OHSWEKEN – An attempt by the city to put on a community dialogue at Six Nations on its plans to redevelop the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield area, and a proposed consultation and accommodation agreement, is running into opposition by native activists.
Brantford Mayor Chris Friel and city Coun. Marguerite Ceschi-Smith, along local media, received messages late Friday from activists Lisa Van Every and Jan Longboat, advising that members of the Onkwehon:we Women's Council and Men's Fire would be showing up at the Six Nations Community Hall in Ohsweken to advise city council staff and politicians "that are not ready to received them as visitors at this time."
After consulting with council, Friel said in an interview this morning that he has told the staff who were going to make presentations not to attend.
"After receiving that calls and hearing what was coming, I could not in good conscience ask the staff to go to a situation like this," he said.
He added that he intends to show up himself in an attempt to talk to the leaders of the organizations. Ceschi-Smith said she intends to go too.
Ceschi-Smith wrote an email to colleagues recounting her conversations with Van Every and Longboat.'
"They explained that they were not ready for visitors from Brantford," she wrote.
"I explained that we simply wanted to share with them information on the three projects we were currently undertaking. Their comment was that they were only interested in talking about the agreement and they weren't ready to do that at this point with us."
Friel was hoping that fostering a community dialogue over the tentative consultation agreement, the Greenwich-Mohawk project and city intentions regarding for the south side of downtown Colborne Street would be part of a new era of openness between the city and Six Nations.