Six Nations and Hydro One Deal

It is the intention of the Wynne Liberal Government to privatize Hydro One, which supplies electricity to the people of Ontario.  To say the least it is seen as controversial, hypocritical, and a way to pay down the immense debt created by McGinty and his successor Wynne that came into being due to gross incompetence on so many levels.  Just google "gas plant scandal ontario" for some eye opening information. 

Now, it seems to have occurred to some Liberal politician that if some sweet deal can be offered to the poor "victimized" "Natives" of the Province, it will gain political traction and give the appearance of the Liberals being understanding and supportive of the "special status" of those designated as "Native" in this Province.

The following is from Two Row Times, 27 September 2017, in an article entitled, "Hydro One sale to First Nations offers potential" - click here to view entire article.

The deal:  Of the 60% of Hydro One to be privatized, A 2.5% slice of that 60% was opened up collectively to Ontario’s First Nations communities in 2016 when the Chiefs of Ontario announced an agreement-in-principle with Hydro One.

The plan? Liberals promised to open up 15 million shares to Ontario’s First Nations communities at a reduced rate of $18 a share — that’s about three quarters of the standard share rate of just under $24.  Furthermore, "According to stats released by the Chiefs of Ontario the deal has long term potential to increase to $1.2 billion dollar value over 25 years."  Sweet deal, but only for "First Nations" - everyone else gets at best sloppy seconds.

More specifically, First, in order for the deal to go through at all 80% of the First Nations communities in Ontario have to come on board by the end of 2017.

Next, if a base threshold of 80% of First Nations communities in Ontario are in agreement, which Hill says is just 107 of the 133 communities, the deal will be finalized. However, if 106 say yes and 27 refuse – Hill says the deal will not proceed.

If ratified, the First Nations who agree will start a limited partnership, called Sovereignty Wealth LP,  to collectively hold the shares. Ontario will then give that LP a 25 year loan of up to $268 million dollars for the purchase of the shares.

Finally, in addition to the loan the province is offering $45 million dollars for seed capital over the course of three years. You can almost think of it as the “free gift with purchase”. The Chiefs of Ontario have agreed to bank that seed money to collect interest as an investment into the future generations.  That seems rather generous, for some, the "chosen ones".

The Reality at Six Nations:  What is so appalling is that no one is factoring in the way in which Six Nations has "interacted" with Hydro One since 2006.  I will note 3 issues that have never been resolved, nor has any compensation been paid to the aggrieved parties:

1)  The Smoke Shacks:  At this point I don't know how many illegal shacks are situated illegally on Hydro One owned lands selling illegal untaxed cigarettes.  The most obvious one is at the corner of Argyle Street South and the Caledonia bypass (which at one time included a hamburger stand shut down by the Health Department for appalling sanitary reasons).  These squatters are being allowed to stay because no one has the fortitude to enforce the law and remove them.  The hypocrisy is that if a resident of Caledonia were to do the same thing they would be arrested and the operation shut down immediately.  Those shacks have been in place now for 10 years and with no signs of any movement to change the status quo.  At the very least the owners owe Hydro One rental or lease money for this blatant misuse of Hydro One lands.

2)  The Barricade Tower:  During the riots of 2006 when Six Nations members created anarchy in Caledonia and surrounds, "land protectors" (i.e., thieves and vandals) used what must have been a cutting torch to bring down a Hydro One steel tower, which the "protesters" dragged across Argyle Street South as a barricade.  Many of us will recall the militants standing defiantly with Mohawk Warrior flags in hand and masks to cover their faces on this tower stolen from Hydro One.  Most will know that the Ontario Government capitulated to the demands of these criminals and gave them the Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) property, and via negotiations, the much larger Burtch property in Brant County as a condition for the Six Nations militants to remove the barricade.  

Over the years the tower disintegrated to a stub, which as recently as 25 August was lying across Argyle Street South in the most recent event of this nature.  It was removed from its "resting place" immediately behind the gates to the DCE by the Ontario Provincial Police on Sunday 24 September 2017.

Clearly a valuation must be made of the property that was removed, and Hydro One must be compensated for every penny owed.

