Cottagers hurt by native-federal dispute

BONNIE AND ALBERT KOHRS

(Feb 5, 2007)
The Record (Waterloo)

After 40 years at the family cottage at Hope Bay on the Bruce Peninsula, we are being forced to say goodbye. We have been locked out by our landlords, the Chippewas of Nawash First Nations and their agents, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Approximately 70 cottage owners are being unceremoniously evicted because the band and federal government (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) cannot negotiate a new lease agreement amenable to all parties.

The Nawash band now claims ownership of the cottages. All tenants were notified in early December to get our possessions out no later than Jan. 31, 2007, by appointment only.

It was reported last week that the deadline may be extended to the end of February. However, as of the end of last week, we had not been formally advised of any change by either the native band or the government. All tenants were asked by our executive committee to keep a low profile while negotiations were apparently still going on. To date we are no further ahead.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has no stand on the ownership issues, the band chief has not been available to return calls.

Seventy families are in jeopardy of losing decades of blood, sweat and tears in building a little bit of paradise that we had hoped to pass on to our children. There are second-generation tenants in this cottage community.

In the case of our family, we leased the land in the fall of 1967 and built in the spring of 1968. We raised the cottage ourselves with raw human power -- we had no hydro. We hauled rocks from the lake to build a patio and garden wall. We trucked tonnes of topsoil in. We made our own Eden in nature on the Bruce Peninsula. It has been so hard to say goodbye.

We never laid claim to the land. It was always understood that the land belonged to the First Nations but we owned the cottage. This now is being challenged.

Our last official lease expired in 1995 and a short-term lease was extended to 2000 with all articles of the last lease carried. Since 2000 we were considered over-holding tenants while negotiations were still being worked on.

Year after year we were promised that a new lease was imminent. Right! Who's lying? Who's not bargaining in good faith? Indian and Northern Affairs Canada? Chippewas of Nawash? Meanwhile, 70 families are being held hostage.

This is not an Ipperwash or Caledonia, but it is an affront to everything Canadian. It's a war between Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and a First Nations band and we are the innocents who chance to lose everything through no fault of our own.

We've all been good tenants. Improving the land that's not even ours with gardens and trees and waterfalls, and so much more. This is a total injustice, and Canadians from coast to coast need to be aware that if they are living on disputed lands or leased lands that they may also find themselves in the same boat as the good people of Hope Bay.

Anyone within 10 kilometres of the Grand River may find themselves in this situation in the future due to promises broken by our government. The inaction of our elected leaders is intolerable.

God bless our friends at the bay. May we find peace and forgiveness for those who have set us adrift with no clear course at this time. Good night, Hope Bay. Sleep well in the winter silence. Our tears for you won't stop.

Bonnie and Albert Kohrs are Kitchener residents who loved cottaging at Hope Bay. Second Opinion articles reflect the views of Record readers on a variety of subjects.