Six Nations protesters calling for donations to make it through the winter

Tue Aug 29, 5:25 PM
By Chinta Puxley
TORONTO (CP)

Hopes for a quick end to the ongoing aboriginal standoff in Caledonia, Ont., faded even more Tuesday as Six Nations protesters asked for donations of food and building supplies to help maintain their occupation through the winter.

Janie Jamieson, spokeswoman for the protesters, said they plan to finish the construction of 11 half-built homes if they get the donated building supplies. No one wants to see the houses "rotting away" when they could be used for shelter during the winter, she said.

"The option is to tear them down or to finish them," Jamieson said. "If we have that opportunity to finish them so our people won't have to sleep in snowbanks, I'd really like to see that."

A call for donations has gone out on the website of the Six Nations protesters, asking for non-perishable food, warm clothing, building supplies and money, which can be deposited into a Bank of Montreal account.

People have quit their jobs and dedicated the last six months to the occupation, Jamieson said, and they will continue to do so until the land is returned to Six Nations - even if it means staying there throughout the winter.

"We've said that right from the beginning," Jamieson said.

Aboriginals and the provincial and federal levels of government continue to negotiate the fate of the land. In the meantime, the disputed site is being held in trust by the province.

David Ramsay, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, declined to comment on aboriginal plans to finish construction on the houses and stay the winter. Anne-Marie Flanagan, Ramsay's spokeswoman, said anything regarding use of the land is a "matter for discussion at the negotiating table."

But the thought of watching further construction on the hotly-contested site - and the idea the occupation could last into the winter months - is horrifying to residents of the town.

Jason Clark, a lifelong Caledonia resident, said people are at their "wit's end." The occupation, which has been marred by barricades in the town and violent clashes between aboriginals and residents, has driven some residents to take medication for anxiety, Clark said.

Watching aboriginal protesters hunker down for the winter will just increase tension in the community, he said.

"There is high anxiety on both sides," said Clark, a member of the Caledonia Citizens Alliance.

It's time both levels of government did a better job of communicating with residents and worked overtime to end the occupation, he said.

"They tell us there is progress but nothing has been transparent to the community. If there is progress, we're not seeing it," he said. "This whole thing needs to be resolved."

Mayor Marie Trainer said she doubts many residents will answer the call for donations to help sustain the occupation.

"It angers everyone," she said. "It's not getting them any brownie points."

Residents are further infuriated because aboriginals are on provincial land but aren't being required to follow Ontario law, she said. If they decide to continue building houses on the property, Trainer said they won't have permits or other paperwork all residents must have before they begin construction on a house.

It adds to the feeling in the community that aboriginals are somehow above the law, she said.

"It's not proper that they just go forward and do whatever they want without following standards that everyone in Ontario has to follow," Trainer said. "It's not right."

Aboriginals have occupied the former housing development site since February, saying the land was wrongfully taken from them over 200 years ago by the Crown. The province bought the site this year and have allowed the protesters to remain despite a court order evicting them from the property.