The author has repeatedly spoken about the unconscionable actions of the Hereditary Chiefs Confederacy Council (HCCC) in relation to Hydro One's Niagara Reinforcement Line (NRL) which would connect power from Niagara Falls to the grid.
The project came to a complete halt in 2006 during the take over of the Douglas Creek Estates housing development project south of Caledonia. The towers were completed, and ran just south of the Douglas Creek property, it only remained to string the lines. During the anarchy that followed, one of the towers was cut down and, until 2018, used as a barricade that every so often would be dragged out across Argyle Street South to stop all traffic. This "severed tower", and Hydro One's unwillingness to act in order to recover (or replace) its property, brought the NRL project to a complete halt.
As noted in the posting here and previous ones, Hydro One came to an agreement with the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC), which is the sole legal governing body at Six Nations, and with promises of sums of money and a 45% stake in the revenue from the completed NRL project and jobs for Six Nations people (AECON 6 Nations - A6N) - the stringing of lines commenced in the fall of 2018, but was soon brought to a halt by HCCC and their enforcers the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) who blocked the work site and threatened to bring throngs of people streaming down from the Rez (as happened in 2006). A hollow threat perhaps, but none the less effective. The bottom line was the the HDI and their White advisers, including ANTIFA members known from 2006 and subsequent events, demanded a quarter of a million dollars and be cut in on the action. Of course this is nothing more than extortion, which has been used more times by HDI than the present author can count in local land development and green energy projects. The HDI and HCCC have never opened the books, and while claiming to be the sole representatives of the people, refuse to let anyone see where this blood money has gone (lining the pockets of key players is of course one suspicion).
Hydro One is used to capitulating (it has for 13 years on this one project, and on illegal smoke shacks being set up on their property), but since they were now partnered with the elected officials at Six Nations, who were none too happy with this action which deprived the community of much needed resources, they eventually did what they should have done many years ago. They applied for a Court Injunction (which worked splendidly in 2009 with the ruling of Justice Arrell in Brantford Supreme Court in a land development work stoppage).
Both the Brantford Expositor (BE) of 11 July 2019 in an article entitled Hydro One gets temporary injunction (see here); and the Two Row Times (TRT1) of 10 July 2019 in an article entitled, HCCC & HDI and 16 others being sued for injunction on Niagara Reinforcement Project (see here); and TRT2 11 July 2019 in and article entitled Judge approves injunction for completion of Niagara Reinforcement Project (see here) have addressed this matter.
As indicated in the latter article, the HCCC, NDI and 16 named individuals were brought to Court to answer claims by Hydro One about work stoppages and threats, including that of the "New Mohawk benchwarmer" who had demanded $40 million in "compensation" paid to HCCC in order to allow the A6N workers to resume their work. It was the mysterious A.D. who once again represented the HCCC in these proceedings but only as a "Senior Advisor" not lawyer (which begs the question, "has he been disbarred?"). 15 of the 16 named individuals were Six Nations members, the 16th was a very well known White activist (ANTIFA, Marxist, anarchist) who was at one time a graduate student from York University, and involved as a "supporter" of Six Nations since 2006.
Hydro One was seeking an order barring the above named or others from using any means to deter work at the site or intimidating anyone involved in the project. Hydro One was also seeking damages, costs or any other relief deemed appropriate by the Court for "irreparable harm". Some parties denied being served a summons, despite evidence to the contrary. None wished to participate - leaving it to A.D. to act on their behalf. One party did speak, calling the fact that Hydro One seeking an injunction, "an outrage, and a sneaky disgusting move". (BE) Hydro One added that they had on numerous occasions attempted to get HCCC to participate in discussions, but to no avail - except the assertion that any talks would be on condition that Hydro One pay HCCC $250,000. The HCCC, in its statement, said that is has always been committed to partnering with Indigenous leaders and provincial entities, including Hydro One. (BE) Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the HCCC could easily assess the accuracy of that statement. To dig in even deeper into the depths of what are lies and what is the truth, the statement by the HCCC representative that, "Hydro One is proceeding in a manner that is condescending, colonist and patriarchal” speaks volumes.
The Judge concluded that this was all about the money, and "who's going to take a cut". The disruptive "history" of the defendants was then read (e.g., causing public disruption). It also emerged that HCCC wanted Hydro One to cancel their agreement with Six Nations and Mississaugas of New Credit, "and instead sign an exclusive agreement with HDI, its own development corporation". Furthermore HCCC threatened to bring in members of other Bands across Ontario (for muscle), and also that, "they may not be able to control their behaviour and there is a risk of towers coming down". Clearly these tactics of threats, intimidation, and extortion are borrowed straight from the Mafia and other criminal organizations. So therefore, ...............
Hydro One maintained that it needs to be operational by 1 September based on Provincial mandate.
The above all happened on Monday. On Tuesday evening the Judge granted the injunction. On Wednesday parties arrived at the site and attempted to disrupt work and were handed a copy of the injunction by the Ontario Provincial Police. On the same day Hydro One issued a statement relative to the injunction, including, "if this project is not completed, another solution, and further investment, would be needed to ensure that need is met. These additional and unnecessary costs are likely to result in higher electricity charges for the people of Ontario." (TRT2) In fact this whole process since 2006 has likely cost the Ontario taxpayer billions of dollars and resulted in higher costs already. Who is going to pony up for these "damages"?
Update: The stringing of the wires of the NRL has now been completed - with no fanfare. All that this author can say is that at some point between 17 July 2019 (when the permanent injunction was issued) and 11 September 2019 when an article in Turtle Island News stated that the line was finished, and that the "Six Nations community" may be on the hook for $200,000 in legal costs. Good luck in finding more information in any media or other source. Guessing that Hydro One, the Provincial Government, and the Six Nations Elected Council wanted to keep a low profile on the end of this whole debacle which has cost Ontario and Canadian taxpayers many millions if not billions of dollars for no other reason than fear of Six Nations militancy.
DY.
Friday, 12 July 2019
A Community in Crisis: Lives and Property in Serious Jeopardy Due to Actions of Hereditary Council
In but another chapter of a never ending saga, the actions of the representatives of the Hereditary Chiefs Confederacy Council (HCCC) continue to initiate chaos within the Six Nations community. However in the most recent example their behaviours not only cause substantial financial damage to the community (but not to themselves), but now matters have escalated to the point where they are putting the lives and property of community members in immanent danger.
As noted time and again in this Blog, the Hereditary Council is a historical entity removed from power for incompetence in 1924 that has not only fossilized, failing to adapt to the times, but also today of questionable authority since there are major inconsistencies in individual lineage (e.g., Chiefs being assigned to represent a clan and family to which they do not belong), and the claim to be the group representing the 49 Haudenosaunee Chiefs spoken of in the Kayenkiragowa (The Great Law) that does not hold up to scrutiny. With respect to the latter the historical facts do not line up with the claims of legitimacy by the HCCC. When the Revolutionary War broke out the Council Fire of the Six Nations at Onondaga (near Syracuse, NY) was extinguished. What was reestablished in 1785 upon the move from what is today Upstate New York to the Haldimand Tract of the Grand River bore only a partial resemblance to the original Council. Most of the Senecas (the largest of the Six Nations groups) remained within the United States and had their own Councils. The Grand River community was composed of Mohawks from all 3 Clans and 9 Families (Ohwashira), but most of the other Nations / Tribes were "incomplete". In addition there were many Delawares, Tuteloes, Nanticokes and other Anishinabe people who were represented by their own Chiefs at the Council established at the Mohawk Village in 1785, and at Onondaga (near Middleport) from 1805. There never was a coherent hereditary council at Six Nations which was linked to the pre historical Deganawida and Hayenwagtha era which established the traditional Five (later Six) Nations Council - although there was indeed a group of Chiefs with inherited titles who represented the Community until 1924 when agitation by progressives at Six Nations (largely Mohawk) resulted in the establishment of an elected council to replace the increasingly dysfunctional "hereditary" group. Since then there has been a group who claim to be lineal descendants of the Chiefs of the Kayenkiragowa and hence the only legitimate group to represent the people of Six Nations, but their legitimacy to play this role is not recognized by many at Six Nations and certainly not the Ontario (Little Crown) or Canadian (Big Crown) Governments. Thus there are two major factions today - supporters of the HCCC and supporters of the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC). The former have continued to create problems at Six Nations and more widely in surrounding communities (e.g., the anarchy of 2006 in Caledonia) as they try to undermine the SNEC at every turn.
Despite the HCCC and its enforcement wing the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) often saying that they are willing to meet with SNEC to hammer out solutions to various problems, time and time again when the meeting date approaches HCCC members do not appear, or walk out of the meeting (e.g., recently because a string of wampum falling from a bench was seen as a bad omen). So the groups are still as far apart as ever - the HCCC demands to be recognized by Six Nations and the Government as the only group with legitimate authority to represent the people of the Six Nations of the Grand River. This brings us to the latest problem (in addition to the work stoppages at SNEC supported projects in conjunction with Hydro One). This one has danger written all over it - FIRE.
The following information is found in an article entitled, Six Nations Fire Chief Sounds Alarm After "Unprecedented" String of Fires, in The Sachem of 11 July 2019 (page 3). See here where it is reported that there has been an unprescedented number of house fires at Six Nations recently - a rash of five house fires over 10 days, according to Six Nations Fire Chief Miller. Normally 10 to 20 firefighters would be sent to a blaze, but of late only 4 firefighters have been sent, all of whom are exhausted having had no time to recover from previous blazes. Why so few firefighters when it would normally only take a phone call to neighbouring municipalities such as Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant, Brantford, or Hamilton and reinforcements would be on the way. So what is different now? According to Chief Miller, "Unfortunately this time around, they have concerns about safety for their firefighters as a result of the protest that's going on next door". Thus while the groups from the local communities will still send assets to fight a fire that has erupted, they won't send staff to assist in the Ohsweken office out of concern for the safety of individuals from off Reserve. This situation adds significantly to the response time. "Miller doesn't blame the other fire services - if he was in that situation, he would share the same concerns". Further Chief Miller said, "The honest truth is, if the protest wasn't happening, we would have firefighters from neighbouring municipalities that could be servicing the community and allowing us time to rest".