3)  The Unstrung Hydro One Towers:  The above tower was part of miles of similar towers extending from Niagara Falls to the Toronto grid.  In 2006, after the tower was removed, the Mohawk Warriors or their supporters defied anyone to enter Hydro One property and finish the work to link Niagara Falls and Toronto.  Hence, since the towers were proximal to the DCE site, inertia, fear, timidness and whatever else has ensured that the towers stand there forlorn - extending as far as the eye can see from Argyle Street South, with absolutely no high tension wires, only empty pulleys, as seen in the picture below.

Line of Hydro One Towers from Argyle Street South 29 September 2017

Same Tower as above Showing Pulleys Without High Tension Wires

The amount of money lost by Hydro One thanks to the actions of Six Nations militants must be close to one billion dollars.  Calculations by knowledgeable people need to be made to have a clear sense of what is owed to Hydro One.

The Point:  It seems that any agreement involving Six Nations involving Hydro One MUST take into consideration how much money is owed to the latter by the former.  There is no negotiating this away.  Hydro One and thus the taxpayers of Ontario have lost significant revenue due to the criminal actions of Six Nations.  Hydro One and the Province of Ontario need to DEMAND the money that is legally theirs.  Until this matter is settled, why would the Province even entertain the idea that Six Nations can "get in on the action" with this new arrangement.  It is high time that the actions that lay at the doorstep of Six Nations are fully addressed - otherwise the whole concept of justice and the law are simply meaningless - or is Six Nations immune here?

DY.

Recent Commotion and Agitation at the Douglas Creek Estates "Protest" Site

Here is an update on the "situation" at the Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) "protest central" site.  Any one who thinks that with all those tents scattered about DCE we are seeing a sign of stability need to look through the other side of the binoculars.  This is a staging area for further "action", and it is only the constant presence of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) that has kept a lid on things.

An article in Two Row Times of 27 September 2017 entitled, "Highway 6 protests peaceful but tense" (not found in online version) we obtain an update on the shenanigans at DCE that few if any would have seen - even those of us who live in Caledonia and surrounds.  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to predict that once the ruling was made in Brantford, basically in support of the Elected Council, the "protesters" at DCE (supporters of the Hereditary Council) would have some knee jerk reaction that would be totally in line with what they have done previously (since they appear to lack any imagination and ability to formulate a viable Plan B).

Protesters (Domestic Terrorists) Perspective on the Burtch Matter and Provincial Courts:  A spokesperson for the "protesters" was interviewed about OPP actions they took on 25 September 2017 (described below); and about the ruling of the Superior Court in Brantford concerning the Burtch lands.  In relation to the latter, the person replied that it was not the Court case involving a dispute between the Hereditary and Elected councils that was the trigger to recent action at DCE, but rather, "The promised return of this land [Burtch] to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs traditional government, as it was when it was stolen by Canada many years ago, did not happen".  This is bunk.  Thanks to blatant extortion, the land was promised to the people of the Six Nations via their legal representatives which is the Elected Council.  Secondly, the land (the Burtch property) wasn't "stolen" it was surrendered by all of the Hereditary Chiefs in the 1840s so that it could be sold and the monies placed in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Six Nations people.  I could easily post the specific documents about this property as I have for the Douglas Creek Estates property (if needed I will) - but what is the use, these know nothings won't care one way or the other.

DCE Site from Surrey Street Entrance 29 September 2017

As much as the "protesters" appear to be those who don't recognize the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) as the legitimate representatives of Six Nations in day to day running of the Reserve or negotiations with Canada, we get a hint that the "protesters" aren't any too pleased about the present Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) either.  The above "protester spokesperson" stated that, "I'm not saying the Confederacy doesn't have a lot of work to do as well, in terms of making sure they get the voices of the people heard".  Apparently relying on the Great Law will do the trick (although there are different versions and interpretations) - so in other words the old bed bug in the ointment, factionalism, is still alive and well even within the "protester community".

