Natives protest at Hagersville

Construction comes to a halt after site seized in echoes of Caledonia

Canadian Press – Posting Toronto Sun
May 23, 2007

In a scene strikingly similar to the Caledonia standoff, native protesters took over a construction site in Hagersville Wednesday morning.

The disputed property, just minutes from the site of the 15-month Caledonia standoff, was occupied by about two dozen native protesters for several hours Wednesday.

The protesters, along with about seven vehicles draped in Mohawk Warrior flags, arrived about 7 a.m. The scene resembled a sit-in, with protesters singing and beating drums, and was peaceful throughout the day.

As of about 3:30 p.m., the last protesters had left the site, located off Hwy 6 in the community southwest of Hamilton.

There was also a heavy Ontario Provincial Police presence, with some officers expected to remain at the scene overnight.

The Hagersville site, which is now being developed as a townhouse complex for seniors, had until recently been slated to become a new playground.

“We’re not against development, but we should be consulted, especially when we say we’re negotiating on the very lands that are being developed,” said Clyde Powless, spokesman for the protesters. “That’s a slap right in the face.”

Developer Dan Valentini said he understood the protesters’ frustration.

“I can’t blame the natives because if they have a claim, clearly something exists,” Valentini said. “They’ve been trying to reach out to the government to settle this and it hasn’t been settled. ... I’m caught in the middle. But I think as Canadians, we’re all caught in the middle.”

The Hagersville occupation fizzled late Wednesday morning when the developer agreed to halt construction and return to the negotiating table with Six Nations officials, but not before angering the federal and provincial governments.

“This kind of behaviour is not acceptable,” said David Ramsay, Ontario’s minister responsible for aboriginal affairs. “We should have peace and we should not have any further escalation.

“Ontario expressed its displeasure with the occupation that had happened earlier in the morning. In fact, we said we felt that this was so counterproductive that it was not going to be any use to continue the side-table consultations today.”

There are four sets of side-table negotiations — in addition to the so-called main table — aimed at ending the long-running occupation in Caledonia, just 15 kilometres down Highway 6 from Hagersville.

Ramsay said he’s tired of waiting for the Six Nations to respond to a government proposal put forward last fall to establish protocols for future development along the disputed Haldimand tract, which runs 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

“We have not had a response to it, and we felt if there was no response at least we’ve had the status quo, so we were very disappointed when we had a new occupation this morning,” Ramsay said.

The OPP has been mired in a 15-month standoff with Mowhawk natives from Brantford's Six Nations over a land claim at a housing development project in Caledonia.