June 23, 2010
By Gilbert Ndikubwayezu, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - A First Nations rights group's plan to blockade a Toronto-area highway just two days before the G20 summit had police watching and waiting Wednesday.
On its website, Red Power United said they will blockade Highway 403 between Toronto and Hamilton on Thursday in a peaceful demonstration. The aim is to attract international media attention and advocate for First Nations rights during what has become an annual aboriginal day of action.
Last week, Red Power United spokesman Harrison Friesen said he expected 20 to 30 people to participate in the blockade, adding "we will only resist if (police) threaten violence against us."
Friesen could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The website calls on aboriginals from different communities across the country to "stand up (for) our native rights and show the world that everything is not OK in Canada for native people."
The Integrated Security Unit, tasked with providing security for the summit, said they have heard of the plan but don't know exactly where or when the blockade will occur.
"I think what they want to do is to keep it a secret and do it without our knowledge," said Sgt. Tim Burrows, adding he had tried to reach out to the group but was unsuccessful.
Police are ready to respond to the situation, he said.
Highway 403 runs between Woodstock, Ont., to Mississauga, Ont., just west of Toronto.
It is unlikely that the blockade would interrupt travel plans for world leaders headed to Huntsville, Ont., for the G8 summit, which begins Friday. The highway would not be along a motorcade's travel route, and the leaders are reportedly flying to Huntsville by helicopter.
Some 200 people from the Fort William First Nation are also expected to turn out Thursday for a planned five-hour blockade on the Trans-Canada Highway near Thunder Bay.
And a rally is planned at the Ontario legislature to mark the day.
If the blockades are successful it won't be the first significant disruption during a national day of action.
In 2007, a splinter group of aboriginals blockaded Highway 401 in eastern Ontario. The group of Tyendinaga Mohawks also shut down the busy Toronto-Montreal corridor of the CN Rail line.
The G20 summit, which begins Saturday, has already drawn protests, with people marching through the city's streets daily since Monday.
Security is tight in the city.
Earlier this month, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network reported that CSIS warned Red Power United that blockades around Toronto could be met with resistance by foreign security services.
Freisen has said that report has only increased support in the community for the blockade.