The spokesperson further explained that, "the protest is the only choice left to them, since the court will always relay [rely] on Canadian Law which is severely slanted towards Ottawa and London England".  So what is the solution here, cause as much disruption to Caledonia and surrounds until the Canadian Government cries "uncle" and gives in to this group and thereby sets a precedent which would cause chaos across the country.  They will never do that.  Eventually they will send in the Canadian Forces as Pierre Elliot Trudeau did many years ago during the FLQ Crisis in Quebec.  I recall armoured vehicles and soldiers with assault weapons on our street.  They were welcomed.  Furthermore, according to the spokesperson, "Some judge can sit in a court in Brantford, Ontario and say that the Confederacy, which has been around for 1,000 years or more, is not a valid government here - well that's the problem" [about the Court ruling in the Burtch farming case].  All the judge did was to cite someone for defying a Court Order, one submitted by SNEC the only currently legitimate authority at Six Nations.  It is hopeless when uneducated people obtain the reins of authority in "protests" of this nature since perception is reality and no amount of evidence can change their thinking.

So instead of relying of the Courts, and evidence, the "protesters" have in their wisdom decided that, "Wins are made on the land.  Wins are made in the bush.  That's the only place we get our wins from, and so, if we are going to start asserting our sovereignty it will be on the land and on the roads and in the bush.  We are Two Row Wampum people and we are defending that sovereignty".  So in other words, create as much discomfort for the unlucky people who happen to reside close to the Reserve!  That is sure to win many friends both on and off the Reserve.  Good luck with that.  Brilliant tour de force I must say.  How about contemplating Canadian Forces troops in "the Bush" to root out the terrorists and restore law and order in the region.

OPP Tactics:  On Saturday, 23 September, the OPP noticed that the occupiers of DCE were dismantling some of their tents.  Apparently what was in progress was the plan to move these tents to a new location, "on the River Range Road overpass, looking down on the busy Highway 6 overpass".  This was clearly an act of provocation and could have been the beginning of a new "initiative" in blockading the area. So the decision last Saturday was to take the banner (seen in a photo in my earlier posting) and establish a satellite protest site at one of the roads (7th Line / River Range Road apparently) crossing the Caledonia bypass.  There were people braiding white corn - all very festive.  Apparently the road was not blocked, but as history tells us, in a heartbeat things could change with tire fires, items tossed on the bypass from above - who  knows (although tried and true techniques from former days are pretty well everything in the toolkit).  As dark set in on Saturday, "the bridge site was voluntarily removed and the protesters returned to Kanonstaton (DCE)".  Unfortunately for the "protesters" there is simply not the same support on the Reserve that there was in 2006 - the thugs they can always depend on, but not the majority of the Rez.

Understandably the OPP were concerned that this was a set up for another Highway 6 blockade, so the, "OPP converged on the Highway 6 site enmass, parking a number of cruisers in front of the gate at Kanonstaton to prevent that from taking place".  Apparently the OPP were about to arrest one of the "protesters" but backed off when surrounded.  There is still the possibility of charges being laid at a later date (the OPP know who they are dealing with).  "The next day, Sunday, police removed the concrete blocks in front of the Kanonstaton site as well as the remnants of the hydro tower used in 2006 which has been used a number of times since to prevent traffic on the highway.  Once again the protesters remained peaceful but objected loudly".  The ringleader said, "I guess they thought we were going to put the barricade back up on Highway 6".  This same person has the gall to say that the OPP over reacted since all they planned to do was, "gathering to take a picture of a sign they designed using the white corn - braids they made at the overpass earlier".  Oh yes, that is really believable!

The Turtle Island News of 27 September 2017 has an article on this subject called, "OPP remove tower from Kanonstation [sic] after night of 'cat and mouse'" part of which can be seen here.  After  purchasing a hard paper copy of the paper, the content here provides few further details.  They say that the OPP was trying to arrest the man due to outstanding warrants (BTW Six Nations Police will get him later), creating a back and forth with the tower being moved to the entrance to Surrey Street (and DCE), then back again.  Apparently early in the afternoon the OPP decided that "game of cat and mouse" had gone far enough - that this would eventually result in the tower being dragged on Argyle Street South (only a few feet away) again (highly likely), so when it was on Surrey Street outside the gates and at 2 p.m. the OPP formed a line and they removed it along with the concrete blocks which have also been "pressed into service" in order to block the road (Argyle Street South).  They told the "protesters" that the reason was to prevent, "commission of any offence and to prevent the materials from being a traffic hazard".  Great move - score one for our OPP.  There is a photo in the newspaper showing a flat bed tow truck winching the tower on to its bed.  Now that wretched reminder of "the bad old days" is gone, and the "protesters" will have to find something else to drag on to Argyle Street South.

