Rebecca Penty
The Hamilton Spectator; With files from Rachel De Lazzer and Daniel Nolan
BRANTFORD (Jul 16, 2008)
A native protester accused of blocking a development site in
Dwayne Maracle was released yesterday on a $1,000 surety, and is required to maintain a particular residence and keep the peace.
He can return to the development site where he was protesting.
Maracle's lawyer Sarah Dover told
The court heard Maracle blocked two cement trucks from entering the
When one police officer approached Maracle, he allegedly elbowed the officer in the face, knocking off his sunglasses.
The Six Nations maintain the disputed land is theirs but Kingspan got a court injunction in May that allows work on the site to continue unobstructed.
While the land dispute has been ongoing for months, protesters moved in with two tents and a teepee last Friday -- with about five sleeping over each night -- to oppose work at the site.
Construction has stopped since Monday's altercation, Kingspan's general manager Donal Curtin confirmed, but he declined to comment further on the subject.
About 10 protesters were quiet but on guard yesterday -- relieving one another to attend Maracle's court date or go to work -- and protester spokesperson Steve Powless said if construction resumes, protesters will show up in droves.
"What does one nation do when another is attacking? That's what we're going to do," Powless said, seated in a canvas chair beside a smoking fire, while two native flags flapped on a nearby post.
The incident led Brantford Mayor Mike Hancock to talk to Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant and his federal counterpart, Chuck Strahl, about speeding up negotiations on all Six Nations land claims.
"A large part of the drift was along the lines of re-engaging negotiations again sooner rather than waiting," Hancock said, referring to talks between the Six Nations,
Negotiations are set to resume in August over a federal government offer of $26 million in compensation related to construction of the first
Federal negotiator Ron Doering said he wants to return to the table as soon as possible in the light of the altercation, which he called unhelpful. He is waiting to hear from Six Nations officials on dates.
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Key events in
September 2007: The Six Nations Confederacy announces the creation of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, which aims to regulate and charge fees in the Haldimand Tract, including
March 2008: Native protesters halt work at two development sites. It follows similar actions throughout January and February.
May:
Kingspan Insulation Panels Ltd. gets an injunction to stop protests. Kingspan bought its land from the city in October 2007.
It seeks $110 million in damages and asks the army to step in.
June: A judge prohibits native protesters from demonstrating and disrupting construction sites to prevent what he calls "irreparable harm" to
Haldimand Tract Good Neighbour Coalition, involving developers, proposes
Negotiations between Six Nations,
The talks were set up in May 2006 in the wake of the
July: About 200 natives and some of their traditional government chiefs shut down work at construction sites.