June 25, 2009 The Napanee Beaver
A Deseronto woman has filed a Human Rights complaint against the town after the municipality refused to allow her to rent one of its facilities.
Cindy Welsh was told by Deseronto officials that she couldn't host a meeting regarding residents' rights "during illegal Native protests."
Among the guests at the meeting are Caledonia residents - which has been the location for an aboriginal standoff for three years - and Canadian Advocates for Charter Equality, a group which has been critical of governments' and OPP's handling of recent native protests and blockades.
Welsh says that she moved the location of the meeting to the Elk's Hall in Picton; since then, however, she was informed by the hall's operators that the meeting could not be held there. Regardless, Welsh says she plans to go ahead with the meeting at the hall - and outside of the hall if necessary - tonight in Picton starting at 6:30 p.m.
After she was initially turned down in her attempt to rent the Deseronto hall Welsh told the town she would be filing a Human Rights complaint against the municipality. "It's a violtion of my charter rights, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of thought and belief," she said.
Welsh also said that the guests of the proposed meeting were being unfairly branded, and that her hope was that the people from Caledonia and the people from this area could learn from each other - particularly as it relates to their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"It's important that we stick together as citizens," she said.
Deseronto Mayor Norm Clark said the town's decision to refuse to rent the hall to the group was not intended to silence Welsh or infringe upon her rights, but to maintain an even keel" in the relations between the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinty and Deseronto. He pointed out that the blockades that have happened in the area haven't happened within the Deseronto town limits, and he and the rest of council would like to keep it that way.
He also said that Deseronto council turned down similar requests for meetings like this one in the past. "Council did not want to risk any confrontation," he said. "We have no authority at those locations (the sites of earlier blockades) but we don't want to do anything that would bring the demonstrations into the town limits and maybe affect the businesses."
Clark said Welsh was also advised that the group was free to meet, just not at a facility owned by the municipality.
Both Welsh and Clark confirmed that they had discussed the situation together in a cordial meeting, although no compromise was reached.
"You can't deny people the freedom of speech because you're afraid of retaliation," said Welsh. "There are also people who think it has gone past the point of worrying about retaliation."
Welsh also said that the meeting would be a peaceful one, adding that anyong who is behaving in an unruly fashion would be asked to leave. "I am going to make it very clear that this is not going to be a brawl."
Clark said he shares the frustration of "99.9" percent" of the Deseronto population.
"Deseronto, we're in the crossfire," he said, referring in particular to the ongoing land claim dispute, which has prompted the occupation of a quarry north of Deseronto as well as a number of blockades. "The 'fight'... is between the federal government and the Mohawks. We have nothing to do with it, and yet it's the town residents and businesses who are suffering."
He said the "most frustrating" aspect of the current situation is the lack of progress in negotiations between the government and the Mohawks on the land claim. In the meantime, Deseronto is suffering the consequences. "Deseronto can't go on like this indefinitely."
The latest blockade took place at the Skyway Bridge between the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Prince Edward County, set up in support of a dispute between the federal government and Akwesasne Mohawks near Cornwall. After five days, the OPP and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Police Service moved in to clear the roadway. Thirteen of the protesters were arrested and charged with mischief.