So what is the protest that is creating such a danger for Six Nations residents? For months now the HCCC has basically locked the members of SNEC out of their offices by maintaining a presence at the Administration building (across the road from the fire hall), and through intimidation ensured that none of the legitimate Councillors are able to do their work. They are demanding that SNEC, "signs a letter stating the Haudenosaunee Chiefs Confederacy Council - the traditional government - is the governing body of Six Nations". So the bottom line is that the HCCC would put people's property and lives at risk to, for the umpteenth time, demand recognition as the only legitimate governing body at Six Nations. This will never happen (it hasn't in the last 100 years), but that does not stop this faction from asserting their highly questionable claims - at any price.
DeYo.
As noted time and again in this Blog, the Hereditary Council is a historical entity removed from power for incompetence in 1924 that has not only fossilized, failing to adapt to the times, but also today of questionable authority since there are major inconsistencies in individual lineage (e.g., Chiefs being assigned to represent a clan and family to which they do not belong), and the claim to be the group representing the 49 Haudenosaunee Chiefs spoken of in the Kayenkiragowa (The Great Law) that does not hold up to scrutiny. With respect to the latter the historical facts do not line up with the claims of legitimacy by the HCCC. When the Revolutionary War broke out the Council Fire of the Six Nations at Onondaga (near Syracuse, NY) was extinguished. What was reestablished in 1785 upon the move from what is today Upstate New York to the Haldimand Tract of the Grand River bore only a partial resemblance to the original Council. Most of the Senecas (the largest of the Six Nations groups) remained within the United States and had their own Councils. The Grand River community was composed of Mohawks from all 3 Clans and 9 Families (Ohwashira), but most of the other Nations / Tribes were "incomplete". In addition there were many Delawares, Tuteloes, Nanticokes and other Anishinabe people who were represented by their own Chiefs at the Council established at the Mohawk Village in 1785, and at Onondaga (near Middleport) from 1805. There never was a coherent hereditary council at Six Nations which was linked to the pre historical Deganawida and Hayenwagtha era which established the traditional Five (later Six) Nations Council - although there was indeed a group of Chiefs with inherited titles who represented the Community until 1924 when agitation by progressives at Six Nations (largely Mohawk) resulted in the establishment of an elected council to replace the increasingly dysfunctional "hereditary" group. Since then there has been a group who claim to be lineal descendants of the Chiefs of the Kayenkiragowa and hence the only legitimate group to represent the people of Six Nations, but their legitimacy to play this role is not recognized by many at Six Nations and certainly not the Ontario (Little Crown) or Canadian (Big Crown) Governments. Thus there are two major factions today - supporters of the HCCC and supporters of the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC). The former have continued to create problems at Six Nations and more widely in surrounding communities (e.g., the anarchy of 2006 in Caledonia) as they try to undermine the SNEC at every turn.
Despite the HCCC and its enforcement wing the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) often saying that they are willing to meet with SNEC to hammer out solutions to various problems, time and time again when the meeting date approaches HCCC members do not appear, or walk out of the meeting (e.g., recently because a string of wampum falling from a bench was seen as a bad omen). So the groups are still as far apart as ever - the HCCC demands to be recognized by Six Nations and the Government as the only group with legitimate authority to represent the people of the Six Nations of the Grand River. This brings us to the latest problem (in addition to the work stoppages at SNEC supported projects in conjunction with Hydro One). This one has danger written all over it - FIRE.
The following information is found in an article entitled, Six Nations Fire Chief Sounds Alarm After "Unprecedented" String of Fires, in The Sachem of 11 July 2019 (page 3). See here where it is reported that there has been an unprescedented number of house fires at Six Nations recently - a rash of five house fires over 10 days, according to Six Nations Fire Chief Miller. Normally 10 to 20 firefighters would be sent to a blaze, but of late only 4 firefighters have been sent, all of whom are exhausted having had no time to recover from previous blazes. Why so few firefighters when it would normally only take a phone call to neighbouring municipalities such as Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant, Brantford, or Hamilton and reinforcements would be on the way. So what is different now? According to Chief Miller, "Unfortunately this time around, they have concerns about safety for their firefighters as a result of the protest that's going on next door". Thus while the groups from the local communities will still send assets to fight a fire that has erupted, they won't send staff to assist in the Ohsweken office out of concern for the safety of individuals from off Reserve. This situation adds significantly to the response time. "Miller doesn't blame the other fire services - if he was in that situation, he would share the same concerns". Further Chief Miller said, "The honest truth is, if the protest wasn't happening, we would have firefighters from neighbouring municipalities that could be servicing the community and allowing us time to rest".
So what is the protest that is creating such a danger for Six Nations residents? For months now the HCCC has basically locked the members of SNEC out of their offices by maintaining a presence at the Administration building (across the road from the fire hall), and through intimidation ensured that none of the legitimate Councillors are able to do their work. They are demanding that SNEC, "signs a letter stating the Haudenosaunee Chiefs Confederacy Council - the traditional government - is the governing body of Six Nations". So the bottom line is that the HCCC would put people's property and lives at risk to, for the umpteenth time, demand recognition as the only legitimate governing body at Six Nations. This will never happen (it hasn't in the last 100 years), but that does not stop this faction from asserting their highly questionable claims - at any price.
DeYo.
Sunday, 2 June 2019
"CANADIAN GENOCIDE" - Once Again the Blame Game
To date I have restricted any blog subject to "happenings" hereabouts (Six Nations of the Grand River). However today there was an event so egregious, so outlandish in relation to the Aboriginal community in general, that the horizon will be expanded at least for this one occasion.
The recently "leaked" version of a "public inquiry report" has been picked up by journalists for the CBC (the Trudeau Government journalistic outlet) to Arab reporters at Al Jazeera (see here). The conclusions of the "report" could easily have been predicted in advance knowing the agendas of the participants. Here we once again see a situation where Native people refuse to accept any blame for a problem and instead attribute it to racism, colonialism, and now the most inappropriately used word yet seen in an official report - genocide.
After many years and a lot of press coverage, Prime Minister Trudeau capitulated to the incessant calls for an inquiry into the perceived high percentage of Indigenous women who have been murdered or gone missing. So after the expenditure of $92 million Canadian taxpayer dollars (who lined their pockets, and are railing against Canada?). The, "National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls" apparently concluded that, almost 1,200 indigenous women and girls went missing or were killed between 1980 and 2012. The reason given by the authors of the report is that, "We do know that thousands of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) have been lost to the Canadian genocide to date," said the report, titled "Reclaiming Power and Place". Further that, indigenous women and girls faced a disproportionately high level of violence through "state actions and actions rooted in colonialism and colonial ideologies".
This very political, highly biased "report" needs to be seen for what it is - a document that had come to a conclusion long prior to hearing any testimony. Of course those see at the "hearings" were going to provide "evidence" that would be "proof" of some sort of "genocide". Those interested in the truth as opposed to lies and distortions may wish to read the article by Chris Seely in the "National Post" here. As Seeley notes, if this was anything beyond a political exercise the Commission would have included Indigenous males in the "study" - since they have a three fold higher likelihood of dying from violence (mostly at the hand of other Aboriginal males) than women. In the words of Selley,
"From the moment they decided to exclude male Indigenous Canadians, we knew the result was going to be more ideological exercise than roadmap to change". Clearly "men don't matter" in the world view of the "Commissioners", and neither does the truth. Unless we stare the truth in the face, change will never occur - and the Commissioners consistently chose to avoid exploring "internal" causes of problems and instead shuffle the mantle of blame on Canada - and to spice it up, use the word genocide.
Frankly, this author never expected even such a biased group to use a word that puts the average Canadian citizen in the same league as the German people in 1939, and the government composed of officials such as Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, and Spier who were fully cognizant and fully complicit in the extermination of 6 million Jews and other "undesirables". One might ask how can this group of "commissioners" in all good conscience use the word "genocide". They have only succeeded in ensuring that their words are seen as outlandishly radical, and their views woefully distorted and out of touch with history, and the facts. To equate the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women to the Holocaust is simply unacceptable, and the entire "report" needs to be called into question.
Since the author does know something of the matter, and has been exposed to the dysfunction in Native communities since the 1970s, the following reasons are offered as a more valid explanation of the disproportionately high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women:
1) Poverty.
2) Isolation.
3) Inordinate substance abuse including alcohol, other drugs, and chemicals (such as huffing gasoline which resulted in every child in a northern community being moved south to Newfoundland - Labrador for their own safety).
4) Extremely high rates of fetal alcohol abuse spectrum disorder.
5) Off the charts rates of physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect / denying a child the necessities of life (including vigilance against human predators) - with other members of the community including close family members being the perpetrators.
6) Hopelessness - often due to the above, and leading to suicide.
7) Risky behaviour - often due to the above - which manifests as hitchhiking, to substance abuse, and working in the sex trade. They will also, as do many abused women, have a tendency to seek out men who confirm their sense of self worth, staying with perpetrators and failing to press charges (sometimes until it is too late by which time they have been killed by their domestic partners).
The conclusion is that Native women are more vulnerable, and hence preyed upon by the more sordid members of society (Native and non - Native).
