Vatican told bishops to cover up sex abuse
Expulsion threat in secret documents
[url=http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Observer/documents/2003/08/16/Criminales.pdf]Read the 1962 Vatican document (PDF file)[/url]
'These instructions went out to every bishop around the globe and would certainly have applied in Britain. It proves there was an international conspiracy by the Church to hush up sexual abuse issues. It is a devious attempt to conceal criminal conduct and is a blueprint for deception and concealment.'
* Antony Barnett, public affairs editor
* The Observer, Sunday 17 August 2003 01.27 BST
The Vatican instructed Catholic bishops around the world to cover up cases of sexual abuse or risk being thrown out of the Church. The Observer has obtained a 40-year-old confidential document from the secret Vatican archive which lawyers are calling a 'blueprint for deception and concealment'. One British lawyer acting for Church child abuse victims has described it as 'explosive'.
The 69-page Latin document bearing the seal of Pope John XXIII was sent to every bishop in the world. The instructions outline a policy of 'strictest' secrecy in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse and threatens those who speak out with excommunication.
They also call for the victim to take an oath of secrecy at the time of making a complaint to Church officials. It states that the instructions are to 'be diligently stored in the secret archives of the Curia [Vatican] as strictly confidential. Nor is it to be published nor added to with any commentaries.'
The document, which has been confirmed as genuine by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, is called 'Crimine solicitationies', which translates as 'instruction on proceeding in cases of solicitation'.
It focuses on sexual abuse initiated as part of the confessional relationship between a priest and a member of his congregation. But the instructions also cover what it calls the 'worst crime', described as an obscene act perpetrated by a cleric with 'youths of either sex or with brute animals (bestiality)'.
Bishops are instructed to pursue these cases 'in the most secretive way... restrained by a perpetual silence... and everyone... is to observe the strictest secret which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office... under the penalty of excommunication'.
Texan lawyer Daniel Shea uncovered the document as part of his work for victims of abuse from Catholic priests in the US. He has handed it over to US authorities, urging them to launch a federal investigation into the clergy's alleged cover-up of sexual abuse.
He said: 'These instructions went out to every bishop around the globe and would certainly have applied in Britain. It proves there was an international conspiracy by the Church to hush up sexual abuse issues. It is a devious attempt to conceal criminal conduct and is a blueprint for deception and concealment.'
British lawyer Richard Scorer, who acts for children abused by Catholic priests in the UK, echoes this view and has described the document as 'explosive'.
He said: 'We always suspected that the Catholic Church systematically covered up abuse and tried to silence victims. This document appears to prove it. Threatening excommunication to anybody who speaks out shows the lengths the most senior figures in the Vatican were prepared to go to prevent the information getting out to the public domain.'
Scorer pointed out that as the documents dates back to 1962 it rides roughshod over the Catholic Church's claim that the issue of sexual abuse was a modern phenomenon.
He claims the discovery of the document will raise fresh questions about the actions of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Murphy-O'Connor has been accused of covering up allegations of child abuse when he was Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. Instead of reporting to the police allegations of abuse against Michael Hill, a priest in his charge, he moved him to another position where he was later convicted for abusing nine children.
Although Murphy-O'Connor has apologised publicly for his mistake, Scorer claims the secret Vatican document raises the question about whether his failure to report Hill was due to him following this instruction from Rome.
Scorer, who acts for some of Hill's victims, said: 'I want to know whether Murphy-O'Connor knew of these Vatican instructions and, if so, did he apply it. If not, can he tell us why not?'
A spokesman for the Catholic Church denied that the secret Vatican orders were part of any organised cover-up and claims lawyers are taking the document 'out of context' and 'distorting it'.
He said: 'This document is about the Church's internal disciplinary procedures should a priest be accused of using confession to solicit sex. It does not forbid victims to report civil crimes. The confidentiality talked about is aimed to protect the accused as applies in court procedures today. It also takes into consideration the special nature of the secrecy involved in the act of confession.' He also said that in 1983 the Catholic Church in England and Wales introduced its own code dealing with sexual abuse, which would have superseded the 1962 instructions. Asked whether Murphy-O'Connor was aware of the Vatican edict, he replied: 'He's never mentioned it to me.'
Lawyers point to a letter the Vatican sent to bishops in May 2001 clearly stating the 1962 instruction was in force until then. The letter is signed by Cardinal Ratzinger, the most powerful man in Rome beside the Pope and who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the office which ran the Inquisition in the Middle Ages.
Rev Thomas Doyle, a US Air Force chaplain in Germany and a specialist in Church law, has studied the document. He told The Observer: 'It is certainly an indication of the pathological obsession with secrecy in the Catholic Church, but in itself it is not a smoking gun.
'If, however, this document actually has been the foundation of a continuous policy to cover clergy crimes at all costs, then we have quite another issue. There are too many authenticated reports of victims having been seriously intimidated into silence by Church authorities to assert that such intimidation is the exception and not the norm.
'If this document has been used as a justification for this intimidation then we possibly have what some commentators have alleged, namely, a blueprint for a cover-up. This is obviously a big "if" which requires concrete proof.'
Additional research by Jason Rodrigues
more ...
[url=http://www.google.ca/search?q=Crimine+solicitationies&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a][/url]
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Feds not responding to meeting requests
By Erin Tully-Musser
SIX NATIONS
The Six Nations Confederacy is ready to get back to the negotiating table but the Feds are nowhere to be found.
Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton gave a brief update on the state of negotiations to the Confederacy Council on Saturday.
“Unfortunately there is not much to report since our last negotiation meeting when the Crown walked out,” said MacNaughton.
He said that he had sent letters to the Crown requesting that they meet and discuss finance last week but he has received no response. MacNaughton said that the land rights department is in need of money before Christmas.
“Those people (working for land rights) haven’t gotten paid since August 14,” said MacNaughton. “They are asking that we pay and get reimbursed with funding from negotiations.”
The Chiefs also talked about the need for restructuring the current negotiations process.
“The framework needs to be upgraded,” said Blake Bomberry, Cayuga Chief. “The way we are proceeding is like banging heads against the wall. You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, it’s not going to happen.”
Ron Thomas shared Chief Bomberry’s position.
“We have been sitting for the government for three years and we’re really not getting anywhere,” said Thomas. “The community is growing impatient and there’s a declining confidence in the Confederacy.”
Thomas also said that he thought there might be a lack of vision and strategy when they sit at the negotiating table and that there had been some missed opportunities. Thomas said that the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) was asked to offer suggestions to improve the negotiations process and they did offer a 21 page document. He said that the Confederacy was supposed to have met to discuss the HDI recommendations but that has not happened yet. The Confederacy council also talked about accepting the HDI policy submitted to council six months ago. It was decided that because some Chiefs didn’t get a chance to review or didn’t receive the policy the decision would be put over until the next council meeting.
The Chiefs also have to decide if they want to sign a MOE (memorandum of understanding) concerning the proposed project and working agreement with Competitive Power Ventures. The power company has suggested operating a gas line that would run through or close to the Six Nations territory. The MOE would be the first step towards exploring what the relationship between the company and Six Nations would look like.
By agreeing to the MOE the Chiefs would not be saying yes to the project, they would be saying yes to looking at what the project could/would do for the community. Those items were put aside until the next council meeting to allow time for more research.
By Erin Tully-Musser
SIX NATIONS
The Six Nations Confederacy is ready to get back to the negotiating table but the Feds are nowhere to be found.
Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton gave a brief update on the state of negotiations to the Confederacy Council on Saturday.
“Unfortunately there is not much to report since our last negotiation meeting when the Crown walked out,” said MacNaughton.
He said that he had sent letters to the Crown requesting that they meet and discuss finance last week but he has received no response. MacNaughton said that the land rights department is in need of money before Christmas.
“Those people (working for land rights) haven’t gotten paid since August 14,” said MacNaughton. “They are asking that we pay and get reimbursed with funding from negotiations.”
The Chiefs also talked about the need for restructuring the current negotiations process.
“The framework needs to be upgraded,” said Blake Bomberry, Cayuga Chief. “The way we are proceeding is like banging heads against the wall. You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, it’s not going to happen.”
Ron Thomas shared Chief Bomberry’s position.
“We have been sitting for the government for three years and we’re really not getting anywhere,” said Thomas. “The community is growing impatient and there’s a declining confidence in the Confederacy.”
Thomas also said that he thought there might be a lack of vision and strategy when they sit at the negotiating table and that there had been some missed opportunities. Thomas said that the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) was asked to offer suggestions to improve the negotiations process and they did offer a 21 page document. He said that the Confederacy was supposed to have met to discuss the HDI recommendations but that has not happened yet. The Confederacy council also talked about accepting the HDI policy submitted to council six months ago. It was decided that because some Chiefs didn’t get a chance to review or didn’t receive the policy the decision would be put over until the next council meeting.
The Chiefs also have to decide if they want to sign a MOE (memorandum of understanding) concerning the proposed project and working agreement with Competitive Power Ventures. The power company has suggested operating a gas line that would run through or close to the Six Nations territory. The MOE would be the first step towards exploring what the relationship between the company and Six Nations would look like.
By agreeing to the MOE the Chiefs would not be saying yes to the project, they would be saying yes to looking at what the project could/would do for the community. Those items were put aside until the next council meeting to allow time for more research.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
When they hell did we ask to be Canadians? -
Haldimand County Mayor's suggestions draw ire from Six Nations
By Jessica Smith
Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer wants reserves abolished and First Nations people paid off to the tune of $2,000 for their rights. At least that’s the message she took to Ottawa last week in a meeting with Indian and Northern Affairs minister Chuck Strahl.
Trainer said “every native would love him for doing that." However, Trainer's ideas drew ire, not love, from Elected Chief Bill Montour and Haudenosaunee Development Institute spokesperson Hazel Hill while Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said Trainer is turning Caledonia into an economic desert.
Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said “it is unfortunate that she is concentrating on finding conflict with Six Nations instead of trying to get business back into Caledonia.”
Mohawk Chief McNaughton said “it is that kind of attitude from the county’s leadership that is causing the economic woes of Caledonia.”
Montour said Trainer loves the media. "Marie Trainer, in my estimation, is a media darling," Montour said. "She dearly loves to get in front of a microphone and start spouting off about a bunch of stuff that she's not researched, doesn't understand, or maybe doesn't want to understand."
Montour said abolishing reserves and giving native people money in return is "the most ludicrous statement [he] ever heard." Instead he suggested Trainer "crack open a history book." He offered a lengthy history lesson about Six Nations that began with the Royal Proclamation, covered Six Nations military service, residential schooling, gaining the right to vote, treaty rights protected by the constitution and the events surrounding the reclamation of the Douglas Creek Estates.
Montour said what bugs him is "we have people, that like her, who are ignorant of the history of the area that they live in. It's just unbelievable for me to fathom that there's that much ignorance still in this area, in 2009, 2010. And that begets racism." Trainer knew her ideas might not be immediately popular.
"I said, if they could finalize the land claims-and you might not like this-and then maybe, at that time, they could dissolve the Indian Status and treat everyone who lives in Canada equally," she said.
"We were just giving different ideas around, like divide the value of the land claims and the land of the reserves among the members of the band, giving each member personal ownership of their own homes, because right now they don't, have that."
Trainer wants to see the former reserves become municipalities and "a massive one-time payout" to First Nations. And, if that is deemed insufficient, she suggested paying all living native people $2000 a week for the rest of their lives. She admitted not knowing how many native people there are in Canada.
The 2006 census counted 698,025 First Nations people in Canada, which means the $2,000-a-week plan Trainer suggested would cost Canada at least $72.5 billion in the first year alone.
Montour was not impressed with Trainer's $2000-per-week plan. Montour asked: "Does she think that's going to satisfy us?" He said that money is too liquid to compensate for lost land. He talked about giving a presentation to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs in Canada in 1991, in which he told parliamentarians Six Nations had valued the total worth of the 28 claims submitted at that time at $84 billion.
"When they picked their jaws up off the table, they said, 'We can't pay that,'" Montour said. "I said, 'We don't want money. We want perpetual care and maintenance.
We have to have our kids educated, we have to have the health of our people taken care of, we have to have social recreation.'" "For instance, if we'd have took the $26 million for the Welland Canal, how much do you think would be left now with this downturn in the economy?" he said, referring to a recent settlement offer from the federal government.
"I suggest very, very little. So money is not the issue here. We want to sustain ourselves from the good grace of land the Creator put us on." Trainer's plan requires the federal government to complete all the ongoing land claim negotiations. with a good kid bad kid approach.
"I did say to the federal government that they need to start negotiating with the less militant bands, like the Mississaugas of the New Credit, for example, to show that bad behavior gets slower results than good behaviour," Trainer said. Asked for an example of a militant band, Trained said Six Nations qualifies.
"Well the Six Nations for instance are occupying land, tearing up highways, burning tires, throwing vehicles over bridges, stopping developments from going forward," she said. "If that gets attention so that claims can go forward, I think that's the wrong message to send out."
Montour said "We're not militant just because we want to be, we're militant because of frustration." "How else would this have come to fruition, come to a point?" he asked. "They tried to have information blockades, give people understanding, it didn't work. The only thing that seems to get the attention of the federal and provincial government is direct action." "But that's what the people do," he added. "Leadership should be sitting down with leadership discussing rights, aboriginal rights, treaty rights, not making an assumption that those things are old, long gone, they should be done away with."
Confederacy technician Hazel Hill, said that Trainer needed to look at Caledonia's history. "They need to look at their own history, because a lot of how they got the land that they're currently residing on was done through violence, through force, through murder, rape and theft," Hill said. "That's the legacy of how they got it, and they continue with that legacy because it's all they know how to do. They call in armed forces. Caledonia wanted the army." Hill said that it's Caledonia that has been rewarded for its ongoing history of militant behaviour and Caledonia that has benefited the most from government funds since 2006.
"Talk about hand outs, talk about living off the coffers of the Canadian taxpayer," she said. "They talk about our people being nothing welfare people, who the hell's the welfare recipients?" Trainer compared how she believes the government should act with First Nations to how parents shouldn't reward the bad behaviour of their children.
"Often there's one in the family that's a little bit of a brat or whatever, and if he keeps being rewarded, 'Oh here's another toy,' and 'I'll buy you something,' and 'Here's another chocolate bar,' and blah blah blah blah, well then I'll be bad all the time when I'm in the store," Trainer said.
"But if you say, 'no, you be good, then you can have a new bicycle' or if you reward the good behaviour, or 'Do good in school, for every A you get I'll give you $10.' Everyone has different ways of rewarding, you know," she continued.
For Montour, that explanation called up the history of Indian Agents and residential schools. "For her to suggest that we're nothing but children is going back to the Indian Agent days," Montour said.
"You have to have my permission to go off the reserve, you have to have my permission to sell your produce from your farms, you have to have my permission for your kids to stay home because I'm going to put them in residential school." "We weren't even adults," he added.
"We weren't even humans at one time. And in 1960 somebody decreed: You can vote, now you're a Canadian. When they hell did we ask to be Canadians?" One area where Montour agreed with Trainer was the suggestion that the two communities work together to build a series of walking paths that link Six Nations and Haldimand County. He called it an "excellent idea," but acknowledged that ideology has gotten in the way when the two communities have tried to work together in the past.
Trainer also spoke to the Minister of Public Safety and senior staff in that department to discuss tobacco regulations. She said she learned of a plan to install highways signs that advertize that consumers of illegal cigarettes support organized crime and that she supports the idea.
