Bitter land dispute leads to blockade
Organizers want governments to return to negotiation table over parcel of Ontario land
A blockade by members of Six Nations has barred a portion of Argyle St., the main road in Caledonia, for the past 21 days.
The protest is connected to a parcel of land that was put into a federal corporation in March by Six Nations’ elected band council, allegedly reneging on an Ontario promise to return it to Six Nations people in 2006 to ameliorate the Caledonia Standoff — a protest that saw a group of Indigenous people occupy a housing development called Douglas Creek Estates. The blockade is situated near the site where violence broke out over 10 years ago.
It concerns a disagreement between the elected band council and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a traditional government system comprised of five First Nations. The latter says it has been responsible for the lands for over 10 years.
A letter penned by former Ontario premier David Peterson in 2006 states: “The title of the Burtch lands will be included in the lands rights process of the Haudenosaunee/ Six Nations/Canada/Ontario. It is the intention that the land title be returned to its original state, its status under the Haldimand Proclamation.”
Ontario honoured the 2006 commitment by transferring the land into the corporation, said a spokesperson with the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
“We are hopeful that all of the parties involved will be able to work together in a spirit of mutual respect to ensure the land benefits all the people of Six Nations,” Antoine Tedesco said in a written statement.
The land is being held in trust until it becomes designated reserve land. The Confederacy is at odds with this concept — it wants the area to be independent from the Canadian government.
The Confederacy has been invited to sit on the board of the corporation, Tedesco said.
In a press released dated June 4, a Confederacy chief says the offer relegates the council from a government to an individual on the board.
Elected band council staff did not respond to requests for comment.
On Tuesday, members of Six Nations addressed the media on the outskirts of Caledonia, south of Hamilton, providing site updates. Independent interviews were refused and no photographs of people at the barricade were permitted.
In a YouTube video uploaded by Turtle Island News on Aug. 17, a woman identified as Doreen Silversmith lists off three demands of Six Nations people at the barricade. They include that the province and the Canadian government return to the negotiation table with the Confederacy and that Ontario honour its promise encapsulated in the 2006 letter.
A Star reporter was restricted from entering, despite him being a registered member of Six Nations. A VICE News reporter was allowed inside the compound, however.