Committee will study deer population

The Hamilton Conservation Authority has agreed to strike a stakeholders committee to examine an overpopulation of deer at Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area.
The Six Nations Confederacy, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Hamilton City Council are expected to be among the key stakeholders, HCA board chair Chris Firth-Eagland said.
The HCA plans to form the committee in February, after a final report on the deer population is submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
HCA ecologist Shari Faulkenham said property owners have been overrun with deer in the Old Mohawk Road and Scenic Drive area.
“People have had up to 30 deer in their backyard,” she said.
An over abundance of deer threatens the ecosystem, Faulkenham said. When deer cannot find sufficient food they are prone to spreading disease. A high deer population also increases the frequency of vehicle collisions, she said.
An aerial study of 66 hectares surrounding Iroquoia Heights showed an estimated tally of 102 deer where there should only be 10-12 deer, Faulkenham noted.
The HCA plans to study a variety of options to mitigate the deer population including a controlled hunt, a cull or relocation.
Faulkenham said 73 per cent of the census area included urban land where hunting is not permitted. But along the urban/rural boundary of Highway 6, researchers found a “huge congregation” of deer on the north side where hunting is forbidden, and a lesser amount on the south side where hunting is allowed.
Iroquoia Heights presents a unique challenge for deer, Faulkenham said, because the conservation area is like an island, land-locked between highways and urban development.
The stakeholder committee is expected to determine whether the Six Nations Confederacy, the traditional government of Six Nations, will participate in a controlled deer hunt at Iroquoia Heights sometime next year.
“Six Nations Confederacy has come out with a recommendation that they are willing to help and I think that’s commendable,” said Firth-Eagland.
But Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said he will oppose any plan that seeks to permit hunting at the urban park.
“I hope the message given tonight is that we have not given permission to hunt,” he said at the HCA’s Dec. 3 board meeting.
Faulkenham said in accordance with the province’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, deer cannot be transported more than one kilometre from where they are captured. Relocation can cause extreme stress in deer, Faulkenham said, leading to a fatal condition called white muscle disease.

Hortons appeal hearing cancelled

Tim Hortons appears close to reaching an agreement in its appeal against air emission rules imposed by the Ministry of the Environment for a new Ancaster coffee roasting facility.
A negotiated settlement could help Tim Hortons open its $30 million facility in the Ancaster Business Park later this fall.
Evangeline Berlie, case manager for the province’s environmental review tribunal, said a preliminary hearing slated for Monday has been cancelled. Berlie said counsel for the appellant, Fruition Manufacturing Limited, a Tim Hortons subsidiary, is close to reaching a settlement with the ministry of the environment.
A teleconference between the company and the ministry was slated for this week.
Tim Hortons launched an appeal against the ministry air emission restrictions earlier this year, arguing the conditions were excessively onerous. Tim Hortons has been pursuing mediation with the ministry over the last several months in an attempt to avoid a lengthy hearing process.

Hunting problem over. Or is it?

Ward 12 Councillor Lloyd Ferguson is also confident that hunting has ceased at the conservation area. At a fundraiser last night he noted that 'no hunting' sings are posted at Iroquoia Heights and violators can be prosecuted under the city's bylaw which prohobits hunting in an urban area.
Illegal hunting can be reported to police or to the Ministry of Natural Resources enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.

But personally, I know First Nations treaty rights are a slippery slope. We've seen how governments and law enforcement have backed away from First Nations issues, in fear of the broad-reaching political ramifications.

In related news, it's clear there is a problem with overpopulation of deer at Iroquoia Heights. CAO Steve Miazga is still weighing the conservation area's options, which could include a cull or a relocation of deer. An areial census of the conservation area in January showed 102 deer. An ideal number is 12 or fewer.

