John Paul Zronik
Brantford Expositor
Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 07:00
Local News - A dispute between Six Nations protesters and a city developer heated up Tuesday as natives occupied the site of a housing project on Grand River Avenue.
A half-dozen Six Nations protesters moved onto the site at 10 a.m., demanding that work stop on four duplexes being constructed near Grand River and Jarvis Street.
Two of the protesters entered a hole where developer Mike Quattrociocchi, owner of Mayberry Homes, hoped to soon lay foundations for the new buildings.
Sitting under the shadow of a backhoe, protester Ruby Montour said the city put itself "on a collision course" with Six Nations by approving the construction project, which she said sits on native land.
"I told the city when this man went for a permit ... that they should not give the permit because this land is under dispute," Montour said. "This is Six Nations land.
"Developers getting permits from Brantford better remember: this land is ours."
two-hour protest
The protest lasted about two hours, when Quattrociocchi and the natives made an agreement that he could pour a single foundation wall if he met with Six Nations Confederacy council representatives on Thursday and waited for the council's approval before any more work was done at the site.
Before the agreement was reached, city police officers acted as middle men in negotiations between Quattrociocchi and the protesters.
The exchanges between natives and the developer were sometimes heated.
Montour accused Quattrociocchi of not going through the proper consultation process with the Confederacy, the traditional government of Six Nations, before moving ahead with the construction project.
"We told you that if you didn't listen, you'd have to listen to us," Montour told Quattrociocchi. "We want to know you'll wait."
Quattrociocchi was adamant he went through the proper channels to notify the Confederacy about his development, hand delivering a letter six months ago outlining his plans. At the time, Quattrociocchi said he was told he was too small a developer working on too small a project for the Confederacy to be concerned about it. The former city councillor also met with the Confederacy on Saturday to discuss the development. He said Confederacy representatives have called him a "thief" and a "liar."
"I've tried. I've gone through the process," Quattrociocchi said. "In the letter, I stated my intentions. I attached a site plan to it and asked to speak in front of the Six Nations Confederacy."
He also said that with so many groups claiming to have political authority on Six Nations, it's hard to know who developers should be talking to.
During negotiations on Tuesday, Montour asked Quattrociocchi to apologize for not seeking proper Confederacy approval of the development. He refused.
"If you want me to apologize just to hear I'm sorry and make this go away, that's not going to happen," Quattrociocchi said. "I can't be responsible for what happened to native people 200 years ago.
"I'm not the one who screwed you. So, I'm responsible for the last 200 years of injustice? That's ridiculous."
As the two protesters sat in the hole, police negotiated with Floyd Montour of Six Nations in an attempt to reach agreement. At first, protesters said they would not allow any work to proceed at the site on Tuesday.
"If he pours one wall, that's allowing him to keep on going," Floyd Montour told an officer. "What do we get out of it, allowing him to go ahead and build on our land?"
Protesters eventually allowed a single concrete wall to be poured, after Quattrociocchi pledged no more work would take place at the site and he would meet with Confederacy representatives.
Brantford Mayor Mike Hancock said he is disappointed with the protest at the building site because the city values its relationship with the Six Nations.
"This doesn't help that relationship," Hancock said following a Tuesday night city council meeting.
"We want to be on good terms with our neighbours and my sense is that this will not be well-received by the community."
He also wondered why protesters are bothering to target Quattrociocchi's development, which is small.
Ruby Montour said Six Nations has concerns about developments going up "all over" Brantford. When protesters left the Grand River Avenue site just after noon, she said they would be checking in on other developments, including a housing development off Garden Avenue.
The natives said they also will keep a close eye on Quattrociocchi's development to ensure he keeps his word that only a single foundation wall is poured.
Quattrociocchi said developers should "absolutely" be worried about protests at construction projects elsewhere in the city. He said the the municipality and higher levels of government need to take action to address Six Nations concerns.
"I think it's disgraceful that individuals have to fend for themselves because the municipality, province and federal government are taking a firm stance on the fence," he said. "All levels of government are forcing me to fend for myself."
The developer also said he's puzzled as to why Six Nations has singled out his development when two new housing developments are located within a short distance along Grand River Avenue.