Vol. 43, No. 28 July 12, 1989 - Schr eiber 40 cents Eyesore finally leaves Rossport By Dave Chmara Residents of Rossport had a scare, albeit a temporary one, when the oil tank that sat in their harbor for well over half-a-ycar turned up again after they thought they had seen the last of it. Will Robinson, Land Management Supervisor with the Terrace Bay District Ministry of Good Bears now helping O.P.P. patrol All O.P.P. cruisers are now equipped with Teddy Bear! The Bears are for children who are victims of family violence, sexual abuse, criminal acts or personal injury traffic accidents. In '1987, the Ontario Provincial Police investigated 23,251 personal injury accidents in which 37,200 people were injured and 806 were killed. Of those victims, 7,212 were chil- dren, 32 of which died. The toy bears will be given to children in distress as a means of forming a bond between the youngster and the police officer. While it may seem strange to envision an Ontario Provincial Police officer kneeling beside a traumatized youngster, bear in hand, here's one officer's experi- ence. "I attended a two-car accident near the town of Exeter which destroyed a station wagon carry- ing two adults and their three children. We gave a Good Bear to the three children which was real- ly helpful in calming them down as they were rushed to three sepa- rate hospitals," said Sgt. Wayne Burke. "We were all so surprised when the officer came with the Good Bears for our three chil- dren," said the youngsters' mother who herself suffered a broken wrist. "My six and eight year old both had broken collar bones and 10 year old had a skull fracture. The bears never left their arms all the time they were in hospital. Thanks OPP!" Natural Resources, said when the tank showed up he received about 16 calls in the space of 20 minutes. "They were calling as fast as I could pick up the phone," he said. The tank, which had been left at the Rossport docks after tug- boat operator Fred Broennle encountered severe weather last fall and had to abandon it, showed up again June 30, only one week before the Rossport Fish Derby. Last fall, residents of Rossport gathered to decide what should be done concerning the oil tank. Robinson said charges could have been laid but the people of Rossport were generous enough to let the eyesore stay until spring. Broennle was given until May 10, 1989 to have the tank removed from the Rossport docks and off of Crown land and he signed a statutory declaration to that effect December 16, 1988. Robinson said it was difficult to maintain contact with Broennle throughout the winter and as the May 10 deadline approached there was some concern. However, Broennle was finally reached only one week before the deadline and at that time asked if another temporary site could be found for the tank. The Local Services Board of Rossport met May 2, 1989, to dis- cuss the matter and decided they wanted the tank removed from Rossport. Although the May 10 deadline was not met, Broennle removed the tank the afternoon of May 16, but instead of towing it to Thunder Bay, Broennle brought the tank to Colpoy"s Bay on Wilson Island in Lake Superior,.a short distance from Rossport. There the tank sat and Broennle asked for permission for another temporary permit to occupy Crown land. The MNR granted permission to Broennle to stay until June 30 but in the meantime was prepar- ing to take legal action under the Public Lands Act should the tank not have been removed from Crown land by that time. "In preparing for legal action, we wanted to be able to show the courts we bent over backwards in dealing with the situation with Mr. Broennle," said Robinson. So when the tank showed up once again at the Rossport dock; only one week before the Rossport Fish Derby, several resi- dents became concerned. But it turned out Broennle only needed a few hours to install a pump because the tank was still leaking at this point. The tank stayed overnight and early the next moming it was on its way to Kiefer Terminal in Thunder Bay to be cut up into scrap. Robinson said the residents of Rossport were very patient in dealing with Broennle and gave him every opportunity to meet the deadlines imposed upon him. Robinson said he thinks because of their past, they're used to dealing with marine situations and in this case they understood some of the problems Broennle was facing, although they didn't expect the whole situation to last as long as it did. "They're to be commended for their patience and understanding. The way they dealt with Brocnnle was more than fair," commented Robinson. d Good Teddy Bears just like those above with Constable Bert Logan of the Schreiber O.P.P. detachment will now be standard equipment on each cruiser. The bears will be used to calm down children facing traumatic situations and also to help establish a bond between the police officer and the child. Photo by Dave Chmara Belluz Realty Ltd. Simcoe Plaza POT 2W0 Broker Terrace Bay, Ont Juris Zdanovskis 1-807-824-2933 1-807-825-9393 Anne Todesco Remembering the Women's Institute Hall Page 2 INSIDE THIS WEEK Forest Fires Editorial VIA proposes end of transcontinental run Page 4 How they're brought under control Page 8 SHORELINE INSURANCE LTD. When our clients have a homeowner's loss they see | me at their home because that's SERVICE. 825-9492 825-9696 SUPERIOR