Province Providing Assistance To Caledonia Residents

Financial Assistance For Affected Households

For Immediate Release
March 19, 2007
 
HALDIMAND – The Ontario government will provide financial assistance to those households most directly affected by the presence of protesters on the Douglas Creek lands in Caledonia, John Gerretsen, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced today.

“The advice that I have received from the Caledonia Community Committee emphasized the impacts that residents close to the Douglas Creek lands have experienced,” said Gerretsen. “The provincial government recognizes that the residents have been affected.  We share their hope to see the resolution of this situation.  Ontario will continue to support Canada and the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations in resolving all outstanding grievances.”

Using criteria developed by the committee as a guide, financial assistance to affected residents is as follows:

• $6,000 each for approximately 20 homes in an area considered to be the most impacted. These are households on both sides of 6th Line between Argyle Street South and Oneida Road; east side of Oneida Road between 6th Line and Sterling Street; Sterling Street between the rail line and Oneida Road; and both sides of Argyle Street South, south of the location of the former road block and Highway 6.
• $3,000 each for approximately 80 homes in an area considered to be very impacted. These are households abutting the Southern Ontario Railway corridor on MacCrae Drive and Braemar Avenue; households on Thistlemoor Drive abutting the Douglas Creek lands and two residences on Thistlemoor backing on to the Notre Dame school; west side of Argyle Street South between Celtic Drive and the area north of the former road block.
• $2,000 each for approximately 35 households across the street on Thistlemoor Drive and Braemar Avenue.

“I want to thank the Caledonia Community Committee for the thoughtful and objective advice it provided on how to design and deliver a financial assistance program for residents in Caledonia,” said Gerretsen.

The McGuinty government has already provided:

• $100,000 to Haldimand County to fund community counselling and crisis intervention services for native and non-native residents
• close to $1.4 million in financial assistance to businesses that suffered losses due to disruptions caused by road blockades
• $210,000 to Haldimand County for economic recovery marketing.

Contacts:
Patti Munce
Minister Gerretsen’s Office
416 585-6333
 
Roger Moyer
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Municipal Services Office, SW
519 873-4028