New Barricade?:

Wooden Structure on Surrey Street Inside DCE Gates 29 September 2017

It was interesting to note the above wooden "tower like" structure placed in the same location as the old Hydro One stub of a tower before its removal last Sunday.  So, the question is, what is its purpose?  I can guess, but time will tell.

An Assessment and Message for Those at DCE:  To the "protesters" - you are beat, done, kaput.  There is no more wiggle room, especially in those tents.  There is a nip to the air, and it will soon be downright uncomfortable to sit for hours pondering your navel while the world spins all around you.  Those with any smarts will know it is time to pack up and go home.  You have no support off Reserve, and below 10% on Reserve.  The business folk along 6th Line alone will find a way to "get you gone" - always better to leave on your own terms.

The "protesters" are now dealing with an OPP who is very savy to the antics of this group of agitators and can well see what the next step is going to be.  Lets say, it seems that the OPP has learned over the years since 2006 what to expect from these disgruntled Onzlows.  Apparently some 20 to 30 "protesters" were established at the DCE site on Monday.  Guess these worthies must own their own businesses or something - to be able to take so much time off work to "protest".

One thing is a constant at Six Nations, due to false narratives and outright lies, there are always going to be "buyers" for nonsense, and things will NEVER reach a "settled state" for anyone who lives anywhere near the Reserve.  Why, because once again the real problem boils down to FALSE BELIEFS, totally unsupported by anything (a document, or, well, anything what so ever), that the land along the Grand River is still Six Nations property because it was taken from them by the nasty Colonial Government sometime after the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784.  The TRUTH is that all of the Chiefs in Council, in other words all of the Hereditary Chiefs (as per "The Great Law"), signed documents from the 1780s to 1847 which they saw as being in the best interests of the people of Six Nations.  Their decisions resulted in the consolidation of the scattered properties into one large Reserve, IR 40 in Tuscarora and parts of Onondaga and Oneida Townships, and stemmed the flow of Six Nations people to the west and allowed them to live together "as a people".  Had the wise Chiefs not done this I can guarantee that the Six Nations would have merged into the general community and would just be a page in history and a line or two in family trees.

In a subsequent posting I will show how the land was sold off piecemeal by individual Six Nations residents to "settlers" as the only way to bring in enough money to sustain their families (since only the Mohawk had large farming operations capable of supporting their families and having enough money to live in comfort).  In other words I will provide objective truth based on contemporary facts and evidence - in contrast to personal truth based on wishful thinking and long standing beliefs so entrenched that they are accepted without question.

There are those who know in their heart of hearts that something is desperately wrong.  Tents, ticks and tempests.  Being let down by the people you thought were fully on board.  Disappointments at every turn.

Year after year passes and the same angry unsubstantiated claims are made about colonialism, cultural genocide and scores of other bogus concepts which draw people into the victim mentality and learned helplessness and an inevitable downward spiral when they buy into the blame game.  This stuff strangles the life out of you.

There is no such thing as personal responsibility at DCE, and often beyond, only finger pointing at others who are the perceived cause of intractable problems.  A hopeless situation really for which there is no solution - except escape from the constraints and negativity by moving away - better than being sucked down the toilet of life and ending up a bitter broken individual grasping at intangibles and contributing nothing.  I can guarantee that you will just be dragged deeper and deeper into the quick sand.  Not a pretty prospect.

What if a mega far reaching law suit is in the works?  One which will require testifying in Court, and the possibility of immense fines (recall 2009, Brantford Superior Court).  Those millions that have been extracted by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) and their enforcers at the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) will not likely be enough to pay legal fees let alone a small fraction of the terms of settlement.  Those that can see the writing on the wall, will act accordingly.

