Letter from Ken Hewitt to Bryant regarding HDI & Caledonia

Honourable Minister Bryant,
Nov. 27, 2007

I would like to thank you for taking the time to come to Caledonia and to see for yourself the “lay of the land”.  I am sure that you had the opportunity to drive through the neighbourhood that has been robbed of its charm and existence.  I am sure that you saw first hand the smoke shacks (illegal) established on land that is not deemed reservation.  If you were lucky you would have seen the prize of last weeks hunt hanging from a tree.  Our children have that visual in case you missed it.  I am writing you today because I am not convinced that during your visit, you were made fully informed of the situation here in Haldimand. 

I say this based on the comments that you made and I assume they would be endorsed by the Premier as I am sure that you would not have made them without his consent.  In any event my concern lies with the comment you made regarding the HDI; a group that has no legitimacy, nor do they have lawful jurisdiction over land that has yet to be settled in any formal claims negotiations.   I fully support and agree with your comment that no builder or developer should consult with such group, and that fees were not expected to be paid to any group; that they should trust the legal titles and registration process prescribed by the province.  My question is why then does the provincial government not stand behind those statements.  Furthermore your statement that,” natives will not be forcibly removed from any site” only serves to guarantee more protests like Caledonia’s.   Most of us live our lives with an understanding that with behaviour come consequences. 
You have taken the consequences out of the equation and have given them a false of sense of power that will bring harm on them as well those they affect.

Today, as a result of your statements, the HDI has decided to test them by stopping a builder in Brantford indefinitely.  The terms are to consult and to pay fees that you said he would not have to.  I am afraid that he will be faced with little choice as your (our) government abandons him and leaves him on his own.  You should know that just recently the HDI was involved in stopping a dump that was given the provincial go ahead to move forward.  While that is a win for the environment, the fact that they are no longer there would suggest that the environment was not their agenda and that they have been or will be paid fees as well.   

Your words need to be held accountable.  They need to be backed up with assertive action to ensure the faith and integrity in our land registry system.  To provide assurance to other developers who are hesitant to begin projects here in Haldimand.  I am not suggesting confrontations but you cannot give any group of people the power to act outside of the laws of our land, regardless of their culture.  Our provincial laws must supersede all others and must be blind to all races of people.  Today a group of people under the guise of HDI have once again operated outside those provincial laws.

Another example of such activity is the smoke shops that you must have witnessed.  The only thing that falls under federal jurisdiction is the revenue.  The buildings, etc are all provincial and once again your government’s weak stance as failed us all here in Haldimand County.  This further erodes the social fabric between the two communities.

I am sure that your meeting with the chamber of commerce, the notion of business and how the failures of the provincial government over the past 22 months has affected them was of the many topics discussed.  While it is a fact that business has been affected, it is not isolated to the local region it stretches far beyond and touches many different sectors.  You cannot possibly put a price tag on the damage that it has caused. 

You can however begin to change the future for these businesses, residents, builders, farmers, etc.  It requires more than throwing a life raft with no rope.  We need the rope.  You cannot throw money at region that is dying a slow death.  You need to cure the cancer.  The cancer is the site DCE, the cancer is the actions of HDI.  Clear DCE, declare it a neutral territory; clean it once and for all.  Address the HDI and support the local builders and developers while these claims get sorted.   A stronger mandate at the main table from the province needs to be taken.  Plank Rd (DCE), a federal issue yet owned by the province must be put at the top of discussions.  You cannot allow the federal and and native negotiators focus on other claims while this continues to deteriorate the region.

You cannot re-build the socio-economic well being of Haldimand and Six Nations without satisfying the above tasks. 

Minister Bryant, I truly appreciate you coming to Caledonia, as it demonstrates your commitment to helping our community.  I saw the same when the Economic Development Minister Cordiano met with us. I believe he understood the people here well and was saddened to see him go.  I am motivated by hope that you will come to understand these issues much more closely.  I just hope that you are not too late. 

I look forward to seeing your presentations in the near future to help us all through these difficult times.


Ken Hewitt…….
Resident Caledonia.