Montour disagrees with Trainer, and said that legitimizing the tobacco industry within Six Nations' jurisdiction would benefit the community.
"If Marie Trainer and her people want to say it's illegal, it's her business, it doesn't concern me at all," he said.
A spokesperson for Minister Strahl said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on what was said in the meeting.
Haldimand County Mayor's suggestions draw ire from Six Nations
By Jessica Smith
Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer wants reserves abolished and First Nations people paid off to the tune of $2,000 for their rights. At least that’s the message she took to Ottawa last week in a meeting with Indian and Northern Affairs minister Chuck Strahl.
Trainer said “every native would love him for doing that." However, Trainer's ideas drew ire, not love, from Elected Chief Bill Montour and Haudenosaunee Development Institute spokesperson Hazel Hill while Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said Trainer is turning Caledonia into an economic desert.
Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton said “it is unfortunate that she is concentrating on finding conflict with Six Nations instead of trying to get business back into Caledonia.”
Mohawk Chief McNaughton said “it is that kind of attitude from the county’s leadership that is causing the economic woes of Caledonia.”
Montour said Trainer loves the media. "Marie Trainer, in my estimation, is a media darling," Montour said. "She dearly loves to get in front of a microphone and start spouting off about a bunch of stuff that she's not researched, doesn't understand, or maybe doesn't want to understand."
Montour said abolishing reserves and giving native people money in return is "the most ludicrous statement [he] ever heard." Instead he suggested Trainer "crack open a history book." He offered a lengthy history lesson about Six Nations that began with the Royal Proclamation, covered Six Nations military service, residential schooling, gaining the right to vote, treaty rights protected by the constitution and the events surrounding the reclamation of the Douglas Creek Estates.
Montour said what bugs him is "we have people, that like her, who are ignorant of the history of the area that they live in. It's just unbelievable for me to fathom that there's that much ignorance still in this area, in 2009, 2010. And that begets racism." Trainer knew her ideas might not be immediately popular.
"I said, if they could finalize the land claims-and you might not like this-and then maybe, at that time, they could dissolve the Indian Status and treat everyone who lives in Canada equally," she said.
"We were just giving different ideas around, like divide the value of the land claims and the land of the reserves among the members of the band, giving each member personal ownership of their own homes, because right now they don't, have that."
Trainer wants to see the former reserves become municipalities and "a massive one-time payout" to First Nations. And, if that is deemed insufficient, she suggested paying all living native people $2000 a week for the rest of their lives. She admitted not knowing how many native people there are in Canada.
The 2006 census counted 698,025 First Nations people in Canada, which means the $2,000-a-week plan Trainer suggested would cost Canada at least $72.5 billion in the first year alone.
Montour was not impressed with Trainer's $2000-per-week plan. Montour asked: "Does she think that's going to satisfy us?" He said that money is too liquid to compensate for lost land. He talked about giving a presentation to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs in Canada in 1991, in which he told parliamentarians Six Nations had valued the total worth of the 28 claims submitted at that time at $84 billion.
"When they picked their jaws up off the table, they said, 'We can't pay that,'" Montour said. "I said, 'We don't want money. We want perpetual care and maintenance.
We have to have our kids educated, we have to have the health of our people taken care of, we have to have social recreation.'" "For instance, if we'd have took the $26 million for the Welland Canal, how much do you think would be left now with this downturn in the economy?" he said, referring to a recent settlement offer from the federal government.
"I suggest very, very little. So money is not the issue here. We want to sustain ourselves from the good grace of land the Creator put us on." Trainer's plan requires the federal government to complete all the ongoing land claim negotiations. with a good kid bad kid approach.
"I did say to the federal government that they need to start negotiating with the less militant bands, like the Mississaugas of the New Credit, for example, to show that bad behavior gets slower results than good behaviour," Trainer said. Asked for an example of a militant band, Trained said Six Nations qualifies.
"Well the Six Nations for instance are occupying land, tearing up highways, burning tires, throwing vehicles over bridges, stopping developments from going forward," she said. "If that gets attention so that claims can go forward, I think that's the wrong message to send out."
Montour said "We're not militant just because we want to be, we're militant because of frustration." "How else would this have come to fruition, come to a point?" he asked. "They tried to have information blockades, give people understanding, it didn't work. The only thing that seems to get the attention of the federal and provincial government is direct action." "But that's what the people do," he added. "Leadership should be sitting down with leadership discussing rights, aboriginal rights, treaty rights, not making an assumption that those things are old, long gone, they should be done away with."
Confederacy technician Hazel Hill, said that Trainer needed to look at Caledonia's history. "They need to look at their own history, because a lot of how they got the land that they're currently residing on was done through violence, through force, through murder, rape and theft," Hill said. "That's the legacy of how they got it, and they continue with that legacy because it's all they know how to do. They call in armed forces. Caledonia wanted the army." Hill said that it's Caledonia that has been rewarded for its ongoing history of militant behaviour and Caledonia that has benefited the most from government funds since 2006.
"Talk about hand outs, talk about living off the coffers of the Canadian taxpayer," she said. "They talk about our people being nothing welfare people, who the hell's the welfare recipients?" Trainer compared how she believes the government should act with First Nations to how parents shouldn't reward the bad behaviour of their children.
"Often there's one in the family that's a little bit of a brat or whatever, and if he keeps being rewarded, 'Oh here's another toy,' and 'I'll buy you something,' and 'Here's another chocolate bar,' and blah blah blah blah, well then I'll be bad all the time when I'm in the store," Trainer said.
"But if you say, 'no, you be good, then you can have a new bicycle' or if you reward the good behaviour, or 'Do good in school, for every A you get I'll give you $10.' Everyone has different ways of rewarding, you know," she continued.
For Montour, that explanation called up the history of Indian Agents and residential schools. "For her to suggest that we're nothing but children is going back to the Indian Agent days," Montour said.
"You have to have my permission to go off the reserve, you have to have my permission to sell your produce from your farms, you have to have my permission for your kids to stay home because I'm going to put them in residential school." "We weren't even adults," he added.
"We weren't even humans at one time. And in 1960 somebody decreed: You can vote, now you're a Canadian. When they hell did we ask to be Canadians?" One area where Montour agreed with Trainer was the suggestion that the two communities work together to build a series of walking paths that link Six Nations and Haldimand County. He called it an "excellent idea," but acknowledged that ideology has gotten in the way when the two communities have tried to work together in the past.
Trainer also spoke to the Minister of Public Safety and senior staff in that department to discuss tobacco regulations. She said she learned of a plan to install highways signs that advertize that consumers of illegal cigarettes support organized crime and that she supports the idea.
Montour disagrees with Trainer, and said that legitimizing the tobacco industry within Six Nations' jurisdiction would benefit the community.
"If Marie Trainer and her people want to say it's illegal, it's her business, it doesn't concern me at all," he said.
A spokesperson for Minister Strahl said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on what was said in the meeting.
Olympic organizers reach deal with Mohawks
to drop RCMP escort for torch relay
December 08, 2009
Peter Rakobowchuk, THE CANADIAN PRESS
KAHNAWAKE, Que. - The Vancouver Olympic organizing committee agreed to drop the usual RCMP escort for the Olympic flame as it passed through a Mohawk reserve Tuesday in what turned out to be a joyous celebration.
Games organizers made the concession after a flurry of negotiations with community members who were upset by the prospect of a non-aboriginal police force patrolling their territory.
The agreement allowed the flame to pass through a community that played a role in the Oka crisis, a tense summer-long standoff between aboriginals and police in 1990.
Schoolchildren waved paper torches and 500 people cheered from the sidelines Tuesday during the celebration in Kahnawake, a community south of Montreal.
The torch was carried by Olympic medallist Alwyn Morris,
a local hero who won gold and bronze medals in canoeing at the Los Angeles Olympics.
"What a great thing to rekindle the (Olympic) spirit in the community and give some hope and dreams to some very young people here who may want to follow in those footsteps," Morris said.
The compromise sent a signal that organizers are serious about aboriginal communities playing a role in the Olympics, as the other options would have been to bully forward with the RCMP or cancel Tuesday's visit altogether.
But the fact that organizers did give in to concerns could also send a signal to other groups that the mere mention of trouble could be enough to scare the relay away.
A cloud of controversy hung over the flame as Morris carried it along one of the main streets. In addition to jubilant crowds, there were several protestors holding huge banners protesting the event Tuesday.
Grand Chief Mike Delisle Jr. noted that the Mohawks have had "a long, storied, sometimes troubled history" with the Mounties.
"They've raided our community in the past for what is considered illegal and contraband tobacco," he said.
John Furlong, head of the Vancouver Games organizing committee, explained that the festivities were not considered an official relay event, which allowed the security protocol to be changed.
"It wasn't frankly really a leg of the relay in the traditional sense," he told reporters in Vancouver.
"What we did was we found a way to sort of break away from the relay for a bit of time so we could bring a torch in there and share it with the kids and families.
"It was a good day, it was a situation that needed a solution that was going to work and we got one."
The flame's visit to Kahnawake was originally supposed to be an official stop on the relay, one of more than 1,000 carefully choreographed moments along the 106-day event.
The decision to divert from the original plans was a significant one for the organizing committee which, along with governments, has spent millions trying to get aboriginal communities onside for the Games.
Torch relay sponsor RBC, wise to the fact that protest from aboriginal communities was a potential threat to the relay, also hired former Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine to work with communities along the route.
He did not return a call for comment but, according to one of the groups involved in the negotiations for Kahnawake, was not involved in the issue.
Delisle said he had worried the latest controversy might have "put a bit of a damper" on Tuesday's event as the torch made its way through his community.
"But, by the faces of the kids today, I doubt it," he added.
"There's been a lot of angst and consternation over the past two weeks or so. I think cooler heads prevailed," he said.
"It was a show of respect and a sign of recognition in terms of the RCMP backing away (and) the Olympic committee acknowledging the fact that we have a peacekeeper authority here."
The head of the Mohawk band council called the flame "a beacon of hope."
"That's what the flame is supposed to represent - brotherhood and peace. Peace is part of our foundation and part of our founding principles."
A handful of locals did stage a demonstration and carried large white banners that declared the Olympic torch was not welcome in Kahnawake or any native community.
"We don't support the torch coming through Kahnawake because of the land that's being destroyed in B.C. (for the Olympics)," Cheryl Diabo said in an interview.
"We support our native sisters and brothers who stood in line in our defence in 1990 during the crisis that we faced, and it's only natural that we do the same.
"We don't support the destruction of any land anywhere."
Diabo is a member of the community's Mohawk traditional council.
One of the banners that was stretched out beside her read: "Remove the Poison, Remove the Torch."
In the coming weeks, the torch is expected to pass through both Six Nations and Tyendinaga, two areas where violent confrontations have happened in recent years between residents and police.
Groups in both communities have committed to protesting the torch, though Furlong said he didn't expect another compromise was going to be required.
"We're not anticipating that it will, but the goal is . . . to try and find ways to make it all work and there's a lot of very happy young kids today because we did it," he said.
"We've very happy because that's the vision, to try and make sure we live up to our commitments and our promises."
(With files from Stephanie Levitz)
In a town haunted by Oka, nobody is ‘Canadian’
The Globe and Mail
By Sean Gordon, The Globe and Mail Posted Tuesday, December 8, 2009 9:07 PM ET
KAHNAWAKE, QUE. - The precious cargo arrived in a nondescript blue rental car, unadorned by the usual travelling fanfare that surrounds its every movement.
Typically, the Olympic flame is accompanied by a phalanx of Mounties, and preceded and followed by heavily branded Vancouver Organizing Committee vehicles.
But Kahnawake is anything but a typical stop on the Olympic Torch Relay. By prior arrangement, and after lengthy negotiations - which dragged late into Monday evening - the RCMP stayed off tribal land, and so did the rest of the torch road show.
They did so with good reason: The lessons of recent history are still painful in this community, which sits across the St. Lawrence from Montreal.
Put simply, since the Oka crisis, everything has changed in Kahnawake, and nothing has changed.
The Mohawk community has become a huge global player in the online gaming industry and is clearly thriving. Yet it remains beset by continuing problems with poverty, addiction and crime, and then there's the small matter of the continuing political stalemate between the band and the governments that would control it. Kahnawake is a place where the word Canadian is often set in quotation marks.
"If you go to any man, woman or child in this community, no one would tell you they're Canadian," said Michael Delisle Jr., grand chief of the Kahnawake Mohawk Council, who nevertheless said the torch is "a beacon of hope" to his community and that it was "a great day."
And so the torch's passage illustrates a mostly unspoken dichotomy: The Olympic ideal is held up as a symbol of hope and achievement to young people in aboriginal communities, but in Kahnawake that inspiration has little to no connection with the national celebration the 2010 Games organizers envision.
"You have a persisting disaffection with the federal government, and the claims to federal authority over Kahnawake. That hasn't evolved much or at all since Oka ... the Mohawk conception of national sovereignty is completely at variance with Canada's or Quebec's or with that of most of the Canadian population," said Ronald Niezen, a native affairs expert who teaches anthropology at McGill University.
Though the 1990 Oka crisis primarily involved a dispute at Kanesatake, a Mohawk reserve northwest of Montreal, members of Kahnawake blockaded a bridge linking their community to the city in solidarity.
Those roadblocks prompted construction on what would become Highway 30, the proposed extension of which is currently being contested by the Mohawks.
The situation today is nothing like the simmering tensions of the summer and fall of 1990, but the political positions remain intractable.
Indeed, the RCMP and Sûreté du Quebec provincial police are not welcome in Kahnawake unless they seek permission and co-operation from the community's police force, and the relay organizers were willing to make allowances to get the torch there, including shortening the original route.
"The goal, and we had the full support of the RCMP, is to find a way to make it all work. And there are a lot of very happy young kids today because we did it, and we're very happy," VANOC head John Furlong said. In the event, a crowd of several hundred school children and residents gathered under dazzling blue skies to cheer the relay.
Just before noon, the canister holding the flame - by then surreptitiously transferred into a Mohawk Peacekeepers squad car - was brought out to light a torch held by Kahnawake's own Alwyn Morris.
The 52-year-old, one of two medal-winning Olympians to hail from the community of about 7,500, said "the torch relay is about unity, it's about peace, it's about bringing together family and friends and uniting the country." He also expressed hope the day would help clear up a few misconceptions about his community.
"Unfortunately [the reserve] is given some very unappealing stereotypes. I was at the Olympic Games, I represented Canada at those Olympic Games, it didn't take anything away from Canada and I'm also a Mohawk. It's not something to be afraid of."
The two-time Olympian is a fitting exemplar of his community for more than athletic prowess. After winning two kayaking medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games - a gold and a bronze - he returned home to work in addiction counselling and as a senior adviser to the band council.
In 2007, he quit that post to found a company in the reserve's booming industry, online gaming.
Kahnawake's computer servers are home to more than 500 Internet casinos, an activity that is technically illegal under Canadian law (as is much of the community's robust discount tobacco trade). But the gaming business has created hundreds of jobs and despite hefty federal funding for education and health, the general perception is Kahnawake has been left to its own devices.
"There's so many things that are happening in the community in terms of economic development. A lot of it, unfortunately, is in spite of what comes in by virtue of governmental support," Mr. Morris said.
