Sacred places threatened

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The chief of the Whitefish River First Nation predicts "dark days ahead" for his community as industrial development expands in the Manitoulin District.

Chief Franklin Paibomsai fears that First Nation eco-tourism initiatives will be jeopardized by a shipping company's increased presence on LaCloche Island. Alexander Centre Industries Ltd. (ACIL) of Sudbury has permission to build a 30-metre-high building at Fisher Harbour near Little Current.

ACIL hopes to acquire a contract from International Nickel to transport Voisey's Bay nickel and copper concentrate to INCO's Copper Cliff refinery. Ships would bring the materials to Manitoulin and then 15 trucks would carry the ore via highways 6 and 17.

Delegates from the Whitefish River First Nation protested the proposal at two public meetings in February.

"We are concerned that the proposed development could have an impact on our ceremonial grounds," Paibomsai told ACIL and Ministry of Natural Resources representatives. "Dreamer's Rock, Bell Rock and the burial grounds at Fisher Harbour could all be affected by this project.

"Tourism is our future, and if this project is allowed to go ahead, there may be dark days ahead," he added. "We are concerned about the increased truck traffic that will pass through the heart of Whitefish River."

He urged councillors of northeastern Manitoulin and the islands not to approve ACIL's application to build. "The handling of arsenic, copper and nickel concentrate poses a danger to the groundwater as well," he said. "We don't want to see the Georgian Bay treated as an industrial sewer."

He also worries about the loss of fish habitat. That part of Lake Huron is home to an endangered species of lake trout.

Whitefish River lands manager Esther Osche also underscored the negative effects of the expansion. "This development impacts on three of our heritage sites," she said. "The Iroquois burial grounds at Fisher Harbour, the Bell Rock site, as well as Dreamer's Rock will all be affected by booming trucks and clouds of dust sweeping across the area.

"I am afraid our people could not tolerate this industrial activity," she said. "Dreamer's Rock is special; some very profound things have happened there. And very powerful things happen at a deep spiritual level to people that go there now."

Osche pointed out that the seaport currently named Fisher Harbour is known as Iroquois Harbour to community members. Several graves of Whitefish River ancestors are located near the port.

"We don't want the burial mound destroyed," she said. "The people buried there are part of our history. The Elders say the site faces east so that when the people wake up they can find their way home."

Dreamer's Rock, regarded as one of the most significant sacred sites in North America, is particularly threatened, according to Osche. The huge rock outcrop, located at the far southeast part of the LaCloche Peninsula, has been a spiritual retreat for many generations. The proposed ACIL building will be visible from Dreamer's Rock.

The smooth, flat rock bears the impression of scores of people who have come to sleep, fast and meditate. Dreamer's Rock is where the spirits provide guidance and reveal a person's role in life.

"Dreamer's Rock is at the heart of our soul as a people," Osche explained. "Many non-Aboriginal people are drawn here and want to visit it. It's a heritage site for everyone, and we share it. We want to allow the vision quests to continue without intrusion."

Travellers from all corners of the globe come to gaze out over the North Channel of Lake Huron and pray for solutions to modern day life's problems.

While they are experiencing local history, they may also discover the fabled Bell Rock. French voyageurs traversing the area found a boulder so huge that it took four men with fingertips touching together to encircle it. They learned that striking the rock with an axe produced a sound reminiscent of church bells bck home.

For the Ojibway people, however, Bell Rock was a warning device. It summoned warriors in the event of Iroquois attack and also served as a means to connect to the spirit world.

Osche, revered as a keeper of oral tradition, said ACIL is only interested in economic matters at the expense of cultural and spiritual heritage. "We don't want smoke and dust and blasting to scar and destroy the landscape," she said. "People here are trying hard to hold on to their traditions."

In her view, eco-tourism is a preferable form of economic development for Whitefish River.

"We like our tourist industry," she said. "It suits our lifestyle and we are very proud to be stewards of a public resource that all Canadians can visit. We take pride in partnering with our neighbouring communities to protect the integrity of the environment."

"When our visitors look out over the LaCloche mountains, they can see what the painters in the Group of Seven saw," she said. "We have such a beautiful place and that is a source of pride for us."

Although the town of Northeastern Manitolin and the Islands (NEMI) has given ACIL the go-ahead to construct the ore handling facility, Whitefish River is pressing for a full environmental assessment including a traffic impact study.

Non-native cottage groups have also taken a stand against the project.

Sudbury lawyer Bill Wilkin voiced the view of the Bay of Islands Cottage Association and the MacGregor Bay Association at recent public meetings.

"The area is of great historical significance since it is in the path of the voyageurs," he reminded the provincial and municipal officials. "Cottagers are very much against the proposal. We don't want to see the desecration of the land. We must preserve it for future generations," he said.

In his view, transporting INCO ore by rail would be a more environmentally friendly than truck transport.

Ann McGregor, owner of a McGregor Bay cottage built in 1925, pleaded with NEMI to "preent the addition of unsightly buildings to the shoreline." She said the project would alienate tourists and cause irreparable environmental damage.

She noted that one Fisher Harbour truck carrying an illegal load of salt had already overturned on the highway near Birch Island last fall. "Please help us protect the waters from the danger of spillage," she said. "Please take care of the natural habitat and preserve this rare beauty."

Mark McGoey, ACIL president, assured the gathering there would be "no leakage whatsoever" at Fisher Harbour. The nickel concentrate would come in by Great Lakes freighters but would never touch the ground. "All the handling and loading of trucks

would be inside the 145 x 650 foot building," he said.

To avoid noise pollution, the ships would turn off their engines while unloading, McGoey added. In addition, the company promised to plant trees and make the site "pleasing to the eye."

He dismissed concerns about truck traffic. "It is not a serious problem and we will work to mitigate any perceived problems. We are good corporate citizens and we are asking for your support," he said.

The project will bring five full-time jobs to the Manitoulin District and enhance the tax base in NEMI, he added.

In conclusion, McGoey said his company is committed to preservation of the burial ground at Fisher Harbour. "We respect it and we will guard it with our life," he pledged.