Two years later, Caledonia occupation continues with less fanfare, tension

CALEDONIA, Ont. - Two years ago, disgruntled aboriginal protesters quietly took control of an unfinished housing development in this southwestern Ontario town - a protest that continues to this day with little fanfare, virtually no police presence, and a growing sense of community apathy.

The 40-hectare plot of land that was supposed to make way for hundreds of homes in the growing town now lies mostly empty, with the exception of a single house, a wooden shack, a portable toilet and a path to nowhere in particular, lined by broken lightposts.

Outside this community, the occupation has largely slipped from the public consciousness. But for locals, the significance of Thursday's two-year anniversary is lost on no one.

Most expect it will be like any other day - quiet and calm, but with a lingering unease that the ongoing fight raging literally in their back yards could erupt again at any time.

Among the protesters, there's confidence that slow-moving negotiations represent more than just the settlement of a small-town dispute - that Caledonia will one day be considered a major milestone in how aboriginal communities and governments settle land claims.

While the occupation may be uncomfortable for the people of Caledonia, it's not something that's going to end soon, said spokeswoman Hazel Hill.

"I know exactly how they feel, and the stress they must feel," Hill said of the town's local residents.

"But they've only been doing this for two years. Our people have been under that hostage system for many, many generations."

The first year of the occupation was tense; protesters and townsfolk clashed frequently. Hill insisted her people have called for calm in recent months and have tried to focus on moving the negotiations forward for everyone's sake.

"What we're fighting for is the future of our peoples and not just our peoples, but your peoples as well," she said.

"When you look at the waters, and you look at the land base, and you look at the green space and what's left of it, that's what this is about. It isn't just about our land rights, it's about our responsibilities."

University of Toronto professor Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux said it's naive to think the occupation would have ended quickly, or that the protesters will lose the courage of their convictions and accept a government counter-offer.

She said the Caledonia case is being watched closely across the country and will likely go into the history books as a long battle that resulted in a triumph for aboriginal rights, and an acknowledgment from governments that land claims must be respected.

"It's definitely going to serve as an example of what's possible," and stands apart from other occupations and standoffs that led to far more violence and bloodshed, she said.

Other aboriginal communities are now looking to Caledonia as an example of how standing tall in the face of a possible confrontation with police could result in government intervention, and not just violence, Wesley-Esquimaux said.

"The fact that the Six Nations took a stand and asserted its jurisdiction will have a very positive effect. I think it's very much now at the forefront of people's minds because they do have the capacity to do this - and they will."

Asked Wednesday about the ongoing occupation, Premier Dalton McGuinty said the province simply doesn't have the power to end the dispute.

"At the end of the day, the guy with the authority, the guy with the power to resolve this thing and get it behind all of us, doesn't work here," McGuinty said, referring to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"He works on Parliament Hill."

Many of the town's long-suffering residents now say they're no longer consumed by the ongoing status of talks. The occupation remains a popular subject at a nearby Tim Hortons, but locals say it's been losing ground of late to more mundane topics, like the weather.

Even some homeowners living next to the occupation have grown indifferent.

Every morning, Margaret Anderson looks out her kitchen window with a perfect view of the lone house that stands isolated on the occupied land. She occasionally sees people going in and out but doesn't see much interesting and isn't bothered by the drama playing out just beyond her backyard.

"I don't bother with them, they don't bother with me, so we get along fine," said 82-year-old Margaret Anderson, who has lived in the house by herself since it was built about nine years ago.

Anderson worries at times about property values, but doesn't lose much sleep over it.

"I know it'd be hard to sell my house because people don't want to live this close to (protesters) - and I'm not so keen on it either - but what else can I do?"

Another homeowner a few doors down, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of her safety - said she feels nervous every time she enters her back yard and fears leaving the house unattended, worried about what she'll find upon her return.

Neighbours have taken to planting trees and erecting tall fences to keep protesters out and to block the view outside their windows, so they can try and ignore what's happening a few hundred metres from their property.

She said she really expected politicians would have responded to community concerns and is furious that McGuinty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper haven't seen the situation for themselves.

"Why don't they come here and take a look at it - are they that scared?" she said.

"Think of how scared we are."