Time to decide what side of the fence (such as the one surrounding DCE) you stand upon - no not the canoe or the ship legend so full of holes that both sink - but falling backwards into darkness at DCE versus standing strong and moving toward the light.

This assessment may resonate with some at DCE, others not so much, and many not at all.  Truly trying times though.

DY.

Important Court Ruling: Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council Suffers Major Defeat

I have repeatedly said that the ONLY way that the thorny issues of claims of treaty rights, supposedly unsurrendered land, and who has the right to govern at Six Nations Reserve can only be settled by the Provincial Superior Court system in either Brantford or Cayuga - or if the Federal Government gets involved.

A very important, and likely precedent setting, decision has been made by Justice Harper of the Superior Court in Brantford - one that basically eviscerates the assertions of the Haudenosaunee Hereditary Chiefs Council (HCCC) as being the legitimate governing body at Six Nations, and basically neutering them by recognizing the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) as the representatives of the Six Nations people tasked with speaking for Six Nations in any matter involving the Provincial or Federal Governments.

The whole despicable saga of the theft of the Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) property by Six Nations militants in 2006 under the guise of claiming (falsely) that the land was unsurrendered, the barricades set up across Argyle Street South, the Provincial Government purchase of the DCE property from the legal owners and "gifting" to Six Nations, and the negotiations to extort money or land from the Government (Provincial or Federal - it ended up being Provincial) in order to have the barricades removed has been detailed at length multiple times in this blog - and there is a wealth of info online.  While SNEC is the legal representative of Six Nations, the instigator of the "land reclamation" (theft) was orchestrated by HCCC, the previous governing body at Six Nations (until 1924) and members of same who were to become the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI - the "muscle").  To keep peace in the family, SNEC offered HCCC a seat at the negotiating table (although the latter were NOT happy about this arrangement).  That was 2006, but what about 2017?

Recent events, including the schlepping of the Hydro One tower (what was left of it) over Argyle Street South in Caledonia on 10 August 2017, came about via a dispute over who should have the say as to what happens with the Burtch lands in Brant County.  The "main event" involved a woman (Kristine Hill) and her ex - husband (Ed Green), supporters of the HCCC and its "enforcement branch", the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI).  She had tilled the land, and planted crops on the Burtch property.  They claimed to have a lease from the HCCC, and ignored an order from SNEC to vacate these lands.

To make a long story short (since this is not the point of the present posting), Ms. Hill lost and was found to have "willfully disobeyed" a Court Order to vacate.  Details of this case can be found in The Sachem, 22 September 2017, in an article entitled, "Judge rules in favour of Six Nations Elected Council over Burtch property" - click here.

What is important in the wider sense is that in a court of law the claim that the HCCC was unable to muster even rudimentary evidence that there was merit to this case, which hinged on their authority to determine the rights of Ms. Hill to farm the land at Burtch.

What is of critical importance:

1)  The ruling of Justice Harper that, he could not recognize the HCCC’s right to decide the future of the Burtch lands based on Hill’s statement that she was raised to pledge allegiance to the Haudonosaunee chiefs. Harper said he was unable to Hill’s argument because there was virtually no evidence presented to him by her lawyers supporting the claim.

2)  The Court Order was issued, in response to a claim by Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) that they hold the title to all 380 acres of the Burtch lands through a corporation (9646035 Canada Limited) created to keep the lands in trust for the people of Six Nations.

3)  In 2006, Six Nations extorted what became known as the "Peterson Promise" from the Ontario Government.  In essence, "we will remove the barricade across Argyle Street South in Haldimand County if you given us the Burtch Correctional property in Brant County such that we can add these lands to the Reserve".  More specifically, The “Peterson Promise” stated that the land would be returned to the status it once held under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784, which allowed the Six Nations people to settle and live on six miles of land along the entire length of the Grand River, on both sides. The HCCC backed out of the negotiations before the agreement was reached.  

So even though both SNEC and HCCC were at the negotiation (extortion) table, HCCC walked out before any deal was reached yet has the gall to insist that they are the only group who have the rights to decide the fate of the Burtch lands!