Coincidentally, the first day the flame wasn't escorted by Mounties was also the first day on which a protester was arrested. As Mr. Morris alternately walked and jogged the few hundred metres between a gas station on Kahnawake's main drag and a school, a protester ran up and tried to hand him a stack of tracts. The protester was grabbed by a couple of burly Peacekeepers and after a brief scuffle was shepherded into the back of a squad car.
Just down the road, a traditionalist Mohawk group held a protest that comprised a handful of people holding bedsheets painted with slogans such as, "Remove the poison, remove the torch." Demonstrators grumbled Mr. Morris was trying to drum up attention for his business interests, while passing band members replied with insults aimed at the protest. A few children even booed.
With a report from Rod Mickleburgh in Vancouver
to drop RCMP escort for torch relay
December 08, 2009
Peter Rakobowchuk, THE CANADIAN PRESS
KAHNAWAKE, Que. - The Vancouver Olympic organizing committee agreed to drop the usual RCMP escort for the Olympic flame as it passed through a Mohawk reserve Tuesday in what turned out to be a joyous celebration.
Games organizers made the concession after a flurry of negotiations with community members who were upset by the prospect of a non-aboriginal police force patrolling their territory.
The agreement allowed the flame to pass through a community that played a role in the Oka crisis, a tense summer-long standoff between aboriginals and police in 1990.
Schoolchildren waved paper torches and 500 people cheered from the sidelines Tuesday during the celebration in Kahnawake, a community south of Montreal.
The torch was carried by Olympic medallist Alwyn Morris,
a local hero who won gold and bronze medals in canoeing at the Los Angeles Olympics.
"What a great thing to rekindle the (Olympic) spirit in the community and give some hope and dreams to some very young people here who may want to follow in those footsteps," Morris said.
The compromise sent a signal that organizers are serious about aboriginal communities playing a role in the Olympics, as the other options would have been to bully forward with the RCMP or cancel Tuesday's visit altogether.
But the fact that organizers did give in to concerns could also send a signal to other groups that the mere mention of trouble could be enough to scare the relay away.
A cloud of controversy hung over the flame as Morris carried it along one of the main streets. In addition to jubilant crowds, there were several protestors holding huge banners protesting the event Tuesday.
Grand Chief Mike Delisle Jr. noted that the Mohawks have had "a long, storied, sometimes troubled history" with the Mounties.
"They've raided our community in the past for what is considered illegal and contraband tobacco," he said.
John Furlong, head of the Vancouver Games organizing committee, explained that the festivities were not considered an official relay event, which allowed the security protocol to be changed.
"It wasn't frankly really a leg of the relay in the traditional sense," he told reporters in Vancouver.
"What we did was we found a way to sort of break away from the relay for a bit of time so we could bring a torch in there and share it with the kids and families.
"It was a good day, it was a situation that needed a solution that was going to work and we got one."
The flame's visit to Kahnawake was originally supposed to be an official stop on the relay, one of more than 1,000 carefully choreographed moments along the 106-day event.
The decision to divert from the original plans was a significant one for the organizing committee which, along with governments, has spent millions trying to get aboriginal communities onside for the Games.
Torch relay sponsor RBC, wise to the fact that protest from aboriginal communities was a potential threat to the relay, also hired former Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine to work with communities along the route.
He did not return a call for comment but, according to one of the groups involved in the negotiations for Kahnawake, was not involved in the issue.
Delisle said he had worried the latest controversy might have "put a bit of a damper" on Tuesday's event as the torch made its way through his community.
"But, by the faces of the kids today, I doubt it," he added.
"There's been a lot of angst and consternation over the past two weeks or so. I think cooler heads prevailed," he said.
"It was a show of respect and a sign of recognition in terms of the RCMP backing away (and) the Olympic committee acknowledging the fact that we have a peacekeeper authority here."
The head of the Mohawk band council called the flame "a beacon of hope."
"That's what the flame is supposed to represent - brotherhood and peace. Peace is part of our foundation and part of our founding principles."
A handful of locals did stage a demonstration and carried large white banners that declared the Olympic torch was not welcome in Kahnawake or any native community.
"We don't support the torch coming through Kahnawake because of the land that's being destroyed in B.C. (for the Olympics)," Cheryl Diabo said in an interview.
"We support our native sisters and brothers who stood in line in our defence in 1990 during the crisis that we faced, and it's only natural that we do the same.
"We don't support the destruction of any land anywhere."
Diabo is a member of the community's Mohawk traditional council.
One of the banners that was stretched out beside her read: "Remove the Poison, Remove the Torch."
In the coming weeks, the torch is expected to pass through both Six Nations and Tyendinaga, two areas where violent confrontations have happened in recent years between residents and police.
Groups in both communities have committed to protesting the torch, though Furlong said he didn't expect another compromise was going to be required.
"We're not anticipating that it will, but the goal is . . . to try and find ways to make it all work and there's a lot of very happy young kids today because we did it," he said.
"We've very happy because that's the vision, to try and make sure we live up to our commitments and our promises."
(With files from Stephanie Levitz)
In a town haunted by Oka, nobody is ‘Canadian’
The Globe and Mail
By Sean Gordon, The Globe and Mail Posted Tuesday, December 8, 2009 9:07 PM ET
KAHNAWAKE, QUE. - The precious cargo arrived in a nondescript blue rental car, unadorned by the usual travelling fanfare that surrounds its every movement.
Typically, the Olympic flame is accompanied by a phalanx of Mounties, and preceded and followed by heavily branded Vancouver Organizing Committee vehicles.
But Kahnawake is anything but a typical stop on the Olympic Torch Relay. By prior arrangement, and after lengthy negotiations - which dragged late into Monday evening - the RCMP stayed off tribal land, and so did the rest of the torch road show.
They did so with good reason: The lessons of recent history are still painful in this community, which sits across the St. Lawrence from Montreal.
Put simply, since the Oka crisis, everything has changed in Kahnawake, and nothing has changed.
The Mohawk community has become a huge global player in the online gaming industry and is clearly thriving. Yet it remains beset by continuing problems with poverty, addiction and crime, and then there's the small matter of the continuing political stalemate between the band and the governments that would control it. Kahnawake is a place where the word Canadian is often set in quotation marks.
"If you go to any man, woman or child in this community, no one would tell you they're Canadian," said Michael Delisle Jr., grand chief of the Kahnawake Mohawk Council, who nevertheless said the torch is "a beacon of hope" to his community and that it was "a great day."
And so the torch's passage illustrates a mostly unspoken dichotomy: The Olympic ideal is held up as a symbol of hope and achievement to young people in aboriginal communities, but in Kahnawake that inspiration has little to no connection with the national celebration the 2010 Games organizers envision.
"You have a persisting disaffection with the federal government, and the claims to federal authority over Kahnawake. That hasn't evolved much or at all since Oka ... the Mohawk conception of national sovereignty is completely at variance with Canada's or Quebec's or with that of most of the Canadian population," said Ronald Niezen, a native affairs expert who teaches anthropology at McGill University.
Though the 1990 Oka crisis primarily involved a dispute at Kanesatake, a Mohawk reserve northwest of Montreal, members of Kahnawake blockaded a bridge linking their community to the city in solidarity.
Those roadblocks prompted construction on what would become Highway 30, the proposed extension of which is currently being contested by the Mohawks.
The situation today is nothing like the simmering tensions of the summer and fall of 1990, but the political positions remain intractable.
Indeed, the RCMP and Sûreté du Quebec provincial police are not welcome in Kahnawake unless they seek permission and co-operation from the community's police force, and the relay organizers were willing to make allowances to get the torch there, including shortening the original route.
"The goal, and we had the full support of the RCMP, is to find a way to make it all work. And there are a lot of very happy young kids today because we did it, and we're very happy," VANOC head John Furlong said. In the event, a crowd of several hundred school children and residents gathered under dazzling blue skies to cheer the relay.
Just before noon, the canister holding the flame - by then surreptitiously transferred into a Mohawk Peacekeepers squad car - was brought out to light a torch held by Kahnawake's own Alwyn Morris.
The 52-year-old, one of two medal-winning Olympians to hail from the community of about 7,500, said "the torch relay is about unity, it's about peace, it's about bringing together family and friends and uniting the country." He also expressed hope the day would help clear up a few misconceptions about his community.
"Unfortunately [the reserve] is given some very unappealing stereotypes. I was at the Olympic Games, I represented Canada at those Olympic Games, it didn't take anything away from Canada and I'm also a Mohawk. It's not something to be afraid of."
The two-time Olympian is a fitting exemplar of his community for more than athletic prowess. After winning two kayaking medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games - a gold and a bronze - he returned home to work in addiction counselling and as a senior adviser to the band council.
In 2007, he quit that post to found a company in the reserve's booming industry, online gaming.
Kahnawake's computer servers are home to more than 500 Internet casinos, an activity that is technically illegal under Canadian law (as is much of the community's robust discount tobacco trade). But the gaming business has created hundreds of jobs and despite hefty federal funding for education and health, the general perception is Kahnawake has been left to its own devices.
"There's so many things that are happening in the community in terms of economic development. A lot of it, unfortunately, is in spite of what comes in by virtue of governmental support," Mr. Morris said.
Coincidentally, the first day the flame wasn't escorted by Mounties was also the first day on which a protester was arrested. As Mr. Morris alternately walked and jogged the few hundred metres between a gas station on Kahnawake's main drag and a school, a protester ran up and tried to hand him a stack of tracts. The protester was grabbed by a couple of burly Peacekeepers and after a brief scuffle was shepherded into the back of a squad car.
Just down the road, a traditionalist Mohawk group held a protest that comprised a handful of people holding bedsheets painted with slogans such as, "Remove the poison, remove the torch." Demonstrators grumbled Mr. Morris was trying to drum up attention for his business interests, while passing band members replied with insults aimed at the protest. A few children even booed.
With a report from Rod Mickleburgh in Vancouver
Monday, November 09, 2009
SIX NATIONS ALLIES RALLY IN BRANTFORD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COZCJH5eaUM&feature=PlayList&p=8ADC4B4279FB461E&index=0
Brantford, Ontario has become ground zero in the struggle over Indigenous rights in Ontario. Most of the city is under land claim, but instead of halting development until the status of the disputed land can be negotiated, Brantford city council is carrying out an aggressive policy of encouraging the criminalization of Six Nations land defenders. Since 2006, when protests in nearby Caledonia erupted, over 60 people from Six Nations have faced more than 160 criminal charges as they have tried to peacefully stop illegal developments from taking place on their lands.
Allies and supporters of Six Nations are standing up and bringing pressure to bear on governments and institutions in order to demand that they respect and honour the treaties and agreements made with Indigenous nations. The Six Nations Solidarity Network — a group made up of non-native activists from communities in and beside the Haldimand tract, an education march on Saturday, Nov 7th 2009, that visited a number of significant locations in Brantford.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COZCJH5eaUM&feature=PlayList&p=8ADC4B4279FB461E&index=0
Brantford, Ontario has become ground zero in the struggle over Indigenous rights in Ontario. Most of the city is under land claim, but instead of halting development until the status of the disputed land can be negotiated, Brantford city council is carrying out an aggressive policy of encouraging the criminalization of Six Nations land defenders. Since 2006, when protests in nearby Caledonia erupted, over 60 people from Six Nations have faced more than 160 criminal charges as they have tried to peacefully stop illegal developments from taking place on their lands.
Allies and supporters of Six Nations are standing up and bringing pressure to bear on governments and institutions in order to demand that they respect and honour the treaties and agreements made with Indigenous nations. The Six Nations Solidarity Network — a group made up of non-native activists from communities in and beside the Haldimand tract, an education march on Saturday, Nov 7th 2009, that visited a number of significant locations in Brantford.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
SETTLE LAND CLAIMS FASTER! Chambers of Commerce
Local chamber wants resolution by 2020
The local chamber of commerce was widely supported in B. C. last week in its resolution calling for the faster settlement of native land claims.
Local Chamber of Commerce Brantford Brant president Barry English presented the resolution to more than 300 delegates at the annual general meeting of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking of the uncertainty over First Nations land claims, English said once land claims have been validated, there needs to be a faster process to get to a solution.
"The lengthy delay ... is excessive," English said in his presentation.
And that delay in southern Ontario has stalled economic development and threatened public safety, he said.
There are now 1,410 First Nation land claims in Canada with just 319 settled and 337 concluded. Others are still in negotiation or active litigation and almost 500 of them are under review.
Of the 29 land claims launched by Six Nations against Canada and Ontario in 1995, only four were validated by the federal government before the lawsuit was suspended in 2004. Only one claim has resulted in an offer from the federal government.
The local chamber's proposal calls on the federal government, provinces, territories and First Nations' communities to push the claims through to resolution by 2020.
Claims that are determined to be legitimate ones should be expedited and if an offer of compensation doesn't lead to a settlement within a year, the federal government should take the matter to court, where final compensation could be awarded.
Now that the local proposal has been accepted by the national group, the resolution will be included in the Canadian chamber's advocacy plan.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is regarded as the country's largest and most influential business lobby organization.
Copyright © 2009 Brantford Expositor
This is very significant. UNTIL SIX NATIONS STEPPED FORWARD and interfered with development on land under claim, local businesses, Chambers of Commerce and municipal governments have been able to ignore land claims and carry on development as usual. This occurred with the quiet blessing of federal governments, which colluded to sustain local development by stalling and dragging out negotiations for decades, and provincial governments that continued to approve developments on land under claim.
It is no secret that Canada spends more money 'negotiating' and preventing settlement of land claims than it does on paying down these long outstanding debts. Fulfilling the terms of our treaties and other legal obligations to Indigenous Nations is not negotiable: Aboriginal Rights must be respected, according to our own laws.
In the last 3+ years, Six Nations people have stopped several developments in Caledonia and Brantford on land under claim, enduring physical harm (police tasers, batons, 'takedowns', incarceration) and criminal prosecution as a result. Still they persisted, women and youths the driving force, interfering with local economies and with local development plans for land in dispute. This pressure on local economies has finally brought local businesses - the powers that actually run Canada - to speak out via the Brantford and now Canadian Chambers of Commerce.
Chambers of Commerce represent the businesses and industries of Canada, those who employ much of the population and drive the robust economy of Canada, the profits gleaned free of charge from Indigenous land. Federal governments can, and have, placated and ignored the rights of Indigenous Nations, to avoid interfering with local economies and provincial authority. It is only by directly interfering with local economies that Six Nations has caused a disruption of this collusion of all levels of government in evading our laws.
WELL DONE!!
Chambers of Commerce are now lobbying the federal government for action on 'land claims', a powerful lobby indeed. At the same time as they pressure governments, perhaps they will also look to their own localities to ensure that they themselves are doing everything in their power to resolve these issues: IT IS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT THAT INFRINGES on the rights of Indigenous communities, and it is local and provincial business and governments that hold the power, and indeed the duty, to consult with First Nations and to accommodate their rights AT THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING STAGE.
Local chamber wants resolution by 2020
The local chamber of commerce was widely supported in B. C. last week in its resolution calling for the faster settlement of native land claims.
Local Chamber of Commerce Brantford Brant president Barry English presented the resolution to more than 300 delegates at the annual general meeting of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking of the uncertainty over First Nations land claims, English said once land claims have been validated, there needs to be a faster process to get to a solution.
"The lengthy delay ... is excessive," English said in his presentation.
And that delay in southern Ontario has stalled economic development and threatened public safety, he said.
There are now 1,410 First Nation land claims in Canada with just 319 settled and 337 concluded. Others are still in negotiation or active litigation and almost 500 of them are under review.