It should be self evident that when the above circumstances are addressed appropriately, the number of missing and murdered women will diminish to levels seen in other Canadians. To date, despite the billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars thrown at the problem there has been little in the way of positive results. There are some exceptions of course which give hope that the problem could be reduced. Communities with positive outcomes include Osoyoos, British Columbia where the community itself has largely addressed their own problems, and the Reserves of Southern Ontario where problems of this nature exist, but not near the level seen in northern communities. In isolated impoverished communities where the old ways are gone, and there is little to replace them, the situation is ripe for dysfunction to flourish.
So whose fault is this acknowledged problem?
Until these Aboriginal advocates recognize the true source of the problems, "solutions" are hopeless and an utter waste of more time and resources leading to the same outcome - no change. Is the average Canadian (who has probably never met and Aboriginal person - except perhaps passed out in a bus stop thus reinforcing stereotypes) supposed to feel guilty about a problem which has nothing to do with them, and everything to do with the communities that these unfortunate women come from.
So Canada once again, and for no good rational reason, gives into these "Aboriginal pressure groups". The Commissioners had no misgivings about accepting the princely sum of $92 million dollars from Canadian taxpayers knowing full well they ultimately intended to spit in the face of Canadians, and give Canada a black eye on the world stage. It is now fashionable, worldwide, to believe everything that Aboriginals say, and so there will be many horrified at the contents of this "report". What they don't understand of course is that this is a political exercise and power play. The whole warped and distorted enterprise, which is based on a house of cards, will be eagerly lapped up by those on the far left of the political spectrum - to the detriment of the average Canadian who once again sees their wallet / purse picked for a highly questionable "cause".
In summary, the stated reason for the high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women, "Canadian genocide" is meant to deflect from the true reason, which is the extraordinary dysfunction seen in the communities from which these women hail.
There is indeed a crisis but it is becoming increasingly apparent that the only solution is to disband and dismantle all Reserves, as Prime Minister Trudeau's own father proposed in the 1960s. The situation has only become worse since then, and drastic action must be taken before billions more Canadian dollars are thrown at a set of circumstances for which only full integration into the Canadian mosaic will work. Otherwise the suffering will continue unabated, and there will be more missing and murdered women, and those responsible will be the Indian leadership and White apologists who are willing to trade lives for the opportunity to participate in political expediency (and in the case of Indigenous leadership, enrich themselves in the process).
Fallout: In recent days some fairly predictable events have occurred. First, Prime Minister Trudeau was ultimately badgered into agreeing (showing utter lack of spine) that the murdered and missing Indigenous women situation constituted a "genocide". I expect that he inquired of each of the Commissioners, "which cheek would you like me to kiss first".
Secondly, the "news" got the attention of the wider world, used to having Canada criticize their own human rights records. So now the Organization of American States (OAS), which includes countries known to have spotless human rights records such as Nicaragua, will grill Canada over this new revelation of supposed atrocities permeating Canada - see here. This is the direct result of the "black eye" Canada and Canadians have been given by these self serving and biased "Commissioners".
In full throttle disgust.
** Updated 6 June 2019.
DY.
The recently "leaked" version of a "public inquiry report" has been picked up by journalists for the CBC (the Trudeau Government journalistic outlet) to Arab reporters at Al Jazeera (see here). The conclusions of the "report" could easily have been predicted in advance knowing the agendas of the participants. Here we once again see a situation where Native people refuse to accept any blame for a problem and instead attribute it to racism, colonialism, and now the most inappropriately used word yet seen in an official report - genocide.
After many years and a lot of press coverage, Prime Minister Trudeau capitulated to the incessant calls for an inquiry into the perceived high percentage of Indigenous women who have been murdered or gone missing. So after the expenditure of $92 million Canadian taxpayer dollars (who lined their pockets, and are railing against Canada?). The, "National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls" apparently concluded that, almost 1,200 indigenous women and girls went missing or were killed between 1980 and 2012. The reason given by the authors of the report is that, "We do know that thousands of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) have been lost to the Canadian genocide to date," said the report, titled "Reclaiming Power and Place". Further that, indigenous women and girls faced a disproportionately high level of violence through "state actions and actions rooted in colonialism and colonial ideologies".
This very political, highly biased "report" needs to be seen for what it is - a document that had come to a conclusion long prior to hearing any testimony. Of course those see at the "hearings" were going to provide "evidence" that would be "proof" of some sort of "genocide". Those interested in the truth as opposed to lies and distortions may wish to read the article by Chris Seely in the "National Post" here. As Seeley notes, if this was anything beyond a political exercise the Commission would have included Indigenous males in the "study" - since they have a three fold higher likelihood of dying from violence (mostly at the hand of other Aboriginal males) than women. In the words of Selley,
"From the moment they decided to exclude male Indigenous Canadians, we knew the result was going to be more ideological exercise than roadmap to change". Clearly "men don't matter" in the world view of the "Commissioners", and neither does the truth. Unless we stare the truth in the face, change will never occur - and the Commissioners consistently chose to avoid exploring "internal" causes of problems and instead shuffle the mantle of blame on Canada - and to spice it up, use the word genocide.
Frankly, this author never expected even such a biased group to use a word that puts the average Canadian citizen in the same league as the German people in 1939, and the government composed of officials such as Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels, and Spier who were fully cognizant and fully complicit in the extermination of 6 million Jews and other "undesirables". One might ask how can this group of "commissioners" in all good conscience use the word "genocide". They have only succeeded in ensuring that their words are seen as outlandishly radical, and their views woefully distorted and out of touch with history, and the facts. To equate the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women to the Holocaust is simply unacceptable, and the entire "report" needs to be called into question.
Since the author does know something of the matter, and has been exposed to the dysfunction in Native communities since the 1970s, the following reasons are offered as a more valid explanation of the disproportionately high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women:
1) Poverty.
2) Isolation.
3) Inordinate substance abuse including alcohol, other drugs, and chemicals (such as huffing gasoline which resulted in every child in a northern community being moved south to Newfoundland - Labrador for their own safety).
4) Extremely high rates of fetal alcohol abuse spectrum disorder.
5) Off the charts rates of physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect / denying a child the necessities of life (including vigilance against human predators) - with other members of the community including close family members being the perpetrators.
6) Hopelessness - often due to the above, and leading to suicide.
7) Risky behaviour - often due to the above - which manifests as hitchhiking, to substance abuse, and working in the sex trade. They will also, as do many abused women, have a tendency to seek out men who confirm their sense of self worth, staying with perpetrators and failing to press charges (sometimes until it is too late by which time they have been killed by their domestic partners).
The conclusion is that Native women are more vulnerable, and hence preyed upon by the more sordid members of society (Native and non - Native).
It should be self evident that when the above circumstances are addressed appropriately, the number of missing and murdered women will diminish to levels seen in other Canadians. To date, despite the billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars thrown at the problem there has been little in the way of positive results. There are some exceptions of course which give hope that the problem could be reduced. Communities with positive outcomes include Osoyoos, British Columbia where the community itself has largely addressed their own problems, and the Reserves of Southern Ontario where problems of this nature exist, but not near the level seen in northern communities. In isolated impoverished communities where the old ways are gone, and there is little to replace them, the situation is ripe for dysfunction to flourish.
So whose fault is this acknowledged problem?
Until these Aboriginal advocates recognize the true source of the problems, "solutions" are hopeless and an utter waste of more time and resources leading to the same outcome - no change. Is the average Canadian (who has probably never met and Aboriginal person - except perhaps passed out in a bus stop thus reinforcing stereotypes) supposed to feel guilty about a problem which has nothing to do with them, and everything to do with the communities that these unfortunate women come from.
So Canada once again, and for no good rational reason, gives into these "Aboriginal pressure groups". The Commissioners had no misgivings about accepting the princely sum of $92 million dollars from Canadian taxpayers knowing full well they ultimately intended to spit in the face of Canadians, and give Canada a black eye on the world stage. It is now fashionable, worldwide, to believe everything that Aboriginals say, and so there will be many horrified at the contents of this "report". What they don't understand of course is that this is a political exercise and power play. The whole warped and distorted enterprise, which is based on a house of cards, will be eagerly lapped up by those on the far left of the political spectrum - to the detriment of the average Canadian who once again sees their wallet / purse picked for a highly questionable "cause".
In summary, the stated reason for the high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women, "Canadian genocide" is meant to deflect from the true reason, which is the extraordinary dysfunction seen in the communities from which these women hail.
There is indeed a crisis but it is becoming increasingly apparent that the only solution is to disband and dismantle all Reserves, as Prime Minister Trudeau's own father proposed in the 1960s. The situation has only become worse since then, and drastic action must be taken before billions more Canadian dollars are thrown at a set of circumstances for which only full integration into the Canadian mosaic will work. Otherwise the suffering will continue unabated, and there will be more missing and murdered women, and those responsible will be the Indian leadership and White apologists who are willing to trade lives for the opportunity to participate in political expediency (and in the case of Indigenous leadership, enrich themselves in the process).
Fallout: In recent days some fairly predictable events have occurred. First, Prime Minister Trudeau was ultimately badgered into agreeing (showing utter lack of spine) that the murdered and missing Indigenous women situation constituted a "genocide". I expect that he inquired of each of the Commissioners, "which cheek would you like me to kiss first".
Secondly, the "news" got the attention of the wider world, used to having Canada criticize their own human rights records. So now the Organization of American States (OAS), which includes countries known to have spotless human rights records such as Nicaragua, will grill Canada over this new revelation of supposed atrocities permeating Canada - see here. This is the direct result of the "black eye" Canada and Canadians have been given by these self serving and biased "Commissioners".
