Studentstoenjoyhealthybreakfastoptions thankstoUnitedSteelworkersLocal2251
Algoma District School Board (ADSB) Director of Education Lucia Reece and Chair Jennifer Sarlo accepted a generous donation from UnitedSteelworkers(USW)Local2251attheRegularBoardmeetingheld onOctober29,2024.
MikeDaPrat,PresidentofUSWLocal2251,andAssistantDebbie Logandonated$16,000totheADSBStudentNutritionProgramtosupport schoolslocallyandthroughoutthedistrictforthe2024/2025schoolyear.To date, USW Local 2251 has donated $117,000 (which includes this year's donation) to Algoma District School Board's Student Nutrition and BreakfastPrograms.
Food programs offer school-age children and youth nutritious options,typicallyatbreakfastand/orassnacksatdifferenttimesduringthe day.
ThedonationfromUSWwillgoalongwaytosupportthepurchase of fresh fruit, milk, yogurt, cereals and other healthy options which are much needed by some students who arrive at school without breakfast or snacks for the day. Now more than ever, food programs are important for childrenandyouthinourschoolsandwithenhancedsafetymeasuresforthe deliveryoffoodtostudents,theseprogramscontinueandarebeingutilized bystudentsinalmostallADSBelementaryandsecondaryschools.
Studies have shown that children whose nutritional needs are met havefewerattendanceanddisciplineproblems,andtheirabilityto learnisenhanced.
DirectorReeceandChairSarlothankedMike,DebbieandtheUSW on behalf of the Board and reiterated that the donation will have a positive impact on a very present need in schools throughout the district.
Chapleau Moments
by MichaelJ. Morris
TheRotaryClubofChapleaureceivedits charterata"mammoth"banquetintheTownHall basementwithoveronehundredRotariansfrom all over Ontario attending to take part in the ceremonies in the Fallof1951.
According to a newspaper report, theymadetheirentry into town "in true northern style" with district governor KennethPartridgeof Port Credit, Ontario, arrivingonadogsled driven by Adam Andrews of Chapleau. Other visitors arrived aboard a tractor drivensleigh.
ReeveB.W.'Bubs'ZufeltandCouncillor A.J. 'Art Grout, both charter members who servedasclubpresidentsin1956-57and1954-55 respectively donned chefs' attire to help serve "the sumptuous banquet prepared by camp cooks."
Hereisthemenuwhichwasreallythetalk of the town at the time. It included roast beaver, ManitoulinIslandturkey,FrenchCanadianpork pies, shanty beans, blueberry pies and rustic log cakes. The ladies of the Senior WAof St John's Anglican Church were responsible for serving
ChapleauRotaryClubreceivescharteratmammothbanquetas visitorsarriveatTownHallintruenorthernstyleonasleighin1951.
themeal,andyes,tothisdayIrememberit.Iwas ten and had snuck down the back stairs of the Town Hall to see my grandmother Edith Hunt whowashelping,andofcourse,shefedme.
ThecharterwaspresentedtoRev.E.Roy Haddon, the club's first president by Mr. Partridge.
Rounding out the club's first presidents were Dr. G.E. Young in 1952-53, John 'Mac' McClellanin1953-54andDonRosein1954-55.
In1964-65,Mr.Groutbecamethedistrict governor, a high honour for Rotarians. It was a busytimeforMr.GroutasEngine5433arrivedat itslocationinthepark,andMr.Groutwaslargely responsible for bringing it to Chapleau. N.R. Crump, then president of the Canadian Pacific Railwaywasonhandfortheceremonymarking theoccasion.
Once established in Chapleau, for the next60years,theRotaryClubhasbeenactively involved in community activities plus reaching farbeyonditsborderswithprograms.Hereisjust a glimpse at Rotary's work and some of the peopleinvolved.Itisbynomeanscompletebut showsacontinuingcommitmenttoChapleauand beyond.
The club become the sponsoring organizationfortheScoutsinChapleauandstillholdsa landusepermitforacampatGalaLakealthough there is no longer an active Scout group in the community.
Forexample,in1970,atanawardsnight, tribute was paid to Scouter Manlio Spessot by group committee chair Rev. Murray Arnill, minister at Trinity United Church and Rotary president George L. Evans. Mr. Arnill commented that the "leaders of tomorrow" were being developed"underthe capable leadership" of Mr. Spessot who expended "countless hours with the boys in leadership,counsellingandoutdoorprograms".
Major awards were presented to scouts PeterElliottandDennisPaplinskiin1970.Both received the PathfinderAward, the highest level ofachievementinScouting.
