SPRING BAY—On Monday evening, November 26, a group of 13 Islanders came together at the Spring Bay Community Centre to brainstorm big ‘pie in the sky’ and small ideas that could serve the whole Island community well. Although started in Central Manitoulin, the impetus will be consulting and engaging the rest of the Island about services they feel are important too.
Maja Mielonen opened with, “Welcome to tonight’s evening of getting to hear from one another and a start to figuring out where our communal energy, strength and willpower will propel us. With endurance, time, and hearing from one another we will be able to work together on Island-wide projects. Let us truly think Island-wide, let us identify projects that will benefit us all we want to explore your ideas and see where the energy will take us.”
“When I was going door to door prior to the recent election, I was chatting with young professionals as well as elders,” Ms. Mielonen continued. “I realized that all people want to be heard and contribute to the political landscape that will spend our tax dollars. When people are heard, and they see change, they will add to the energy that will move political agendas.”
The participants, sitting in a semi-circle, were eager to share ideas. They were asked to offer their big dreams for the Island. Gertha Griffiths duly recorded these ideas. Four concepts were offered for consideration and suggestions were provided by the community members present.
The four concepts were: missing infrastructure, waste management, bylaw enforcement of environmental issues, sharing of infrastructure assets, and better delineation among municipalities; social equalizers, food security, education in voter rights, childcare, affordable housing, Island-wide communication, elder support, palliative care, bringing trades to the Island; happiness; dreams: one Island council, preserving Island identity, performing arts centre, YMCA, Island-wide hiking trails, engaging the young, and Island-wide ‘ratepayers’ association’; and environmental issues—watersheds for spring runoff, effluent leaching into lakes, waste management, bees and herbicide, pesticide use and mobile glass-crushers.
The participants offered ‘pie in the sky’ ideas as well as smaller suggestions. A sampling of the most popular suggestions made for each of these four categories are as follows: waste management, child care, assisted living, sharing of infrastructure assets on the whole Island, community gardens, education about these topics, clean water (in reference to chemicals and sewage winding up in our drinking water sources) including Manitoulin Streams, responsibility for one’s own waste, bylaws allowing chickens, getting glass crushers, herbicide and pesticide use in relation to bees, a recreational pool, elder support, performing arts centre, one Island council and Island-wide ‘tree-top’ connected hiking trails.
The group plans to meet again early in January to begin prioritizing these suggestions as well as looking at timelines and communication ideas to include all of Manitoulin Island. The meeting closed at 9:30 pm.