In desperation, the Burch occupier brought out the old boogey man of "Treaty rights".  There is NO TREATY with Six Nations but that has never stopped individuals from using this tattered old worn out assertion to try to get leverage.  It did not work.   So Hill asserted, her Aboriginal treaty rights to farm the Burtch lands, Harper cited a case involving Tyendinaga and CN Rail that showed treaty rights cannot be asserted by an individual.  Furthermore, to repeat, there is no treaty of any description that applies to the Six Nations of the Grand River.  It is the hope of the present author that soon this matter will be taken to Court and Six Nations will be required to produce the phantom treaty.  They won't do this of course because they would lose, and this would have tremendous implications for the extortion of millions of dollars from green energy companies and land developers in Southwestern Ontario based on making them believe that a treaty actually exists, and Six Nations need to have a cut of the action.

In other words, the proceedings have much broader implications for Six Nations and the people of Haldimand and Brant Counties.  SNEC is the only group at Six Nations who can establish a legitimate claim to be the representatives of the occupants of the Six Nations Reserve - even if there is a large faction who disagrees.  Lets hope that the can or worms, or Pandora's Box has been opened and we can obtain a Court ruling on all bogus Six Nations claims (treaties, unsurrendered land).  We have been waiting a long, long time.  What if the Federal Government said, "Ok, enough is enough, lets go to Court and let the evidence speak".  Not going to happen, but I can dream.

DY.

Conversation With OPP Officers "Standing" Vigil at the DCE Barricade Site (Opposite Surrey Street)

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with OPP officers who are working 12 hour shifts, with two cars present, 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week, parked directly opposite the gate to the Douglas Creek Estates (DCE or Kanonstaton) property.

Clearly there is only so much that the officers were able to provide in the way of information.  To do otherwise would be to jeopardize the operational plan.

First I should note that the right hand gate door was open fully, thus seeming to indicate that in fact there was no padlock placed there by the OPP (calling into question information given to me by a resident living proximal to the site).

The officers stationed opposite the DCE site are from scattered detachments throughout the Province, since in the past the Six Nations activists have made a point of taking down the licence plate numbers of the personal vehicles of the police officers at Cayuga and informing them that, "we know where you live".  In relation to the "protesters" who did that, I have always thought, "how low can you go".

In response to my inquiry about contingency plans IF the "protesters" at DCE decided to drag what remains of the Hydro One "tower" across the road again, since they don't seem to have a Plan B to deploy, the answer was YES.  I realized that any further information would compromise their actions, so did not press for more information.

I did inform an officer that it was my understanding "from unnamed sources" that the "protesters" were planning to stay all winter in those tents, so the OPP will need to plan accordingly.

All in all we had a pleasant conversation and I did note to the officers that it was my sincere hope that the OPP has changed since 2006 - to which an officer stated that indeed things have changed, from leadership on down.

I was left feeling confident that if not exactly what we would expect, we will never go back to the bad old days when the OPP were literally taking sides, and it was NOT ours.

DY

MPP Toby Barrett is Pressuring the Government to Provide Compensation to Businesses and Others Who Suffered with the Latest Blockade

This just in from the Hon. Toby Barrett, MPP, Haldimand - Norfolk.  Please read my comments at the end:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Sept. 15, 2017

Barrett reiterates demand for Caledonia compensation

QUEEN’S PARK – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett has reiterated his call for compensation to businesses and homeowners in the wake of the Argyle Street blockade.

During Question Period this week, Barrett explained to the Ontario Legislature that the month-long blockade put “businesses and homeowners through psychological and economic hell.”

“Many customers faced a six-mile detour, businesses lost 25 to 60 per cent, staff were let go or had hours cut,” he said. “Homeowners expressed concern about property values, and compromised service from firefighters, police and ambulance.”

In a previous media report, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation David Zimmer was quoted: “The province’s role in the standoff is one, essentially, of standing back and letting the Six Nations community resolve this issue.”

Barrett concluded his first question by asking, “What steps have you taken to arrange compensation – as has been done in the past – for Caledonia and area homeowners and businesses.” He directed his questions to the acting premier on Wednesday because Premier Kathleen Wynne was absent to testify in the Sudbury by-election trial.

