Connecting residents, cottagers & tourists with nature, culture & recreation. www.georgianbaytodaynews.com The wonder of Wood Warblers Bob and Peter Wood Champlain “Boy” Patrice Dutil The Flying Adventures of the Saulniers Steven Duff Spring 2015 $2.65 Issue# 108 plus tax 2 GEORGIAN BAY TODAY Spring 2015 www.georgianbaytodaynews.com Georgian Bay Today has a new website Georgian Bay Today Issue 108, Spring 2015 Publisher Bird Room Press We now have our feet firmly Bay Today. We have included our up past issues, contact us or simply planted in the 21st century. Although newspaper advertisers on our new enjoy the pictures. Manager/Editors we remain committed to the printed site (with links). Featured articles are Peter Wood & Sherry Giddings word, the Internet is irresistible be- now available for on-line reading as Connecting residents, cottagers [email protected] [email protected] cause of the many benefits that tech- well as biographies for all of our reg- and tourists with nature, culture & nology affords our readers and ular contributors. A ‘Subscribe page’ recreation Contribuitors advertisers. complete with a PayPal account of- fers readers a safe and convenient Check us out at Cathy Cooper Subscribers will now be able to ac- way to get Georgian Bay Today de- www.georgianbaytodaynews.com Aurora cess an on-line version of Georgian livered to their home or office. Look Olivia Hill Muskoka Steven Duff Georgian Bay Township - Council Update Parry Sound By Pat Edwards Gary Cerantola Wasaga Beach As I sit down to write this update such as the formation of committees noted, the Twp portion of your tax it is February 26th. It is very cold (committee of Adjustment, Water bill is approximately 27% with the Gary Scott Breithrupt and snowy. Quality, Policing, being 3 of these). District of Muskoka portion being Parry Sound In addition, there was a special meet- over 40% and the school In order to understand the activi- ing with regard to the 2015 budget board/Province being the balance. Kate Harries ties of Georgian Bay Township which calls for a 3.78% increase in One of the large $ issues facing the Elmvale Council it is helpful to review what the Township portion of the tax bur- District is policing costs which the was accomplished by the previous den. I would note that I had ex- Province/OPP downloads onto the Anne Lewis Council- whose term ended last No- pressed concern that insufficient time District. We should be aware that in Six Mile Lake Conservation Club vember- these include: a new Official was given to the budget debate, in- the coming months the Province will Plan "OPA" and Comprehensive cluding that several large $ items be coming out with a new budget as Monika Lukacena - Russo Zoning Bylaw "CZB", co-ordination were not reviewed by Council- they attempt to deal with their $12 Olea Health of all water quality issues, a ward staffing and the proposed $4.7 mil- billion deficit- some of which may be Wasaga Beach boundary review and resultant new 4 lion Honey Harbour Waterfront De- by downloading costs to property ward electoral system (with 2 velopment. The budget was approved owners. There is a Federal election in Kim Newby Coastal and 2 inland wards), the low on a recorded vote with myself and the fall and it is hoped that some $ for Wyevale water scare of 2013/2014 and CPR Peter Cooper opposing. the Twp will flow in this process. development in MacTier. Kristian Puhvel Friends of Killarney Park As noted above, the previous Lastly, with all the snow and cold, The election in October 2014 was Council approved both a new Official the ice will be here late and water lev- David Sweetnam the first after approval of the new Plan and Zoning Bylaw and now we els will be high. Also of interest, is Georgian Bay Forever Ward Boundary system with a 7 are starting to see the appeals to the that on February 20th I took my member Council (previously 6) - with OMB of this legislation. A signifi- American nephews to the cottage by Patrice Dutil returning members: mayor Larry cant item coming to Council with a snowmobile and on arrival at the is- Ryerson University Braid, Paul Wiancko (District inland) $500,000 commitment over the next land we were greeted by one very myself (coastal north) and with four 4 years is the Honey Harbour Water- large wild turkey- a sign of spring- Pat Edwards new members: Peter Cooper (District front Development proposal. In addi- or? Township of Georgian Bay coastal), Cynthia Douglas (inland tion, the Province is Penny Barr north), Brian Bocheck (inland south) mandating reviews of infra- Cartoonist - Scarobrough Bluff and Kathy Kay (coastal south). At structure upkeep with one this point the