restorethe site by remediation/clean-up ofcontaminated properties using the

Best Available Technology [BAT].The report also states concentra-

tions of dioxins and furans at thevarious residences and tested loca-

tions exceed the human health/Canadian Council of Ministers ofthe Environment criteria.

Under the current circumstanc-es, the overriding objective is toreduce the exposure to levels aslow as reasonably practicable, thereport stated.

This can only be achieved byrestricting access to the contamina-tion to authorized personnel and/or by remediating the soil to [be-low the given criteria].

Thus conducting further inves-tigation while the residents are stillliving on contaminated soil cannotbe justified due to the extreme tox-icity of the PCDD-PCDF mixtureand the continued exposure ofresidents.

Remediationwhich the reportsaid would require full body pro-tection for those doing the work,and consists of excavating andstockpiling the contaminated soil

is a process by which residencesstill would need to be relocateddue to safety and health, the reportrecommended.

With respect to an update onthe current situation at Couchich-ing, INAC and Health Canadaofficials continue to work with thecommunity to address issues relat-ed to the contaminated site, INACspokeswoman Susan Bertrand saidin a May 18 e-mail to the Timesconcerning the current status ofthe contaminated site.

INAC will continue to providefunding for the site assessment toidentify the extent of the contami-nation and to develop a remedialaction plan, she noted.

First Nations are responsible fortendering, selecting a contractor,and overseeing implementation ofthese projects, Bertrand added.

Accordingly, the First Nation

would be best positioned to pro-vide further information on thesite assessment as it is managingthis project.

INAC is currently awaiting thefinal site assessment report fromthe First Nations consultant, Ber-trand noted.

A look behind the issuesprompting the toll booth

More from A1Saturday. And, at Coltons request,came back again Monday.

I liked every part of the bigboat, said Colton.

I am impressed they opened upthe Hallett and all the rooms init, added Jim Engelman.

Colton noted the lookout towerhad too much stairs, later clarify-ing that it made my dad tired, butnot me.

He ran up there. I had to tellhim to stop and wait for me, saidEngelman, noting the tower had anice scenic view.

But it could use a flag, andmaybe some lights inside so it alsocould be a nighttime attraction.

Generally speaking, Engelmansaid he thought the sites were agood idea, but hopes the water-front will be developed furtherdown the road.

The only bad thing is you havea nice area and you dont have arestaurant, he remarked. Its sup-posed to be a tourist attraction, buttheres no place for the tourists to

come to and sit and enjoy them-selves, besides maybe having anice cream cone.

You want to try and attractthem to stay here, he stressed.

Theres lots they could do down here, Engelman noted. I keepthinking of Kenora . . . its beauti-ful.

I think theres more they could be doing here, he added, sayinganother feature that would do well here is a loonie bear like they have at the Kenora harbourfront(the Community Foundation Loo-nie Bear is a five-ton bear which people put money into and taketheir photos with, with proceedsgoing to Kenora-area charities).

Admission to the heritage sitesis available at the Sorting Gap Ma-rina or Fort Frances Museum.

The cost is for $3.50 for adults,$2.50 for seniors and children 12and under, or a maximum family

fee of $10.50.Paying admission provides ac-

cess to the Hallett, lookout tower,and the Fort Frances Museum.

Visitors are given a time sensi-tive tag with an access code that ischanged daily.

The Sorting Gap, as well as theHallett and tower sites, are opendaily from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. (depend-ing on weather).

Children under 14 must be ac-companied by a caregiver age 16or older. Appropriate footwear is

required.Visitors also are asked to take

care and use caution as surfacesare uneven and platforms are steepand high.

The Fort Frances Museum,meanwhile, is open daily from 10a.m.-5 p.m. until Oct. 10 (hourssubject to change).

In related news, a multi-day cel-ebration is planned in conjunctionwith Tourism Week to mark thegrand opening of Phase II of theHeritage Tourism Project.

On Friday, June 4, there will bea reception at the Ontario Tour-ism Information Centre at 10 a.m.,followed by a walk down thewayfinding route (from the borderto the waterfront via Victoria Av-enue.

This will be followed by a grand-opening ceremony at the lookouttower at noon, followed by aninternational tug-of-war at 12:30p.m. and a Fun in the Sun fund-raiser barbecue.

