The Windsor Star from Windsor, Ontario, Canada • 19

TOP OF THE NEWS: Dead calm District Editor Doug Williamson 255-5743 fax 255-5515 Leamington Bureau: 326-4861 fax 326-4236 Nicole Kidman litis left Australia and such films as Dead Calm behind. Now it's Hollywood, husband Tom Cruise and their two adopted children. i5 1 New seniors' columnist Natalie Tavlor see page B10 see SECTION FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1995 COUNTY THE WINDSOR jaC STAR fulfill iiiirW By Doug Schmidt Star County Reporter ESSEX COUNTY Boblo Island to get 52-home development AMHERSTBURG we're somebody after all," said Caldwell First Nation Chief Larry Johnson. With the federal government's acknowledgement this week, however, the Caldwells are probably still a long, long way from seeing theirdream fulfilled. Without the consent of the provincial government, which is doing its own historical research on the matter, it's difficult to see how any final claim might he settled.

described Ontario's participation at the negotiations table as "an anchor tied around our neck," with no discernible movement towards a decision one way or the other. Potential for deal "1 think the potential is there to work something out: with Canada it's just a matter now of what further delays might be thrown in," said Johnson, who accused Ontario of "dragging its feet." After more than a year of research, Ottawa's legal historians discovered that when the treaty was signed in 1700 that ceded much of present-day Southwestern Ontario to the Crown from four Indian nations the Caldwells were not part of the signing. It was also recognized that the Caldwells had an ancestral presence in the Point Peloe-Pehe Island area. Kven though it was a remarkably one-sided deal the natives got two small reserves and worth of merchandise, mostly blankets, cloth, utensils and trinkets Johnson said at least those native groups have since been recognized as a people. "The 1790 treaty destroyed Indian rights, but it provided a handle on the past that could he brought into the future," said Johnson.

"That 1790 surrender, along with the subsequent treaties and surrenders, is one cif the documents today's treaty rights negotiat ions are based on." He said Ottawa now wants the Cald wells to be brought into the framework of that treaty and to negotiate financial compensation. According to band history, the Caldwells had a recorded community presence at Point Pelee as recent as the late 19th century before eventually being "eased out" by non-native settlers and the government, which did not recognize it as part of any recognized Indian reserve. Talks 'preliminary' Ottawa considers the current "very preliminary discussions confidential we feel it's inappropriate to discuss Canada's position at this time," said Helen Lynn, acting chief of Indian Affairs' claims assessment branch. As for the province's Native Affairs Secretariat, a spokeswoman said she hoped to have a legal analysis of the claim completed by ear's end. before which a "preliminary position" has to be worked out.

Ottawa has provided a little light at the end of a long tunnel for the Caldwell First Nation, one of Canada's smallest hands and one without even a hometoeall its own. Federal Indian Affairs officials have told band representatives that its historical research indicated the Cald-wells, with ancestral lands on Pelee Island and at Point Pelee. were never included in a centuries-old treaty that saw most of Southwestern Ontario ceded to the Brit ish Crown. It's something the Caldwells have argued for more ban a century and which still has them waiting for some form of compensation, or, better yet, a piece of land tostart their own community "We've been treated as a nobody, but now there's some admission that, yes. The rormer amusement park Mohlu Island will be hcrome another kind of playground tor homeowners purchasing residential lots lor elegant waterfront homes.

Developed by Detroit-area businessman John Oram who purchased the Detroit River island a year ago in August, the 52 lots on the north end will he offered during a premiere showing on the island Oct. 21-22. The residential community will include a mixture of residential and commercial development and recreation amenities and a proposed golf course. In addition to the existing Ion-slip marina. Oram is looking at developing the south end with private homes, townhousos.

a dinner theatre, dining terrace and gardens. The homes are being marketed through Bob Pedler Real Estate. Masked robbers hold up gas station TECUMSEH A Petro Canada stat ion was robbed by two masked men as the lone clerk was preparing to close up Wei I in 'sday ight Tecumseh OPP said the station at 12082 Tecumseh Rd. K. was robbed just after 9 p.m.

