Caledonia + 2

National Post 
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

It was two years ago last week that aboriginal squatters from the Six Nations reserve south of Brantford, Ont., began their occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates development, halting work on the new subdivision and disrupting life and commerce in the nearby town of Caledonia. It is long past time, then, for both the provincial and federal governments to put an end to this shameful flouting of the law and all the ancillary crime it has spawned.

The latest outrage in the communities surrounding Six Nations is the car-theft industry that has sprung up on the reserve. In the past four years, according to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), nearly 1,800 stolen vehicles have been recovered from the reserve. Many hundreds more are likely still there, or have been "chopped" into parts and sold to unscrupulous dealers across North America.

The auto-theft operation predates the land-claims standoff at Caledonia. But given that the most visible example of lawbreaking by Six Nations residents -- the Douglas Creek occupation -- has gone unchallenged by authorities, is it hard to imagine that the car thieves haven't been emboldened to step up their operations across southern Ontario. With squatters going unpunished for assaults against non-native seniors, news crews and even OPP officers, the whole area must seem like an anything-goes zone.

Last year, Sam Gualtieri, a non-native contractor, was beaten severely for helping renovate his daughter's home without a "permit" from the Six Nations band -- even though the site he was working on was well away from the disputed lands. Meanwhile, Six Nations "development officers" cruise building sites for kilometres around the reserve, demanding protection money from contractors. Ottawa, the province and the OPP are doing nothing to stop the shakedowns. One can only wonder why every native in the area hasn't joined a criminal racket. If the law isn't being enforced, why not make a little money boosting a few Escalades? It's the "broken windows" theory of crime control writ large.

When the Caledonia land-claim story first hit the news in March of 2006, it was as a result of the squatters refusing three court orders to leave. Six Nations supporters had blocked main streets in Caledonia, set vehicles on fire, dumped burning tires onto busy highways and chased away police.

Federal and provincial negotiators pleaded with the public for more time to reach a deal with the squatters and the band. The public relented. But in the nearly 21 months since, nothing much has happened. The pleas were little more than a delaying tactic.

On the second anniversary of the occupation, the rule of law is Caledonia's greatest casualty. Our elected officials must either strike a deal with the squatters, or evict them by force.