In full throttle disgust.
** Updated 6 June 2019.
DY.
Monday, 29 April 2019
The Hereditary Council Supporters are Once Again Attempting to Block the Hydro One Reinforcement Line Project April - May 2019
In the 24 April 2019 issue of Two Row Times (click here for online version), in an article entitled, "Construction to resume at Niagara Reinforcement Project", it was reported that,
"SNGRDC Director Matt Jamieson said in an emailed statement that there is no new arrangement between Hydro One and the HCCC, but says Hydro One wishes to continue on the original agreement and complete the NRL.
In a public notice, SNGRDC announced it was returning to work on the project, saying the decision to return to work was reached by the “SNGRDC Governance Group and it’s Shareholder.”
“The Governance Group is comprised of the SNGRDC Board of Directors, SNGRDC Advisory Committee, and Economic Development Trust- Board of Trustees,” said Jamieson. SNGRDC’s shareholder is the Six Nations Elected Council.
“We have spoken to our shareholder and Governance group on numerous occasions and the consensus is that the project gets completed pursuant to the original plan as communicated during the engagement process.”
Turtle Island News, 26 April 2019, in an article entitled, "Six Nations Grand River Development corp Restarting Work on NRL Under Police Presence" (click here for online version) provides a different (or more direct) twist on the matter. Apparently the various elements of the Six Nations Elected Council (e.g., the Grand River Development Corporation) has had enough of the above noted antics of the various groups of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (e.g., Men's Fire). The 3 month delay in the stringing project is costing the Community money, jobs and other benefits. Hence they are resolved to provide manpower to support the Ontario Provincial Police and Hydro One security to literally stand in the way of any attempt by Men's Fire or other agents of the Hereditary Council to impede the legitimate work of Hydro One - which should require only a month or so to finish the project. While I would argue that no one at Six Nations has any business sticking their noses into this matter, or profiting from a project that they brought to a halt resulting in multi millions of dollars of costs and losses to Hydro One and the Ontario taxpayer, it is heartening to see that the project will likely proceed irrespective of the retrogressive elements of the Hereditary Council.
Turtle Island News, 26 April 2019, in an article entitled, "Six Nations Grand River Development corp Restarting Work on NRL Under Police Presence" (click here for online version) provides a different (or more direct) twist on the matter. Apparently the various elements of the Six Nations Elected Council (e.g., the Grand River Development Corporation) has had enough of the above noted antics of the various groups of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (e.g., Men's Fire). The 3 month delay in the stringing project is costing the Community money, jobs and other benefits. Hence they are resolved to provide manpower to support the Ontario Provincial Police and Hydro One security to literally stand in the way of any attempt by Men's Fire or other agents of the Hereditary Council to impede the legitimate work of Hydro One - which should require only a month or so to finish the project. While I would argue that no one at Six Nations has any business sticking their noses into this matter, or profiting from a project that they brought to a halt resulting in multi millions of dollars of costs and losses to Hydro One and the Ontario taxpayer, it is heartening to see that the project will likely proceed irrespective of the retrogressive elements of the Hereditary Council.
Recall that these people used a cutting torch or other device to take down a metal Hydro One tower, and drag it across Argyle Street South on multiple occasions between 2006 and 2016 - so I am not brimming with optimism that this project will proceed smoothly ................ we shall see.
A good summary of this matter to Sunday 28 April 2019 can be found in Two Row Times in an article entitled, "The basics on the current dispute surrounding the Niagara Reinforcement Line" (click here to view online version).
So, it is now Monday 29 April 2019, and work is set to resume on the "stringing of the wires" on Hydro One's Niagara Reinforcement Line. Based on the above, and knowing the "players", one might predict what would occur and be on solid ground - but best to seek out verifiable facts.
In an article entitled, "Hydro One's Niagara Reinforcement Line is being blocked by Six Nations" published in the 29 April 2019 online edition of Turtle Island News (click here to view the original), we learn that the supporters of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) are up to their old tricks once again.
The Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), and A6N (a subsidiary company) are affiliates of the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC), who are the legal representatives of the Six Nations people. These groups are working with Hydro One (see above) to get the line stringing project between Niagara Falls and the grid finished. However, factionalism has reared its ugly head yet once again to stir the pot and complicate matters.
What appears to be a group of a dozen or so of the perpetually disgruntled Six Nations activists, in learning of the above noted plan to resume work on the Niagara Reinforcement Line, decided that they would act unilaterally as supposed representatives of the Six Nations people to block the work! This scenario involves an entirely illegal confrontation against not only Hydro One (or a developer), but here also the legitimate representatives of the Six Nations people. In a nutshell, the HCCC wants Hydro One to work ONLY with them, and have nothing to do with SNEC or related agencies. The HCCC supporters have shown that they are willing to play hardball to get their way, fueled by their belief that only they are the legitimate body able to represent the Six Nations people - and that SNEC should be swept aside since they came to power after a coup in 1924 (subsequent to the then HCCC proving to the progressive members of the community and the Government that this Council had become totally incompetent and unable to govern the Reserve). 100 years later these struggles for power continue unabated. So even though the Community is receiving major financial considerations (the legitimacy of any Six Nations involvement whatsoever can of course be questioned), the HCCC is willing to risk this and perhaps much more (if the truth about land claims ever reached the ear of someone willing to bring it to Court - and Six Nations could be left with nothing but bills to pay).
Hydro One's perspective is that they have an agreement with A6N (Six Nations construction workers), and they intend to honour their partnership, anticipating that work should be completed in two months.
It was reported that the SNEC Chief, Ava Hill, was present along with councilors, security personnel and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) facing off against the protesters blocking the driveway to the work site. At this point it seems to be a standoff, although the OPP once again threatening to cave to demands, instead of arresting the activists, and so shut down the Caledonia Bypass which would create once again (how many times since 2006) a nightmare for Caledonia residents and people using Highway 6 to get from Hamilton to Port Dover - and again seeing the OPP acting as enablers for the HCCC and their "affiliates".
During the last blockade of Argyle Street by these activists, many Six Nations businesses took a serious financial hit. Hence the Communications Officer of the SNGRDC has requested that these owners show up and help bolster SNEC in their efforts to get on with things. The SNEC / SNGRDC and the A6N (Aecon Six Nations) subsidiary company supporters have made it clear that they plan to remain on site from 11 am to 4 pm to ensure that these is no disruption of the project.
The 1 May 2019 edition of Two Row Times, in an article entitled, "Work fails to restart on the Niagara Reinforcement Line" (click here to see preview of article) the bottom line is that the work is not proceeding and the respective leaders of the GRSNDC and the HCCC (Hereditary Council) are at each others throats, with the Aecon Six Nations construction workers caught in the middle. So, stalemate and once again the Ontario Provincial Police stand by seemingly impotent, and allowing legitimate work to be halted by criminal protesters.
Things are so bad between Community members that the Two Row Times included an article, "Cultural bullying at NRL work shutdown not beneficial to anybody" (click here for article) today (1 April 2019). Basically the author is demoralized that the two sides once again can not even agree to meet (being at the same table in the past has been perceived by the HCCC as giving support to the view that the Six Nations Elected Council has any legitimate role to play in the Six Nations Community). More specifically, in this case an HCCC member was calling out SNEC supporters for now knowing their Clan name or the name of their Clan Mother. The present author (of the blog) is well aware that the Clan structure has broken down due to, for example, men being appointed to a Chief's position for a Clan, family, and even Nation that he does not belong to but there is a need for a warm body to fill the role. So sadly it is largely become a sham anyway. The "I am better than you, and more Haudenosaunee, because I know my Clan" type of bullying is unproductive according to the author of the above article.
So things are at a standstill and the Community is in tatters - once again. The present author (of this blog) has said it numerous times that if the Community doesn't get its act together it will lay the groundwork for the total demolition of any claims Six Nations is putting forward to lands or any role in development projects, and instead will be stuck with an astounding bill for the burden their actions have placed on the Ontario taxpayer.
Stay tuned.
DY.
A good summary of this matter to Sunday 28 April 2019 can be found in Two Row Times in an article entitled, "The basics on the current dispute surrounding the Niagara Reinforcement Line" (click here to view online version).
So, it is now Monday 29 April 2019, and work is set to resume on the "stringing of the wires" on Hydro One's Niagara Reinforcement Line. Based on the above, and knowing the "players", one might predict what would occur and be on solid ground - but best to seek out verifiable facts.
In an article entitled, "Hydro One's Niagara Reinforcement Line is being blocked by Six Nations" published in the 29 April 2019 online edition of Turtle Island News (click here to view the original), we learn that the supporters of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) are up to their old tricks once again.
The Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), and A6N (a subsidiary company) are affiliates of the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC), who are the legal representatives of the Six Nations people. These groups are working with Hydro One (see above) to get the line stringing project between Niagara Falls and the grid finished. However, factionalism has reared its ugly head yet once again to stir the pot and complicate matters.
What appears to be a group of a dozen or so of the perpetually disgruntled Six Nations activists, in learning of the above noted plan to resume work on the Niagara Reinforcement Line, decided that they would act unilaterally as supposed representatives of the Six Nations people to block the work! This scenario involves an entirely illegal confrontation against not only Hydro One (or a developer), but here also the legitimate representatives of the Six Nations people. In a nutshell, the HCCC wants Hydro One to work ONLY with them, and have nothing to do with SNEC or related agencies. The HCCC supporters have shown that they are willing to play hardball to get their way, fueled by their belief that only they are the legitimate body able to represent the Six Nations people - and that SNEC should be swept aside since they came to power after a coup in 1924 (subsequent to the then HCCC proving to the progressive members of the community and the Government that this Council had become totally incompetent and unable to govern the Reserve). 100 years later these struggles for power continue unabated. So even though the Community is receiving major financial considerations (the legitimacy of any Six Nations involvement whatsoever can of course be questioned), the HCCC is willing to risk this and perhaps much more (if the truth about land claims ever reached the ear of someone willing to bring it to Court - and Six Nations could be left with nothing but bills to pay).
