By Marissa Nelson
The
Anger was again simmering around the former Douglas Creek Estate site yesterday after a delay in instituting a 30-metre "no go" zone announced last week.
That, in part, prompted some residents near the contentious piece of land to put up American flags.
"They're asking the
Ken Hewitt, with Caledonia Citizens Alliance, said people are fed up because their own federal government isn't supporting them.
But OPP Sergeant Dave Rektor said their officers began patrolling the buffer zone that runs along the back of homes on
Rektor said the zone was delayed in part because it's in a total mud patch so Six Nations people couldn't put up a demarcation of the buffer area.
"It was like a soggy mush marsh," he said. "It needed some planning and needed to be negotiated. There are a lot of factors and variables. Everything takes time and we're moving forward."
He wouldn't say how often officers will be in the area, except to say there would be "frequent" patrols.
Even though there was a delay, Rektor said there weren't any problems in the interim. "There weren't any issues arising. There was no reason to rush in -- it was so muddy you'd sink into it," he said.
But Trainer said it was just another sign of "the tail wagging the dog."
"They're making fools of everyone," she said, referring to the Six Nations protesters. "There's no excuse. It would have been easier to put (a fence) up in the rain. The posts would have gone in like butter. Put on your rubber boots and put it up."
Residents have been quizzing Trainer, since she was seen announcing the buffer zone with Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Ramsay last week.
The latest controversy may well improve the chances that a rally scheduled for Oct. 15 will attract a crowd because of the simmering unhappiness.
"You can't blame them," Trainer said. "They have promised and promised and promised, and nothing happens."