Native protesters threaten to shut down area business
Belleville Intelligencer
Police at the scene of a native protest in Deseronto Wednesday afternoon. |
By Bruce Bell and Samantha Craggs
Thursday, January 11, 2007 - 10:00
Belleville Intelligencer
The lead protester in an aboriginal land dispute here has pledged to shut down a local aggregate business within 60 days.
Shawn Brant, who with about 30 protesters shut down a section of Deseronto Road Wednesday, said the owner of Thurlow Aggregates has about two months to close before protesters shut it down, by force if necessary.
“We were mandated today to shut him down forever, but we felt there had to be a period where he could get his affairs in order,” Brant said as fellow demonstrators handed out information leaflets to motorists on County Road 2.
Brant said Wednesday morning the company was targeted because it was scheduled to work with Kingston-based developer Intergroup Financing AG, which planned a housing development on a portion of 925 acres known as the Culbertson Tract. There has been a formal land claim on it since 1995.
But Brant said the gravel pit takes away Mohawk land truckload by truckload. The owner, he said, explained to him that the business had been in his family for three generations.
“I thought, ‘you have three generations of memories on this land, and we don’t have any,’” he said.
It was an otherwise peaceful protest that began at 7 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m.
“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,” Brant said.
“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.”
Kingston developer Tim Letch announced a 15-acre, $30-million development on the land last year.
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, Wednesday’s 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 farther 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 (Monday) 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 to have the land returned to us.”
The demonstration was not sanctioned by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) band council, but council respects the right of the people to peacefully demonstrate, said Chief R. Donald Maracle. Wednesday’s demonstration was peaceful, he said, and “I understand their frustration.”
The media hype, he said, has distracted from the issue, which is the land’s rightful ownership, and why the land claim has dragged on since 1995 with little progress.
“Our mandate is to work toward a resolution of the issue,” he said.
Kennedy is meeting with his superiors this week to discuss his mandate, with talks likely resuming next Tuesday, Maracle said.
Jim McMurter handed out information flyers Wednesday. The owner of McMurter’s Home Centre said one customer who disagreed with his stance drove at him. Otherwise, people were receptive to the message, he said. He had handed out about 500 flyers by 2 p.m.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “It’s going to disrupt a lot of lives, but it’s something that needs to be done. When you’re correcting a wrong after 170 years, it’s gonna hurt.”
McMurter didn’t foresee it becoming as heated as the Caledonia protest. This is “a little more controlled,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to go to that extreme.”
At a coffee shop on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, a Mohawk man said aboriginal people have to demonstrate to get attention.
“They have to go demonstrate before you guys (the media) will show up,” he said.
He had been at the site earlier that day, and said while closing businesses or heightening tensions would be unfortunate, “you gotta do what you gotta do.”
The woman serving his coffee had little to say.
“That’s the guys that are always out there fighting,” she said. “I’m not with them. I don’t know anything about that.”