Disturbed by native protests that stopped work at five city construction sites on Monday, Brant MP Lloyd St. Amand is looking to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl for answers.
St. Amand sent a letter to Strahl on Tuesday, urging him to meet with local representatives in an effort to prevent further occupations.
"Officials from my riding, including representatives of Six Nations, the City of Brantford, The County of Brant and the province of Ontario would be most pleased to meet with you in Ottawa or elsewhere on an immediate basis, in order to resolve the ongoing situation," the letter says.
Construction resumed without incident at the five development sites affected by Monday's protests. While there was no sign of protesters, police were keeping an eye on the new Kingspan Insulation building on Fen Ridge Court, in the city's northwest, as well as two residential projects off Shellard Lane.
St. Amand said in an interview that a recent proposal aimed at ending the impasse over local development has merit. But, realistically, it requires support from the federal government.
The plan by a group of local developers calls on the city to pay Six Nations a percentage of municipal taxes on new development under claim.
In return, Six Nations would agree that protests would not stop work on projects.
St. Amand said municipalities shouldn't be expected to take a financial hit for something that is a federal responsibility. He wants the federal government to reimburse municipalities for any tax money paid to Six Nations.
"It's up to the federal government to resolve land claims," he said. "Why should the city and county suffer a loss, when it's a federal responsibility?"
St. Amand first proposed the meeting in a letter sent June 24 -- the day after the Haldimand Tract Good Neighbours Coalition unveiled its plan to temporarily address land claims while allowing development to continue.
His idea is to get all the players involved in the same room, to flesh out details of how the agreement might work.
"I just want to see us do all we can to fast-track a solution, at least on a temporary basis, to stop these occupations."
St. Amand said the federal payout would not affect land claims negotiations, which have been ongoing for more than two years.
He plans to contact Strahl by phone if he hasn't had a response to his letter by early next week. The MP said he's received a number of calls and e-mails from local residents who are anxious and upset about the latest protests.
"Whether the House is in session or not, we want him to do something."