Hydro One's perspective is that they have an agreement with A6N (Six Nations construction workers), and they intend to honour their partnership, anticipating that work should be completed in two months.
It was reported that the SNEC Chief, Ava Hill, was present along with councilors, security personnel and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) facing off against the protesters blocking the driveway to the work site. At this point it seems to be a standoff, although the OPP once again threatening to cave to demands, instead of arresting the activists, and so shut down the Caledonia Bypass which would create once again (how many times since 2006) a nightmare for Caledonia residents and people using Highway 6 to get from Hamilton to Port Dover - and again seeing the OPP acting as enablers for the HCCC and their "affiliates".
During the last blockade of Argyle Street by these activists, many Six Nations businesses took a serious financial hit. Hence the Communications Officer of the SNGRDC has requested that these owners show up and help bolster SNEC in their efforts to get on with things. The SNEC / SNGRDC and the A6N (Aecon Six Nations) subsidiary company supporters have made it clear that they plan to remain on site from 11 am to 4 pm to ensure that these is no disruption of the project.
The 1 May 2019 edition of Two Row Times, in an article entitled, "Work fails to restart on the Niagara Reinforcement Line" (click here to see preview of article) the bottom line is that the work is not proceeding and the respective leaders of the GRSNDC and the HCCC (Hereditary Council) are at each others throats, with the Aecon Six Nations construction workers caught in the middle. So, stalemate and once again the Ontario Provincial Police stand by seemingly impotent, and allowing legitimate work to be halted by criminal protesters.
Things are so bad between Community members that the Two Row Times included an article, "Cultural bullying at NRL work shutdown not beneficial to anybody" (click here for article) today (1 April 2019). Basically the author is demoralized that the two sides once again can not even agree to meet (being at the same table in the past has been perceived by the HCCC as giving support to the view that the Six Nations Elected Council has any legitimate role to play in the Six Nations Community). More specifically, in this case an HCCC member was calling out SNEC supporters for now knowing their Clan name or the name of their Clan Mother. The present author (of the blog) is well aware that the Clan structure has broken down due to, for example, men being appointed to a Chief's position for a Clan, family, and even Nation that he does not belong to but there is a need for a warm body to fill the role. So sadly it is largely become a sham anyway. The "I am better than you, and more Haudenosaunee, because I know my Clan" type of bullying is unproductive according to the author of the above article.
So things are at a standstill and the Community is in tatters - once again. The present author (of this blog) has said it numerous times that if the Community doesn't get its act together it will lay the groundwork for the total demolition of any claims Six Nations is putting forward to lands or any role in development projects, and instead will be stuck with an astounding bill for the burden their actions have placed on the Ontario taxpayer.
Stay tuned.
DY.
Thursday, 25 April 2019
Six Nations Continuing Extortion of Money and Land from Uninformed and "Push Over" Developers
Here we go again. As has happened so many times before since 2006 with the Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) take over, and over the subsequent 13 years, the Six Nations of the Grand River has been able to obtain land and money from developers (land and green energy) based on extortion / threats, whether direct or indirect. It has become clear that this process will never end in Caledonia and surrounding areas. The most recent instance is reported in the 24 April 2019 issue of Two Row Times (TRT) under the title, "Developer makes accommodation to Six Nations for new Caledonia housing project" (click here for online version). So it would seem that once again the law and morality will take a back seat to expedience and compliance to pressure groups, but it is important to explore the details of the "deal" struck between the various parties involved before making a final determination. First, a little background is in order.
The origins of the "problem" extend all the way back to the 2006 Douglas Creek Estates debacle. Here a group of Six Nations activists succeeded in overrunning an ongoing housing development and "dispersing" the Ontario Provincial Police sent to enforce a Court Order. They claimed, against evidence, that the land was never surrendered. To this day Six Nations activists still occupy this property (after trashing everything of value on the land) with the consent of the Ontario Provincial Government. When all was said and done these criminals (who committed theft, arson, assault ....... ) prevailed, setting a very dangerous precedent that lingers to the present day, and which underlies the situation discussed here.
As documented in numerous postings to this blog, between 2006 and 2019, both major competing factions at Six Nations (the supporters of the Hereditary Confederacy Chiefs Council and the Six Nations Elected Council) have extracted millions of dollars from the Canadian Government (the Crown), the Ontario Provincial Government (the Little Crown), and individual developers of green energy projects and housing tracts. All of this based on the claim that the lands given to the Six Nations for occupancy and located in the Haldimand Tract were never surrendered to the Crown and that all land patents are illegitimate. To further extend the unwarranted claims, these groups have had the audacity to use a bogus document to put forward a claim to rights to all lands in Southwestern Ontario. What is so infuriating is that no one is willing to stand up to the criminal activities of these groups, likely out of fear that activists will be sent to "enforce" their will upon the developers, or that those who speak the truth will be shouted down by being called "racists" - or perhaps the (very real) worry that physical violence will ensue.
The bottom line in 2019, according to the above source, is that, "Ballantry Homes has given 42.85 acres of farm land and $352,000 to the Six Nations Elected Council as part of the accommodation deal to approve two housing projects: Beatties Estates and McKenzie Meadows on the east and west sides of McKenzie Road in Caledonia." To rub salt into the wound (for those of us who had to endure the 2006 to 2016 fall out of the Douglas Creek Estates anarchy), the development is immediately across the road (Argyle Street South, the scene of numerous blockades and confrontations) from the DCE property.
It is not clear at present how much total money would be involved (turned over to Six Nations), but in 2015 an offer of 1.35 million dollars was turned down. By law (since the land was legally surrendered by Six Nations in 1844 and the monies placed in their Trust Fund) this is an illegal (certainly unnecessary) aspect. As to the land give away, the above 43 acres is at Little Buffalo just west of Hagersville. Apparently there is a "formula" developed for these cases now (after the deal by threat involving the massive McClung Avalon Homes development north and east of Caledonia). In other words land traded for the promise not to disrupt the development with protests and blockades. Here this involved, "seeing Six Nations receive payment in the form of property that is half the value of the developable land in the proposed project."
It is amazing that the developers do not continue to challenge the actions of Six Nations (whatever faction they happen to be dealing with) in Court. At least with a Court Order the Ontario Provincial Police, especially since we have a new Conservative Government, may actually enforce the provisions and arrest all protesters and the Court will hand them severe fines. So clearly Ballantry doesn't have the "stones" to proceed in that direction but rather see it in their best interest to give in to the demands of the Six Nations. It makes no sense economically, except for the fact that it will probably be the taxpayers of Ontario who are the ones who suffer most. Every time land is taken out of the tax base and given to Six Nations a process kicks in and ultimately the land will no longer be taxed and the tax burden falls on the taxpayers of Haldimand and Ontario. Amazing how timid developers and taxpayers are considering that the payments are entirely unnecessary.
It must be remembered that the actual data (evidence) could not be more crystal clear in relation to the legitimacy of the actions of Six Nations here - all of the lands in the Haldimand Tract have been surrendered, beginning in the 1780s, and peaking just before the consolidation of the present Reserve in 1847. The present author has posted scanned copies of key surrenders (e.g., for the lands upon which the Douglas Creek Estates are situated) to this blog, showing the signatures or marks of all of the Chiefs from all Nations residing on the Grand River at the time (see later for references). The signatures were witnessed by the Chiefs who were literate, and most particularly Jacob Martin (Mohawk) who was the interpreter. Over 170 years later descendants of those who legally and fairly sold the land are saying it never happened. In the TRT article, the land researcher for Six Nations stated, "All of these lands under the Haldimand Tract are under land claim no matter where it is. Douglas Creek is no different than MacKenzie Road. Oneida Township was never surrendered but it went out of our possession in 1845. It’s been in third party hands since then. All these lands were patented in the 1850s and 1860s." That statement is absolutely incorrect. The records are there for all to see in the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, RG10 Indian Affairs collection. Surrenders were debated in Six Nations Council by all Chiefs and over the years they signed off on surrenders of ALL lands except those they chose in 1847 as a consolidated Reserve (Tuscarora Township, and part of Onondaga Township in Brant County; as well as the most westerly part of Oneida Township in Haldimand County) - IR 40 the present Six Nations Reserve. As long as no one challenges the statements of the land researcher, people will come to assume that what they say must be correct - but it is not, it is outright wrong and can easily be proved! To make matters worse the land researcher, in the recent TRT article, states that the Courts are saying that there is a statute of limitations on these matters and that is why it is useless for Six Nations to go to Court. Not so, the reason is that the Court would decide (as they already did in 2009) that the claims of the land not being surrendered have no merit. Somehow this decision by Justice Arrell of the Superior Court in Brantford, based on the Holmes Report of 2008 using the documents from the above RG10 records in Ottawa, has failed to set a precedent. There is a huge scope for a legal challenge - but no one to initiate it.
A comprehensive summary and meta analysis on the matter of land surrenders and treaties can be found in an earlier posting to this blog seen here.
There is plenty of blame to go around in this ongoing situation - but ultimately it is those unwilling to stand up to being used and abused who need to be the targets of the finger pointing.
When will taxpayers, developers, or the Government put forward a challenge to the false statements coming from Six Nations? Wish I knew the answer, but so far "never" seems to emerge as the most likely scenario. For those who respect the truth beyond anything else, the matter is ultimately infuriating as those who speak falsehoods hold sway.