The Chapleau club has been actively involved throughout its history in Rotary's international exchangeprograms, bringing students
from other countries to Chapleau as well as providing the opportunity for local students to travel.Presentlyitisalsoinvolvedinaprogram toincreaseinternationalunderstandingandgood will whereby professionals from Korea, South Africa and Japan have visited Chapleau and viceversa.
A recent project has been the "adoption" of two kilometers of Highway101tokeepit clean and it continues toimprovethebeacharea.
Recently the club had 1300 wheelchairs to be unboxed and assembled before being distributed to needy children and adults in El Salvador.
For 60 years now the club has been involved in the life and times of Chapleau as well as participating in projects internationally. Congratulationsandallthebestforthefuture!
ChefsBubsZufelt,ArtGrout
ChapleauRotarianswithdistrictgovernor
Murray Arnill, Peter Elliott, G Evans,DennisPaplinski,MSpessot
Joanne and Dave Laughland withwheelchairboxes
Rotarianscelebratefifthanniversary.
Bob Warren presents cheque to MJM for rec complex 1978.
from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa
by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
For almost a month now, the House of Commons has been at a standstill. It's been paralyzed over a dispute about how and when the governmentshouldreleasedocumentsrelatedtoits greentechnologyfund.Sowhat'sgoingonandhow canthisissueberesolved?
First, a primer on what's happening. Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)wasanarms-lengthgovernmentbodythat was designed to hand out money to green technology firms. Last year, the government suspended the body from funding new programs, aftertheSDTCmadesomequestionabledecisions onhowtospendthe$1billionallocatedtothefund. Annette Verschuren, the former Chair of SDTC, had resigned in November of 2023 following the announcement of a probe from the Federal ethics commissioner after she revealed at the Standing CommitteeonAccess to Information, Privacy and Ethics that she had approved $200,000 in SDTC funds for her own firm, NRStor. Following an extensive audit of SDTC, Auditor General (AG) KarenHoganreleasedareportinJune2024stating her department “found significant lapses” in SDTC's “governance and stewardship of public funds.” The report also noted that the AGs office “found 90 cases that were connected to approval decisions, representing nearly $76 million in funding awarded to projects, where the foundation's conflict-of-interest policies were not followed.”
FollowingtheAGsreport,MPsvotedona motion for the government to table documents relatedtoSDTCwiththelawclerkwithin30sitting days, which would then be turned over to the RCMP for investigation. In this time, the governmentdidnotproducealldocumentsordered, and the Speaker ruled that a question of parliamentary privilege was in fact substantiated. Since that time, because matters of parliamentary privilege take precedence over all other issues before the House of Commons, and because MPs have been debating a motion regarding the production of documents since October 2nd, Parliament has ground to a halt, putting a stop to votesanddebatesonpracticallyanythingoutsideof debatesonSDTCdocuments.
While the government indicates that some documents have been released, their position is to referthematterbacktotheStandingCommitteeon ProcedureandHouseAffairs(PROC),whichisin essence what the original motion tabled by the officialoppositionprescribes,andwhichiswhatall political parties are in agreement with.Arguments
WhyisParliamentBeingHeldUpin SDTC DocumentsCase?
arebeingmadethatthegovernmentshouldprovide the documents so that they can in turn be given to theRCMP.However,theRCMPhasindicatedthat if criminal activity is detected in this case, they would need to obtain the documents in question through their normal procedure, which involves receivingaproductionorderfromajudgeinorder to be given access to said documents.The RCMP has also stated they currently have obtained a numberofdocumentsrelatedtothismatterandare conductingtheirowninvestigation.Theyjustcan't confirmwhichdocuments,becauseit'sanongoing investigationandhavingthosedetailsmadepublic could compromise both the investigation and potentialcourtproceedingsifchargesarelaidinthe future.
In the meantime, the work of Parliament continues to be held up on one hand because the request for the government to produce “certain documents”isnotbeingactedonandontheother handthereissomequestionastotheliabilityofthe
release of unredacted documents. This isn't an isolated incident as history shows that this has happened with previous governments. Some may even recall that the previous Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, was found in contempt of parliamentforfailingtoproducedocumentsrelated tothetortureAfghandetainees.
As for how this gridlock can be resolved, this would entail having either the government hand over the documents requested or having the official opposition end debate and have it go to committee,orhavingthegovernmentstrikeadeal by agreeing to certain demands from one of the otheroppositionpartiesinexchangeforsupportin movingaclosuremotion.
