Jim Bousquet
Jim, a well-known accomplished realtor, insurance broker and life insurance agent has established a lot of history on Manitoulin Island. Jim’s parents and grand parents, also accomplished, have contributed their history both on the Island and in the Killarney and Lang Lake areas. “My parents owned and operated the Killarney Hotel (now the Sportsman Inn), having purchased it from my grandfather.”
Jim’s maternal grandfather Jesse Lehman was born in 1874, in the family home known as Lehman’s Landing near Camp Maryanne on Lake Manitou. “Mail used to be brought across Lake Manitou by boat or across the ice in winter and my great-grandfather would then take it as far as Kagawong with a horse-drawn wagon or sleigh. Jesse Lehman worked as a store clerk in Gore Bay and while still a teenager bought his own store in Kagawong. He proceeded to buy six separate businesses in that community at one time. He then established Lehman’s Camp at Lang Lake, eventually settling at Manitowaning as a cattle farmer.”
“I was born in the former Red Cross hospital at Mindemoya, my first home being the Killarney Hotel which my parents operated at that time. A photo of me sleeping behind the kitchen stove, on the front paws of Chum, the family dog, a cross between a St. Bernard and a New Foundlander, attests to my youth at that time. My parents purchased their home in Little Current in 1952 mainly so my sisters and I could attend school. In that year I began Grade 3.”
“My paternal grandparents were originally from Quebec, Grandfather James was French, my grandmother Bridgit of Irish descent. My grandfather owned and operated the Bousquet Gold Mine in the hills northeast of Willisville. Their homestead was situated along the Howry Creek at Charlton Lake. My grandfather was a giant of a man. A photo of him with his team of horses, shows his head level with the horses’ heads. Grampa died quite young. I wished I would have known him. My father and grandfather were on the train that wrecked near Birch Island. Crew members died in the wreck. Grampa and Dad, who was only 10 years old, were returning to Little Current to purchase groceries for the miners, after cashing a gold bar in Sudbury.”
“My father, Lawrence ‘Lorne’ Bousquet earned his stationary engineers’ papers fourth class which allowed him to operate the steam hoist in the mine while still a teenager. My father had the privilege of paddling A.Y. Jackson (a member of the Group of Seven) around the lakes for two summers in his canoe. Jackson would paint, and dad would select a pine tree to nap under. It was a great job. Father, in addition to his wages, was gifted one of the paintings at the end of each season. Dad being quite young at the time traded the paintings to his brother Wib for two cartons of cigarettes. Oh father! A few years ago, we did find a painting on the internet of the Lehman homestead, but copies have no value.”
“After operating the Killarney Hotel for seven years, my parents purchased the former townsite mill property at Collins Inlet from the Lee & David Timber company. There were several buildings still standing after the mill had burnt around 1920. Mom and dad turned this property into an American Plan-style fishing lodge, and we moved to Collins Inlet when I was around a year old. Collins Inlet had been a thriving lumber town of nearly 500 people producing lumber to rebuild Chicago after the great fire had destroyed the city. When the timber ran out it seemed the mills all had mysterious fires similar to Bad River, Michaels Bay, Honora Bay, and so on, along the North Channel.”
“Camp Mahzenazng, named after the river it was situated on, could accommodate 40-45 guests as well as our home, attached to the main lodge. My mother Irene (Lehman) was a fine cook. Having worked for her father at Lehmans Camps as well as the Killarney Hotel, her baking skills were second to none. Many of the guests commented over the years that it was moms cooking that brought them back each year, not the fishing. I recall one of my earliest excursions from Collins Inlet as a four-year old child. After all the hunters had left in fall, our parents took sister Laurine and I to Sudbury for our first dental appointments. An Austin Airways float plane, with Rusty Blakey at the controls of the Norseman float-equipped plane got us there. Rusty, who was almost folk lore to bush pilots, located the brown bags on seatbacks for us and advised us of their purpose. I can declare that air sickness is worse than a trip to the dentist.”
“Yes, I do recall my first day of school in 1952. It was somewhat of a disappointment, as the classroom was above the post office downtown. At the time two new classrooms were being added to the public school. For a temporary space, some junior grades were shuffled to this location. There was no playground for activities, and no other students for us to meet. The new rooms were not completed until April 1953.” My sister and I had taken correspondence lessons under the watchful eye and teachings of our mother while she worked away in her kitchen. The lessons would arrive by mail, a week’s supply at a time. They would be sent to Toronto for marking and the new lessons would arrive. Collins Inlet was not serviced by road, so our mail came to Killarney by boat in summer and over ice by horse drawn sleigh from Little Current in the winter.”
