The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PSs we Sr rent oH a Massive economic development planned Tourism could be the key to financial prosperity for local Beausoleil Band In- dians, under astonishing plans being developed for the band's Christian Island reserve. The plans include a year- round island resort, run en- tirely by the band. Chief Bernard McCue says the natives on the reserve are tired of depen- ding on government handouts. And, he announces, they are now doing something about it by developing a master plan, a financial blueprint for a solid future. "We have to address this problem of economic development by creating an economic base that has to do with tourism," Chief McCue said in an inter- view last Tuesday. "Tourism, although seasonal, will provide a good base for development of our economic poten- tial." McCue sees a day when the 750 band members on the reserve stand proud and break the chains of dependence. "We have always relied heavily on government subsidies - work programs, and various other makeshift programs," said the chief. "We can't rely on this, because of govern- ment cutbacks."' "Tt is for this reason that Christian Island has not a very good economic base."' With help from the North Simcoe Development Cor- poration and _ after meetings with high-profile political and industrial leaders, the chief of the Beausoleil Band put the wheels in motion. When they're done, says Kamran Khozan of the Community Futures wing of the NSDC, the islands will be an economic hot spot. He says the economic spin-offs for the people of the islands will be fantastic. "The psychological im- pact of such a thing is too great to measure," said Khozan, who recently resigned as president of the NSDC after accepting an offer for a job with the government. "You'll find a whole dif- ferent attitude will be developed," he said. Khozan and McCue say they intend to create an at- mosphere where private enterprise thrives. The band quietly began its ambitious program already this past summer by turning part of Beckwith Island (one of three in the reserve) into a beach area for tourists. Campsites were set up and mooring buoys installed for boaters. "The location is perfect for tourism development," Changes at HDH Huronia District Hospital has started to im- plement some of the recommendations produc- ed by a coroner's jury. Last Friday, following the conclusion of the Edna Weber inquest, Gord Key, HDH's administrator, said that a month ago 15 of the hospital's doctors and 15 of the nurses took an Advanc- ed Cardiac Life Support course. That course is very similar to the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course recom- mended by the jury. Nurses and doctors will take the ATLS course too, probably next spring. The other recommenda- tions of the jury will be ex- amined in a positive vein. Appropriate changes will be made, he said. The inquiry into the cir- cumstances of the death of Edna Weber, 68, of Toron- to, required four days. More than 20 witnesses gave testimony. The Crown attorney for Simcoe County, John Aléxander, was the counsel for Regional Coroner John Strathearn. Each of the hospital and the nurses, the doctors, and the land am- bulance and air ambulance crews, were represented by a lawyer. Several issues remained unexplained at the in- quest's end. Edna Weber was wear- ing a Medic Alert bracelet when the car in which she was a passenger collided with another vehicle. The first witness to testify that he saw it was a doctor at St. Joseph's Medical Centre in Toronto. A tube placed through the wall of Edna Weber's chest while she was in HDH, to relieve pressure on her lungs, stopped working at some point. The doctor who inserted it said he ordered, and examined, a chest x-ray after the tube was placed. The x-ray showed that the tube was not kinked. Another doc- tor, and an air ambulance paramedic, who subse- quently examined the x- ray, testified that the x-ray showed the tube was kinked. The confusion about the delay in the order to call for a ambulance to take Ed- na Weber to Toronto was not dispelled. St. Joseph Medical Cen- tre staff were told that Ed- na Weber was in stable condition with an isolated chest injury, that the speed at the time of the traffic ac- cident was 60 miles per hour, and that the driver was killed. She was being transferred to be under her doctor's care. Testimony from Midland witnesses was that the traf- fic accident was at low speed and that the driver was injured. Dr, Gregory Bailey testified that he learned that Edna Weber SE DE REAR A OE LladoHall 4 4 3 ® Coll tibles Yy 31A Maple Avenue, Barrie # Christmas Shopping in BARRIE this week? Don't forget to visit our store near the bus ter- * minal for that unusual Christmas Gift. We offer a wide variety of gift items including: gr Collector Plates t Antiques & Figurines TRY SZ iy and much, much more! 728-6882 We accept phone orders SCCM SCL MAWES ly Pet Limited Edition Prints Porcelain Dolls werk el? was diabetic and had some arthritis. A nurse said her patient said she had a pro- blem with her blood. The decision of HDH doctors to transfer her was made because a larger hospital was better equipped to control the pain her four broken ribs were creating. said McCue. "We've got beautiful beaches." "This is part of the short term plan. It's a start, a good start." In the future, the Beausoleil Band could con- struct a complete year- round tourist resort on the Beckwith Island beach. The main attraction of such a resort would be "seclusion and beauty of the island," according to the short term plan. As well, it may count on the Indian way of life. A restaurant would offer local smoked fish, deer and buffalo meat if the demand for such products is proven. McCue says what is go- ing on here is a new thing for Canadian Indian bands. Most do not have their own economic plans, he said. And he also said the pro- jects were supported in ) principle by "98 per cent" of the reserve. "There were just a couple of negative answers," he noted. saWView, ral agreed something should be done to get us standing on our own two feet, to create employment," he said. "It's this or nothing. We are so dependent on government programs right now that we must do #3 something else. I can not & measure the importance of this because it is very, very important." But Khozan said there is "always some fear in a closed-in community such as this that the traditional way of life might change, the value system might change." "T don't think there's a single sole who doesn't want a permanent job, but not at the price of losing the traditional values." Khozan said extensive interviews with band members and a question- naire will be conducted before the fact, to prevent these things from happen- ing. "Once this is done we will have a very valuable gigantic database to draw on to see what the band wants." The chief noted he has addressed concerns of some who think that "by developing a piece of land they may lose what they have." For a limited time you can buy 1" & Micro Horizontals or Custom Fabric Verticals and get a second window covering in the same style & size (or smaller) absoutely FREE 0. ESPRIT 1" HORIZONTAL BLINDS / 48" wide x 42" high $142 FREE 62" wide x 42 high $173 FREE[®: 72" wide x 84 high $325 FREE PLEATED SHADES ALWAYS neon We will make FREE In-Home Consultation 60'wx 48'"h $263 72'wx 84"h $366 132'wx 96h $687 require. The above are example prices. SIZE Ist 2nd SIZE Ist 2nd 48' wide x 42' high $182 FREE 60" wide x 42' high $217 FREE 72" wide x 84 high $457 FREE FREE In-Home Consultation £ AMALFI any size you FREE FREE Draperies & Verticals e MAIN SHOWROOM Y Priority Plaza, Bayfield St. (across from the Georgian Mall) BARRIE 737-3433 MIDLAND SHOWROOM 299 King St. 526-8100 BRACEBRIDGE 687-2521 ORILLIA SQUARE MALL 326-0400 Wednesday, November 25, 1987, Page 11a