The two men entered the business and one indicated he had a weapon beneath his coat. The second man scooped several hundred dollars from the The two men left the scene on foot, but an OPP tracking dog brought from Chatham could not pic up the tra il. The first suspect is described as a white male, 16 to 18 years old, and about five-feet five-inches tall. He was wearing a black flight jacket and a yellow ski mask. The second suspect is a white male, 16 to 17 years old, and five-feet eight-inches tall.

He was wearing a black jacket and jeans and a ski mask. Gornacre Holsteins wins forage competition WOODSLEE Dan Diemer. of Cornacre Holsteins in Woodslee, will be Kssex County's man at the Provincial Forage Masters Competition at Toronto's Royal Winter fair. Cornacre was the winner of this year's fourth annual Kssex Forage Masters Competition, held by the Kssex Soil and Crop Improvement Association, in co-operation with Northrup King Seeds Ltd. The judges scrutinized everything to The cost of renting ice time at area arenas is rising, as Mario Muzzin and other hour of ice time at LaSalle arena.

recreational hockey players are finding. Muzzin holds the it costs to rent an star photo: Scott Webster Hockey players get two What prompted the lastest price hike in Leamington is an unexpected jump in insurance premiums from just under $10,000 to S29.000 year. "All of sudden I'm faced with a $20,000 increase in expenses," Leamington recreational director Rick Atkin said in explaining the phased-in hikes. In the good old days, when there was a steady flow of recreation dollars (lowing to municipalities from the province, municipalities could absorb arena deficits, safe in the knowledge that they were providing much-sought after service for their communities. Not any more.

Towns, cities and villages are still writing off arena deficits, but they are also striving to run their arenas on a break even basis, to make revenues match expenditures. Atkin said that five years ago it cost about $125 an hour to operate the Leamington arena. With staff cuts, energy conservation programs and oper minu ational improvements, that figure has been cut to $110 an hour. In LaSalle. like other municipalities, rates have risen steadily in the last five years.

This year they increased from $93 to $97. The town was recently hit with a multi-million dollar lawsuit after a hockey player became paralyzed after tripping over a patch of thin ice at the local arena. The town is suing its insurance company to recover the $1.5 million it had to pay out when the court judgment of million exceeded the insurance coverage of $7 million. Rising premiums LaSalle administrator Ken Antaya said the town's insurance bill has increased by about 30 per cent, but the jump is no higher than those absorbed by many other municipalities in the wake of rising liahil ity costs. He said the desire to make revenues match expenditures not higher insurance bills is the biggest reason two boats in the two counties, as well as commercial catch statistics, to conduct their own estimate of local fish numbers.

Last year, although the survey showed increasing numbers of small yellow perch, there was a 82 per cent cut imposed on this year's quota of the valuable catch. That's because the 199 1 survey also showed a decline in harvest-sized yellow perch. Although this year's yellow perch catch was limited to 2.5 million pounds, nearly a third below last year's quota, the lower number is only pounds below the actual 199-1 catch. Cooper said the increase in immature perch detected in last year's survey could be good news for next year's quota. And this year's preliminary test catch numbers seem to bear that out.

"It's only an early indication, but we've seen a definite increase in the total number of yellow perch it certainly looks good." said Laverne Kelly, manager of the Lake Krie Fish Packers rink rental rates are increasing. In Kssex. there are no increases, but that's only because in the previous three years there have been hefty increases from $71 an hour in 1991 to $92 an hour, GST not included, in 1994. "This year, we decided to give our customers a bit of a break," said Kssex administrator Wayne Miller. At the Kingsville-Gosfield South arena, "aggressive" price increases in the last two years will result in puck shufflers paying $97.75 an hour, including GST.

said new recreation director Dan Woods. "With a 20-per-cent reduction in transfer payments, municipalities are looking at areas to reduce their debt load." Like many nfunicipalities. Kingsville and Gosfleld offer minor hockey programs a subsidized rate; in their case $83 an hour. In Windsor, the going rate for ice rentals is $91 an hour. In general the increases in the last five years have been between three and five per cent.

and Processors Association. Although the co-operation between industry and government has led to less disagreement over the actual numbers of tish in the kike. Kelly said there are usually still disputes over the numbers needed lo keep the resource strong. March quotas Initial quotas for next year's harvest will beset in November, when fisheries officials meet with sports and commercial fishermen. Hut because this year's survey results won't be completed until the new year, and talks still have to proceed with the American side, Cooper said total harvest levels for 1995 can't beset until March.