“Another fond memory is lying on the floor listening to hockey games on the radio on cold winter nights. Foster Hewitt, ‘He shoots he scores!’ was a familiar refrain while dad and I cheered for the Habs. Tommy Wakegijig, one of the workers, a Leaf fan, often was with us. Hockey occupied a lot of time growing up, with no televisions nor internet available. My father coached all three age levels of minor hockey in Little Current for several years with a little help from parents. He enjoyed every minute of his time spent with the young players.”
“Grades 9 and 10 were at the Little Current High School. My sister Laurine, who is two years older than I, along with one of her girl friends ran the house. At least they thought they did, until my parents would close camp for winter in late November. For Grades 11 and 12, I moved to my oldest sister Marion’s home in Brantford, then returned to Little Current for my final year of high school. Living with sister Marion and her husband Andy was a new environment. I was very well treated, something I will never forget.”
“Andy bought me my first car at age 16, a 1937 Chevy coupe. It wasn’t fancy, but got me to hockey practices, games and the school dances. One day Andy was having their barns painted red and while I was at school, he had them paint my old car with the same barn-red colour. After that my friends all called it ‘Bousquet’s Bomb.’ The last year of high school, Bruce Pitfield, a good friend from Killarney, joined me at home until camp closed. Only the cooking left a little to be desired.”
“I played all three levels of minor hockey, Peewee, Bantam and Juvenile in Little Current as well as on the high school team. I also played two years on the senior hockey team, then joined the over 35’ers ‘Island’ team which entered many tournaments both here and away. My dear friend Harold Morphet used to say, ‘that I could skate like the wind but didn’t have a clue what to do with the puck when he passed it to me.’ I will never forget him.”
“With summers at Collins Inlet growing up, I couldn’t ask for anything more. In my early years I started a bait business, selling minnows, frogs and worms and tackle supplied by father and mother. The guests at the camp were good customers, and they had nowhere else to buy these items in the bush. I had my own boat and father trusted me to take long trips to Killarney with his boat. I also was a guide for our guests, providing shore lunches with fresh pickerel.”
In his last year in high school, Jim worked part time at Smiths Hardware, then after graduating started to work for Doug Tracy who owned the local funeral home, ambulance service and Western Tire automotive parts store. “Doug had a way of getting every possible ounce of work out of you. Before long, I was driving the ambulance (with no training) and assisting at funerals as well as clerking in the store. Doug offered me an apprenticeship to become a funeral director, and I accepted. I enrolled in the Canadian School of Embalming at the University of Toronto. The Apprentice program would give three months of practical training and three months school alternating between Toronto and Little Current for a two-year program. I graduated and was licenced in May 1964.”
Jim met Joanne Casselman, a teacher from Toronto, while she was vacationing on the Island in the summer of 1963. Joanne quipped, “it took a while to get used to the Island ways after living in the city all my life.”
“After we were married,” Jim adds, “Joanne became active in the Hospital Auxiliary, played in bridge groups and was an active member of the curling club.” Jim and Joanne dated for some time and finally decided to tie the knot. They had a very small wedding at the Little Current United Church with Joanne’s stepmother, Jim’s sister Laurine and husband Harry, along with good friends, Edith and Bill Summers in attendance. After the ceremony, lunch was held at the Shaftsbury Inn. The honeymoon took them to Cape Cod where they enjoyed the beaches and scenery of the Atlantic Ocean. After returning home, they resided in Jim’s parents’ home until late fall, then moved to an apartment over Farquhar’s Dairy. After a year they moved to a rental house owned by Joanne’s stepmother on Worthington Street. In 1968 they built the home on Robinson Street where they live today.
Jim and Joanne had twin daughters, Marsha Jane and Cheryl Lee, born in Sudbury and a son, Christopher James, born in Little Current. Joanne is a fine photographer. She posts many interesting photos which can be seen on Facebook, ‘Manitoulin Images Photography.’ Other sites are the Nature Canada 25, and Canadian Landscape Photography. In addition, Joanne also influenced the creation of a Red Cross swimming program for youths aged four to 16 years of age. The program first started at Trimmer’s Beach later moving to Low Island. “I felt kids living on an island surrounded by water should know how to swim.”
After leaving the funeral business, and needing to increase income, Jim obtained his life insurance licence and represented Sun Life Canada on the Island. In 1966, Jim purchased a small general Insurance business from his cousin in Espanola, creating the first store-front insurance office in Little Current. On September 1, 1967, after completing the real estate salesman’s licencing, Jim joined Lush Realty from Burlington and added ‘real estate’ services to his portfolio. This followed with a Halliday Home pre-engineered home franchise in the summer of 1968. His own home was the first package sold.