D.Y.
The origins of the "problem" extend all the way back to the 2006 Douglas Creek Estates debacle. Here a group of Six Nations activists succeeded in overrunning an ongoing housing development and "dispersing" the Ontario Provincial Police sent to enforce a Court Order. They claimed, against evidence, that the land was never surrendered. To this day Six Nations activists still occupy this property (after trashing everything of value on the land) with the consent of the Ontario Provincial Government. When all was said and done these criminals (who committed theft, arson, assault ....... ) prevailed, setting a very dangerous precedent that lingers to the present day, and which underlies the situation discussed here.
As documented in numerous postings to this blog, between 2006 and 2019, both major competing factions at Six Nations (the supporters of the Hereditary Confederacy Chiefs Council and the Six Nations Elected Council) have extracted millions of dollars from the Canadian Government (the Crown), the Ontario Provincial Government (the Little Crown), and individual developers of green energy projects and housing tracts. All of this based on the claim that the lands given to the Six Nations for occupancy and located in the Haldimand Tract were never surrendered to the Crown and that all land patents are illegitimate. To further extend the unwarranted claims, these groups have had the audacity to use a bogus document to put forward a claim to rights to all lands in Southwestern Ontario. What is so infuriating is that no one is willing to stand up to the criminal activities of these groups, likely out of fear that activists will be sent to "enforce" their will upon the developers, or that those who speak the truth will be shouted down by being called "racists" - or perhaps the (very real) worry that physical violence will ensue.
The bottom line in 2019, according to the above source, is that, "Ballantry Homes has given 42.85 acres of farm land and $352,000 to the Six Nations Elected Council as part of the accommodation deal to approve two housing projects: Beatties Estates and McKenzie Meadows on the east and west sides of McKenzie Road in Caledonia." To rub salt into the wound (for those of us who had to endure the 2006 to 2016 fall out of the Douglas Creek Estates anarchy), the development is immediately across the road (Argyle Street South, the scene of numerous blockades and confrontations) from the DCE property.
It is not clear at present how much total money would be involved (turned over to Six Nations), but in 2015 an offer of 1.35 million dollars was turned down. By law (since the land was legally surrendered by Six Nations in 1844 and the monies placed in their Trust Fund) this is an illegal (certainly unnecessary) aspect. As to the land give away, the above 43 acres is at Little Buffalo just west of Hagersville. Apparently there is a "formula" developed for these cases now (after the deal by threat involving the massive McClung Avalon Homes development north and east of Caledonia). In other words land traded for the promise not to disrupt the development with protests and blockades. Here this involved, "seeing Six Nations receive payment in the form of property that is half the value of the developable land in the proposed project."
It is amazing that the developers do not continue to challenge the actions of Six Nations (whatever faction they happen to be dealing with) in Court. At least with a Court Order the Ontario Provincial Police, especially since we have a new Conservative Government, may actually enforce the provisions and arrest all protesters and the Court will hand them severe fines. So clearly Ballantry doesn't have the "stones" to proceed in that direction but rather see it in their best interest to give in to the demands of the Six Nations. It makes no sense economically, except for the fact that it will probably be the taxpayers of Ontario who are the ones who suffer most. Every time land is taken out of the tax base and given to Six Nations a process kicks in and ultimately the land will no longer be taxed and the tax burden falls on the taxpayers of Haldimand and Ontario. Amazing how timid developers and taxpayers are considering that the payments are entirely unnecessary.
It must be remembered that the actual data (evidence) could not be more crystal clear in relation to the legitimacy of the actions of Six Nations here - all of the lands in the Haldimand Tract have been surrendered, beginning in the 1780s, and peaking just before the consolidation of the present Reserve in 1847. The present author has posted scanned copies of key surrenders (e.g., for the lands upon which the Douglas Creek Estates are situated) to this blog, showing the signatures or marks of all of the Chiefs from all Nations residing on the Grand River at the time (see later for references). The signatures were witnessed by the Chiefs who were literate, and most particularly Jacob Martin (Mohawk) who was the interpreter. Over 170 years later descendants of those who legally and fairly sold the land are saying it never happened. In the TRT article, the land researcher for Six Nations stated, "All of these lands under the Haldimand Tract are under land claim no matter where it is. Douglas Creek is no different than MacKenzie Road. Oneida Township was never surrendered but it went out of our possession in 1845. It’s been in third party hands since then. All these lands were patented in the 1850s and 1860s." That statement is absolutely incorrect. The records are there for all to see in the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, RG10 Indian Affairs collection. Surrenders were debated in Six Nations Council by all Chiefs and over the years they signed off on surrenders of ALL lands except those they chose in 1847 as a consolidated Reserve (Tuscarora Township, and part of Onondaga Township in Brant County; as well as the most westerly part of Oneida Township in Haldimand County) - IR 40 the present Six Nations Reserve. As long as no one challenges the statements of the land researcher, people will come to assume that what they say must be correct - but it is not, it is outright wrong and can easily be proved! To make matters worse the land researcher, in the recent TRT article, states that the Courts are saying that there is a statute of limitations on these matters and that is why it is useless for Six Nations to go to Court. Not so, the reason is that the Court would decide (as they already did in 2009) that the claims of the land not being surrendered have no merit. Somehow this decision by Justice Arrell of the Superior Court in Brantford, based on the Holmes Report of 2008 using the documents from the above RG10 records in Ottawa, has failed to set a precedent. There is a huge scope for a legal challenge - but no one to initiate it.
A comprehensive summary and meta analysis on the matter of land surrenders and treaties can be found in an earlier posting to this blog seen here.
There is plenty of blame to go around in this ongoing situation - but ultimately it is those unwilling to stand up to being used and abused who need to be the targets of the finger pointing.
When will taxpayers, developers, or the Government put forward a challenge to the false statements coming from Six Nations? Wish I knew the answer, but so far "never" seems to emerge as the most likely scenario. For those who respect the truth beyond anything else, the matter is ultimately infuriating as those who speak falsehoods hold sway.
D.Y.
Friday, 22 February 2019
Hydro One Dealings: Threats of Violence, Extortion, False Narrative, Superstition Versus Rationality
As will be apparent from the time gap between this and the previous post, I have not commented on anything for an uncharacteristic interval of time. Some of this is due to prioritizing, for example deciding that this or that matter is really somewhat trivial. The recent blockade of a road in Brant County over solidarity with an Aboriginal - related issue in British Columbia almost made the cut. However, with the publication of information in the most recent edition of Two Row Times (TRT) (20 February 2019), I feel compelled to speak out against the gross injustices that have occurred recently. All relate to the subject matter of the previous 3 of 4 Blog postings. In other words, there are notable developments in the outlandish rip off of the Canadian and Ontario taxpayers relating to stringing the high tension wires leading from Niagara Falls to the grid.
The present post relates to content in the News (pp. 2-3), Editorial and Letters to the Editor (p. 6) sections of the print version of TRT. Online content from this newspaper can be viewed here. TRT is a relatively unbiased source of information concerning what is happening in "Six Nations Territory" whereas the other Reserve newspaper is an unapologetic supporter of, and mouthpiece for, the Haudensaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC).
Once again the concerns raised here are a result of the actions of the Haudenosaunee Development Corporation (HDC) and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), specifically "Men's Fire". The HCCC is a group of individuals who purport to represent the original Six Nations hereditary system, and are vehemently opposed to the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) who are elected, and since 1924 are the only group recognized by the Provincial and Federal Governments. Numerous examples of the antagonism between the two groups can be found in the postings on this Blog. The HCCC's opposition to virtually anything proposed or accomplished by SNEC ensure that the Six Nations community is composed of two opposing factions. The acrimony is such that the HCCC will not even meet with the legitimate Elected Council for fear of giving up the claim to power that they insist is theirs alone. Unfortunately the most recent "efforts" of HCCC will ensure that millions of badly needed dollars will not be seen by the community, and perhaps risk a highly controversial agreement with Hydro One that, if re-visited, may well require the payment of not millions, but returning billions of dollars owed to the Canadian and Ontario Governments. A very risky proposition.
To give a quick historical perspective, as profiled in the above noted Blog postings, in 2006 Six Nations militants "reclaimed" (stole) the Douglas Creek Estates (Kanonstaton), which had been property ceded by all the Chiefs of the Six Nations (including Nanticokes, St. Regis Onondaga, Tutelo and other smaller tribes who were members of the Six Nations before being absorbed into larger tribal / nation units) in 1844 (see the original documents in earlier Blog postings). As part of their unconscionable series of actions (e.g., arson, assault, mayhem), the militants put Mohawk Warrior flags on the metal hydro towers already installed, that needed only the stringing of wires to bring power from Niagara Falls to the grid system. The message was "cease and desist" "or else".
The threats of violence ensured that gutless Hydro One simply abandoned the project and the forlorn towers (except the one taken down to use on multiple occasions as a barrier to traffic on Argyle Street and the Caledonia Bypass) sat idle from 2006 to 2018. Despite there being absolutely no legal reason to do so, Hydro One and the Ontario Government signed agreements with Six Nations Elected Council representatives to a deal that would "permit" the project to go ahead - with Six Nations receiving millions over 20 years for doing absolutely nothing; and with no compensation for the massive loss in revenue, the tax bill each year having been picked up by the Ontario taxpayer - not Six Nations. Clearly Hydro One just wanted to get on with it and were willing to pay money obtained by "negotiation" (extortion) to ensure that the project was completed.
