M’CHIGEENG—Paint and civil disobedience have had a long and close relationship, but the paint has usually been wielded on signs or walls. M’Chigeeng First Nation Chief Linda Debassige and some of her band councillors and community members took to the roadways with brushes and rollers to create pedestrian crosswalks near their schools that the community had long requested from the Ministry of Transport (MTO) to no avail.
“We have been asking for the MTO to do something about this for 10 years,” said Chief Debassige as she prepared to don a fluorescent vest and take up paint and roller to create a crosswalk at the intersection of Highway 551, 542 and Highway 540 near Manitoulin Secondary School and the Anishinaabemowin immersion daycare housed in the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.
“Today at 1 pm the chief and council will be implementing a much needed safety measure at the corner of Hwy 551, 542 and Hwy 540. For over 10 years we have been advocating for increased safety measures in our community,” said the chief in a release to her community. “For over 10 years we have been given the run around by the Ministry of Transportation, yet we see how easy it is for our neighbouring towns to implement proper safety measures for their people with the assistance of the ministry,” continues the release. “Today, M’Chigeeng First Nation is taking a stand. M’Chigeeng First Nation is tired of the ministry not taking our concerns seriously. The chief and council of M’Chigeeng First Nation will be painting a proper crosswalk at the intersection of the three highways. The First Nation will then place up proper speed reduction signs and designated school zone signs. The First Nation will also place a flashing amber/red light at the intersection of the three highways. Once this is completed, the Ministry of Transportation will be invoiced for immediate payment. The safety of our children as well as the children of the neighbouring communities are of the greatest importance.”
With a large contingent of community elders, members of the community, politicians and members of the UCCM Tribal Police and the OPP holding traffic during the protest, Chief Debassige and M’Chigeeng Councillor Forry Hare lifted a large wooden stencil into place and began painting with a quick drying road paint.
Chief Debassige said that she and her councillors had undertaken the work to protect members of the community’s public works department from any legal ramifications from the work. “I would like them to arrest me,” challenged Chief Debassige, who suggested the long delay in action from the MTO in meeting the community’s requests for a reduction in speed near the school zones to 40 kilometres an hour and to have flashing lights and crosswalks installed to alert drivers to be more aware of pedestrians might have something to do with the communities being First Nations. “We are not the only First Nation facing this issue,” she added.
Chief Debassige was adamant that her and her fellow councillors’ actions were not linked to a request for the MSS crosswalk made by students at the school last year. “This isn’t connected in any way,” she asserted. “This action has come about because there has been no response from the province.”
“The safety of pedestrians and motorists is a top priority of the Ministry of Transportation,” responded MTO spokesperson Gordan Rennie when contacted by email for comment. “MTO has a team of traffic experts to review concerns and ensure our highways are operating safely in Northeastern Ontario.”
Mr. Rennie said that the “MTO has been working closely with a committee from Manitoulin Secondary School to review their request for a school crossing and guide them through the process. We last met with the committee, as well as with municipal and First Nation representatives, on October 28 to outline the process for a school crossing—such as council endorsement, the hiring of a crossing guard, supervisory oversight, police services notification and approval. Once the community has these steps in place, MTO marks the pavement and installs associated signs.”
Mr. Rennie went on to write that “the ministry has not received confirmation from the committee or the affected municipalities and First Nation regarding these needed steps. MTO’s process is designed to ensure safety. We encourage all involved to follow the official process to ensure the safety of students, pedestrians and motorists. In the meantime, any third-party applied measures do not comply with the Highway Traffic Act and do not have the force of law.”
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Whether there is “force of law” or not, the community has ordered their own signs and flashing lights to alert drivers of the presence of school children and intends to install them in the near future, stated Chief Debassige.
Mr. Rennie noted that the MTO has “reached out to the First Nation to discuss this matter further, adding that “we welcome the opportunity to work together.”
Although Chief Debassige said that she and her fellow councillors were prepared to face arrest, the OPP liaison officer onsite approached the chief to note that the photographs he was taking were meant to be used in a PowerPoint presentation to show the work his unit does with First Nations and not as part of any investigation.
The creation of the crosswalk took place peacefully and without incident and children from the local daycare crossed the roadway with Chief Debassige once the paint had fully dried. As of press time Monday, the guerilla crosswalk has remained in place.