“Early on, we discovered that the banks on Manitoulin Island could not offer financing with backing from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Peter Lush had taken a trip to Ottawa to turn this around but had not succeeded.” Jim’s family were well acquainted with Pime Minister Lester Pearson who often called on them when visiting his Algoma riding on Manitoulin. “My mother called one day and said ‘Pearson was dropping by for tea that afternoon and did I want to join them?’ I accepted. This visit allowed me to mention CMHC to the prime minister, and to say the least, he was surprised. A couple of weeks later, I received a call that the banks would now offer CMHC loans on the Island. A short time later we had a client approved for a loan. Proof of success. Needless to say, we now had a proper loan structure for the people on Manitoulin. Soon, our Halliday Home sales flourished, and I received their top salesman of the year award, a trip to Bermuda.”
“Camp Mahzenazing was sold in the spring of 1968. Within a month my parents took a cook-caretaking job at a private summer home which kept them busy for the next five years, before they finally retired. Mom and Dad then spent many happy years volunteering, playing shuffleboard and enjoying life.” Jim too did his share of volunteering throughout the years. At age 19 he was invited to be a member of the St. Joseph Hospital Board of Directors. After 10 years it was sold to the province and became Manitoulin Health Centre. Jim gave another 24 years as a board member to the hospital.
At the time, Jim was also as a member of the Little Current Volunteer Fire Department, where he served for 26 years as firefighter, deputy and eventually as chief. This also included a Deputy Fire Marshall designation, or mutual fire co-ordinator. Jim spent five years as a member of the Centennial Manor Board of Directors, two years on the Manitoulin School Board, and he was chairman of the Recreation Commission. He was also on the executive of the Little Current Curling Club, the Manitoulin Nordic Ski Club and as a minor hockey coach.
Were you named after anyone? “Jesse James after both grandfathers.”
Fondest memories? “The birth of my three children.” At one point, we had three kids, three years old and under,” Joanne adds with a smile.”
Important events in your life? “Our wedding, opening my own business, and selling my insurance brokerage in 2012. Now it’s woodworking in my shop. I just finished a five-foot model of the Strawberry Island Lighthouse.” “
Favourite pets? “My dog Tippy was my constant companion at Collins Inlet. He went everywhere with me in my boat.”
Responsibilities when growing up? “I helped out with many chores around the camp while growing up.”
Favourite season? “Now it’s summer: golfing, boating at a younger age, but in the winter months, I loved to ski. I helped build the new ski chalet and spent countless hours at it with the kids. Winter also meant hockey, both playing and coaching.”
Favourite collections? “I have numerous Canadian Mint coin sets my mother gave to me each Christmas and a gold nugget my father carried with him from the Bousquet Mine.”
Favourite holidays? “Disney World with the kids and a river cruise on the Rhine, as well as Rome and Venice trip with our daughter and her husband. We Have done lots of travelling over the years: the Caribbean, 28 American states, and many ski trips with the kids.”
Favourite teacher? “Miss Felix in Grade 3. She always made sure your coat was done up tight on cold days. She ranked right after my mother teaching us at home.”
Favourite sport? “Hockey, golf and hunting.”
First hourly wage? “My apprenticeship comes to mind. I earned a grand sum of $30 a week and I was on call 24/7.”
What are your strengths? “Probably making friends and getting along with people.”
Anything you would still like to do? “Win the lottery.”
How did you meet your partner? “I actually spotted her at her grandfather’s funeral and had a brief conversation with her at that time. I knew she drove a little white sports car. The day after the funeral, I walked down for the mail, and she was washing the car in her stepmom’s driveway. That was an opportunity to chat, and the rest is history.”
What are you proud of? Both: “my family.”
What are you most afraid of? “Nothing definite at this point.”
If you could keep three items from your current life, what would they be? Joanne: “Family photos, my phone and my wallet.”
Looking back, is there anything you would do differently? Jim: “I would spend more time with my family and less time working.”
Has anyone inspired you? “My parents and my sisters, they were all very hard-working people, something I admired in them.”
What problems will still be here 100 years from now? “Environmental issues, monopolies by conglomerates will have wiped out small family business.”
Your hope for the future? “World peace, and a hope that the next generations will meet the challenges of Artificial Intelligence.”
What is your legacy for the future? “The community work, real estate developments of 20 subdivisions, over 160 houses we built, the CMHC mortgages that helped a lot of people and spearheading the installation of artificial ice for the arena.
Recipe for happiness? “A lot of sharing.”
“We like our quiet lifestyle here,” Joanne offers. “I enjoy luncheons every couple of weeks with a group of my girl friends, and we frequent different restaurants. Jim plays golf and enjoys woodworking in his shop.”
“Manitoulin has been a very safe place to raise a family,” Jim adds. “When our girls were only four years old, they would walk to Little’s grocery with a list and return safely with the few items Joanne had requested. There are not many places this can be done safely today. I met a lot of wonderful people being in the service business over the years. Its also nice to travel anywhere on the Island and shake hands with friends. We have great natural resources, the lakes, the scenery which we often take for granted and the best boating in the world. The rest of the time we have, will be spent on Manitoulin Island.”
