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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, January 17, 2013 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 In support of Attawapiskat On Jan. 11, I went on a solidarity fast in support of Idle No More and Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence. I am one of the many Canadians who want to encourage our federal government to engage in meaningful dialogue with the First Nations peoples who expect Canada to respect treaty rights and the environment. Many people will look to the Deloitte and Touche LLP independent audit of Attawapiskat as evidence that First Nations leadership is wasteful of tax dollars. Upon further examination, I conclude this is not the fact. This $90 million in tax dollars was received by the band over five years. There are 1,500-1,800 band members, which means they get $10,000 per person per year. Sound like a lot? The City of Toronto receives approximately $24,000 per person to pay for the same things -- and expenses in Attawapiskat are substantially higher. The audit shows many of the band transactions lacked proper documentation. There is no denying this is not good, but of 409 transactions cited, only 30 occurred under the watch of Spence. In the two years under her leadership, audit compliance doubled. It's still unacceptable, but there's no denying the improvement. Consider that all of the band expenses have been approved by a federally-appointed co-manager. And how long has the government been co-managing Attawapiskat's finances -- 12 years. A lot longer than Spence has been their leader. Many people will point to the fact the current co-manager was Spence's partner, but let's be clear -- she didn't hire him, the government did. And together they seem to be doing a better job. Letter to the Editor Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award Eric Riehl / OAKVILLE BEAVER FAST SUPPORT: Lawyer Susan Berry presents a letter at MP Terence Young's office outlining a desire for change in Attawapiskat. Berry went on a 24-hour fast in support. A CLEAN CAMPAIGN: Twins Vanessa (left) and Julia Silano with 3,000 bars of soap collected by St. Thomas Aquinas students since November for Canadian Food for Children in Haiti and other developing countries. The Silanos, now in Grade 10, hope to organize similar Christmas drives to collect 10,000 bars before graduation. Donations can be dropped off Monday to Friday from 6 a.m.-noon at the Canadian Food for Charity warehouse, 1258 Lakeshore Rd. E. in Mississauga, or visit www.canadianfoodforchildren.net. SUBMITTED PHOTO The band has accepted the audit showed a need for continued improvement. The band auditors, Ross, Pope and Company, indicate financial policies have been implemented to address the procedural deficiencies. In April 2012, the federal government ended the 12-year period of financial comanagement. Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan made this decision, he said, "In recognition of the accomplishments that have been achieved." So, it appears Spence has, in fact, been quite a bit more effective than the federal government in bringing accountability to band finances. Some people will ask why the band has spent money on sports facilities and the like when there is a housing crisis. The decisions to invest in a sports complex/ See Room page 10 Saying goodbye to Palomino princess with oodles of attitude L ast week we had to say goodbye to a dear friend -- a goodbye that left us heartbroken and headachy (from the spilling of so many tears). We'd known her for 14 years. She was part of our family. Born on May 31, 1992, she passed away on Jan. 10, 2013, at the tender age of 20. RIP Sandy's Summer Dream, a.k.a. Bambi, a beautiful Palomino princess with oodles of (endearing) attitude. It's true, our Bambi-girl did not have what one might call a sunny disposition. She could be a real ornery cuss with ears pinned back, perpetually angry or annoyed. As horses go, she was on the small side. But what she lacked in size, she more than made up in that aforementioned attitude. In a horse herd there is always a complex pecking order. Non-horse people might assume smaller horses would naturally be near the bottom of the totem pole, right? Not our girl. Whenever we'd visit her at the ranch where she was first boarded, we'd go out to the paddock that housed a dozen horses and two round hay feeders. Invariably, one feeder would have 11 horses crammed around it, vying for food. While there, at the other feeder, would be our Bambi. Alone. Eating happily, heartily, having chased away every other horse. We bought Bambi as a Christmas present for our kids back in 1998. My wife had ridden as a youth and when our eldest started falling in love with horses, we decided to take the plunge and buy our first horse. The kids still laugh at the pictures they took of me on that Christmas mornAndy Juniper ing on Bambi -- my first time aboard a horse -- looking stiff, wooden, and scared witless (you know, the camera never lies). Little did I know back then what the future would hold, and how many dominoes would eventually fall -- in profound, life-altering ways -- on account of the purchase of that one horse. We would go on to buy a second horse, Apollo. We would realize that paying board on two horses is nuts. And we would subsequently trade in our city lives for a country house with a little equine acreage. Further, with my wife working in the city, and me working from home, it naturally became my job to care for the horses on a dayto-day basis. And, in time, it would become a labour of love. Yeah, I fell for them. To boot, Bambi and Apollo became my daily entertainment. Alas, Bambi met her match in easygoing Apollo, who not only put up with her squawking, but playfully provoked her. They were like an old married couple. When she was at the hay feeder, he'd sidle up to her. She'd throw a complete hissy fit over her space being invaded, and her feeding being interrupted, and then relocate to the other side of the feeder. Of course, he'd mischievously follow her, again sidling up, making her squawk all over. A few weeks ago, out of the blue, Bambi-girl's legs swelled. Assorted treatments failed. And then last week we got the call, a summons to say goodbye. The vet had discovered an aggressive tumor. My wife and I like to think that Bambi and Apollo, who died two years ago, have been happily reunited in horsey heaven. And we imagine that Apollo's having a field day, purposely annoying his pal, the Palomino princess with attitude. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www. twitter.com/thesportjesters.