At this point in time, it's uncertain how much longer this stalemate between the government and the official opposition will last before the motion finally makes its way to the PROC Committee for study and the House can moveonwithitslegislativeagenda.
PourquoileParlementest-ilprisenotageparl'affairedesdocumentsliésàTDDC?
Depuis près d'un mois maintenant, la Chambre des communes est paralysée. Elle est bloquée à cause d'un désaccord quant à la façon dont le gouvernement devrait publier les documentsliésàsonfondspourlestechnologies vertesetaumomentoùildevraitlespublier.Que se passe-t-il donc et comment pourrait-on résoudrel'impasse?
Tout d'abord, voici le contexte. TechnologiesdudéveloppementdurableCanada (TDDC) était un organisme indépendant du gouvernement,dontlemandatconsistaitàverser des fonds à des entreprises mettant au point des technologies vertes. L'an dernier, le gouvernement a suspendu le financement de nouveaux projets par l'organisme après que TDDC eut pris certaines décisions questionnables sur l'affectation du montant de 1 milliard de dollars alloué au fonds. L'ancienne présidente de TDDC, Annette Verschuren, a démissionnédesonposteennovembre2023àla suite de l'annonce du déclenchement d'une enquête par le commissaire fédéral à l'éthique après qu'elle eut révélé devant le Comité permanent de l'accès à l'information, de la protection des renseignements personnels et de l'éthiqueavoirapprouvéunmontantde200000$ dufondsdeTDDCdestinéàsapropreentreprise, NRStor. Après une vérification approfondie de TDDC, la vérificatrice générale (VG), Karen Hogan, a publié un rapport en juin 2024 dans lequelellementionnequesonbureaua«constaté desdéfaillancesimportantesdanslagouvernance et la gestion des fonds publics » assurés par TDDC. Dans son rapport, la VG souligne également que son bureau a « relevé [...] 90 cas liés à des décisions d'approbation – représentant prèsde76millionsdedollarsenfinancementde
projets–oùlespolitiquesdelaFondationsurles conflitsd'intérêtsn'avaientpasétérespectées». Àlasuitedelapublicationdurapportde la VG, les députés ont voté sur une motion ordonnant au gouvernement de déposer les documents liés à TDDC auprès du légiste dans les 30 jours de séance suivant l'adoption de la motion,documentsquiseraientensuiteremisàla GRCauxfinsd'enquête.Or,legouvernementn'a pasproduittouslesdocumentsdemandésdansce délai,etlePrésidentatranchéqu'unequestionde privilège parlementaire était fondée. Depuis, comme les questions de privilège parlementaire ont préséance sur toutes les autres affaires à la Chambre des communes et que les députés débattent une motion concernant la production desdocumentsdepuisle2octobre,leParlement est paralysé. Les votes et les débats sur pratiquement tout ce qui n'a pas trait aux documentsdeTDDCsontarrêtés.
Bienquelegouvernementsignalequ'ila rendupublicscertainsdocuments,sapositionest derenvoyerl'affaireauComitédelaprocédureet desaffairesdelaChambre(PROC),cequiest,en substance,cequedicteengroslamotioninitiale présentée par l'Opposition officielle et ce avec quoi sont d'accord tous les partis politiques. Certainsfontvaloirquelegouvernementdevrait fournir les documents pour qu'ils puissent être remis à la GRC. Or, la GRC a fait savoir que si des actes criminels ont été commis dans cette affaire, elle devrait obtenir les documents en question au moyen de la procédure normale, c'est-à-dire qu'elle doit recevoir une ordonnance decommunicationdelapartd'unjugeafind'avoir accès aux documents en question. La GRC a également déclaré qu'elle a obtenu un certain Cont’donP.7
Lastweekssolutions
MOMENTS IN TIME
OnNov.14,1882,outlawFrank"Buckskin" Leslie shot and killed Billy "The Kid" Claiborne, who had publicly challenged him,inTombstone,Arizona.
Pourquoi le Parlement est-il pris en otage parl'affairedesdocumentsliésàTDDC?
Cont’dfromP.4 nombre de documents liés à cette affaire et qu'elle mèneactuellementsapropreenquête.Ellenepeut toutsimplementpasconfirmerdequelsdocuments il s'agit, car l'enquête est en cours et que la divulgation de tels renseignements pourrait compromettre à la fois l'enquête et toute action en justiceéventuellesidesaccusationsvenaientàêtre portées.
