RE-OPENING SPRING 2024

Voyageurs' Blog

What should Joe do with his island?

Posted: July 10, 2017 by Frank O'Connor

The Bay has been talking about this quite a bit since last Thurs. night’s meeting, and the one thing we must all keep in mind is – as it stands now, this island belongs to one man, Joe Acheson. He has the property right to log it, to build a cottage on it, to build a private resort on it. As long as he follows regular MNR, Oceans and Fisheries and MOE protocols – it is his land to develop. I would suspect that if his development plans for a private resort/lodge were to be realized, most of us on the mainland would not even be able to tell that they are out there. We would most likely not see the buildings, and we probably would not hear any noise. That is just my sense of it.
His main problem is – it is an island. His mainland dock and accompanying barges will impact on the lives of those already living and conducting business in the area. When a commercial activity impacts on others, there will be voices heard.
I do not agree with voices that get loud and aggressive and make derogatory comments with such messages as “go back home”. That does not add meaningfully to the debate, and we will not get anywhere that way.  Right now, our Bay is filled with American families enjoying its bounty just like we do.  They are our neighbours, our friends, and our family.  And it will always be that way.
At one point in the meeting I suggested it is time for the crown to purchase that island and make it a nature preserve for all Canadians and their visitors to enjoy. Possibly the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy could manage these lands. In a news article several years ago, that same kind of sentiment was mentioned. There may be a way that this can happen, and I feel our federal politicians and leaders need to step up and genuinely start thinking about how this can be a reality. What a Canada 150 gift to the people of this land that would be. Please write or call our local federal MP, Terry Sheehan, and let’s get this ball rolling in that direction.
I’ll bet if Joe could find a real buyer – CANADA – he would be willing to let this hornet’s nest go.
There will be another infomation meeting, in a larger venue, and organized by MPP, Mike Mantha, so stay tuned, get informed, and participate in the dialogue in a meaningful manner.
Cheers my friends – Frank O.