As has become standard practice, the HCCC and their representatives wanted to be cut in on the action, and to be recognized as the "legitimate" group that should be negotiating with Hydro One and / or the contractors doing the work. At the end of January the Men's Fire issued a "cease and desist" order (which has no meaning except to them), and they had threatened the workers that if they did not stop work, then people (specifically, "men from all the territories") would come streaming from the Reserve in great numbers (as they did in 2006) to forceably shut the work down. They would, however, let the project go to completion if they were given $250,000! That was a direct threat, that was extortion, and what did the Ontario Provincial Police do - nothing. I have not heard of any Court Injunction being issued, although there is every reason to do so. If a dozen people from Caledonia did the same thing the OPP would most assuredly arrest them, and a Court date would be set. However this is Six Nations, so the rules are different. Kid gloves, tread lightly - one set of rules for those defined as "Native" and another for those defined as "non - Native". A double standard which we came to see was to be the norm during the 2006 crisis, and had hoped that the dynamic had changed (there were successful Court Injunctions concerning developments in Hagersville and the massive McClung Road Avalon development east of Caledonia).
The HCCC used as a rationale (if they bothered to use one at all) that Niagara Falls was Haudensaunee land and they must be consulted. As I have shown on multiple occasions, the "Nanfan Treaty" of 1701 was not a treaty at all, and even if it was considered legitimate by the Crown (which they did not), it only spoke of hunting rights. After the wanton genocide of the 1640s where all of the true "owners" of the land, the "Neutral" or Attiwandaronk people, were no more - having been tortured and murdered to "cleanse" to area of competitors in the lucrative beaver trade. While the then 5 Nations did establish 8 settlements in Southern Ontario after the genocide (giving them "rights by conquest"), by 1696 all were destroyed by the Mississauga and their 5 Fires allies (e.g., Pottowatomi as well as the Huron / Wendat remnants who escaped the fate of 95% of their people in the genocide of the 1640s). The "owners" of the land after then were the Mississauga, their descendants today being for example the peoples of New Credit (New Credit Reserve bordering on Hagersville). So if anyone is going to demand a "cut of the action", why is it not the New Credit people? In reality, the lands were purchased legally by the British Crown beginning in 1784, so in effect the land is now a part of the Province of Ontario. The stakeholders are those who pay taxes to the Canadian and Ontario Governments, and I might add, stiff fees for the electricity generated at Niagara Falls and elsewhere in Southern Ontario.
Since the Six Nations community had been given a "sweetheart deal", it is amazing but not surprising that the HCCC would raise objections and try to shut the work down in order to assert their dominance. Hence once again we have the hereditary and elected councils pitted against each other (it has ever been thus - for almost 100 years now) - factionalism. In fact the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), a legitimate body at Six Nations, is now faced with the wrath of the HCCC - and a significant loss of funds to the entire community simply to make a point by the latter. Six Nations have already lost $500,000 in much needed (although ill gotten) revenue.
In an all too familiar portrait, at a meeting between the SNGRDC and the HCCC (a rare event), once again the latter torpedoed the dialog .................. why .................. because a wampum string fell on the floor and it was seen as "a bad omen". In a Letter to the Editor the unnamed author wrote that during the "heated dialogue", "the Chiefs Wampum, which represents the Fire, fell to the floor from the bench upon which it was situated". The reaction of the Chiefs and Clan Mothers was that it was then necessary to shut down the meeting and perform a propitiation ceremony to ensure that nothing bad comes of this event. In the Editorial, the Editor stated that while the HCCC claimed that this is, "a bad sign, there are others who would just assume that it was a happenstance". Correct, that is what reason and rationality would assert. The Editor goes on to say that, "because some beads fell on the ground, no matter how sacred one holds them to be, is not a sufficient answer to the people of the Six Nations" not to be able to find common ground.
Once again the HCCC is acting on its own authority, through one of its various agencies (e.g., Men's Fire), and making demands that are in their own interests. They have never accounted for any money they obtained since 2006 when the Provincial Government was "forced" to make "compensation" for excessive, unreasonable, and irrational demands. So why trust them now - transparency is something that many at Six Nations are demanding before they would consider looking at the actions of the HDC or other hereditary council groups as legitimate or not. Follow the money. Who has the money? Were pockets lined at the expense of the community? How can anyone attribute any legitimacy to a group that will not open the books to ensure the monies have been used in an appropriate manner?
However the bottom line, as alluded to above, is that the HCCC may be opening up a can of worms, or Pandora's box - and ultimately once again the community is in turmoil because of the actions of a small group of militants who take advantage of the Six Nations and the wider community. Frankly if it were up to those most impacted by the actions of the HCCC (Ontario taxpayers), after reading all the evidence, they would press forward to charge the Six Nations for standing in the way of this project for 13 years, and costing the people of Ontario multi millions of dollars. Instead the gutless wonders who make these decisions from Hydro One on up, cow tow to the unwarranted and illegal demands of those who should not have a stake in this work. What a crazy situation - and how much press coverage has this seen outside Six Nations? There was an update months ago, but where are the reporters in the general community who should be looking at the evidence, and keeping the public up to date with developments such as the brash extortion attempt by Men's Fire which will result in delays, and the loss of who knows how many more millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Why is there no Court Injunction against the Men's Fire to bar them from impeding the work of the contractors? Do the people of Ontario care that they are being dinged for millions of dollars? Does anyone care that this has come about due to blatant extortion? Since when is extortion not a crime? Are Six Nations to continue to be "given a pass" with false claims and questionable actions in the matter?
DY
The present post relates to content in the News (pp. 2-3), Editorial and Letters to the Editor (p. 6) sections of the print version of TRT. Online content from this newspaper can be viewed here. TRT is a relatively unbiased source of information concerning what is happening in "Six Nations Territory" whereas the other Reserve newspaper is an unapologetic supporter of, and mouthpiece for, the Haudensaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC).
Once again the concerns raised here are a result of the actions of the Haudenosaunee Development Corporation (HDC) and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), specifically "Men's Fire". The HCCC is a group of individuals who purport to represent the original Six Nations hereditary system, and are vehemently opposed to the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) who are elected, and since 1924 are the only group recognized by the Provincial and Federal Governments. Numerous examples of the antagonism between the two groups can be found in the postings on this Blog. The HCCC's opposition to virtually anything proposed or accomplished by SNEC ensure that the Six Nations community is composed of two opposing factions. The acrimony is such that the HCCC will not even meet with the legitimate Elected Council for fear of giving up the claim to power that they insist is theirs alone. Unfortunately the most recent "efforts" of HCCC will ensure that millions of badly needed dollars will not be seen by the community, and perhaps risk a highly controversial agreement with Hydro One that, if re-visited, may well require the payment of not millions, but returning billions of dollars owed to the Canadian and Ontario Governments. A very risky proposition.
To give a quick historical perspective, as profiled in the above noted Blog postings, in 2006 Six Nations militants "reclaimed" (stole) the Douglas Creek Estates (Kanonstaton), which had been property ceded by all the Chiefs of the Six Nations (including Nanticokes, St. Regis Onondaga, Tutelo and other smaller tribes who were members of the Six Nations before being absorbed into larger tribal / nation units) in 1844 (see the original documents in earlier Blog postings). As part of their unconscionable series of actions (e.g., arson, assault, mayhem), the militants put Mohawk Warrior flags on the metal hydro towers already installed, that needed only the stringing of wires to bring power from Niagara Falls to the grid system. The message was "cease and desist" "or else".
The threats of violence ensured that gutless Hydro One simply abandoned the project and the forlorn towers (except the one taken down to use on multiple occasions as a barrier to traffic on Argyle Street and the Caledonia Bypass) sat idle from 2006 to 2018. Despite there being absolutely no legal reason to do so, Hydro One and the Ontario Government signed agreements with Six Nations Elected Council representatives to a deal that would "permit" the project to go ahead - with Six Nations receiving millions over 20 years for doing absolutely nothing; and with no compensation for the massive loss in revenue, the tax bill each year having been picked up by the Ontario taxpayer - not Six Nations. Clearly Hydro One just wanted to get on with it and were willing to pay money obtained by "negotiation" (extortion) to ensure that the project was completed.
As has become standard practice, the HCCC and their representatives wanted to be cut in on the action, and to be recognized as the "legitimate" group that should be negotiating with Hydro One and / or the contractors doing the work. At the end of January the Men's Fire issued a "cease and desist" order (which has no meaning except to them), and they had threatened the workers that if they did not stop work, then people (specifically, "men from all the territories") would come streaming from the Reserve in great numbers (as they did in 2006) to forceably shut the work down. They would, however, let the project go to completion if they were given $250,000! That was a direct threat, that was extortion, and what did the Ontario Provincial Police do - nothing. I have not heard of any Court Injunction being issued, although there is every reason to do so. If a dozen people from Caledonia did the same thing the OPP would most assuredly arrest them, and a Court date would be set. However this is Six Nations, so the rules are different. Kid gloves, tread lightly - one set of rules for those defined as "Native" and another for those defined as "non - Native". A double standard which we came to see was to be the norm during the 2006 crisis, and had hoped that the dynamic had changed (there were successful Court Injunctions concerning developments in Hagersville and the massive McClung Road Avalon development east of Caledonia).
