Several city councillors want a tentative agreement setting out the terms of consultation and accommodation between Brantford and Six Nations to be put to a wide public process before they consider approving it.
A special meeting and ceremony between city council and the Six Nations elected band council scheduled for Monday to approve and sign the agreement was suddenly postponed Sunday by Mayor Chris Friel and Chief Bill Montour after some Six Nations groups who had been left out of the loop until a meeting that day made clear to their concerns about about the contents of the pact, and wanted more discussion.
As soon as the text of the tentative agreement was released by The Expositor on line Monday, some city councillors say they began getting calls and emails from constituents and local groups expressing their concerns.
"Accommodation and consultation are concerns of mine," Coun. Richard Carpenter said in an interview.
"The Supreme Court has made rulings on these things about dealings with First Nations. I don't know what risk we're taking agreeing to that. One thing about consulting with Six Nations is that who we should be talking to is often uncertain.
"I give the mayor credit, he's trying his darnedest to solve problems and improve our relationship with Six Nations, but just using what happened on the weekend, we can see what we could be getting into."
Coun. Marguerite Ceschi-Smith said she quickly received emails Monday afternoon from people who read the text, and agrees the city should conduct its own consultation process too, before inking an agreement.
"Delay at this point would be good because it's clear that we need to talk further with more people and groups," she said. "It's always better to consult."
Under the tentative agreement, a "Six Nations Consultation Committee" would be established, with the mayor of the city and up to three senior staff, the chief councillor and up to three appointees, and not more than three appointees from the provincial government.
The committee would discuss five Six Nations interests:
– Financial benefits to Six Nations from development fees and charges;
– Financial benefits to Six Nations from the residential tax base under the assessment act;
– Development of the Fuller property on West Street, which was earlier deeded to Six Nations by the last owner;
– The Nathan Gage lands, a tract stretching from about Veterans Memorial Parkway to certain lots in the downtown, which contains the casino, and is a validated land claim;
– Benefits to Six nations from the development of industrial lands.
The committee would discuss the five following interests of the city:
– The Waterfront Master Plan;
– The Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield lands;
– Redevelopment of the south side of Colborne Street;
– Boundary adjustments between the city and Brant County;
– Economic development.
Carpenter said he has concerns about some of the matters that Six Nations wants to discuss – particularly giving them a share of development charges, and a share of taxes.
"When we talk about those things we're stalking about money from the taxpayers," he said.
"I'm not going to support anything that would make us less competitive or will result in our taxpayers paying more taxes. You don't do a deal just so you can say you've got a deal.
"And I'm certainly not willing at this point to talk about some of these subjects at this level with Six Nations until is is clear who has the real authority."
The agreement was the subject of some separate in-camera Six Nations council and city council meetings. The closed door sessions in the city involved the city solicitor over the legal aspects of various components of the deal and their impact on interests of importance to Brantford.