Let’s hope the Town of Midland gets one item correct when it goes back to the budget drawing board later this fall.
Last year, the municipality approved a plan to begin charging residents $100 to use the public boat launch at Pete Peterssen Park as a way to put some money in the town coffers and help avoid a $40,000 budgetary deficit associated with boat launch fees.
But then as council discussed the move last September, Mayor Bill Gordon told his fellow councillors the fee should be waived for any Midland residents possessing a valid government of Canada Indigenous status or Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizenship document.
While I get the idea, the concept was seriously flawed in that it waived fees for a growing percentage of the town's population.
I don’t take issue with the town waiving fees for First Nations residents and the pool for those identifying locally as Inuit is likely small or non-existent, what I have trouble understanding is how council could say it needs to collect money and then turn around and give something free to a group that counts thousands of locals in its membership.
And then this spring, the fees were again discussed by council with Gordon hunkering down on his belief that the fees should be waived for FNMI (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) identifying residents.
When later asked whether the town should revisit this pledge given the high number of locals now claiming to be Métis and the municipality's seemingly large need for money, Gordon said the initiative would remain.
"(It) was part of our commitment to the TRC ( Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and is directed to FNMI residents who have either status cards (FN or Inuit) or Métis citizenship cards," Gordon told MidlandToday. "Historical access to the water for harvesting rights and removal of any barriers to that access was the inspiration for that policy."
However, Gordon later noted in a council meeting that if somebody has a truck, boat and trailer and can buy gas and insurance for said boat, they can likely afford the fee.
"The beneficiaries must be Midland residents and have the appropriate credentials," he said in the spring of those getting a free pass.
"The financial impact is at most $100 per person and so far we have not had much uptake but it remains a gesture towards reconciliation and one of the few that municipal governments can make."
So using Gordon’s logic, buying the pass should be a drop in the bucket for anyone who can afford the boat, gas, trailer and insurance, and you should happily pay up for the service.
Given the fact the number of locals identifying as Métis has grown exponentially (seemingly since COVID-19) coupled with the potential income loss for the town, his reasoning truly defies logic.
The MNO currently has about 28,000 members with "thousands in the Midland-Penetanguishene area" and receives annual funding from both levels of government to help run its $130-million operating budget.
These residents already get many freebies, including complimentary admission to various historic and cultural sites, free food and other items, specialty programs and educational bursaries.
And unlike OSAP, those applying for these MNO bursaries aren’t currently required to illustrate financial need, thereby meaning there are potentially well-off families receiving financial support.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Gordon says another reason for the freebie is to ensure Métis citizens have access to their traditional harvesting grounds (ie Georgian Bay).
MidlandToday later learned independently that his wife Donna identifies as Métis. The mayor didn't previously disclose this information when addressing the boat launch initiative.
In the spring, Chiefs of Ontario and Manitoba Métis Federation’s hosted a two-day summit on “culture, identity theft” where they directly targeted the Métis Nation of Ontario and their belief that the province should 'erase' six Métis communities, including Georgian Bay.
In June, Donna Gordon wrote on a local Métis social media site that they shouldn’t get caught up in negativity.
"I firmly believe in maintaining integrity and authenticity, regardless of others' actions or opinions," she wrote. "Please don’t allow others (to) control the narrative."
A few days later, Donna was pictured on the town steps with her husband and other Midland officials as the municipality recognized National Indigenous Peoples Day this past June.
There have since been rumblings including a recent MidlandToday story that First Nations groups are moving away from boards and committees where MNO members have "equal footing."
In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, a central theme is that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
And with that in mind, council should always remember that Midland needs to treat all of its citizens equally going forward.