Of the 29 land claims launched by Six Nations against Canada and Ontario in 1995, only four were validated by the federal government before the lawsuit was suspended in 2004. Only one claim has resulted in an offer from the federal government.
The local chamber's proposal calls on the federal government, provinces, territories and First Nations' communities to push the claims through to resolution by 2020.
Claims that are determined to be legitimate ones should be expedited and if an offer of compensation doesn't lead to a settlement within a year, the federal government should take the matter to court, where final compensation could be awarded.
Now that the local proposal has been accepted by the national group, the resolution will be included in the Canadian chamber's advocacy plan.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is regarded as the country's largest and most influential business lobby organization.
Copyright © 2009 Brantford Expositor
This is very significant. UNTIL SIX NATIONS STEPPED FORWARD and interfered with development on land under claim, local businesses, Chambers of Commerce and municipal governments have been able to ignore land claims and carry on development as usual. This occurred with the quiet blessing of federal governments, which colluded to sustain local development by stalling and dragging out negotiations for decades, and provincial governments that continued to approve developments on land under claim.
It is no secret that Canada spends more money 'negotiating' and preventing settlement of land claims than it does on paying down these long outstanding debts. Fulfilling the terms of our treaties and other legal obligations to Indigenous Nations is not negotiable: Aboriginal Rights must be respected, according to our own laws.
In the last 3+ years, Six Nations people have stopped several developments in Caledonia and Brantford on land under claim, enduring physical harm (police tasers, batons, 'takedowns', incarceration) and criminal prosecution as a result. Still they persisted, women and youths the driving force, interfering with local economies and with local development plans for land in dispute. This pressure on local economies has finally brought local businesses - the powers that actually run Canada - to speak out via the Brantford and now Canadian Chambers of Commerce.
Chambers of Commerce represent the businesses and industries of Canada, those who employ much of the population and drive the robust economy of Canada, the profits gleaned free of charge from Indigenous land. Federal governments can, and have, placated and ignored the rights of Indigenous Nations, to avoid interfering with local economies and provincial authority. It is only by directly interfering with local economies that Six Nations has caused a disruption of this collusion of all levels of government in evading our laws.
WELL DONE!!
Chambers of Commerce are now lobbying the federal government for action on 'land claims', a powerful lobby indeed. At the same time as they pressure governments, perhaps they will also look to their own localities to ensure that they themselves are doing everything in their power to resolve these issues: IT IS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT THAT INFRINGES on the rights of Indigenous communities, and it is local and provincial business and governments that hold the power, and indeed the duty, to consult with First Nations and to accommodate their rights AT THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING STAGE.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
SIX NATIONS NEGOTIATIONS
'Deal' really just a framework for more discussion
Gov't: 'Full co-operation' of Six Nations needed
According to a spokesperson for Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada is waiting on Six Nations to complete its responsibilities before flowing funding to the band to help with land negotiations.
At a news conference held Thursday by the Six Nations Confederacy, the group accused Canada of slowing the process of the three-year negotiations by refusing to settle on a facilitator-mediator and not funding the natives at the table for the last six months.
The federal government weighed in on those accusations Friday, saying it's still trying to settle on someone for the important facilitator-mediator job.
"After careful consideration, a response will be forthcoming," promised Patricia Valladao, the senior communications advisor for the ministry.
Valladao declined to comment on the names of any potential candidates but promised the issue is being discussed.
As far as funding goes, the Confederacy said this week that no one working on the negotiation process has been paid for six months and the group has had to lay off three of its five-member staff.
But Valladao said funding requires "the full co-operation and best efforts of all parties."
She said funds would not be forthcoming until the government gets a First Nations work plan and budget.
"It's the Six Nations' responsibility to complete the work plan and budget before any funding can flow for negotiation purposes."
Canada has already provided negotiation funds to Six Nations through the three-year process.
Almost $2 million in federal money has been paid to the natives for negotiation with an equal amount provided by the Ontario government.
The funds stirred controversy in the native community when people learned of several hefty invoices submitted by those working on the negotiations.
The governments tend to maintain a hands-off attitude, leaving it up to the natives to decided how to spend negotiation funds.
Valladao said the governments are currently in discussion with Six Nations to establish this year's funding.
CORRECTION
A story in Friday's Expositor erroneously reported the Haudenosaunee Development Institute held a news conference Thursday when, in fact, it was the Six Nations Confederacy, of which the HDI is a department, that held the meeting.
Confederacy chief Blake Bomberry also was misidentified in the story. The Expositor regrets the error.
Well, the government caving to appoint a facilitator/mediator is significant.
More ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_1_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHZxNtSM5D10XENOjPY0HHsse3m6w&sig2=sF5vqGZhWUwyLsKdHMwerg&cid=0&ei=doHRSui8GJ_oMOKOrIwD&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thespec.com%2FNews%2FLocal%2Farticle%2F649880
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHk6bqdBVmwmPC_dEConCVx27v16g&sig2=5R4pLBzzimL0P5rLSfUQ0Q&cid=1448308232&ei=doHRSui8GJ_oMOKOrIwD&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fcanada%2Fstory%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fnatives-caledonia-talks009.html
http://cd989.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17820
'Deal' really just a framework for more discussion
Gov't: 'Full co-operation' of Six Nations needed
According to a spokesperson for Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada is waiting on Six Nations to complete its responsibilities before flowing funding to the band to help with land negotiations.
At a news conference held Thursday by the Six Nations Confederacy, the group accused Canada of slowing the process of the three-year negotiations by refusing to settle on a facilitator-mediator and not funding the natives at the table for the last six months.
The federal government weighed in on those accusations Friday, saying it's still trying to settle on someone for the important facilitator-mediator job.
"After careful consideration, a response will be forthcoming," promised Patricia Valladao, the senior communications advisor for the ministry.
Valladao declined to comment on the names of any potential candidates but promised the issue is being discussed.
As far as funding goes, the Confederacy said this week that no one working on the negotiation process has been paid for six months and the group has had to lay off three of its five-member staff.
But Valladao said funding requires "the full co-operation and best efforts of all parties."
She said funds would not be forthcoming until the government gets a First Nations work plan and budget.
"It's the Six Nations' responsibility to complete the work plan and budget before any funding can flow for negotiation purposes."
Canada has already provided negotiation funds to Six Nations through the three-year process.
Almost $2 million in federal money has been paid to the natives for negotiation with an equal amount provided by the Ontario government.
The funds stirred controversy in the native community when people learned of several hefty invoices submitted by those working on the negotiations.
The governments tend to maintain a hands-off attitude, leaving it up to the natives to decided how to spend negotiation funds.
Valladao said the governments are currently in discussion with Six Nations to establish this year's funding.
CORRECTION
A story in Friday's Expositor erroneously reported the Haudenosaunee Development Institute held a news conference Thursday when, in fact, it was the Six Nations Confederacy, of which the HDI is a department, that held the meeting.
Confederacy chief Blake Bomberry also was misidentified in the story. The Expositor regrets the error.
Well, the government caving to appoint a facilitator/mediator is significant.
More ...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_1_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHZxNtSM5D10XENOjPY0HHsse3m6w&sig2=sF5vqGZhWUwyLsKdHMwerg&cid=0&ei=doHRSui8GJ_oMOKOrIwD&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thespec.com%2FNews%2FLocal%2Farticle%2F649880
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHk6bqdBVmwmPC_dEConCVx27v16g&sig2=5R4pLBzzimL0P5rLSfUQ0Q&cid=1448308232&ei=doHRSui8GJ_oMOKOrIwD&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fcanada%2Fstory%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fnatives-caledonia-talks009.html
http://cd989.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17820
Friday, October 09, 2009
Peru Indigenous vs Amazon OIL selloff
grannynote:
It may not be happening here, but the issues are exactly the same for Indigenous Peoples throughout Canada and the world: Governments seek to maximize corporate profits via FREE extraction of natural resources, violating the rights of the Indigenous Peoples on their traditional lands everywhere, and putting lives in jeopardy via conflict and environmental destruction.
If two thirds of the Amazon jungle, the 'lungs' of the world, is to be denuded, made toxic and destroyed, HOW ARE THE REST OF US GOING TO BREATHE?
Peru Indian tribes join forces to fight off Amazon sale to oil companies
October 9, 2009
Achuar elders in Washintsa, Peru.
The Government plans to auction off 75 per cent of the Amazon to [oil] companies
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6867053.ece
Ramita Navai in Washintsa, Peru
They emerged from the thick, green jungle clenching their spears: a long file of barefoot chiefs and elders, their faces painted with their tribal markings and crowns of red, blue and yellow parrot feathers.
They had been summoned by the chief of Washintsa village for a meeting to discuss an oil company’s efforts to buy the rights to their land. Most had travelled for hours, padding silently through the dark undergrowth.
They came from Achuar Indian communities scattered along the Pastaza River, one of the most remote parts of the Peruvian Amazon near the border with Ecuador.
These men are part of a growing resistance movement crystallising deep in the jungles of Peru. For the first time isolated indigenous groups are uniting to fight the Government’s plans to auction off 75 per cent of the Amazon — which accounts for nearly two thirds of the country’s territory — to oil, gas and mining companies.
They oppose 11 decrees issued by President García, under special legislative powers granted to him by the Peruvian Congress, to enact a free trade agreement with the US. These would allow companies to bypass indigenous communities to obtain permits for exploration and extraction of natural resources, logging and the building of hydroelectric dams.
Indigenous leaders say that the laws will affect more than 50 Amazonian nations representing hundreds of thousands of Indians.
One by one the men step forward and deliver angry, defiant messages. “If an oil company tries to come here, we will block its path and block the rivers. We will not let them in and we will take strong action,” Jempe Wasum Kukush, a local leader, said. Another, Tayajin Shuwi Peas, warns: “We are not scared and we will fight to the death over this.”
Some groups have already begun the battle. Protests have turned deadly, with scores of clashes and rallies erupting across the country this year. Oil operations and airports were besieged and shut down, culminating in a mass demonstration of more than 3,000 Indians, mainly from the Awajun tribe, blockading a road in the sweltering jungle town of Bagua in June. More than 30 people were killed, including 20 policemen, after special forces, airlifted to the scene, opened fire on the protesters.
Fearing more violence and faced with public outrage, the Government was forced to revoke two of the most contentious decrees. The Prime Minster resigned and President García also admitted to a series of errors in the handling of the incident.
The Government has also called the protesters extremists and terrorists, and has charged an indigenous leader, who has since fled to Nicaragua, with sedition and rebellion. More than 100 men face criminal charges and many of them live in hiding.
Francisco Shikiu Ukuncham was shot through the back and saw three of his friends killed. He says that the fighting has served to strengthen ties between tribes. “All we want is for our home, the jungle, to be respected. We were demonstrating peacefully and they shot at us like we were dogs,” he said. “But the Government doesn’t listen to us. And if it doesn’t listen, the situation is going to get worse.”
Some of the tribes communicate with each other via a web of radios. The network has enabled disparate indigenous groups — often located hundreds of miles apart — to form alliances, co-ordinate protests and exchange information.
According to Ambrosio Uwak, the president of an indigenous rights organisation and one of the leaders of the movement, his group can mobilise more than 15,000 people through the radio system. “We want every single one of these decrees revoked. But if not, we won’t hesitate to call on our people to rise up again,” he said.
Unreported World, Peru: Blood and Oil. Friday, October 9. 7.30pm. Channel 4
grannynote:
It may not be happening here, but the issues are exactly the same for Indigenous Peoples throughout Canada and the world: Governments seek to maximize corporate profits via FREE extraction of natural resources, violating the rights of the Indigenous Peoples on their traditional lands everywhere, and putting lives in jeopardy via conflict and environmental destruction.
If two thirds of the Amazon jungle, the 'lungs' of the world, is to be denuded, made toxic and destroyed, HOW ARE THE REST OF US GOING TO BREATHE?
Peru Indian tribes join forces to fight off Amazon sale to oil companies
October 9, 2009
Achuar elders in Washintsa, Peru.
The Government plans to auction off 75 per cent of the Amazon to [oil] companies
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6867053.ece
Ramita Navai in Washintsa, Peru
They emerged from the thick, green jungle clenching their spears: a long file of barefoot chiefs and elders, their faces painted with their tribal markings and crowns of red, blue and yellow parrot feathers.
They had been summoned by the chief of Washintsa village for a meeting to discuss an oil company’s efforts to buy the rights to their land. Most had travelled for hours, padding silently through the dark undergrowth.
They came from Achuar Indian communities scattered along the Pastaza River, one of the most remote parts of the Peruvian Amazon near the border with Ecuador.
These men are part of a growing resistance movement crystallising deep in the jungles of Peru. For the first time isolated indigenous groups are uniting to fight the Government’s plans to auction off 75 per cent of the Amazon — which accounts for nearly two thirds of the country’s territory — to oil, gas and mining companies.
They oppose 11 decrees issued by President García, under special legislative powers granted to him by the Peruvian Congress, to enact a free trade agreement with the US. These would allow companies to bypass indigenous communities to obtain permits for exploration and extraction of natural resources, logging and the building of hydroelectric dams.
Indigenous leaders say that the laws will affect more than 50 Amazonian nations representing hundreds of thousands of Indians.
One by one the men step forward and deliver angry, defiant messages. “If an oil company tries to come here, we will block its path and block the rivers. We will not let them in and we will take strong action,” Jempe Wasum Kukush, a local leader, said. Another, Tayajin Shuwi Peas, warns: “We are not scared and we will fight to the death over this.”
Some groups have already begun the battle. Protests have turned deadly, with scores of clashes and rallies erupting across the country this year. Oil operations and airports were besieged and shut down, culminating in a mass demonstration of more than 3,000 Indians, mainly from the Awajun tribe, blockading a road in the sweltering jungle town of Bagua in June. More than 30 people were killed, including 20 policemen, after special forces, airlifted to the scene, opened fire on the protesters.
Fearing more violence and faced with public outrage, the Government was forced to revoke two of the most contentious decrees. The Prime Minster resigned and President García also admitted to a series of errors in the handling of the incident.
The Government has also called the protesters extremists and terrorists, and has charged an indigenous leader, who has since fled to Nicaragua, with sedition and rebellion. More than 100 men face criminal charges and many of them live in hiding.
Francisco Shikiu Ukuncham was shot through the back and saw three of his friends killed. He says that the fighting has served to strengthen ties between tribes. “All we want is for our home, the jungle, to be respected. We were demonstrating peacefully and they shot at us like we were dogs,” he said. “But the Government doesn’t listen to us. And if it doesn’t listen, the situation is going to get worse.”
Some of the tribes communicate with each other via a web of radios. The network has enabled disparate indigenous groups — often located hundreds of miles apart — to form alliances, co-ordinate protests and exchange information.
According to Ambrosio Uwak, the president of an indigenous rights organisation and one of the leaders of the movement, his group can mobilise more than 15,000 people through the radio system. “We want every single one of these decrees revoked. But if not, we won’t hesitate to call on our people to rise up again,” he said.
Unreported World, Peru: Blood and Oil. Friday, October 9. 7.30pm. Channel 4
CANADA STALLING on mediation: Six Nations
Natives accuse Ottawa of foot dragging
Won't agree to land-claims mediation: Six Nations
http://www.thespec.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/650491
October 09, 2009
Daniel Nolan
CALEDONIA - The Six Nations Confederacy is accusing Canada of stopping progress in talks to settle land claims because it won’t agree to mediation.