No charges in Conservation area hunting probe

Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area has reopened to the public after Hamilton Conservation Authority staff received assurances from Six Nations officials that deer hunting has ceased at the urban park.
“As a result, it’s our understanding that hunting has stopped in the area,” said Steve Miazga, chief administrative officer for the HCA.
Claims of illegal deer hunting earlier this month prompted the closure of the conservation area for more than a week. Miazga said conservation authority staff began investigating after deer remains were found at the park in early November. Miazga said bow hunting was reported on Nov. 6 and Nov. 10. Deer entrails were found scattered in various locations.
“Some of the entrails have been spotted by myself and staff but we don’t know who the hunters are,” Miazga said.
Ontario’s natural resources minister said no charges will be laid after the ministry received reports of illegal deer hunting in the conservation area.
“We take this very seriously,” Donna Cansfield said. “This is a violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.”
Cansfield said ministry investigators lacked sufficient evidence to pursue charges. The ministry has since completed its investigation.
Conservation authority officials have met with representatives from the Six Nations Confederacy and band council.
Leroy Hill, secretary for the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy Council, said the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 includes perpetual hunting rights for Six Nations people in Southwestern Ontario. But he could not confirm whether Six Nations hunters were invoking their treaty rights to hunt in the conservation area.
“That’s not my file,” Hill said. “I’m not authorized to speak to that.”
Hill directed questions to Chester Gibson, a wildlife representative appointed by the Confederacy council. Gibson was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Miazga said Six Nations residents have been conducting a chronic wasting disease study on deer, but the study does not include killing the animals. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, chronic wasting, a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system, has been reported only in Saskatchewan in elk this year.
The Confederacy council is the traditional government of Six Nations, although the council was stripped of its formal governing authority by the federal Indian Act of 1924.
Cansfield said illegal hunting can be reported to the ministry’s enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.
Any discussion on First Nations treaty rights should be directed to provincial Aboriginal Affairs minister Brad Duguid, Cansfield said.
“Our perspective is we consider this a private land,” Cansfield said. “I’m not going to comment on treaty rights.”
The conservation area is located off Old Mohawk Road, north of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway between Highway 403 and Scenic Drive.
Hamilton Police Superintendent Ken Bond said police received reports of hunting on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. Bond said anyone who witnesses hunting can also contact police. If police confirm the names of people hunting illegally, they will forward the information to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It’s up to ministry staff to lay charges under the Fish and Wildlife Control Act for trespass to property for the purposes of hunting, Bond said.
“It’s in an urban-based park, so it’s not a good idea to be hunting there,” Bond said.

The latest word on Archmill

Archmill House Limited is rising from the ashes.
Just eight days after a devastating three alarm fire destroyed the company’s Osprey Drive manufacturing facility, the company was slated to resume full operation at a temporary facility on Nebo Road on the east mountain.
“We’re hoping by (Wednesday) we will be working at almost full capacity,” said Curtis Drew Buchan, a manager at Archmill.
Mr. Buchan said more than 50 friends came together last weekend to help the company emerge from the fire that burned for more than 12 hours in the Ancaster Business Park. He said the company managed to salvage vital reports and documents from its administrative office, which assisted the transition back to full production.
Mr. Buchan said Archmill has crafted architectural millwork for several long-term care facilities, including Amica at Dundas. The firm has also worked for several universities including McMaster, hospitals, churches and upscale restaurants.
The company hopes to rebuild its Ancaster facility over the next 18 months, Mr. Buchan said.
Archmill recently expanded its Ancaster operations, with a 14,000 square-foot addition completed in January, 2008. The firm has about 35 employees.
“We were extremely busy and it’s only increased,” said Mr. Buchan. He estimates the company lost less than five days worth of production following the fire.
“We’re working longer hours to make up for lost time,” Mr. Buchan said.
Archmill House is an established full service manufacturer of commercial and institutional architectural millwork and case goods. The company’s products include architectural millwork in plastic laminates, natural woods and veneers, combined with architectural metals, acrylics and fabrics.
Archmill completed a foyer project for Casino Rama Hotel and entertainment centre near Orillia, under general contractor Vanbots Construction Corp. The high-profile project included wood veneers and a reception desk in a cherry basket weave façade.

Archmill back in business: Report

Archmill House Limited has reportedly resumed production at a new temporary facility, just six days after a devastating fire destroyed its Osprey Drive location in the Ancaster Business Park.
A commercial photographer who works for the architectural millwork firm said Archmill employees were called back to work on Monday at a temporary location at 1386 Sandhill Dr. The facility, located just around the corner from the Archmill site, operates as Workplace Design Inc., an office furniture manufacturer.
The photographer said he is not at liberty to speak for the company. Comments on the Archmill House temporary facility are posted in a blog at www.dewimagery.com/blog
Employees who responded to a reporter’s visit at Workplace Design on Monday morning declined to comment. Archmill senior partner Steve Buchan was not immediately available to comment.
According to its web page, Archmill House is an established full service manufacturer of commercial and institutional architectural millwork and case goods. The company’s products include architectural millwork in plastic laminates, natural woods and veneers, combined with architectural metals, acrylics and fabrics.
The Aug. 25 fire that burned for more than 12 hours, required more than 60 firefighters and 18 pieces of apparatus to extinguish.

Shots from the fire scene