The HCCC used as a rationale (if they bothered to use one at all) that Niagara Falls was Haudensaunee land and they must be consulted. As I have shown on multiple occasions, the "Nanfan Treaty" of 1701 was not a treaty at all, and even if it was considered legitimate by the Crown (which they did not), it only spoke of hunting rights. After the wanton genocide of the 1640s where all of the true "owners" of the land, the "Neutral" or Attiwandaronk people, were no more - having been tortured and murdered to "cleanse" to area of competitors in the lucrative beaver trade. While the then 5 Nations did establish 8 settlements in Southern Ontario after the genocide (giving them "rights by conquest"), by 1696 all were destroyed by the Mississauga and their 5 Fires allies (e.g., Pottowatomi as well as the Huron / Wendat remnants who escaped the fate of 95% of their people in the genocide of the 1640s). The "owners" of the land after then were the Mississauga, their descendants today being for example the peoples of New Credit (New Credit Reserve bordering on Hagersville). So if anyone is going to demand a "cut of the action", why is it not the New Credit people? In reality, the lands were purchased legally by the British Crown beginning in 1784, so in effect the land is now a part of the Province of Ontario. The stakeholders are those who pay taxes to the Canadian and Ontario Governments, and I might add, stiff fees for the electricity generated at Niagara Falls and elsewhere in Southern Ontario.
Since the Six Nations community had been given a "sweetheart deal", it is amazing but not surprising that the HCCC would raise objections and try to shut the work down in order to assert their dominance. Hence once again we have the hereditary and elected councils pitted against each other (it has ever been thus - for almost 100 years now) - factionalism. In fact the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), a legitimate body at Six Nations, is now faced with the wrath of the HCCC - and a significant loss of funds to the entire community simply to make a point by the latter. Six Nations have already lost $500,000 in much needed (although ill gotten) revenue.
In an all too familiar portrait, at a meeting between the SNGRDC and the HCCC (a rare event), once again the latter torpedoed the dialog .................. why .................. because a wampum string fell on the floor and it was seen as "a bad omen". In a Letter to the Editor the unnamed author wrote that during the "heated dialogue", "the Chiefs Wampum, which represents the Fire, fell to the floor from the bench upon which it was situated". The reaction of the Chiefs and Clan Mothers was that it was then necessary to shut down the meeting and perform a propitiation ceremony to ensure that nothing bad comes of this event. In the Editorial, the Editor stated that while the HCCC claimed that this is, "a bad sign, there are others who would just assume that it was a happenstance". Correct, that is what reason and rationality would assert. The Editor goes on to say that, "because some beads fell on the ground, no matter how sacred one holds them to be, is not a sufficient answer to the people of the Six Nations" not to be able to find common ground.
Once again the HCCC is acting on its own authority, through one of its various agencies (e.g., Men's Fire), and making demands that are in their own interests. They have never accounted for any money they obtained since 2006 when the Provincial Government was "forced" to make "compensation" for excessive, unreasonable, and irrational demands. So why trust them now - transparency is something that many at Six Nations are demanding before they would consider looking at the actions of the HDC or other hereditary council groups as legitimate or not. Follow the money. Who has the money? Were pockets lined at the expense of the community? How can anyone attribute any legitimacy to a group that will not open the books to ensure the monies have been used in an appropriate manner?
However the bottom line, as alluded to above, is that the HCCC may be opening up a can of worms, or Pandora's box - and ultimately once again the community is in turmoil because of the actions of a small group of militants who take advantage of the Six Nations and the wider community. Frankly if it were up to those most impacted by the actions of the HCCC (Ontario taxpayers), after reading all the evidence, they would press forward to charge the Six Nations for standing in the way of this project for 13 years, and costing the people of Ontario multi millions of dollars. Instead the gutless wonders who make these decisions from Hydro One on up, cow tow to the unwarranted and illegal demands of those who should not have a stake in this work. What a crazy situation - and how much press coverage has this seen outside Six Nations? There was an update months ago, but where are the reporters in the general community who should be looking at the evidence, and keeping the public up to date with developments such as the brash extortion attempt by Men's Fire which will result in delays, and the loss of who knows how many more millions of dollars of taxpayer money. Why is there no Court Injunction against the Men's Fire to bar them from impeding the work of the contractors? Do the people of Ontario care that they are being dinged for millions of dollars? Does anyone care that this has come about due to blatant extortion? Since when is extortion not a crime? Are Six Nations to continue to be "given a pass" with false claims and questionable actions in the matter?
DY
Monday, 24 September 2018
Update on Progress in Connection of Hydro One Transmission Lines Idle since the "Insurrection" of 2006
As readers will know, the absurd grovelling of Hydro One and the Province of Ontario and its taxpayers to Six Nations is without any rhyme or reason - other than political. Six Nations halted the $116 million dollar project that would link New York with the Ontario grid in 2006 and the towers (those not demolished by Six Nations in an unparalleled act of unpunished vandalism) have sat idle without any wires. In two articles presented in this blog the author discussed the wish of the Elected Council of Six Nations to restart the work and ensure their involvement on terms where they would "purchase" a 25% interest in the line where the Canadian taxpayer would actually foot the bill.
In the topsy turvy world that we in Caledonia live in, the aggressors are calling the shots, and few have stated the obvious - that the taxes on the unstrung lines have cost Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars (demanded by Hydro One), let alone the millions or billions of dollars of lost revenue since Six Nations blocked the construction of the lines needed to bring electric power from Niagara Falls. As a reminder of the specifics, here follows what was reported in the Sachem article of 23 October 2017: A CTV News investigation in 2015 revealed that the incomplete NRL has been costing Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars as it sat idle. According to CTV, Hydro One has been billing taxpayers for interest payments on the NRL. The total from 2007 to 2015 was just shy of $50 million.
The author has made the case that Six Nations needs to reimburse all who have lost revenue or paid money that can be attributed to Six Nations refusing to "allow" the continuation of the work from 2006 to 2018. The unmitigated gall of now wanting to profit from their decision to "permit" the work to proceed. NO, pay back what YOU OWE and we can talk! I want to make it perfectly clear that Six Nations has zero legal rights to be involved in any such decision making. The towers are not on the Six Nations Reserve, they are on land legally surrendered by Six Nations between the 1830s and 1847. All Six Nations (and allied Nations such as the Delaware and Nanticoke) Chiefs at the time signed off on the sale of the property, and the records are available for all to view in the RG10 (Indian Affairs) Series at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. The author has included many of these documents in previous blog postings. Six Nations have no more rights to this land today than the author does to lands owned by the authors ancestors down river and sold before the birth of the author. It is also important to note from time to time that the Six Nations are not aboriginal to the Grand River lands. The legal owners were the Mississauga, from whom Governor Sir Frederick Haldimand purchased the "Haldimand Tract" for the use of the use of the Six Nations (although some argue it was the Mohawk alone who were the recipients of Haldimand's purchase). Six Nations never owned an acre in fee simple, it was and is Crown land unless patented. To assert rights to lands alienated 170 plus years ago is legally and morally wrong. There are no aboriginal or treaty rights that apply.
The author was unable to find any further information on the subject since the article that appeared in the Sachem in 2017, and discussed in detail in the author's blog postings here and here. Hence they decided to do a little local sleuthing. The results of that investigation are entirely visual, and can be viewed in the pictures below taken on 24 September 2018:
In the topsy turvy world that we in Caledonia live in, the aggressors are calling the shots, and few have stated the obvious - that the taxes on the unstrung lines have cost Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars (demanded by Hydro One), let alone the millions or billions of dollars of lost revenue since Six Nations blocked the construction of the lines needed to bring electric power from Niagara Falls. As a reminder of the specifics, here follows what was reported in the Sachem article of 23 October 2017: A CTV News investigation in 2015 revealed that the incomplete NRL has been costing Ontario taxpayers millions of dollars as it sat idle. According to CTV, Hydro One has been billing taxpayers for interest payments on the NRL. The total from 2007 to 2015 was just shy of $50 million.
The author has made the case that Six Nations needs to reimburse all who have lost revenue or paid money that can be attributed to Six Nations refusing to "allow" the continuation of the work from 2006 to 2018. The unmitigated gall of now wanting to profit from their decision to "permit" the work to proceed. NO, pay back what YOU OWE and we can talk! I want to make it perfectly clear that Six Nations has zero legal rights to be involved in any such decision making. The towers are not on the Six Nations Reserve, they are on land legally surrendered by Six Nations between the 1830s and 1847. All Six Nations (and allied Nations such as the Delaware and Nanticoke) Chiefs at the time signed off on the sale of the property, and the records are available for all to view in the RG10 (Indian Affairs) Series at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. The author has included many of these documents in previous blog postings. Six Nations have no more rights to this land today than the author does to lands owned by the authors ancestors down river and sold before the birth of the author. It is also important to note from time to time that the Six Nations are not aboriginal to the Grand River lands. The legal owners were the Mississauga, from whom Governor Sir Frederick Haldimand purchased the "Haldimand Tract" for the use of the use of the Six Nations (although some argue it was the Mohawk alone who were the recipients of Haldimand's purchase). Six Nations never owned an acre in fee simple, it was and is Crown land unless patented. To assert rights to lands alienated 170 plus years ago is legally and morally wrong. There are no aboriginal or treaty rights that apply.
The author was unable to find any further information on the subject since the article that appeared in the Sachem in 2017, and discussed in detail in the author's blog postings here and here. Hence they decided to do a little local sleuthing. The results of that investigation are entirely visual, and can be viewed in the pictures below taken on 24 September 2018:
Hydro One tower looking south from Argyle Street
Above is the most easterly tower which has been strung to date.
Pulleys and wires end at the tower above
Terminal end "clumps" of colour coded wires
Looking west from Argyle Street to tower complex on the other side of the Caledonia bypass
Work site looking west from the Caledonia bypass near illegal smoke shack
I will end this post with the same question I pose so often: when will Six Nations apologize to the citizens of Caledonia and the taxpayers of Ontario for all the damage caused by their actions since the year 2006. In Canada we seem to have politicians apologizing from actions taken by the Colonial Government hundreds of years ago - what about recent evens such as the last 12 years - and do apologies only flow one way, from the Government to aboriginal groups and not the other way around (that was a rhetorical question).
DY.
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