The chief for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte is hoping that a court-ordered injunction issued by a superior court judge will be enough to ensure the safe delivery and installation of the new Mohawk Police station today.
The court order, issued by Justice Richard Byers on Tuesday, is aimed at preventing staunch opposers of the long-anticipated building from unlawfully interfering with, blocking or causing any delay in the delivery and installation of the $1.4-million modular structure.
Chief Donald Maracle said that this would be the third attempt made to deliver the prefabricated building to the York Road site.
Two previous attempts to have the building erected on the reserve were blocked by protesters who mounted roadblocks and staked out the site.
He said those two failed efforts cost the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte band council about $584,000. Maracle said the matter was hauled into court as a last resort to avert any additional expenses.
"It is currently two years behind schedule," Maracle said. "We had to take some measure to stop wasting money. The (band) council had fears that the same situation would unfold again."
He said NRB, the Grimsby, Ontario company contracted to build and install the structure, demanded a guarantee that the process would not be obstructed.
The building has already undergone $30,000 in repairs caused by damages it sustained through "running it back and forth to Grimsby," Maracle said.
It will cost the council $15,000 to replace the rooftop units, due to a build-up of rust. The building has also been vandalized on one occasion, he said.
"It's $115,000 each and every time that building is brought back-and-forth to Grimsby," he said. "That is money that could be better spent. The squabbling that has gone on over the last two years about the delivery of this building has wasted $584,000 of community money."
He said the money which was generated through Casino Rama could have been spent on other community projects.
Maracle said the band council will be meeting with Chris Bentley, the Attorney General of Ontario, in their bid to have the Ontario government reimburse the delay cost. The outcome of that request will be known on Oct. 20.
He said the police played a significant role in those delays because they "thought it was wise to defer the delivery" of the building in an effort to avoid using force as a tool to control the protesters.
Maracle said the court proceedings which concluded on Tuesday saw several protesters still maintaining their disapproval of the building, while some contended that while they don't agree with it "they were willing to stomach it."
On the bright side, Maracle claimed that long-time Mohawk protester Shawn Brant has agreed to embrace the idea of installing the new building.
Maracle remains skeptical of Brant's stance because he has agreed to support the building in the past but that position changed once the structure arrived on the reserve.
The site has been occupied by protesters since October 2008. Maracle said grievances voiced by detractors of the police station in 2008 stemmed from issues about lack of consultation between its opposers and members of the band council
He said those concerns were addressed with open houses aimed at fostering dialogue between both parties.
That was followed by a referendum vote in the summer of 2009. Approximately 500 people participated through the mail-in ballot system, with 87 per cent voting in favour of the police station.
The protesters contended that the results of the vote should be discredited as there are 2,500 people who live on the reserve and not every household received a ballot.
The last attempt to install the building in October 2009 was also blocked by protesters who raised concerns about contaminated water at the Quinte Mohawk School.
Back then the school had been without a chlorination system, which caused it to be placed under a boil water advisory for close to two years. Maracle said that problem has since been rectified.
Maracle said this summer a member of the community asked the band council to once again delay the delivery of the building over what she called issues with the conduct of certain Tyendinaga police officers. That resident has yet to file a formal complaint with the police Maracle added.
"There is always a new issue," he said. "How long do we leave this thing in limbo while we continue to waste hundred of thousand of dollars in community funds."
In a recent interview, Tyendinaga police Chief, Ron Maracle, said that the existing police station will be condemned once it is vacated. The current building has been plagued by safety concerns, such as a build-up of mould in the basement.