CALEDONIA
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Byrant made it clear Monday he has no intention of removing anybody from Douglas Creek Estates or any other native occupation site in the province.
During a scrum in Caledonia yesterday, Bryant said removing protesters from disputed sites doesn’t provide a long-term solution and is contrary to Justice Sidney B. Linden’s recommendations from the Ipperwash inquiry.
“It’s just a blind alley. It will not lead us anywhere ... what do we do tomorrow,” he said.
“We need a long-term solution. The idea that we can push people on and off property is not sustainable. We have to come to a negotiated settlement,” he added.
He suggested the Ipperwash experience shows the heavy-handed approach doesn’t work in the long run because Ipperwash Park on Lake Huron is still occupied today, 12 years after a native protester was shot to death by an OPP officer.
Bryant told reporters he didn’t notice anybody on the 40-hectare site during his whirlwind tour of the town, which involved meetings with the chamber of commerce, church leaders and Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer and other representatives of the municipality.
“I came to Caledonia to listen, to learn and to get the lay of the land,” he told reporters.
“My visit today and hearing what people have to say will help to inform my view of negotiations.”
Trainer told reporters she had a good feeling about the new aboriginal affairs minister and what he could do for the community.
“He has a positive outlook. He wants to make things happen. We have to give him a chance ... he’s the new person on the block,” she said.
During a private meeting, she said Bryant had pledged his support for a program to revitalize the whole county, which has lost millions in tourist and other dollars as a result of the 21-month-long occupation of Douglas Creek Estates.
She added that small businesspeople are losing from $20,000 to $50,000 a year and the building industry has fallen by about $24 million in what was one of the fastest-growing communities in the province.
The main thrust of the new program, which still doesn’t have a dollar figure attached to it, will be stimulating economic development and trying to attract tourist dollars to Caledonia.
Trainer and Bryant both spoke about rebuilding the tattered relations between the citizens of Caledonia and the Six Nations people, who have lived side-by-side for about 200 years.
As far as removing protesters from Douglas Creek Estates is concerned, Trainer said it never came up during her private meeting with Bryant.
“It’s not the first priority,” she said.
Bryant said his main priority was reaching a resolution at the land claims negotiating table and strengthening the relationship between Six Nations and their neighbours.
“Resolving this situation is a priority for the McGuinty government,” Bryant said.
“But the two parties — the federal government and the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations — have to make the final decisions.”
During the press conference, Bryant described his informal visit of the town on Sunday when he chatted with the local folks in coffee shops and mall parking lots.
“This is not the first time I’m coming here ... I’m very familiar with this community,” he said.
He added he liked to fish in the Grand River and suggested the area should be promoted as a sports fishing destination for anglers from across the GTA.
In subsequent visits, he promised to meet with other members of the community, including a group of protesters who were kept at bay by police yesterday.
They had come to vent their frustration about a perceived two-tier justice system, the occupation of Douglas Creek Estates and the new smoke shops sprouting up west of the town.
But they were barred from the library and never got a chance to confront the minister, who was whisked away through a side door.