Mohawk land protest
Belleville Intelligencer
Mohawk protesters stop traffic in Deseronto Wednesday morning at a business targeted as possibly being involved in a disputed land development. Police were on the scene but the demonstration was quiet and peaceful throughout the morning. |
Mohawk land protest
Bruce Bell
Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 10:00
DESERONTO — A small group of native protesters this morning targeted a local aggregate business in an effort to stop a proposed housing development on disputed land.
Approximately 30 protesters shut down a section of Deseronto Road at 7 a.m. and warned there will be more protests if they have to return to the site in the future.
“The developer gave a Jan. 10 date as the day they would break ground, regardless of what is happening, so we will be here until the end of the business day,” said spokesman Shawn Brant. “We are targeting Thurlow Aggregates today because they will be assisting with the infrastructure for the project by supplying gravel.
“We do not have issues with the people of Deseronto and don’t want to disrupt their businesses and roads, but we warned the town the last time we were here, if this proceeded there would be economic consequences. If we have to come back again, the consequences will be more severe next time.”
Brant said the property, more than 900 acres in disputed lands, must be returned to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Kingston developer Tim Letch announced a 15-acre, $30-million development on the land last year.
Known as the Culbertson Tract, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte submitted a claim for the land to the federal government in 1995. There has been little progress in negotiating the claim, since.
Tempers flared during a similar protest in November on Highway 2 near the reserve when military personnel, coincidentally, were stopped at the scene en route to a training exercise elsewhere.
By contrast, today protesters welcomed media and handed out information packets to passing vehicles. A bus bearing a Mohawk flag blocked the entrance of Deseronto Road at County Road 2. A plain school bus blocked the road further to the north.
Ontario Provincial Police cruisers sat idling close to both blockades.
Brant said the announcement by Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice that independent consultant Sean Kennedy had been assigned to help negotiate a settlement was welcome news.
“It is a positive sign and hopefully that will be carried forward into talks with the government,” he said. “We want them to know how serious we are and today will help show them how strong our resolve is. As far as we know, preliminary discussions began yesterday so hopefully the process keeps moving forward.”
Brant insisted local Mohawks have legal right to the land and discussions should only include how to return the land in question to the local band.
“There is no need to discuss ownership of the land, that has already been established,” he said. “There are others who have made claims so I guess compensation for them will be an issue but the only resolution we will accept to this is, is to have the land returned to us.”