Entre-temps, les travaux du Parlement restent bloqués, d'une part parce que le gouvernement refuse de produire « certains documents » comme demandé, d'autre part parce qu'onsedemandequialaresponsabilitéderendre publics les documents non caviardés. Ce n'est pas un incident isolé, comme en témoigne l'histoire. D'autres gouvernements ont agi de la sorte. Certainsserappellerontpeut-êtrequel'ex-premier ministre, Stephen Harper, avait été reconnu coupabled'outrageauParlementpouravoirrefusé de produire des documents liés à la torture de détenusafghans.
Pourrésoudrel'impassedanslaquellenous nous trouvons, il faudrait que le gouvernement remette les documents demandés ou que l'Opposition officielle mette fin à ce débat et que l'affaire soit renvoyée au comité, ou encore que le gouvernement fasse un compromis et consente à certaines demandes de l'un ou l'autre des partis d'opposition en échange de son appui à la présentationd'unemotiondeclôture.
À ce stade-ci, il est incertain combien de temps encore durera cette impasse entre le
Nov 3, 2024
le Comité PROC soit saisi de la motion et que la Chambre puisse poursuivre le programme législatif.
Attention:AreyouaSmallBusinessOwner? Doyourequire financing? Thinkingofstartingabusiness?
ThestaffoftheSuperiorEastCommunityFuturesDevelopment Corporation will be in Chapleau on November 6, 2024. The CFDC offers small business loans and counselling to current small business owners or individuals looking at starting a business. Services are available in both official languages. To makeanappointmenttodiscussfinancingoptions,pleasecall (705) 856-1105 or 1-800-387-5776, ext. 221 or email davidson@superioreastcfdc.ca.
Attention: Êtes-vous propriétaire d'une petite entreprise? Êtes-vous en besoin d'aide financière? Vous-voulez vous partirenaffaires?
Le personnel de la Société d'aide au développement des collectivitésSupérieurEstseraàChapleaule6novembre2024. LaSADCoffredesprêtsfinanciersetdesservices-conseilsaux propriétairesactuel(le)sdepetitesentreprisesetauxindividu(e)s intéressé(e)sàsepartirenaffaire. Nosservicessontdisponibles danslesdeuxlanguesofficielles. Pourprendrerendez-vouset discuterdevosbesoinsd'aidefinancièreoupourobtenirdes services-conseils,communiquezavecnousau(705)856-1105 or 1-800-387-5776, poste 221 ou par courriel à davidson@ superioreastcfdc.ca.
tgendron@northernlightsford.ca
Recently, I was sitting in a reception area waiting to be called in for an appointment. Also waiting was a mother of two young children who wereobviouslytiredandfrustratedbeinginlinefor so long for their turn. The boys were arguing and irritating one another. The mother clearly was no noviceandknewhowtohandlethesituationwith ease. She called upon her Parenting 101 training and utilized her skills in the art of distraction. It workedlikeacharm.Bothboysplayedcontentedly withsomethingshebroughtoutofherbagthatshe knew would capture their interest. There was no yellingorthreats,andtenminuteslater,theygotup nicelyandwentofftotheirappointment.
Kudos to that mom. She used her magic skills for everyone's benefit. The boys, waiting patients, the reception staff, and even the doctor benefited from her thinking ahead. She used the powersofdistractionforgood.Everyonecameout aswinnersasaresult.
However, sometimes the art of distraction canbeusedfor,shallwesay,self-servingpurposes. And as much as I hate to say it, many politicians have a natural affinity for using their redirection skills for such purposes. Saying this brings Doug Fordasaprimeexample.
To me, if a business owner's products or craft are of good quality and correctly applied, would they want to avoid the scrutiny of their customers? Logic says no. So, for a politician, resorting to the art of distraction says a lot about theirsuccessandskills,orlackthereof.
OntarianshavewatchedPremierFordtake thestage,leadingourprovinceformostofthetwo terms. He has afforded us many opportunities to witnesshisskillatexhibitinghisexpertiseinwhat magicians call misdirection. While I can say Mr. Fordusesthetacticalot,I'dhesitatetoqualifyhim as an expert at the art because, frankly, what he is doing and why is incredibly obvious. To say the least,he'snoDavidCopperfield.
Some readers may ask what the Premier wouldwanttodistractusfromseeing.Bearinmind that the Premier Ford has coyly kicked into preelection mode. The government has been posting media releases and program announcments like they're going out of style. Not only do they post multiple releases every day, some of them are merely re-announcements. As to what the Ford government would want to keep your attention away from, just think of all the unfulfilled campaign promises. Does the 2018 Buck-a Beer promise ring any bells? Boy, that one went flatter thanaday-olddraft.Hecouldn'tevenbegbrewers tohelpoutonthatpromise.
