Deseronto residents have no worries

Samantha Craggs
Belleville: The Intelligencer
November 15, 2006

Sandwiched between a proposed subdivision and the water, Lou and Mary Hird have as much reason as anyone to worry about the ongoing talks regarding who owns the land next door. But they're not.

"I read in the paper ... the natives own it," Lou said to wife Mary of the grassy expanse of land that starts at the top of their driveway.

"Well, good," Mary replied.

Located at the end of Water Street, the Hirds' small home is separated from the disputed land by a narrow strip of brush.

A proposed $30-million development was announced there in October. The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) recently reminded the town it is part of a 925-acre land claim, and talks have started with the federal government.

The MBQ has met with federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.

The Hirds encapsulate the laid back attitude the town's residents have about the negotiations.

There is little worry the situation will escalate to a stand-off, and everyone interviewed agreed the talks will lead to a peaceful resolution.

"If a land claim went through then the natives have a right to do what they have to do," said Ron Vandebelt, owner of a convenience store. "I would be a little peeved too."

Mary Hird, whose land has been in her family for 60 years, sees no similarities between this and the situation in Caledonia, where protesters have demonstrated since February and clashes - often violent - have occurred between natives and non-natives.

"Of everyone I've talked to, not one has said a word about Caledonia," she said. "It doesn't come up in the conversation. It just doesn't enter anyone's mind."

On nearby Main Street, two Mohawk men and Deseronto residents chatted about local issues and said hello to passing neighbours. They also shrugged when asked about it.

"If it's our property, let's deal with that," one of the Mohawk men said. "If it's not ours, let 'em build it."

He would, he added, rather see a factory that would bring jobs than a townhouse development.

The land is part of the Culbertson Tract, for which a land claim was filed in 1995.

The development is planned by Intergroup Financing AG, who planned to break ground today. The Town of Deseronto issued a release last week saying there is a bylaw that hasn't been renewed and that no application has been filed.

This is the third development the Hirds have seen proposed for the land, which Mary said used to be a quarry.

The first developer gave up when he hit rock, she said. The second developer did succeed in tearing down an abandoned hydro facility, which had become a popular place for drug activity.

"It's been stories, stories and more stories," Lou said. "I'd like to see them leave it alone."