MIKE PEARSON
The Sachem
Sept 8, 2006
Haldimand Mayor Marie Trainer said she is disappointed that OPP officers returned controversial signs to native occupiers at Douglas Creek Estates. Caledonia residents removed several of the hand-made signs on Sept. 4 but the signs were then seized by the OPP and immediately returned to protesters, according to OPP Const. Dave Meyer.
"I feel bad that they returned them," Trainer said. "It was a good chance to make them disappear."
A controversial sign bearing the mayor's name was removed last week. The sign also made derogatory references to Caledonia Citizen's Alliance spokesperson Ken Hewitt and Braemar Ave. resident Kevin Clark. Both said they were not involved in the removal of the signs.
Trainer said the signs are in breach of county by-laws, but does not expect those by-laws to be enforced.
"I'm certainly not going to tell (county) staff to take them down," she said.
Trainer said signage issues at the protest site are being discussed at side table negotiations between native leaders and the province. But she does not feel that progress is being made.
Ken Hewitt said the signs should be taken down in an effort to rebuild the relationship between Caledonia and Six Nations.
"They're not legal," he said. "Signs of that sort would not be condoned in any other instance."
Hewitt said the signs are clearly libelous and should never have been erected.
He noted, however, that residents are dealing with much larger policing issues in the area. Hewitt said residents want the OPP to start policing 6th Line. Since June, the OPP have treated the area as a "no-go" zone, deferring policing to Six Nations Police.
Hewitt also wants to see full police patrols off a buffer zone between the protest site and the backyards of Caledonia residents. An area is currently cordoned off with police tape. Hewitt said these two issues have been brought before the OPP.
"The standard answer we get is 'we're working on it,'" Hewitt said.