Also at the waterfront, FredScheers Lumberjack Shows will perform at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7p.m., featuring log-rolling, cross-cutsawing, pole-climbing, axe-throw-

ing, and more.Back on Scott Street, a new

exhibit at the museum focusingon lumber camps will open whilework by local artists will be ondisplay at downtown businesses.

There also will be art activities

at the museum, coinciding witha visit from Community Arts andHeritage Education Program co-ordinator Lila Cano.

Museum curator Pam Cain saidother groups interested in hold-ing events during the celebrationshould let her know by calling274-7891 or e-mailing pcain@fort-frances.com

Then the annul fly-in, drive-in barbecue is slated for Saturday, June 5 at the Fort Frances Air-port.

At the museum, there will bea workshop about grant writingwith Cano on Saturday morning,followed by some sort of event tofurther promote the What HooksYou Here? rug-hooking project.

Finally, an afternoon paddle onthe upper river is scheduled forSunday, June 6.

Residents are invited to comeout with their canoes and paddles(the town also will have a limitedsupply of them available throughthe recreation program).

For more information, contactthe Fort Frances Museum at 274-7891 or via e-mail at ffmuseum@fort-frances.com

Representatives from member bands of the Fort Frances Chiefs Secretariat, along with Rainy River Resources CEO RaymondThrelkeld (second from right), signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday afternoon concerning First Nations in-volvement with the companys gold exploration in the Blackhawk region. Peggy Revell photo

First Nations, mining company ink agreementMore from A1

benefits agreement that will fur-ther define our relationship.

Weve come off with a goodstart, he continued. Our rela-tionship with Chief Leonard hasbeen excellent, and weve had veryfrank and not-so-easy discussionsat times.

But I think our friendship[means] were able to sit down andspeak to each other very openly.

I think that we hope that in theend that we see this really improvethe community and all the com-munities, echoed Chapple Coun.Rick Neilson, who spoke on behalfof the township at Thursdays cer-emony, stressing the importanceof making sure everyone has anopportunity to be involved and

benefit from the project.I think that its really good thatFirst Nations [are] involved in thisway, Coun. Neilson added.

Their culture has led them tothe point of really viewing theenvironment as where we come

from, and I think that tha t is a very,very important element to have inthis endeavour, he stressed.

The other point I would liketo make, from the Municipalityof Chapple, is that we want to beinformed and want to know whatshappening, Coun. Neilson said.

We want to know how we canmake it happen better and how wecan plan to make things work forthis endeavour.

As part of the pending Impactand Benefits Agreement, whichwill be developed by Rainy RiverResources and the involved FirstNations, provisions to be devel-oped include:

the relationship between theparties and the impact and benefitsof the First Nations communities

and their traditional lands;a process which sets out therequirements of notice and con-sultation during the development,construction, and operation phaseof the Rainy River Resources proj-ect;

a process that will enable theFirst Nations communities to ac-cess information to satisfy them-selves that the mining activitieswhich are carried out within theirtraditional territory comply withrelevant federal and provincial leg-islation, including compliance withenvironmental legislation;

First Nations rights with respectto access to, and maintenance of,their traditional territory withoutadversely affecting the companyscontinuing operations;

the identification by the FirstNations of registered traplines andsensitive sites having significanceto the communities or individualswithin the communities, so thatthe company can avoid and protectsuch sites to the extent reasonably

possible;the identification of the train-ing needs and human resourcescapacity of the First Nations com-munities, including employment, business development, investmentopportunities, and other related

enterprises both parties may see fitto include;

the identification of potentialsources and responsible agenciesto work towards the establishmentof a social-economic fund for theuse and benefit of the First Na-tions communities, with fundingto be related, in a predictable andreasonable way, to the economicscale and value of the exploitationof the resource identified in thearea designated as the Rainy Riverproject area; and

a process for resolving disputesor disagreements arising out of theterms and provisions of the inter-pretation of the IBA.

The seven First Nations com-munities that signed the MOUincluded Rainy River First Nations,

Naicatchewenin, Mitaanjigamiing(formerly Stanjikoming), Couchi-ching, Nigigoonsiminikaaning (for-merly Nicickousemenecaning), LacLa Croix, and Seine River.

Heritagesites offto busystart

Alice Cupp and Talon Cantor checked out the galley in the Hallett on Saturday. Whether itis the engine room or the captains cabin, all areas of the ship are open for people to see.

Duane Hicks photos

The lookout tower is nowopen to visitors, providing anopportunity for people to geta scenic view of the water-frontand a little exercise.