JUNE 2008 REPORT
The regular meeting of the Temagami Stewardship Council was held on Monday,
June 30, 2008, in the
Temagami Municipal Building. Chairman Gaye Smith welcomed those present and
made a presentation of a
TSC hat to Normande Roberge, the newly appointed representative to the TSC from
the Municipality of West
Nipissing.
In correspondence, a letter from the Office of the Ombudsman was shared and
discussed. A receipt from
the Temagami Hatchery was acknowledged and recorded in the books. The Chairman
apologized for missing a
scheduled meeting between the MNR and the Hatchery, which took place on June
25th. A letter received from
Conservative MPP Jerry Ouellette asking for input on the proposed Bill 74 was
discussed and the Directors
unanimously felt that an exemption to a total ban on transporting persons in
the back of a truck body might be
reasonable for vehicles transporting hunters to stand positions on back country
roads. It was also reported that
the new acting District Manager of the MNR North Bay, Kim Groenendyk, has been
asked to mediate the
disagreement between the MNR and the TSC and correspondence is ongoing with
regards to this issue.
Invitations to attend the July 28th AGM have been extended to MP Anthony Rota
and MPP David Ramsay.
Arrangements have been made to have Gord Miller, the Environmental Minister
of Ontario, as the guest
speaker, however, the topic of the presentation is still a mystery.
In his financial report, Treasurer Mark Johnson reiterated his concern about
a dwindling bank account
balance. He also reported on donations received by the TSC from Bud and Marge
Fryer and from himself on
behalf of Son/Stone Contracting. A letter from Peter Sword, Chair of OFAH Zone
C, was introduced in which
Zone C has offered to cover the costs of the TSC Kid’s Fishing Contest
for 2008.
The Chairman opened a discussion regarding plans for the TSC to move ahead in
2008 with a review of
the events leading to the present position of the Council. In a letter received
from Temagami Area Supervisor of
the MNR, Bob Aubin, Mr. Aubin stated that the TSC would no longer be involved
as a community partner with
the MNR in the management of the local natural resource, as well as a requirement
that the TSC expand to
include the Temiskaming area. The TSC declined to incorporate these directives
and refused to be controlled by
the MNR so support was pulled by the MNR. The letter containing the MNR’s
list of requirements for
reinstatement in the Ontario Stewardship Program (OSP) was also introduced.
They include expanding to
include Temiskaming, changing the bylaws, a directive that the TSC be apolitical
and numerous perceived
requirements. The TSC had already successfully accomplished many of these or
was working towards
accomplishing them. The MNR wanted to use the Southern Ontario model of Stewardship
based on private land
and large populations to Northern Ontario with its crown lands and small population
base. The Chair explained
that the TSC was led to believe that membership in the OSP would provide a coordinator
who would find
funding for projects but more importantly help administer the small Stewardship
and provide continuity as the
Stewardship moves forward. In small Northern communities it is the continuity
that is so important.
The Directors commented that the MNR only seems to want to create Stewardships
in order to access
public money and a volunteer work force to do their job. The TSC had already
expanded to the boundaries of
the Municipality of Temagami, acting on what we believed to be the community
nature of Stewardship. The
TSC has a proven record of accomplishments. Why would the MNR pull the plug
on such a productive
partnership? In conclusion, all the Directors agreed that the TSC needs to continue
to move ahead and conduct
the Septic System Project, to consider changing our name to the Temagami Area
Stewardship Council and to
encourage viable area groups to join the TSC.
A large portion of the meeting was used for a discussion of the Moose Program
Review Questionnaire
and the formulation of a response. A number of the Directors provided a passionate
account of concerns and
recommendations based on years of hunting expertise. The submission from the
Municipality of Temagami was
also incorporated into the final response. It is important to note that the
Directors found options provided for
question #1 on page 3 to be inadequate and that some questions appeared to be
constructed to solicit a desired
response. By incorporating some local hunter expertise in the construction of
the questionnaire, the MNR would
help to alleviate that perception. The TSC submission will be available on the
TSC website at
www.temagamistewardship.ca
The meeting concluded with a request for everyone to advertise the important
guest speakers that will be
presenting at the TSC’s Annual General Meeting on Monday, July 28th beginning
at 1:00 pm in the Temagami
Municipal Auditorium. All Directors were encouraged to bring as many interested
people as possible to hear
Gord Miller, the Environmental Commissioner for Ontario, as well as to hear
first-hand the FWIN netting
results on the status of the walleye fishery in Lake Temagami.
Oh …..and another MNR requirement for reinstatement in the OSP
is for the TSC to be apolitical

Normande Roberge, the newly appointed representative to the Temagami Stewardship
Council from the Municipality of
West Nipissing is presented a TSC hat from Chairman Gaye Smith