The Confederacy, appointed by the elected-band council in 2006 to conduct negotiations with Ottawa and Ontario, also says commitments by Canada to help fund Six Nations in order to create an “equal bargaining field” has not been forthcoming and it has had to lay off staff and rely on “the goodwill of our people to attempt to maintain a presence at the negotiation table.”
The statements were made by Confederacy representatives today at the conclusion of the latest round of land claim talks, which first began in May 2006 to try to resolve a dispute over the occupation by natives of a Caledonia housing project. It blossomed into other land claims, and saw Ottawa make two offers - $125 million and $26 million - to resolve different claims, but no agreements have been reached.
In the meantime, natives have halted development projects in Brantford and Hagersville because they say they’re being built on unsurrendered Six Nations land.
Ontario supports the idea of bringing in a mediator, but Confederacy spokesman Aaron Detlor said Canada has consistently blocked it. Names of judges have been proposed with no response, he said, and lately the name of Dr. Peggy Blair has been suggested. She is a leading lawyer in aboriginal affairs and completed negotiation skills training at Harvard Law in 1993.
“We need the assistance of a mediator-facilitator,” he said. “We have a fundamental disagreement about one party showing up at negotiations and saying ‘Here is the agreement. Take it or leave it.’ That’s not negotiating. They show up and say, ‘Here’s how we’re going to negotiate a settlement. You’re going to take what we’re going to offer and not ask any questions about it.”
Federal officials left before reporters could speak to them and could not be reached for comment later. A spokesperson for federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl could not be reached for comment.
On the issue of financing, Detlor said the Six Nations team has been without any funding for the last six months. He said it has had to let go three people, such as a researcher, and plans to cut two more. They have suggested $1.2 million is adequate to help them with the ongoing negotiations.
“It diminishes (our ability to negotiate) significantly,” Detlor said about the cash shortage. “Ontario has seven or eight people and the feds have seven or eight people. We don’t have the same back office support they have of hundreds of people. We have five people.”
“It’s simply not fair to ask people to put their lives on hold in good-faith negotiations without any ability to feed their families.”
Detlor said talks have not broken off and the three sides are set to meet again next month.
“We’re committed to continuing talks and we’re hoping the federal Crown will see the light of day,” he added.
He wouldn’t say frustration by land claims supporters will lead to more demonstrations, but noted: “Significant business interest in this part of Ontario is on hold until we get a mediator-facilitator. People are not going to come here and invest in this area if we cannot get a simple agreement on a mediator-facilitator.”
'We keep getting blocked'
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2096313
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute went public with its complaints against the province and the federal government on Thursday, accusing them of delaying negotiations over land claims.
In a hastily arranged news conference after the latest table talk among the institute, Canada and Ontario, three HDI spokesmen announced the governments are balking at all their suggestions for a mediator-facilitator who could help move the process along and are refusing to assist with funding for natives who are engaged in the process.
"We have been working at getting a mediator-facilitator for four months," said spokesman Aaron Detlor, who is also a lawyer. "We keep getting blocked time and time again."
Detlor said the HDI has suggested various names, including Canadian judges, and has been open to input from the governments about who could be brought in to offer impartial advice on moving forward.
The terms of reference for a mediator-facilitator have already been agreed upon, so it's just a matter of selecting a person.
"We've tried to make a process where everyone can be satisfied and we get forced back by a federal crown with a message that's basically 'Our way or the highway'"
Additionally, no one working on the negotiation process has been paid for the last six months and Detlor said the HDI has had to lay off three of its five-member administrative staff , including a researcher, assistant and co-ordinator.
"It diminishes us."
Detlor said each of the governments shows up at the talks with seven or eight highly paid negotiators.
The lawyer also said the HDI is not halting the talks, but is hopeful people will demand their politicians push for more movement.
HDI's Mike Bomberry read a prepared statement saying the natives have lost good faith in the negotiation because of the approach Canada and Ontario have chosen to take, creating an "unfair bargaining field."
With no administrative funding support from Canada, the natives have relied on volunteer assistance at the negotiation table and have had to lay off staff .
"(We) may now be forced to shut down offices at the Oneida Business Park since it cannot aff ord the rent," said Bomberry.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid, reached at the legislature in Toronto, said his instructions to negotiators have been to be as flexible as possible.
"We're enthusiastic supporters of bringing in a facilitator to try and trigger more progress in the talks," Duguid said.
"We continue to support the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations people and urge the federal government to show as much flexibility as possible to reach a consensus on who that should be."
The minister said he hasn't seen the names suggested as a facilitator, but he sees no reason why a suitable candidate can't be swiftly found.
Representatives from the federal and provincial government did not remain at the Oneida Business Park after talks today to offer comment.
In related negotiations, Brantford was back in court last week regarding its injunction against native protesters and was rewarded with a clarification from Justice Harrison Arrell that says the native protesters are prohibited from stopping work at the 10 development sites named in the original injunction.
The clarification seems aimed at the protests of Floyd and Ruby Montour who recently stopped work on Erie Avenue, along with a handful of supporters.
Meanwhile, Brantford police are investigating comments made on an Internet discussion board about the protesters.
One poster suggested the native protest could be stopped through a violent act and the Montours were asked to discuss their safety with police.
Copyright © 2009 Brantford Expositor
Natives accuse Ottawa of foot dragging
Won't agree to land-claims mediation: Six Nations
http://www.thespec.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/650491
October 09, 2009
Daniel Nolan
CALEDONIA - The Six Nations Confederacy is accusing Canada of stopping progress in talks to settle land claims because it won’t agree to mediation.
The Confederacy, appointed by the elected-band council in 2006 to conduct negotiations with Ottawa and Ontario, also says commitments by Canada to help fund Six Nations in order to create an “equal bargaining field” has not been forthcoming and it has had to lay off staff and rely on “the goodwill of our people to attempt to maintain a presence at the negotiation table.”
The statements were made by Confederacy representatives today at the conclusion of the latest round of land claim talks, which first began in May 2006 to try to resolve a dispute over the occupation by natives of a Caledonia housing project. It blossomed into other land claims, and saw Ottawa make two offers - $125 million and $26 million - to resolve different claims, but no agreements have been reached.
In the meantime, natives have halted development projects in Brantford and Hagersville because they say they’re being built on unsurrendered Six Nations land.
Ontario supports the idea of bringing in a mediator, but Confederacy spokesman Aaron Detlor said Canada has consistently blocked it. Names of judges have been proposed with no response, he said, and lately the name of Dr. Peggy Blair has been suggested. She is a leading lawyer in aboriginal affairs and completed negotiation skills training at Harvard Law in 1993.
“We need the assistance of a mediator-facilitator,” he said. “We have a fundamental disagreement about one party showing up at negotiations and saying ‘Here is the agreement. Take it or leave it.’ That’s not negotiating. They show up and say, ‘Here’s how we’re going to negotiate a settlement. You’re going to take what we’re going to offer and not ask any questions about it.”
Federal officials left before reporters could speak to them and could not be reached for comment later. A spokesperson for federal Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl could not be reached for comment.
On the issue of financing, Detlor said the Six Nations team has been without any funding for the last six months. He said it has had to let go three people, such as a researcher, and plans to cut two more. They have suggested $1.2 million is adequate to help them with the ongoing negotiations.
“It diminishes (our ability to negotiate) significantly,” Detlor said about the cash shortage. “Ontario has seven or eight people and the feds have seven or eight people. We don’t have the same back office support they have of hundreds of people. We have five people.”
“It’s simply not fair to ask people to put their lives on hold in good-faith negotiations without any ability to feed their families.”
Detlor said talks have not broken off and the three sides are set to meet again next month.
“We’re committed to continuing talks and we’re hoping the federal Crown will see the light of day,” he added.
He wouldn’t say frustration by land claims supporters will lead to more demonstrations, but noted: “Significant business interest in this part of Ontario is on hold until we get a mediator-facilitator. People are not going to come here and invest in this area if we cannot get a simple agreement on a mediator-facilitator.”
'We keep getting blocked'
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2096313
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute went public with its complaints against the province and the federal government on Thursday, accusing them of delaying negotiations over land claims.
In a hastily arranged news conference after the latest table talk among the institute, Canada and Ontario, three HDI spokesmen announced the governments are balking at all their suggestions for a mediator-facilitator who could help move the process along and are refusing to assist with funding for natives who are engaged in the process.
"We have been working at getting a mediator-facilitator for four months," said spokesman Aaron Detlor, who is also a lawyer. "We keep getting blocked time and time again."
Detlor said the HDI has suggested various names, including Canadian judges, and has been open to input from the governments about who could be brought in to offer impartial advice on moving forward.
The terms of reference for a mediator-facilitator have already been agreed upon, so it's just a matter of selecting a person.
"We've tried to make a process where everyone can be satisfied and we get forced back by a federal crown with a message that's basically 'Our way or the highway'"
Additionally, no one working on the negotiation process has been paid for the last six months and Detlor said the HDI has had to lay off three of its five-member administrative staff , including a researcher, assistant and co-ordinator.
"It diminishes us."
Detlor said each of the governments shows up at the talks with seven or eight highly paid negotiators.
The lawyer also said the HDI is not halting the talks, but is hopeful people will demand their politicians push for more movement.
HDI's Mike Bomberry read a prepared statement saying the natives have lost good faith in the negotiation because of the approach Canada and Ontario have chosen to take, creating an "unfair bargaining field."
With no administrative funding support from Canada, the natives have relied on volunteer assistance at the negotiation table and have had to lay off staff .
"(We) may now be forced to shut down offices at the Oneida Business Park since it cannot aff ord the rent," said Bomberry.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid, reached at the legislature in Toronto, said his instructions to negotiators have been to be as flexible as possible.
"We're enthusiastic supporters of bringing in a facilitator to try and trigger more progress in the talks," Duguid said.
"We continue to support the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations people and urge the federal government to show as much flexibility as possible to reach a consensus on who that should be."
The minister said he hasn't seen the names suggested as a facilitator, but he sees no reason why a suitable candidate can't be swiftly found.
Representatives from the federal and provincial government did not remain at the Oneida Business Park after talks today to offer comment.
In related negotiations, Brantford was back in court last week regarding its injunction against native protesters and was rewarded with a clarification from Justice Harrison Arrell that says the native protesters are prohibited from stopping work at the 10 development sites named in the original injunction.
The clarification seems aimed at the protests of Floyd and Ruby Montour who recently stopped work on Erie Avenue, along with a handful of supporters.
Meanwhile, Brantford police are investigating comments made on an Internet discussion board about the protesters.
One poster suggested the native protest could be stopped through a violent act and the Montours were asked to discuss their safety with police.
Copyright © 2009 Brantford Expositor
EDWARDS LANDFILL, Cayuga -
Another Site 41?
Landfill in southern Ontario starts legal battle
October 6, 2009
by Geordie Gwalgen Dent
The Dominion -
2008 blockade at Edwards site. Photo: Jim Windle
TORONTO—After years of blockades and campaigning, another battle to protect wetlands and water in southern Ontario is going to court.
Cayuga is a small community on Six Nations territory south of Hamilton. For five years, protesters, First Nations and Cayuga residents have been trying to stop the development of a landfill by SF Partnership Chartered Accountants and Haldimand Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc. On October 2, preliminary hearings to stop the site's development occurred.
“There have been blockades to stop trucks coming in twice,” most recently in late 2008, says Jody Orr, co-chair of Haldimand Against Landfill Transfer (HALT). “What happened in 2007 was an attempt to bring garbage in and some members of the Haudenosaunee and our group stopped it. Since then, there has been little activity on the site. We keep a watch on it.”
Blockades and legal battles around dump sites and development have been numerous this summer in Southern Ontario. Site 41 in Simcoe County was slated to have a dump site built on top of it for garbage from the surrounding area. Unfortunately for residents in the area, it would also be on an aquifer containing the “purest water in the world.” Protesters and members of the Council Of Canadians filed an injunction claiming the site was operating illegally in July of 2009 and on September 22 Simcoe County councilors voted to stop construction and development of the site.
Just a few weeks earlier, development at the Hanlon Creek Business Park (HCBP) in Guelph was halted for 30 days by a court injunction. The site had been occupied beginning in July by Guelph and Six Nations protesters. Recently, the City of Guelph voted to halt construction until July 2010.
Both situations mirror developments at the Edwards landfill site in Cayuga.
The Edwards site is within the Haldimand Tract, land granted to Six Nations in 1784. The site was opened in 1959 as an industrial and commercial landfill and has maintained sporadic activity as a dump site since.
Serious contamination of the site occurred between the late 1960s and late 1980s when the St. Lawrence Resin Products Plant was dumping industrial waste there. Thousands of tons of toxic chemicals have been found in the site including toluene, ethylstyrene, xylene, ehtylbenzene, ethyltoluene, methylstyrene, cymene and divinyl benzene.
When the site was opened again as a landfill in 2004, HALT was formed by Cayuga residents hoping to stop continued contamination from the use of the site. “We had tried different steps and had gone through a legal process, and despite that the trucks were still coming in,” says Ann Vallentin, another co-chair of HALT.
In 2007 blockades against trucks associated with Haldimand Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc, the company owning the site, began.
“We didn't see another route to go at that point, says Vallentin. “We were not exited but it was a last-resort effort at that point. The blockade was done by Six Nations members and activists at the road at the time.” Eventually an injunction was put against anyone trying to stop the trucks.
The blockades were successful, at least temporarily. The company, having spent a considerable amount of money on site preparation, was unable to deliver garbage. Shortly before, it had gone into bankruptcy and was put into receivership. Receiver Brahm Rosen, of SF Partnership Chartered Accountants in Toronto, has been trying to “operate the landfill and sell it as is our mandate...as receiver.”
“But we can't do it," said Rosen, speaking in the Hamilton Spectator. Rosen was unable to contact this author by deadline.
Similar to Site 41 and HCBP, a collaboration between First Nations and white activists has been key to the success of stopping the Edwards site from further use.
According to Orr, “In HALT, there are people that do not agree with what is happening with a number of issues (such as land claims). Some will be supportive, but not others. On this issue, everyone sees a reason to come together. I don't want to leave my grandkids this kind of legacy. I think that the involvement of the Haudenosaunee was critical in stopping garbage. If it had not been for their decision, I'm not sure what the outcome would have been.”
In 2007, Six Nations spokesperson Ruby Montour said the Haudenosaunee Development Institute had not been informed about revival of the dumpsite and told the Hamilton Spectator: "This is Haudenosaunee land and it's not for garbage. Why should the people who live around there have to fear that?"
The Hoskanigetah of the Grand River, a group within the Haudenosaunee, have made repeated announcements that they will not allow the “reactivation of the Edwards Landfill” promising to “undertake the supervision of our own Environmental Review of contamination.”
Wilf Ruland, a professional geoscientist, says serious contamination at the site exists. Conducting a “Review of 2006 Monitoring Report for Edwards Landfill,” Ruland found that “the existing hazardous wastes on the Edwards Landfill property pose an ongoing threat to both groundwater and surface water quality for as long as they remain on the property.“
The Hoskanigetah have outlined concerns regarding premature births, miscarriages and deformities, pointing out that “the integrity of the same liner used at Edwards Landfill has been breached at other sites including [in] the US, where it has been used.”
In an email, Jennifer Hall, Regional Communications Advisor for the Ministry of the Environment, stated that “the newly constructed landfill cell meets the stringent requirements of Ontario’s landfill design standards.”
