Ottawa won't buy land to resolve dispute

The federal government has no intention of buying land to resolve a dispute between a developer and Mohawks in Kanesatake, near Montreal, who say the property is part of an unresolved land claim. "Canada does not expropriate or buy land to settle specific claims," said Genevieve Guibert, a public affairs officer with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in Ottawa. Ms. Guibert said the Mohawks would be able to buy the land themselves if they eventually reach a land claim settlement with Ottawa. The Kanesatake band council has sent a letter to the land's owner demanding that he not develop the land or clear the pine trees until Mohawk grievances are resolved. The proposed development has hit a nerve in Kanesatake because the property is across the road from the Pines and the Mohawk graveyard, the flashpoints for the 1990 Oka crisis.