Better yet, how about the Conservative's failure to eradicate hallway medicine from our
hospitals? And for good measure, hospital emergency department wait times are skyrocketing underDougFord'swatch.
Consider for a moment how desperately short Ontario is of qualified teachers (special-ed teachers in particular) after deciding that all kids belong in regular classrooms, no matter students' exceptionalities. On top of this, there are not enough teaching assistants to provide the necessary support. As a result, exceptional students, regularstudentsandteachingstaffallenduponthe shortendofthestick.
So is it any wonder why Premier Ford's mostcalled-upontacticistheartofdistraction?
One of the last things Premier Ford wants to let Ontarians focus on is the Conservative's handling of Ontario's doctor and nurse shortage. Not a week goes by that my office does not get a callfromanirate,orevenworse,scaredconstituent who needs to be on a family physician's roster, somelanguishingforyearswithnoend.Foradded oomph, consider how the Group Health Centre in the Sault was forced to orphan 10,000 patients in one fell swoop. Talk about dropping the ball at a criticalmoment.
The most egregious and embarrassing topictheToriescan'tseemtoputbehindthemisthe Greenbelt scandal. Not only did two separate government watchdog offices investigate and scaldingly criticize multiple improprieties of the government over the handling of this housing developmentinitiative,buttheRCMPcontinueto investigatethematterandstillhasalongwaytogo togettothebottomoftheabyss.
Youdon'thavetosearchhardtofindmany examples of the Ford government's attempts to redirectvoters'focus.Justthinkofalltheheadlines wereadthissummer.
Think of the hoopla when Ontario made beer, wine and premixed beverages available in convenience stores, even licensing to consume in the stores. The Premier successfully fixed an access problem that Ontarians didn't know they sufferedfrom.DougFordhandedoverawhopping $225 million of taxpayers' money to the multinationalownersoftheBeerStoreforcancellingtheir contractoneyearearly.Andtruthbetold,financial expertssaythatthefinalpricetagwillbehundreds ofmillionsmore,buttheFinanceMinisteradmits hehasnoideahowmuchitwillultimatelycost.
Another misdirection currently underway istheConservativestabledlegislationtovetoany municipality's plans to build bike lanes, which improve safety and reduce greenhouse gasses. In fact, the province is considering giving itself the power to order the removal of existing municipal bike lanes if it believes it is slowing traffic down. Why is the Premier wasting time on seemingly minor municipal problems when he can't even resolve his high-priority healthcare, long-term care,educationandhousingissues?So,heturnsto hisstand-bydistractiontacticsratherthansolving
theproblems.
The distraction that wins the award for most fanfare is Doug Ford's determination to resolve all of Ontario's transportation infrastructure issues. First, Premier Ford approved the buildingofHwy413,andthen,forgoodmeasure, he fast-tracked it, authorizing work to be done 24/7.Thenhepromisedthedevelopersanewspaat Ontario Place that the province would build an undergroundparkinggarageattaxpayers'expense. Andtosweetenthedeal,ifthegarageisnotbuiltin time for the spa opening, the Premier agrees that the Province will pay a penalty to the developers foralltheincompleteparkingspacesannuallyuntil theprojectiscompleted.
Finally, just in case all of the other announcements fail to distract the Ontarians from existing matters on their minds, Premier Ford pulled out the ultimate redirection that no human could resist falling for. He announced what can only be described as a fantastical megatransportation project. He gave his word that the Ontario government will solve Hwy 401's traffic congestion problems by building a 60 km long tunnelundertheexpressroute.Thisfirmcommitment was validated yesterday by Transportation Minister Sakaria. But, when asked if the government had undertaken a feasibility study or costed the project, Mr. Ford didn't even blink. To him, thosemustbeminordetailssomeonecanfigureout later.
That mom got it right: using the art of distraction on her sons for the benefit of all. She wasn't hiding anything, just moving things in the rightdirection.Noonesufferedanylossorpenalty -justwinnersallaround.PremierFord'sbehaviour, ontheotherhand,stemsfromblatantself-serving interests designed to promote a political agenda whilepaddingthepocketsofinfluencersandelitist supporters along the way. However, unlike the mom's redirection, Doug Ford's misdirection means real people will suffer loss, hardship, and pain. The voters of Ontario get to let the Premier knowwhattheythinkofhismagicshowonthenext electionday.
Asalways,Iinviteyoutocontactmyoffice abouttheseissuesoranyotherprovincialmatters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.orgorcallToll-free1-800-8311899.
