Windspeaker news briefs

Mohawk protestors blockade main street

A group of Aboriginal demonstrators and a Kingston, Ontario-based realtor are going head-to-head in a land dispute.
In the Town of Deseronto, about 75 Mohawks have blockaded a main street and have camped out on property Nibourg Developments said it would begin clearing.
Developer Emile Nibourg, who said his father holds title to the land, sent workers to the site on April 21 to clear brush, but they left when "40 to 50 Native warriors" arrived.
Nibourg has written politicians to complain and promise his crew would soon return to the site.
"The problem is we have legal ownership to it, but the government doesn't seem to want to do anything," Nibourg told a Belleville newspaper, adding "no one even wants to talk to us."
The seven-plus hectares of land in question, partly in Deseronto and partly in the Town of Greater Napanee, is known as the Culbertson Land Tract. Tyendinaga Mohawk Shawn Brant, who leads the protest, maintains no part of the tract was ever given up and it was illegally taken in 1832 and it is the subject of a land claim accepted by the federal government for negotiation in 2003.
Deseronto Deputy Mayor Clarence Zieman is hoping Ottawa speeds up ongoing land claim negotiations and helps resolve the issue as soon as possible. Police are standing by if needed.

Fontaine offers up solutions to improve Aboriginal life

In inviting all Canadians to push for far-reaching improvements to the lives of First Nations people in Canada ­ and to get involved in this year's National Day of Action ­ Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine said he will be "issuing a set of concrete proposals" to make this happen.
"Last year we hosted a successful National Day of Action on May 29 that succeeded in raising awareness about issues facing First Nations citizens in Canada," he said, but the Canadian government failed to respond.
In the next few weeks leading up to May 29, the chief said he will offer straight-forward solutions that need immediate action and will "truly help to provide a real and lasting improvement in the lives of (Aboriginal people) and the Canadian government, and in the economic outlook of Canada more broadly.
"I challenge the Government of Canada to respond with equal clarity," he said. Fontaine stated he hopes his plans will be seriously considered to provide answers to address the poverty and harsh conditions that continue to grow and which claim the lives of youth.

No progress made on Caledonia front

While Brantford municipal politicians consider requesting the provincial government to provide financial compensation to the city for major developments shut down by Aboriginal protestors, residents feel nothing is actually being done to resolve the now two-year-old occupation in Caledonia.
Recently, a provincial representative suggested the province should create a new set of negotiations, separate from land claims, that would deal with current development issues. The politician suggested current proposed development should proceed, and a two-year moratorium on future development would be implemented; this would remove the need for further land claims protests by First Nations for that period.
The proposal went nowhere.
The Eagle Place site, at the end of Erie Avenue in Brantford, has gained the ire of some residents because it sits next to one of the oldest communities in the city, not on an obscure strip mall or superhighway far from where people live.
Ironically, while some support the protestors' cause, informing them of the progress of work on this site because they are against development of a new subdivision, others want them to leave because they judge that the occupation lessens property values and quality of life.

Nak'azdli Chief sets record straight on land use concerns

Claiming mining and exploration company officials are attempting to fuel internal strife between his people and a neighbouring band in central B.C., in order to further their own interests, Nak'azdli Chief Fred Sam refuted any such dispute exists.
"We don't want to have a public debate with our neighbouring First Nation McLeod Lake," he said. "Nak'azdli has Aboriginal title to the area where their proposed mine is located and Terrane Metals Corporation's attempts to create (conflict) between our neighbours is a new low for the mining industry in Canada."
Nak'azdli administration is providing correspondence to investors, the B.C. Securities Commission, the provincial and federal government to demonstrate the band's rights and title to Shus Nadloh, where the mine would operate.
Elders, hereditary chiefs and key stakeholders continue talks to resolve the issue internally and "private companies do not have any place interfering in internal matters between neighbouring First Nations, no do they possess the required expertise to assess the existence or nature of Alboriginal title," Chief Sam said.
He is encouraged that McLeod Lake is making progress with Terrane Metals to resolve treaty interests and urges McLeod Lake members to welcome talks and traditional dispute resolution processes with openness and respect.
One resident observes, if the protest continues, public opinion could harden against the protestors and it will become impossible for any democratically elected government to sign a fair deal with them.

Mishkeegogamang and Richview sign agreement

The Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation and Richview Resources have signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) that forges an ongoing partnership with the company's exploration activities and the Thierry Mine Project.
"We are very pleased with this agreement," expressed Chief Gray-McKay in an April media statement released jointly by the company and the First Nation.
"For too long the riches from our traditional lands have been taken without benefit to our community. Richview Resources' commitment in this MOU to share benefits with Mishkeegogamang is the principled approach we have been seeking and will now expect from all resource companies working in our traditional lands."
The MOU expects to set the foundation for a positive and mutually beneficial relationship between the First Nation and the company. It includes training and employment opportunities, ongoing communication, financial contribution to the community and other benefits.
Both parties have also agreed to negotiate an Impact Benefit Agreement if the project proceeds from exploration to production. Furthermore, they have also agreed to a Traditional Ecological Knowledge study that will assess the archaeologically and culturally significant sites and areas of traditional use within the project area.
As head negotiation for the First Nation in the signing of the MOU, David Masakeyash states the negotiations were successful because both parties listened to each other and addressed the concerns and objectives brought to the table.
The media release identifies Richview as a Canadian company committed to responsible development of natural resources and respectful of local environmental, community and social interests. It is the sole owner of the past-producing Thierry Mine property in northwestern Ontario.