HALT disagrees and is now taking the receiver to court, seeking an injunction to stop the development of the site.
“When the receiver got an injunction against the protesters, the CoA [certificate of approval] from the Ministry of Environment had a number of provisions that had been violated,” says Orr. HALT then filed a counter-injunction which stopped work on the site and mandated that protesters would be notified of subsequent work.
“In 2008, a number of conditions still had not been met. The Ministry of Environment was allowing things to go ahead without proper approval. There’s a lack of detail on the decontaminating plan for a very toxic site.”
Like the Hoskanigetah, Orr and HALT have concerns about the integrity of the liner and charge that there is no monitoring of the quality of water and no annual report on environmental plans, as mandated by the certificate of approval. “We’re seeking in court, for prosecution, that this site is operating illegally,” says Orr.
According to Hall, “There were some minor items of non-compliance regarding preparation of the site to receive waste that have since been resolved. The ministry is satisfied that the receiver is in compliance with their CoA and the court order.
“The CoA requires the site owner to monitor ground and surface water on the site for impacts caused by the landfill site. The ministry is confident that the terms and conditions of the CoA will protect groundwater and surface water.“
Though the legal process to stop the site is in its early stages, neither Orr nor Vallentin are optimistic that the site will be permanently closed any time soon.
“Will [the legal work] be effective? I don't know,” says Vallentin. “We were told by people when we started that it was going to happen so there was no reason to try to stop it. But we felt that if it was bad then we have a duty to try to do what we can do. Typically in situations like this companies will keep trying until they wear out people on the ground. Site 41 took 25 years, I hope it wont be the same thing here.”
_____
Geordie Gwalgen Dent is a contributing member of the Toronto Media Co-op.
A version of this article was originally published by the Toronto Media Co-op.
----------------------------
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 3:40 PM
...........
From: Niki Thorne
Hi friends and allies,
We've gotten word that garbage will be brought to the Edwards Landfill
site in Cayuga on Wednesday. Letters from the Hoskanigetah, the
Confederacy Council and Band Council will be presented to the OPP
today in an attempt to diffuse the situation, however, there is every
likelihood that the Hoskanigetah will have to take direct action to
prevent the reopening of Edwards on Wednesday (tomorrow).
There is evidence of toxic waste having been illegally dumped at
Edwards (as well as other sites around the region) from the now
defunct Saint Lawrence resin plant. Additionally, Edwards is located
in an environmentally sensitive wetlands area. Not only is it
damaging to the land, there have been some very alarming indications
for human health.
Allies are invited to participate in this action, under the leadership
of the Hoskanigetah. It is of utmost importance to respect the
Hoskanigetah's leadership in this action to reduce the likelihood of
arrests or police violence, and in terms of media strategy for public
opinion.
Contact Wes Elliot by text for specifics on the action (519 757 5427).
Allies are especially encouraged to organize among themselves to come
down with cars and video equipment.
In Solidarity,
--------------
~~Niki, for CUPE 3903's First Nations Solidarity Working Group
For more information about Edwards:
http://6nsolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/concerns-over-possible-reopening-of-toxic-edwards-landfill/
http://6nsolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/a-message-from-the-hoskanigetah-mens-fire-of-six-nations/
_______________________________________________
six_nations_info mailing list
six_nations_info@masses.tao.ca
Another Site 41?
UPDATE ACTION ALERT
October 7, 2009
Hey folks,
Just to let you know that one dumptruck has made it past the lines at
Edwards, and more are expected to be on their way. There are about 15
non-native supporters at the site, but more folks are needed. For
details about how to get there you can send a text to Niki at 905 921
2893 or Katie at 416 653 2580. From what I just heard from Katie, the
police are threatening arrests if anyone blocks the trucks.
At the same time as all of this is happening, there are Six Nations folks at
the Erie Ave site trying to stop construction there as well...
mailing list six_nations_info@masses.tao.ca
Landfill in southern Ontario starts legal battle
October 6, 2009
by Geordie Gwalgen Dent
The Dominion -
2008 blockade at Edwards site. Photo: Jim Windle
TORONTO—After years of blockades and campaigning, another battle to protect wetlands and water in southern Ontario is going to court.
Cayuga is a small community on Six Nations territory south of Hamilton. For five years, protesters, First Nations and Cayuga residents have been trying to stop the development of a landfill by SF Partnership Chartered Accountants and Haldimand Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc. On October 2, preliminary hearings to stop the site's development occurred.
“There have been blockades to stop trucks coming in twice,” most recently in late 2008, says Jody Orr, co-chair of Haldimand Against Landfill Transfer (HALT). “What happened in 2007 was an attempt to bring garbage in and some members of the Haudenosaunee and our group stopped it. Since then, there has been little activity on the site. We keep a watch on it.”
Blockades and legal battles around dump sites and development have been numerous this summer in Southern Ontario. Site 41 in Simcoe County was slated to have a dump site built on top of it for garbage from the surrounding area. Unfortunately for residents in the area, it would also be on an aquifer containing the “purest water in the world.” Protesters and members of the Council Of Canadians filed an injunction claiming the site was operating illegally in July of 2009 and on September 22 Simcoe County councilors voted to stop construction and development of the site.
Just a few weeks earlier, development at the Hanlon Creek Business Park (HCBP) in Guelph was halted for 30 days by a court injunction. The site had been occupied beginning in July by Guelph and Six Nations protesters. Recently, the City of Guelph voted to halt construction until July 2010.
Both situations mirror developments at the Edwards landfill site in Cayuga.
The Edwards site is within the Haldimand Tract, land granted to Six Nations in 1784. The site was opened in 1959 as an industrial and commercial landfill and has maintained sporadic activity as a dump site since.
Serious contamination of the site occurred between the late 1960s and late 1980s when the St. Lawrence Resin Products Plant was dumping industrial waste there. Thousands of tons of toxic chemicals have been found in the site including toluene, ethylstyrene, xylene, ehtylbenzene, ethyltoluene, methylstyrene, cymene and divinyl benzene.
When the site was opened again as a landfill in 2004, HALT was formed by Cayuga residents hoping to stop continued contamination from the use of the site. “We had tried different steps and had gone through a legal process, and despite that the trucks were still coming in,” says Ann Vallentin, another co-chair of HALT.
In 2007 blockades against trucks associated with Haldimand Norfolk Sanitary Landfill Inc, the company owning the site, began.
“We didn't see another route to go at that point, says Vallentin. “We were not exited but it was a last-resort effort at that point. The blockade was done by Six Nations members and activists at the road at the time.” Eventually an injunction was put against anyone trying to stop the trucks.
The blockades were successful, at least temporarily. The company, having spent a considerable amount of money on site preparation, was unable to deliver garbage. Shortly before, it had gone into bankruptcy and was put into receivership. Receiver Brahm Rosen, of SF Partnership Chartered Accountants in Toronto, has been trying to “operate the landfill and sell it as is our mandate...as receiver.”
“But we can't do it," said Rosen, speaking in the Hamilton Spectator. Rosen was unable to contact this author by deadline.
Similar to Site 41 and HCBP, a collaboration between First Nations and white activists has been key to the success of stopping the Edwards site from further use.
According to Orr, “In HALT, there are people that do not agree with what is happening with a number of issues (such as land claims). Some will be supportive, but not others. On this issue, everyone sees a reason to come together. I don't want to leave my grandkids this kind of legacy. I think that the involvement of the Haudenosaunee was critical in stopping garbage. If it had not been for their decision, I'm not sure what the outcome would have been.”
In 2007, Six Nations spokesperson Ruby Montour said the Haudenosaunee Development Institute had not been informed about revival of the dumpsite and told the Hamilton Spectator: "This is Haudenosaunee land and it's not for garbage. Why should the people who live around there have to fear that?"
The Hoskanigetah of the Grand River, a group within the Haudenosaunee, have made repeated announcements that they will not allow the “reactivation of the Edwards Landfill” promising to “undertake the supervision of our own Environmental Review of contamination.”
Wilf Ruland, a professional geoscientist, says serious contamination at the site exists. Conducting a “Review of 2006 Monitoring Report for Edwards Landfill,” Ruland found that “the existing hazardous wastes on the Edwards Landfill property pose an ongoing threat to both groundwater and surface water quality for as long as they remain on the property.“
The Hoskanigetah have outlined concerns regarding premature births, miscarriages and deformities, pointing out that “the integrity of the same liner used at Edwards Landfill has been breached at other sites including [in] the US, where it has been used.”
In an email, Jennifer Hall, Regional Communications Advisor for the Ministry of the Environment, stated that “the newly constructed landfill cell meets the stringent requirements of Ontario’s landfill design standards.”
HALT disagrees and is now taking the receiver to court, seeking an injunction to stop the development of the site.
“When the receiver got an injunction against the protesters, the CoA [certificate of approval] from the Ministry of Environment had a number of provisions that had been violated,” says Orr. HALT then filed a counter-injunction which stopped work on the site and mandated that protesters would be notified of subsequent work.
“In 2008, a number of conditions still had not been met. The Ministry of Environment was allowing things to go ahead without proper approval. There’s a lack of detail on the decontaminating plan for a very toxic site.”
Like the Hoskanigetah, Orr and HALT have concerns about the integrity of the liner and charge that there is no monitoring of the quality of water and no annual report on environmental plans, as mandated by the certificate of approval. “We’re seeking in court, for prosecution, that this site is operating illegally,” says Orr.
According to Hall, “There were some minor items of non-compliance regarding preparation of the site to receive waste that have since been resolved. The ministry is satisfied that the receiver is in compliance with their CoA and the court order.
“The CoA requires the site owner to monitor ground and surface water on the site for impacts caused by the landfill site. The ministry is confident that the terms and conditions of the CoA will protect groundwater and surface water.“
Though the legal process to stop the site is in its early stages, neither Orr nor Vallentin are optimistic that the site will be permanently closed any time soon.
“Will [the legal work] be effective? I don't know,” says Vallentin. “We were told by people when we started that it was going to happen so there was no reason to try to stop it. But we felt that if it was bad then we have a duty to try to do what we can do. Typically in situations like this companies will keep trying until they wear out people on the ground. Site 41 took 25 years, I hope it wont be the same thing here.”
_____
Geordie Gwalgen Dent is a contributing member of the Toronto Media Co-op.
A version of this article was originally published by the Toronto Media Co-op.
----------------------------
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 3:40 PM
...........
From: Niki Thorne
Hi friends and allies,
We've gotten word that garbage will be brought to the Edwards Landfill
site in Cayuga on Wednesday. Letters from the Hoskanigetah, the
Confederacy Council and Band Council will be presented to the OPP
today in an attempt to diffuse the situation, however, there is every
likelihood that the Hoskanigetah will have to take direct action to
prevent the reopening of Edwards on Wednesday (tomorrow).
There is evidence of toxic waste having been illegally dumped at
Edwards (as well as other sites around the region) from the now
defunct Saint Lawrence resin plant. Additionally, Edwards is located
in an environmentally sensitive wetlands area. Not only is it
damaging to the land, there have been some very alarming indications
for human health.
Allies are invited to participate in this action, under the leadership
of the Hoskanigetah. It is of utmost importance to respect the
Hoskanigetah's leadership in this action to reduce the likelihood of
arrests or police violence, and in terms of media strategy for public
opinion.
Contact Wes Elliot by text for specifics on the action (519 757 5427).
Allies are especially encouraged to organize among themselves to come
down with cars and video equipment.
In Solidarity,
--------------
~~Niki, for CUPE 3903's First Nations Solidarity Working Group
For more information about Edwards:
http://6nsolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/concerns-over-possible-reopening-of-toxic-edwards-landfill/
http://6nsolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/a-message-from-the-hoskanigetah-mens-fire-of-six-nations/
_______________________________________________
six_nations_info mailing list
six_nations_info@masses.tao.ca
Thursday, October 08, 2009
/
/
imagineNATIVE: SIX MILES DEEP
Related News:
SIX NATIONS TO UPDATE LAND TALKS
More than three years since Caledonia occupation
October 08, 2009
Meredith MacLeod
Six Nations traditional chiefs will give an update today on the state of the land rights negotiations going on with the federal and provincial governments.
The Haudenosaunee Chiefs will speak to the media at 2 p.m. at the Oneida Business Park in Six Nations.
The parties have been at the table since 2006, when the occupation of a Caledonia subdivision under construction sparked a standoff.
Now, a number of developments in the disputed Haldimand Tract, a 10-kilometre ribbon on either side of the Grand River, have been put on hold.
/
imagineNATIVE: SIX MILES DEEP
_______________________________________________
The remarkable evolution of Indigenous cinema will be celebrated at the 10th imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, which runs in Toronto from Oct. 14 until Oct. 18.
The annual festival which showcases global aboriginal filmmakers and media artists this year features more than 125 works of Indigenous innovation in film, video, radio and new media.
Many of imagineNATIVE's premieres went on to win awards at festivals, such as Sundance and Berlin, and have even garnered Oscar nominations.
The celebration of imagineNATIVE's 10th anniversary offers an important occasion to reflect on the accomplishments of the last 10 years and the exciting opportunities ahead of us, says executive director Kerry Swanson. The films programmed this year, adds director of programming Michelle Latimer, speak to the contemporary experience and reflect the fact that today's Indigenous filmmakers are reclaiming the medium of film and transforming the world-view of Indigenous people by voicing our contemporary stories from the inside out.
...
In a world premiere, emerging filmmaker/writer/activist
Sarah Roque's SIX MILES DEEP offers an
uncompromising look at the brave women who stood
behind the lines during the 2006
Caledonia/Six Nationsland claim dispute.
This intimate portrayal celebrates clan mothers
from past to present, while giving voice to the hopes
and dreams of an entire community.
Related News:
SIX NATIONS TO UPDATE LAND TALKS
More than three years since Caledonia occupation
October 08, 2009
Meredith MacLeod
Six Nations traditional chiefs will give an update today on the state of the land rights negotiations going on with the federal and provincial governments.
The Haudenosaunee Chiefs will speak to the media at 2 p.m. at the Oneida Business Park in Six Nations.
The parties have been at the table since 2006, when the occupation of a Caledonia subdivision under construction sparked a standoff.
Now, a number of developments in the disputed Haldimand Tract, a 10-kilometre ribbon on either side of the Grand River, have been put on hold.
Friday, October 02, 2009
UN Indigenous Human Rights
UN Indigenous Human Rights, Sept 30, 2009 HRC Discusses rights of Indigenous peoples and HR Bodies and Mechanisms http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/un-indigenous-human-rights-sept-30-2009.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First Peoples Human Rights Coalition Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 9:08 AM Reply-To: info@firstpeoplesrights.org To: info@firstpeoplesrights.org From the UN Press Release below: KENNETH DEER, of Indigenous World Association, said that they were dismayed that indigenous representatives who had travelled here over the weekend had not been able to get on the list of the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur because non-governmental organizations with a permanent presence had taken much of the speaking time available. Whenever possible, indigenous delegates had to be given the opportunity to represent themselves. ... MANON BOISCLAIR (Canada) said that Canada would like to reiterate its support for the important role of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people. Canada further noted with appreciation Mr. Anaya's resolve to focus his work on the core issues in specific countries and specific situations of allegations of human rights violations. The Special Rapporteur also rightfully highlighted the importance of the coordination with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and asked whether the Special Rapporteur continued to pursue his efforts in this area? Canada indicated that it would be interested to know if the Special Rapporteur also envisioned coordination with other bodies which dealt with individual complaints. Canada appreciated the Special Rapporteur's efforts to take a balanced approach on the delicate issue of the duty of States to consult with indigenous peoples on matters affecting their particular interests, and would be grateful for any views or guidance the Special Rapporteur may have to offer for situations where, despite efforts, consultations had reached an impasse.(ie, where Indigenous communities in Canada have protested and blockaded and said "NO!" to planned developments like a uranium mine, sprawl development, etc) Phht!! Maybe CorporationCanada just needs to stop destroying the earth and its peoples for profit! There is no business to be done on a dead planet -David Brower
Dump opponents insist battle not over yet
Author: Nicole Million
Date: Sep 29, 2009
Steve Ogden fought for more than 20 years against the County of Simcoe’s proposed landfill at Site 41 in Tiny Township. Though council has voted to abandon the plan, Ogden said he won’t be celebrating until the certificate of approval allowing a dump on the site is revoked by the province.