Not satisfied with the answer from the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation that basically just recounted what had occurred, Barrett continued his line of questioning back to the acting premier.

“On Sept. 2, a local newspaper reported that when a fire was set on the Southern Ontario Railway in Caledonia, a Caledonia fire truck was not allowed to pass through the barricade, not allowed to put it out,” Barrett said.

“On Sept. 4, Labour Day, police attempted to secure Haldimand County Sixth Line at the bridge. Again, to quote another local paper, they ‘were sent away by protesters and ordered to take up a position further back, which they did.’

“We’ve seen this film before – no firefighters, no police, and no customers in the stores,” Barrett continued. “Caledonia now worries, when will this happen again? Acting premier, have you and the federal government . . . my question is are you working with the federal government – as in the past – to compensate residents of Caledonia?”

Again, the government dodged the question and did not address the issue of compensation, saying what occurred 10 years ago  was different since there was peaceful resolution this time. Barrett attempted to interject that it’s now been 11-1/2 years.

“The point here is that 10 years ago there was a situation in Caledonia that went on and on and on, and there were real issues of public safety,” Zimmer argued. “This time, there was a blockade that went up and issues developed. But the point, again, is that all persons involved in the resolution of that blockade, be they police, fire responders, first responders, the ministry of indigenous affairs or the Ontario Provincial Police—it was resolved peacefully. That’s progress. That’s in the spirit of reconciliation.”

Barrett has indicated he will continue to push for compensation for Caledonia businesses and homeowners.

-30-

For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org

YOUTUBE link

https://youtu.be/K9agcpty3WU

ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

OFFICIAL HANSARD

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017

Indigenous land dispute

Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Acting Premier: From August 10 to September 4, Labour Day, the main thoroughfare of Caledonia was blockaded, putting businesses and homeowners through psychological and economic hell. More specifically, many customers faced a six-mile detour, businesses lost 25% to 60%, and staff were let go or had their hours cut. Homeowners expressed concern about property values and compromised service from firefighters, police and ambulance. However, on September 1, your government announced it was standing down from dealing with the Caledonia blockade.

Acting Premier, what steps have you taken to arrange compensation, as has been done in the past, for Caledonia and area homeowners and area businesses?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

Hon. David Zimmer: The member opposite is quite correct: There was a blockade that was put up a couple of weeks ago. Our ministry, the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, took that situation very seriously, as did the Six Nations elected council and the Haudenosaunee Traditional Confederacy.

I can assure the members opposite and everyone in this House that after a series of negotiations with First Nations, with the Ontario Provincial Police and with the various ministries that blockade was peacefully ended. I want to congratulate and recognize the hard work of the Ontario Provincial Police in working in a way that was respectful of the Six Nations, the Haudenosaunee and the government of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’m going to allow the supplementary.

Mr. Toby Barrett: This past month was a nightmare yet again for people in the Caledonia area, and I’ve dealt with many ministries.

On September 2 a local newspaper reported that when a fire was set on the Southern Ontario Railway in Caledonia, a Caledonia fire truck was not allowed to pass through the barricade, not allowed to put it out.

On September 4, Labour Day, police attempted to secure Haldimand county Sixth Line at the bridge. Again, to quote another local paper, they “were sent away by protesters and ordered to take up a position further back, which they did.”

We’ve seen this film before—no firefighters, no police, no customers in the stores. Caledonia now worries: “When will this happen again?”

Acting Premier, my question is: Are you working with the federal government, as has been done in the past, to compensate residents of Caledonia?

Hon. David Zimmer: Thank you again for that question. The point here is that 10 years ago there was a situation in Caledonia that went on and on and on, and there were real issues of public safety. This time, there was a blockade that went up and issues developed. But the point, again, is that all persons involved in the resolution of that blockade, be they police, fire responders, first responders, the ministry of indigenous affairs or the Ontario Provincial Police—it was resolved peacefully. That’s progress. That’s in the spirit of reconciliation.

