Aprox. September 30, 2004

Mr. Jose Kusugak,

From scanning through the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website (ITK.ca), I
entered into the policies and issues section of the site and found that we
are not truly that different, despite our cultural and heritage differences.
I think that we both understand that pesticides/herbicides should be
eliminated where possible and especially so if there is a risk of having the
natural currents move these poisons into ecologically sensitive areas.
These areas broadly include all areas which are used for fishing and hunting
but go even farther in that all fish, as all bears, must feed, and their
prey should as such, be protected from man made poisons. It was stated in
the ITK website that Inuit peoples had to be taught that it was ok to eat,
and that the trend was to move away from historical food sources due to fear
of being poisoned by consuming them.

Our situation in northern Ontario is no different from yours in the far
north, in that we as hunters and fishermen are being subjected to poisons in
our most cherished meals. I have never met a hunter who was asked if he
felt it to be acceptable that the berries, which would be consumed by the
bears he intended to hunt, were sprayed by herbicides. Canada is partially
based on the concept of freedom of choice, and that includes freedom of
choice in foods. However, we as hunters and fishermen are now given the
choice of eating poisoned game, or not eating, which is not consistent with
the concept of free choice. Even the most remote sections of river are
occupied by poisoned fauna, as the poisons drifted down the rivers and
accumulated in the predators. Unfortunately for your people, all of these
same poisons (sprayed in our forests) accumulate in the food your people
cherish as they are carried by the great rivers like the Groundhog, Ivanhoe,
and Missinabi into the James and Hudson’s Bay. However, this is not to say
that this irresponsible profit driven behavior will indefinitely continue.
This is to say that it will continue indefinitely unless the government puts
a stop to it. In fact, there is no better time than the present to change
the way forestry, in particular, works as it pertains to the application of
herbicides. I have created an organization with its home page found at

WhiteMoose.ca which deals with similar issues, one of which being the use of
alternatives to herbicides. The forestry section is in the process of
development. (Text ommitted)

I would like to join forces with your team to change Ontario law as it
pertains to the use of herbicides in forestry practices. I understand you
have a branch here in Ottawa, which would make meetings convenient. I feel
we would have a mutual benefit in this relation in that by helping each
other, we are ultimately helping ourselves, and our most cherished loved
ones. Please contact me through the following methods so that we may
further discuss the option of working together on this issue.

Email: Joel@WhiteMoose.ca
Phone: 613-321-8793
School Address: 126 Hawthorne Avenue, Ottawa Ontario, K1S0B3
Home Address: P.O. Box 99, Foleyet Ontario, P0M1T0