Opponents of landfill Site 41 may have breathed a small sigh of relief, but they’re refusing to let their guard down just yet.
Longtime dump critic Steve Ogden said news of the 25-3 vote on Sept. 22 to abandon plans for the controversial dump is definitely good news, but he won’t celebrate until Simcoe County council votes to revoke the certificate of approval (C of A) issued by the province.
“I don’t believe it’s over and done with,” Ogden said, adding he’s concerned county council may come back in a different configuration after the fall 2010 municipal election and vote to revive the landfill.
“The C of A is still alive and well for that site, which means there could still be a dump in the future. Until such time that it’s revoked, I think we should be quite afraid.”
Ogden said he was confident leading up to the meeting that council would dump the dump for good, but he wasn’t surprised when they opted not to revoke the C of A.
“There’s more going on here than meets the eye,” he said.
Among Ogden’s concerns is the possibility the county will sell the property to a private company that will go ahead and build a landfill.
“If we put our guard down, we’re going to see something happen. I think we should be very cautious.”
Anne Ritchie-Nahuis echoed Ogden’s disappointment that council chose not to seek removal of the C of A.
“It’s with very cautious optimism that we move forward,” she said. “We know we need to remove the C of A, and we feel (that) is the only adequate means of stopping Site 41.”
Vicki Monague, a Christian Island resident and a leader of the Anishinabe Kweag protest, was less circumspect, telling The Mirror she was ecstatic with the vote.
“It was something that our group had been working towards ever since we started the protest camp. A lot of us feel that our objectives … have been met now,” she said. “We’re really happy and thankful county council passed that resolution.”
Both Ogden and Ritchie-Nahuis credited the overwhelming public pressure – including the First Nations camp near the site, daily protests and the support of big names like former U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader, environmentalist David Suzuki and Council of Canadian chairperson Maude Barlow – as the driving force behind putting a stop to the more than 20-year fight to stop the landfill.
“The fact that people mobilized and stood up, I think there was quite a great fear amongst the elected officials that they must do something or they would never be re-elected or be seen as credible,” said Ogden.
The concerns have always been there, added Ritchie-Nahuis, but the strong, science-based opposition to the site was bolstered this time by widespread public support.
“There’s always been strong opposition, (but) the protesters brought it to a new level and First Nations people have made a great commitment to protecting Mother Earth,” she said. “People all over the world do not appreciate wasteful use of water resources. We have a strong commitment to move forward and ensure our community’s water supply is protected.”
Penetanguishene Mayor Anita Dubeau, who initially voted to support the controversial landfill before changing her mind, said she is confident the landfill plan will not be revived.
“I believe Site 41 is dead, which I believe is a good thing,” she said. “Now it’s very prudent of the 32 members that sit on county council to consider options and where we go from here. North Simcoe’s garbage has been filling up other people’s landfills, and we appreciate the fact we’re allowed to do that, but we do have to look at solutions.”
Dubeau said she hopes those who were against the development of Site 41 will come forward with new ideas, but noted she believes withdrawing the C of A at this time is premature.
“Do I think that county council is ever going to sell that property and let a private developer put in a landfill? I would say that would be an absolute silly move on our part after what’s gone on,” she said. “Maybe there’s something else we can do with that property that’s not landfill, but may be related to waste management.”
Ray Millar, former chair of the community monitoring committee tasked with advising the landfill plan and representing citizens’ interests to the county, told The Mirror it was inevitable the landfill would never come to fruition. He said he was “very pleased” with the decision overall, but surprised with the numbers.
“I expected there to be more (votes against) the plan to discontinue it permanently,” he said. “The big challenge lies just ahead of us now, and that’s moving Simcoe County to a zero-waste approach. Rather than constantly looking for ways to manage our waste, it’s time we moved our efforts to reducing waste and eliminating it from our lexicon.”
Site 41 Chronology
1979: North Simcoe municipalities begin the search for a new landfill site.
1986: A 20.7-hectare (50-acre) parcel in Tiny Township is selected as the preferred site, based on 20 technical criteria. It is Site 41.
1989: Ministry of the Environment concurs with the local environmental assessment process that recommends Site 41.
1990: Provincial cabinet intervenes on site selection process.
1990: Issue referred to a joint board – a combination of the Ontario Municipal Board and the Environmental Review Tribunal. Board notes guidelines have changed and recommends further review.
1990-93: Additional sites are reviewed, but Site 41 remains the preferred choice.
May 1993: Joint Board hearing resumes, and lasts until November 1994.
1995: The Joint Board grants approval for the landfill site.
1995: The North Simcoe Waste Management Association disbands; Simcoe County takes over the development process.
1998: Ministry of the Environment issues a provisional certificate of approval; county begins to buy land.
1998-2003: Technical studies conducted as stipulated by the provisional C of A.
2003: Tiny Township and the community monitoring committee hire independent engineering and environmental consultants to review the county’s work.
Oct. 20, 2006: Ministry of the Environment issues final approval for Site 41 landfill.
June 26, 2007: County council approves initial site development.
Dec. 8, 2008: Ministry of the Environment issues permit to take water, allowing construction to start.
2009: Cell construction begins.
Aug. 25, 2009: County council votes in favour of a one-year moratorium.
Sept. 22, 2009: Council votes 25-3 to abandon its plans for the dump.
Steve Ogden fought for more than 20 years against the County of Simcoe’s proposed landfill at Site 41 in Tiny Township. Though council has voted to abandon the plan, Ogden said he won’t be celebrating until the certificate of approval allowing a dump on the site is revoked by the province.
Opponents of landfill Site 41 may have breathed a small sigh of relief, but they’re refusing to let their guard down just yet.
Longtime dump critic Steve Ogden said news of the 25-3 vote on Sept. 22 to abandon plans for the controversial dump is definitely good news, but he won’t celebrate until Simcoe County council votes to revoke the certificate of approval (C of A) issued by the province.
“I don’t believe it’s over and done with,” Ogden said, adding he’s concerned county council may come back in a different configuration after the fall 2010 municipal election and vote to revive the landfill.
“The C of A is still alive and well for that site, which means there could still be a dump in the future. Until such time that it’s revoked, I think we should be quite afraid.”
Ogden said he was confident leading up to the meeting that council would dump the dump for good, but he wasn’t surprised when they opted not to revoke the C of A.
“There’s more going on here than meets the eye,” he said.
Among Ogden’s concerns is the possibility the county will sell the property to a private company that will go ahead and build a landfill.
“If we put our guard down, we’re going to see something happen. I think we should be very cautious.”
Anne Ritchie-Nahuis echoed Ogden’s disappointment that council chose not to seek removal of the C of A.
“It’s with very cautious optimism that we move forward,” she said. “We know we need to remove the C of A, and we feel (that) is the only adequate means of stopping Site 41.”
Vicki Monague, a Christian Island resident and a leader of the Anishinabe Kweag protest, was less circumspect, telling The Mirror she was ecstatic with the vote.
“It was something that our group had been working towards ever since we started the protest camp. A lot of us feel that our objectives … have been met now,” she said. “We’re really happy and thankful county council passed that resolution.”
Both Ogden and Ritchie-Nahuis credited the overwhelming public pressure – including the First Nations camp near the site, daily protests and the support of big names like former U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader, environmentalist David Suzuki and Council of Canadian chairperson Maude Barlow – as the driving force behind putting a stop to the more than 20-year fight to stop the landfill.
“The fact that people mobilized and stood up, I think there was quite a great fear amongst the elected officials that they must do something or they would never be re-elected or be seen as credible,” said Ogden.
The concerns have always been there, added Ritchie-Nahuis, but the strong, science-based opposition to the site was bolstered this time by widespread public support.
“There’s always been strong opposition, (but) the protesters brought it to a new level and First Nations people have made a great commitment to protecting Mother Earth,” she said. “People all over the world do not appreciate wasteful use of water resources. We have a strong commitment to move forward and ensure our community’s water supply is protected.”
Penetanguishene Mayor Anita Dubeau, who initially voted to support the controversial landfill before changing her mind, said she is confident the landfill plan will not be revived.
“I believe Site 41 is dead, which I believe is a good thing,” she said. “Now it’s very prudent of the 32 members that sit on county council to consider options and where we go from here. North Simcoe’s garbage has been filling up other people’s landfills, and we appreciate the fact we’re allowed to do that, but we do have to look at solutions.”
Dubeau said she hopes those who were against the development of Site 41 will come forward with new ideas, but noted she believes withdrawing the C of A at this time is premature.
“Do I think that county council is ever going to sell that property and let a private developer put in a landfill? I would say that would be an absolute silly move on our part after what’s gone on,” she said. “Maybe there’s something else we can do with that property that’s not landfill, but may be related to waste management.”
Ray Millar, former chair of the community monitoring committee tasked with advising the landfill plan and representing citizens’ interests to the county, told The Mirror it was inevitable the landfill would never come to fruition. He said he was “very pleased” with the decision overall, but surprised with the numbers.
“I expected there to be more (votes against) the plan to discontinue it permanently,” he said. “The big challenge lies just ahead of us now, and that’s moving Simcoe County to a zero-waste approach. Rather than constantly looking for ways to manage our waste, it’s time we moved our efforts to reducing waste and eliminating it from our lexicon.”
Site 41 Chronology
1979: North Simcoe municipalities begin the search for a new landfill site.
1986: A 20.7-hectare (50-acre) parcel in Tiny Township is selected as the preferred site, based on 20 technical criteria. It is Site 41.
1989: Ministry of the Environment concurs with the local environmental assessment process that recommends Site 41.
1990: Provincial cabinet intervenes on site selection process.
1990: Issue referred to a joint board – a combination of the Ontario Municipal Board and the Environmental Review Tribunal. Board notes guidelines have changed and recommends further review.
1990-93: Additional sites are reviewed, but Site 41 remains the preferred choice.
May 1993: Joint Board hearing resumes, and lasts until November 1994.
1995: The Joint Board grants approval for the landfill site.
1995: The North Simcoe Waste Management Association disbands; Simcoe County takes over the development process.
1998: Ministry of the Environment issues a provisional certificate of approval; county begins to buy land.
1998-2003: Technical studies conducted as stipulated by the provisional C of A.
2003: Tiny Township and the community monitoring committee hire independent engineering and environmental consultants to review the county’s work.
Oct. 20, 2006: Ministry of the Environment issues final approval for Site 41 landfill.
June 26, 2007: County council approves initial site development.
Dec. 8, 2008: Ministry of the Environment issues permit to take water, allowing construction to start.
2009: Cell construction begins.
Aug. 25, 2009: County council votes in favour of a one-year moratorium.
Sept. 22, 2009: Council votes 25-3 to abandon its plans for the dump.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Kapyong transfer invalid, court rules
First Nations see decision as a victory in fight for urban reserve
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/09/30/300909-kapyong-decision-invalid.html
The Kapyong Barracks were built on a 90-hectare parcel of land that is now nestled between Tuxedo and River Heights, two affluent Winnipeg neighbourhoods.The Kapyong Barracks were built on a 90-hectare parcel of land that is now nestled between Tuxedo and River Heights, two affluent Winnipeg neighbourhoods.
The transfer of a former military base in suburban Winnipeg to a Crown corporation for redevelopment and sale has been declared invalid, a Federal Court judge ruled Wednesday.
The 90-hectare parcel of land along Kenaston Boulevard, known as Kapyong Barracks, has been vacant since 2004 when the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, relocated to CFB Shilo near Brandon, Man.
In a ruling made public Wednesday, Justice Douglas Campbell said the federal government didn't do enough consultation with First Nations groups over the future use of the land before transferring it to the Canada Lands Corp., which would redevelop and sell the land.
In his ruling, Campbell called Kapyong "prime land for commercial development."
The land in question is the site of the former barracks — south of Grant Avenue, west of Kenaston Boulevard, and north of Wilkes Avenue. It does not include the swath of homes in the area that used to be residences for soldiers and their families.
Lawyers for the government argued they had no duty to consult with the First Nations groups when decisions about the future of Kapyong were made. The court disagreed.
Federal court Justice Douglas Campbell's order: "Canada acted contrary to law by failing to meet the mandatory legal requirement of consultation with the Brokenhead and Peguis First Nations before the making of the November 2007 decision to transfer the surplus lands at Kapyong Barracks to the Canada Lands Company pursuant to the Treasury Board Directive on the Sale or Transfer of Surplus Real Property; and, as a result, the November 2007 decision is invalid.""While the record discloses that some dialogue took place about the disposition of the Kapyong Barracks ... it also establishes that from the beginning to the end of the decision making with respect to the lands, it is clear that Canada had no intention to grant any meaningful consultation," Campbell said. Major win for First Nations: lawyer The decision marks a legal victory for a group of Manitoba First Nations communities that have been embroiled in a legal battle over the land. Seven First Nations groups had argued the federal government should have used the property to settle outstanding land claims. They want the land to develop housing and native-owned enterprises. Norman Boudreau, lawyer for the communities, said the ruling paves the way for the potential acquisition of some or all of the Kapyong land. "What this says that Canada has to sit down with the First Nations, and consult with the First Nations as to what is it that they want to do with the property," Boudreau said. Chief Glenn Hudson of the Peguis First Nation, one of seven bands that took the federal government to court, said the ruling proves First Nations land treaties are living documents the Crown must fulfill. He also said that having land within Winnipeg is a tremendous opportunity for First Nations. "We look at the business development side but also there's the residential component. We're going to explore all options and certainly, we want to do not only what's in our First Nations interest but also in the interest of the society around us," Hudson said. Boudreau said the First Nations would be meeting internally to discuss their legal victory and then would likely instruct their lawyers to meet with federal lawyers to work out a plan for future steps. Wednesday's court order also orders the government to pay the aboriginal groups' legal costs. Officials with the federal Department of National Defence said they are studying the court ruling and its implications before making any comment.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Forced vaccinations?
thahoketoteh@hotmail.com This video is by a soldier in the US who just came back from a swine flu drill. She gives her warning and dates that they WILL do this to all of us. Please do your own due diligence on this document she shows at the end. We can see what the Endgame is for these people controlling the financial markets. They want to kill most of us and have the rest of us "enjoy their servitude" The apocalypse is now and we can finally see what has been going on behind the curtain.
OK so it seems a bit over the top, but if it turns out to be true, you heard it here.
