Three people were injured in a fire last night in an unfinished home on the housing site occupied by native protesters.
Six Nations firefighters responded to the 8 p.m. blaze in the two-storey house, but it's unclear whether Caledonia firefighters were allowed onto Douglas Creek Estates. A resident of a neighbouring subdivision said Caledonia firefighters were cooling their heels in a nearby Canadian Tire parking lot at the time of the fire.
Six Nations Fire Chief Michael Seth said the blaze in the unfinished home had been extinguished by the time his firefighters arrived at the Argyle Street South property. He said the injured were people on the site, "that were fighting the fire prior to our arrival."
They suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital. Seth said the cause is under investigation, but damage was minimal. He said his department was notified of the fire by the OPP and he was not sure whether the people occupying the site allowed Caledonia firefighters to come onto the land.
The neighbour, who wished to remain unidentified, said the fire was on the second floor of the home. "They were cutting holes in the roof," said the man, adding smoke billowed into the nearby subdivision.
The unfinished homes have been in the news this week because supporters of the occupation have appealed for lumber donations to help finish the buildings so they can be used during the winter for the occupation.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday he doesn't want to see the protesters settling in for the winter. They are now into their seventh month of occupying a site they say Six Nations never surrendered or sold.
The protesters staying at the property, "in some kind of permanent way, through the winter for example, that is not acceptable to us," McGuinty said. "Any occupation of that land, any future use of that land, is a subject of negotiations."
Officials from Six Nations, Queen's Park and Ottawa continue to negotiate the fate of the land. The disputed site is being held in trust by the province, which bought it from developers Henco Industries Ltd.
One of the people at the negotiating table is Jane Stewart, a former Indian Affairs minister and Brant MP. The Spectator learned this week Stewart, as lead negotiator for the province, is being paid $1,300 a day.
Ottawa would not release the pay of federal negotiator Barbara McDougall. Citing access to information laws, Indian Affairs spokesperson Margot Valadeo said they would not release the information.
She said later the amount would be released under a formal access-to-information request, but she wouldn't release it over the phone yesterday.
Stewart's contract sets out a maximum of $300,000 for the 11-month contract. On top of that, she can charge up to $30,000 in expenses.
Stewart said last night she did not know how many days she has worked on the Caledonia file since she undertook the job in May, but said the salary rate came from the Ontario government. She also couldn't say how many reports she's filed, but that she's in daily contact with the government.
"I'm available seven days a week," Stewart said. "I don't know how many days I've worked. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about doing the job."
Asked how much she has billed the province, Stewart replied, "What I can say is I'm happy that the province is transparent about the salary I'm receiving. ... I'm happy to receive what they offered me and I will work hard to earn it."