Special to the
DESERONTO, Ont.–Indian protesters vowed to keep the main CN rail line between Toronto and Montreal closed for another day despite a court injunction and a personal plea from OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino to end the blockade.
The tense situation also prompted Premier Dalton McGuinty to urge the federal government to intervene at the "earliest possible opportunity," to help resolve issues underlying the blockade.
About 3,500 Via Rail passengers were left scrambling for scarce bus seats and other modes of transportation on the first nice weekend of spring when a group of Mohawks of the
They parked a converted school bus camper on the tracks and built a bonfire nearby as part of a rotating, escalating campaign to resolve a land claim issue the Indians say has been festering for 170 years.
Almost exactly a year ago, the same group of Mohawks led by Shawn Brant erected a blockade using bonfires and old school buses that disrupted rail traffic from
For the past month the band members have maintained barricades around a stone quarry just west of Deseronto, which they claim is on land that is part of their reserve. A developer plans to build condominiums using material from the quarry.
When the province failed to move quickly to cancel the quarry license this week, a group of individuals, acting in concert, decided to take the next step by imposing "economic sanctions". Brant said his group would not comply with a court order obtained by CN in
He said they also rejected a personal request from Fantino to remove the blockade to avoid "further damaging escalation" of the dispute. Brant said the Ontario Provincial Police head told them they made their point and alerted the nation to their grievances and now it might be time to go home.
But Brant said the band members would stick to their pre-determined timetable and keep the rail line shut for 48 hours.
A large contingent of OPP, CN police and transport
The wording of the injunction, Brant said, left the enforcement to the discretion of police and urged them to avoid any confrontation that might lead to violence. Brant said he was not concerned about thousands of inconvenienced travellers.
"It's unfortunate that the public has to be caught in the middle of these things but it is just collateral damage."
As some commuters in
McGuinty appealed to
"The best thing that the federal government could do to protect the interest of all
Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice said the protesters should "abandon" their blockade. "I continue to ask that everybody return home and do so peacefully," Prentice told the
"That is the best way forward," he said, adding the blockade could jeopardize ongoing talks about the disputed land.