My vaccination story: I got a flu vaccine one year ... got pneumonia and was sick for 6 months before I figured out something was wrong with my body not my head. Never got one since and won't.The doctor said at the time that if you get your vaccine later in the season as I did, the virus may have already mutated to 'next year's flu' and you may be more susceptible to it.
That's exactly what they are saying now about H1N1(swine flu): If you got last year's flu vaccine then you are more susceptible to H1N1 this year. The flu viruses get more severe every year.
WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER GET A VACCINE ANY YEAR THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A MORE VIRULENT DISEASE THE NEXT YEAR?
No thanks. I'll take my chances with the flu.
Oh ...did you hear? The H1N1 vaccine isn't ready and will be late ... already well into flu season. All the people who got last year's vaccine are now getting sick with swine flu. What you want to bet that by the time the vaccine is ready, the virus will be mutated to next year's strain? In other words, the (late) swine flu vaccine will not protect you from anything and in fact will make it more certain that lots of people will get very sick this year.
I think it's a racket propogated for profit by big pharma, and maybe by megalomaniacs ... who the heck knows.
I haven't packed my survival kit yet though.
thahoketoteh@hotmail.com This video is by a soldier in the US who just came back from a swine flu drill. She gives her warning and dates that they WILL do this to all of us. Please do your own due diligence on this document she shows at the end. We can see what the Endgame is for these people controlling the financial markets. They want to kill most of us and have the rest of us "enjoy their servitude" The apocalypse is now and we can finally see what has been going on behind the curtain.
OK so it seems a bit over the top, but if it turns out to be true, you heard it here.
My vaccination story: I got a flu vaccine one year ... got pneumonia and was sick for 6 months before I figured out something was wrong with my body not my head. Never got one since and won't.The doctor said at the time that if you get your vaccine later in the season as I did, the virus may have already mutated to 'next year's flu' and you may be more susceptible to it.
That's exactly what they are saying now about H1N1(swine flu): If you got last year's flu vaccine then you are more susceptible to H1N1 this year. The flu viruses get more severe every year.
WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER GET A VACCINE ANY YEAR THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A MORE VIRULENT DISEASE THE NEXT YEAR?
No thanks. I'll take my chances with the flu.
Oh ...did you hear? The H1N1 vaccine isn't ready and will be late ... already well into flu season. All the people who got last year's vaccine are now getting sick with swine flu. What you want to bet that by the time the vaccine is ready, the virus will be mutated to next year's strain? In other words, the (late) swine flu vaccine will not protect you from anything and in fact will make it more certain that lots of people will get very sick this year.
I think it's a racket propogated for profit by big pharma, and maybe by megalomaniacs ... who the heck knows.
I haven't packed my survival kit yet though.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Why is Six Nations funding Canadian taxpayers?
Well summer's almost over, school has started again, and the Brantford Expositor is still publishing Gary Horsnell's dumb questions that he could find answers to if he tried. Of course, finding answers is not what Horsnell's about as he's a truth twister ... as friend satori says ... "trying to intellectualize bigotry".
Here are Horsnell's questions, and some answers ...
Brantford Expositor Why are taxpayers funding Six Nations? In a recent Expositor article, Bill Montour, the chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River elected band council, said the Six Nations spent about $70 million to run the reserve, which has about 17,000 people. That works out to about $4,117.64 per person. The article also said that Brant County's budget was $110 million for 35,000 people. That works out to $3,142.85 per person. The City of Brantford, on its website, shows the 2009 net municipal budget is $110.3 million for a population of about 90,000 people. That works out to about $1,226 per person. How come the Six Nations spends so much more per person per year to run the reserve than Brant council to run the county or Brantford council to run the city?Apples and oranges: Municipal budgets and Six Nations' budgets are not directly comparable. Six Nations budget includes funding for all services, whether federally, provincially or locally funded. Municipal budgets, for example, do not include EDUCATION and HEALTH CARE, major services funded directly by the province, while Six Nations' provides those services and others out of its budget. In Ontario, $42.6b (43%) of the provincial budget goes to Health Care and $14.2 billion (14%) to Education. On that basis alone, one would expect that Six Nations budget, per capita, would be at least more than twice that of a municipality. The correct comparison would be municipal + provincial + federal funding per capita in Brant County and Brantford compared to Six Nations budget per capita. I'll leave Mr. Horsnell to do the math on that, and at the same time figure out why Brant County's funding per capita is so much higher than Six Nations and Brantford!
Much of the money the Six Nations spends to run the reserve flows from taxpayers outside of the reserve through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to the reserve. But why does the Crown use money from taxpayers to fund the Six Nations? The Crown bought the land along the Grand River from the Mississauga Indians on May 22, 1784. Later, on Oct. 25, 1784, Governor Haldimand issued a proclamation, which allowed Mohawk leader Joseph Brant and his Six Nations followers to settle on and use the Crown land along the Grand River. Then, in 1793, Governor Simcoe issued his letter patent to the Six Nations for land along the Grand River. But the Haldimand Proclamation and the Simcoe Patent do not mention anything about the Crown funding the Six Nations. The people of the Six Nations of the Grand River were expected to sustain and support themselves on the land they were allowed to occupy along the Grand River. Nevertheless, INAC and other government agencies have been sending money from taxpayers to the Six Nations of the Grand River for decades. INAC funds infrastructure and programs on the reserve and Canadian government agencies have provided money for water treatment, a dialysis clinic, other structures and programs and recently $1.99 million for the Kayanase ECO Centre. So, why do INAC and other Canadian government agencies send money from taxpayers to the Six Nations of the Grand River to fund infrastructure and programs on the reserve, when the Six Nations was expected to sustain itself and there is no treaty or agreement I can find which calls for the Crown to use money from taxpayers to fund the reserve? Garry Horsnell Brantford Article ID# 1736187Mr. Horsnell, not surprisingly for a truth twister, makes no mention of the fact that the Crown somehow subsequently 'assumed' for itself about 95% of the Haldimand Tract excluding only the current Six Nations reserve lands. Proceeds from the settlement of that land, leases or sales, were to be deposited in Six Nations trust fund maintained by the federal government, for them to draw on for the needs of their community. Somehow, the federal government cannot, or refuses to, account for the Six Nations trust fund. That is why Six Nations is currently pursuing 29 legal claims against the federal government. It is known that Six Nations trust fund was embezzled by the Crown to build Osgoode Hall, the Welland Canal, and other infrastructure. It is also known that while Six Nations Band Council received $46m in federal and provincial funding this year, Six Nations people and businesses paid well over $140m to Canada/Ontario in taxes! It is thus more accurate to ask: WHY IS SIX NATIONS FUNDING CANADIAN TAXPAYERS?
Monday, April 27, 2009
MNN Been there! Done that!
Mohawk Nation News
BEEN THERE! DONE THAT!
MNN. April 25, 2009. The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA has established facilities that look very much like concentration camps across the U.S. [YouTube: FEMA Concentration Camps in USA]. In Georgia half a million plastic coffins were discovered in a fenced area near an airport. [www.infowars.com]. We speculate that similar camps are being set up in other parts of the world. They are being called “shelters”. This could be part of an old tactic that was used to wipe out over 100 million Indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere.
Our People were murdered, diseased, our food was destroyed and we had no place to live. After 99% of us died off, forts, missions and then reservations were set up to house the survivors. Up to recent times we could not leave our lockups without a pass. We were supposed to become subservient and to accept whatever was meted out to us.
Our children were taken from us and put into residential and boarding schools to be “educated”. Many were corrupted by perverts and pedophiles or disappeared. The goal was to break our tie with the natural world, each other and our love for humanity. These are the forces that are necessary to create true democracy.
The corporatist war lords today want to own the globe and control everything on it without resistance from anyone. Because Indigenous put nature first, someone decided that we had to be sacrificed. Most of us are forced to live in conditions of extreme poverty which is ignored by the world.
Remember that lockup in the New Orleans arena during Hurricane Katrina? Troops, cops and Blackwater confiscated legal weapons of the victims and shot people. Many were robbed and attacked. Some died due to lack of oxygen, sanitation and chaos. Roads were blocked. They could not escape. Presently droughts, unemployment, homelessness and a destroyed middle class could be slated for these centers. Before martial law is declared dissenters will be rounded up first. Afterwards the rest will be brought in and divided up into laborers and slaves. Those not useful will be “pushed aside”. Today we are afraid of these shelters. Internet survival sites warn us to avoid them.
A small close knit group of about 1 per cent of the population plans to put in place and run a totalitarian dictatorship over the rest of us. Their enforcers are trained to kill or maim people without batting an eyelash. For the last 50 years this secret clique has been stealthily infiltrating institutions and agencies such as the government, police, military, commerce, medical, media and now the internet.
The sickening compliant United Nations will oversee global military power. These days hired mercenaries outnumber the soldiers, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars are being privatized using high tech well-equipped hired guns to do most of the fighting. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank will control the global markets and currencies. Soon they may conjure up a reason to declare martial law.
Incarcerations and killings will be at the discretion of the corporatist war lords. How about these new sicknesses that combine bird, pig and human viruses? The researchers who might have combined them say they are baffled. There are suspicions that this could be a targeted bacteria. Will the cures be available to everyone or only to the rich or citizens of certain states? Or are the “antidotes” meant to kill certain others? Is it meant to contain our movements? The old biological warfare tactic has been brought out of the time capsule.
Neglecting the poor is a sign of corporate fascism. “Why should I share?” yell U.S. citizens. This is becoming an accepted form of conduct. Self-centered and dishonest people want to eliminate those they decide are the refuse of society. Henry Kissinger, an advisor to President Obama, calls them “useless eaters”. [www.population-security.org]. Henry, your ancestors were almost wiped out by a man [Adolph Hitler] who was preaching exactly what you are saying. Remember, those who seek power think they can work with these kinds of war mongers and remain safe. In the end, these fascists have been known to turn on their stooges and push them into the very cells and ovens they created together.
We Indigenous have the trump card! The Rotino’shonni:onwe, Iroquois Confederacy, developed the Kaianereh’ko:wa, the Great Law of Peace, a true democracy, on Onowaregeh, Great Turtle Island. It was based on real equality, sharing and everyone having a voice. The whole world must equally benefit from the fruits of the earth.
Atotarho, the chairman of the Iroquois Confederacy, has no power. The power is in the people. The leaders must listen to the people. Equality is between the strong and the small, the rich and poor. Larger nations cannot usurp power from smaller nations. Little nations have more voice than the larger.
A private brotherhood of corporatists are going throughout the world to “acquire” everybody else’s resources and rights and to set up controls. The U.S. and the monstrous UN bastardized our ideas. The few demagogues twisted concepts that are good for humanity so they could enslave the many. The U.S. president has now federalized and centralized power. The Senate is supporting it and Congress has no say. The people have no voice.
We Indigenous have the moral authority over Great Turtle Island and the world. The Great Law is meant to bring harmony to the world. The U.S. and UN were supposed to spread the Great Law. Instead they have become victims of tyrants where everything is geared towards a military solution. The corporatists may have usurped the political and economic power over our territories. According to natural law, we Indigenous Peoples have the moral authority. We are warning the world that at this time Reason must prevail.
Kahentinetha & Karakwine MNN Mohawk Nation News www.mohawknationnews.com kahentinetha2@yahoo.com katenies20@yahoo.com Note: At this time your financial help is urgently needed and appreciated. Please send your donations to PayPal at www.mohawknationnews.com, or by check or money order to “MNN Mohawk Nation News”, Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0. Nia:wen thank you very much. Go to MNN “General” category for more stories on this; New MNN Books Available now! Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePressStore http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews; Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates http://.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php; Sign Women Title Holders petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois
Gayanerekowa, the Constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, MNN: NORTH AMERICAN INDIGENOUS HOLOCAUST: Charles Mann: 1491; Ward Churchill: A Little Matter of Genocide; Ronald Wright: Stolen Continents.
Kissinger helped write US Policy, “The National Security Study Memorandum 200, Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for US Security and Overseas Interests”, Dec. 10, 1974 [NSSM200]. www.population-security.org UN adopted “World Population Plan of Action”, 1974. Obama’s National Security Advisor, James L. Jones, said, “I take my daily orders from Dr. Kissinger…”. www.infowars.com/nsc-advisor-jones-i-take-my-daily-orders-from-dr-kissinger
Dr. Kissinger grinned at mention of the New World Order
before dismissing any knowledge of National Security Memo #200, which calls for the use of “food as a weapon” and otherwise advocates depopulation schemes that include extreme measures to be used against the ‘lesser developed countries’ in the third world, whose population growth supposedly threatens the National Security interests of the United States. Henry Kissinger's 1974 Plan for Food Control Genocide This article appeared as part of a feature in the December 8, 1995 issue of Executive Intelligence Review, and was circulated extensively by the Schiller Institute Food for Peace Movement. It is reprinted here as part of the package: “Who Is Responsible for the World Food Shortage?”CATASTROPHIC TERRORISM: Prevention and Deterrence
Government agencies can do many things reasonably well, but strategic risk analysis is not one of them. A better alternative would be a nonprofit center for catastrophic terrorism risk analysis, under an FBI contract -- similar to the role of the rand Corporation early in the nuclear era.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
PROVINCE ORDERED TO JOIN IN COURT ACTION:Brantford, Six Nations
INJUNCTION HEARING
Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF
Posted 6 hours ago
Justice Harrison Arrell ordered the province to join the court action that's part of Brantford's ongoing push for an injunction against native protesters.
Lawyers for all others involved in the motion consented to the judge's order Friday.
When lawyers for Ontario show up March 17, the judge plans to hear from everyone about how the province's involvement will play out.
"Provincial participation will be determined after hearing submissions from all parties," Arrell said.
He has already warned the city and Six Nations that his inclination is to order a court mandated consultation process that will force the parties to negotiate a settlement with one another.
The city has been pushing for a long-term injunction against native protesters at development sites in Brantford, and have filed a $110-million court action against some of the protesters and the Haudenosaunee Development Institute.
Brant MPP Dave Levac said the province will be fine with the judge's order.
"We're ready to enter into negotiations at the level the judge is talking about," Levac said Friday. "We're already talking about a memorandum of understanding so I don't see why we wouldn't be a willing participant."
Earlier this week, Levac opposed a private member's bill from MPP Toby Barrett, pushing for an inquiry into protests in Caledonia.
Levac called the bill ill-advised and said it's premature to insinuate an injunction is an appropriate way to deal with protesters at this time.
On Thursday, the judge and the lawyers involved pondered how a mandated consultation could proceed. They made suggestions about how long it might go on, how often they'll return to the court for guidance, who will pay if a negotiator is needed and what kind of provision will be included for emergency flare-ups.
Arrell said he's likely going to have consultations include some future development and is unlikely to freeze development until a decision is reached on the injunction.
"For you to tell me 'no permits' until I reach my decision is not feasible," Arrell told Lou Strezos, the lawyer for the Haudenosaunee Development Institute. "What I'm trying to do now is simply strike a balance.
"You talk, Mr. Strezos, about a lot of good faith. I'm going to order (your clients) to consult and I'm going to order you people to try and settle this and if you don't settle it, you come back to court."
The hearing continues Tuesday at 11:30 a. m. in Superior Court.
More updates here ...
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Two Row Wampum Treaty
"It is said that, each nation shall stay in their own vessels, and travel the river side by side. Further, it is said, that neither nation will try to steer the vessel of the other." This is a treaty among Indigenous Nations, and with Canada. This is the true nature of our relationships with Indigenous Nations of 'Kanata'.