new Council has met large $ item facing the Twp Production for only 2 months. Much of time has being the replacement of the Web site administrator been spent on administrative matters MacTier Arena roof. As Colin Wood Assembly Editor Andrew Smellie Smellie’s Copy & Print Shop “The beautiful spring came; Bracebridge and when Nature resumes her Printing McLaren Press Graphics loveliness, the human soul is Gravenhurst apt to revive also.” ISSN 0849-5696 BN 121730009 RT0001 Harriet Ann Jacobs March 2015 www.georgianbaytodaynews.com GEORGIAN BAY TODAY Spring 2015 3 Champlain’s “Boy” Étienne Brûlé: The fi rst immigrant to Ontario enjoyed a life of riches, pleasure and discovery By Patrice Dutil Samuel de Champlain approached mander’s homme de confiance. I sus- chant”, but he always returned to The kid from Paris accomplished the shores of Huronia on August 1st, pect he was with Champlain when Canada (without his wife) to his life something truly extraordinary. The 1615 in a state of excitement. He had the latter shot his harquebus into an as a coureur de bois. When the Kirke first immigrant to Ontario enjoyed a never penetrated inside the continent attacking troupe of Iroquois in 1609 brothers took Quebec from Cham- life of riches, pleasures and discov- so deeply, and drew tremendous sat- in order to curry favour with the Al- plain in 1629, he traded with them, ery. isfaction from the happy faces of the gonquin with whom he wanted to something Champlain considered Wendake (they were called Hurons trade. treasonous. Soon after, Brûlé disap- Brûlé’s first steps have not been by the French) who greeted him. For peared. Wendake warriors told celebrated in Ontario. But they many years they had pleaded with Such proven coolness in the face Champlain in 1633 that they had changed the French understanding him to join them in battle against the of danger would make him a trusted killed him as a retribution for his of the territory and of its peoples, Iroquois who threatened their very friend. The following winter young treachery. and the history of the continent. existence, and now he was among Brûlé was assigned by Champlain to That European, a young Frenchman, them, in the flesh, armed, and ready the Algonquins north of Montreal in It is not clear at all why Brûlé was did not come with guns or a desire to to command a small company against order to learn their ways, their hunt- assassinated. The priests who lived compete. He wanted to be a man their foes. ing methods and their language. He among the Wendake later asserted freed of European conventions, to returned to Champlain in the spring that he was cannibalized for his de- make a living, and live adventures. Champlain, however, was a bit of of 1611 and clearly showed that he bauched ways. “This man was recog- a latecomer to the party that summer. had fulfilled his mission. Confident nized as being very vicious in Father Joseph Le Caron had preceded that the young man could do the character, and much addicted to him by a week. Champlain met with same with the “Hurons” who lived women,” wrote Champlain. There is the priest on the next day in the for- around Georgian Bay, Champlain or- room to speculate that his hosts grew tified village of Carhagouha (just dered Brûlé to join them and discover irritated by Brûlé’s role as middle- north of today’s Lafontaine), and a new land. man in the fur trade and decided to learned how difficult the travels had get rid of him for good. There is also been for the churchman and the Brûlé would stay with the Wen- some debate that Brûlé had grown dozen soldiers who had accompanied dake for the rest of his life. Through disenchanted with the Wendake and him. It took a few weeks, but Cham- his adventures, including a harrow- sought better trade opportunities plain and his entourage then made ing military mission in the fall of with the Seneca. Either way, he did their way to Cahiagué (near Warmin- 1615 to attack the Iroquois (near not live long after his fortieth birth- ster), and there met with the Wen- today’s Syracuse) from the south day. Soon, the Wendake people aban- dake leadership. Among them was a while Champlain fired from the doned their villages and would be young protégé he had not seen since north, Brûlé saw enormous swaths decimated by disease and war. 1611, Étienne Brûlé. of the continent. He participated ac- That young man—Champlain re- tively in the fur trade and probably Brûlé’s contributed a great deal to ferred to him as a “boy” a few times earned more money in the trade that the development of Canada. He was his books—was an improbable pres- Champlain himself. He was the first the source of knowledge that al- ence.