MANITOWANING—Friends and colleagues from Manitoulin Streams and the community at large gathered behind the Assiginack town office on the evening of Wednesday, September 27 to join in the unveiling of a memorial bench and plaque celebrating the immense contributions of the late Paul Moffatt, a founding member of the award-winning Island watershed conservation program.
Manitoulin Streams Project Coordinator Seija Deschenes opened the proceedings by welcoming those in attendance and acknowledging the presence of Mr. Moffatt’s widow Ann and one of his sons, Jason, (Mr. Moffatt’s other son John is a professor teaching in Saskatoon and was unable to attend the ceremony.) and said Manitoulin Streams wanted to let them know “how much Paul meant to all of us.”
“We wanted to do something that would acknowledge Paul’s contribution toward establishing what is now the largest stream restoration initiative in Northern Ontario and his vision for healthy self-sustaining river and stream ecosystems on Manitoulin Island,” said Ms. Deschenes. “Paul helped bring Manitoulin Streams into the incorporated world in 2007 as our chair and steered us in our first years as an incorporated non-profit organization. Paul stayed on as chair until we became charitable in 2011 and then took on the role as vice chair.
“In 2015, he finally stepped down from the Manitoulin Streams board to focus on some of his other committees,” said Ms. Deschenes.
“Paul was a very private person,” said Ms. Moffatt. “He would have asked ‘now what did they go and do that for?’”
The answer to that question hangs on many of the walls in the Moffatt household, where photos of Mr. Moffatt’s efforts on behalf of Manitoulin Streams predominate. “Manitoulin Streams was very important to Paul,” said Ms. Moffat.
Ms. Deschenes outlines some of the other community work Mr. Moffatt was involved in. “Paul Moffatt was one of the hardest working retired individuals that we knew,” she said. “He was mayor of Assiginack; chair of the Manitoulin Centennial Manor board, board member of the Lake Manitou Area Association, member of the Manitoulin Planning Board, member of the Manitoulin East Municipal Airport Commission Inc., golfer extraordinaire as part of the Manitowaning Senior Golf Club and, of course, a founding member of Manitoulin Streams.”
“I didn’t know half the stuff he did,” laughed Ms. Moffatt. “He just loved Manitoulin Streams. It was his baby.”
“Even though he stepped down. Paul was still around to help out with some of our events or he would drop by the office to learn about our new projects and just be an all-around helpful presence in the organization,” shared Ms. Deschenes. “Paul spent so much time helping others and being an integral part of the community and it is easy to forget that most of what he did was volunteer work. He was always there and willing to lend an ear or helping hand. We couldn’t have thanked Paul enough for the amount of work he did for Manitoulin Streams and our surrounding communities. So, on that note, in conjunction with the Manitowaning Senior Golf Club, we thought that a memorial bench overlooking the water in the bay in Assiginack was appropriate since he contributed a lot to this community and Manitoulin Streams through his volunteerism, work and play.”
The bench also features a plaque bearing a memorial tribute that includes a Scott Stable quote “I was still water, held by my surroundings. I am now a river carving my own path.”
Manitoulin Streams’ board director Bob Florean also spoke at the unveiling. “I want all to know that Paul was instrumental in the formation of Manitoulin Streams,” he said. “Since its inception in year 2000, Paul gave his all to make this happen. Why? Because he firmly believed that in order to get the much-needed stream restoration efforts carried out, we needed a focussed community-based organization founded and working to meet the goal. That work involved building Manitoulin Streams to be an environmental stewardship leader in the community.”
“Paul worked extensively to get a solid Terms of Reference, an onerous task, and then sell this initiative to other community leaders and to build the capacity needed to organize and carry out these efforts,” Mr. Florean continued. “He led by example and the sweat on his brow, for example helping a crew of six plant nearly 6,000 trees on the Edwards’ property on the Blue Jay Creek.”
Mr. Florean outlines the many accomplishments of Manitoulin Streams made possible through the efforts of people like Mr. Moffatt, including raising nearly $6.4 million, restoring nearly 12 linear kilometers of in-stream habitats and their adjacent lands, planting thousands of trees and shrubs, installing livestock fences and watering spots, hiring and training staff, managing invasive species, stocking native fish species, and educating literally thousands of school children and the general public.
“Not to forget that, as a result, Manitoulin Streams has won bi-national, national and provincial awards for being among the best examples of all community-based efforts to restore and protect waters, lands and natural places,” said Mr. Florean. “This did not just happen on its own, it was through the volunteer efforts of Paul and others like him that made it all happen. They have a vision for the future, which gives future generations a chance to also benefit from these efforts.” Mr. Florean said that this was “especially timely now, given the effects of climate change that is threatening the health and sustainability of our waters and natural resource values.”
“Most of all, Paul helped get the community working together on a common goal for the benefit of all and the natural resources that sustains us,” concluded Mr. Florean. “Thank you Paul for all you have done.” Mr. Florean then called for a round of applause for the efforts of Mr. Moffatt and those that follow his lead.”