During the survey, four technicians work on the boats and live technicians work at the Ministry of Natural Resources' Lake Krie Management I'nit laboratory in Wheatley. There, the list) are measured, weighed, categorized and examined for stomach contents. wide net By Rob Hornberger Star Staff Reporter ESSEX COUNTY The need to charge rental rates which reflect the actual cost of operating local arenas will hit recreational hockey players like a st iff body check again this fall. At almost every arena in Kssex County and Windsor, rates for ice-time are going up. Five years ago.

local rink rats could rent ice for $05 to $70 an hour; now it's at least $90 for an hour of prime-time skating. $100 hours And recreation officials say it won't be long before $100 an hour is the norm. Leamington is the latest municipality to approve a rate increase for rink rentals; over the next two or three years, rates will rise from the current $91 an hour to $98. By Doug Schmidt Star County Reporter WHEATLEY member those nasty snia -mesh nets the Spanish turliot fishing trawlers used thai so outraged Canada on the high seas? Well, they 'vi' got nothing on the nets currently being used by commercial fishermen in Lake Krie. Using special gill nets that are up to 100 metres long, they're scooping practically everything that swims in local waters.

Hut before the Spanish embassy cries hypocrisy, the special nets are being used only briefly as part of a two-month fish survey seeking answers to how tish are reacting to the increasing clarity of the lake's water. The so-called "index" nets consist of 1 I sect ions, each with a different si, of mesh. The Ministry of Natural Resources, in conjunction with commercial fishermen from Kingsville, Wheat Ii -v ind are calrhine evrrv size Fish uota researcners castin pick the winner soil fertility, variety and mixture, thickness, uniformity and vigour of stand, freedom from disease, color, odor, purity and leaf to stem ratio of stored feed, as well as the crude protein, arid detergent fibre and neutral detergent iihre values. The big winners, of course, are the dairy cows who get loeat the stuff. Recreation master plan includes multi-use centre LA SALLE LaSalle residents will be able to get a look at the future of recreation in their community Oct.

17 when the town unveils its new recreational master plan. LaSalle administrator Ken Antaya said the plan deals with (-very facet of recreation from new capital expenditures to forming partnerships with local schools for the expanded use of their facilities. The most important recommendation is the construction of an $3mil-lion multi-use centre that would include an indoor pool, gymnasium, meeting places and a library The meeting lo unveil the master plan will take place at Sandwich Secondary School, start ingat 7 p.m. Kingsville native hired to run sports complex KINGSVILLE A native son has returned to manage the Kingsville-Gosfield South recreation complex. Dan Wood, who has spent much of his working life in the recreational field, was hired recently to manage the sports cent re on Jasperson Road.

Wood. started with the local recreation department in Kingsville as a maintenance operator in he ll)7lls and he has worked in Wheat ley and Arthur, noi I hoi' (itlelpll. Ills last job prior to his return to his hometown was jn Kniiisnioie. north ot i ti rli, u-i ii i 'h species of Lake Krie fish possible from 22 sites in Kssex County waters and 30 sites off the Kent County shores. The survey, which began in Septem her and lasts until about the end of this month, is one of the most important tools used by fisheries managers in determining next year's commercial fishing quotas.

The Lake Krie Fish Packers and Processors Association of Wheat-ley has volunteered the use of its boats, captains and crews, and it has also picked up the tab for nine technicians employed for the duration of the survey Processors involved "The commercial fishermen have al been doubtful about the information we did collect (in sell ing the quotas) now they're play ing their part and seeing for themselves," said John Cooper, of the province's Lake Krie Management Unit. Left on their own before the joint surveys began seven lisheries officials bail onlv (mm "v.wb aw? i -un 1 nl utn flm Jftwn WV'tf VrT4illff TT.