We will continue to deal with issues involving matters that First Nations raise, wherever in the province. We will deal with them in a respectful way and in a peaceful way to a constructive resolution.

___________________________

I would like to comment on the Hon. David Zimmer's comment that, "it was resolved peacefully. That’s progress. That’s in the spirit of reconciliation."  REALLY!  That is what it is?  Actually it is Six Nations calling the shots and everyone else standing by.  It is by sheer luck that tragedy did not occur since paramedics would have been blocked from getting to West Haldimand Hospital in Hagersville.  All is fine isn't it Mr. Zimmer, when one sees things from a Toronto perspective.  How about living in the south side of Caledonia during one of these blockades and see how you feel then.  Reconciliation, hardly!.  The OPP caught the thugs off guard and exercised an excellent maneuver to disperse the scattered "protesters" - otherwise we would still be blocked in.  By in large people in Toronto don't have the vaguest sense of what it is like to live next to a criminal compound with no secure walls or gates.

Thank you to Mr. Barrett.  We are blessed to have him as our representative.  Next election with a Conservative Government, we will have far more sympathetic ears in Toronto.

DY

Photos of "Protest Headquarters" on Argyle Street South in Caledonia: DCE After the Blockade

Since I just arrived home, and being well and truly jet lagged, I did my best with the bad lighting conditions at that time of day to at least get some preliminary photos of "the DCE entrance way".  So with apologies for the less than ideal quality of the visuals, I will post the first pictures I took of the Douglas Creek Estates (Kanonstathon) entrance, the hub or "operations center" of the recent "protest", as it is established today.  The barricade (location from 10 August to 4 September) was directly behind me - the photos being taken from Argyle Street South today.

Photo 1

Photo 1:  This vantage point shows Surrey Street looking west, including the right side of the gate.  Of course looking ominously at us is the stub of the Hydro One tower which had been pulled across Argyle Street South (poised to spring into action once again).  Notice the Mohawk Warriors flag on the right side of the tower, and what may be a Confederacy (Six Nations, not Dixie "stars and bars") flag on the left (too limp to make a diagnosis) - staring defiantly at those who would dare approach.  It is also noteworthy that there is a set of gang lights attached to a portable generator (can be towed).  This will give off a considerable amount of light for "work" in the dark.  The old wooden shack, the only structure remaining from the "old days", can be seen peeking over the top of a group of awnings - tents.  I cannot confirm that there is a "padlock" placed there by the OPP.  There is a chain ................... clearly further investigation is required.

Photo 2

Photo 2:  Here we see the left side of the gate, and a better view of the awnings and tents scattered around the property.  Picnic tables and garden chairs provide a festive look.  Many of the items appear to be high quality (expensive) - I wonder who paid for the gear.  I also wonder how they deal with the ticks.

Photo 3

Photo 3:  The banner seen at the blockade on the Caledonia bypass is now draped over the fence to the left of the gate.  It says, "Honour Our Treaties, Ya Big Meanies!"  Someone seems to have a semblance of a sense of humour.

Photo 4

Photo 4: It is hard to put into words the aesthetically pleasing vista of the southern entrance way to Caledonia.  Just beyond the culturally significant smoke shop, one finds the enchanted scenes that characterize the DCE property.  Above is a scene somewhat reminiscent of the Cinque Terre in Italy, with a view reflecting the Old World charm that visitors to the DCE can expect - much to the envy of our neighbours in Hagersville and Cayuga.

The shack can be seen in the far left of this picture, along with an array of tents behind it.  On the north side of Surrey Street (right side of photo) we can see that some sanitary needs of the occupiers is supplied by two "Johnny on the Spots" or similar outdoor toileting facilities.  It is a bit creepy not to see any wash up area - although it may simply be hidden.  There are no town services to the site (the occupants destroyed all the houses on site and are left with "the shack"), so everything must be brought in.  Also behind (to the west) of these blue porta potties is another cluster of tents.

Across the road from the complex (on the east side of Argyle Street South) were two Ontario Provincial Police cars pointed at the front gate.  I waved, and they waved back.  I waved and sent my greetings to two middle aged males who came to the gate at DCE.  They seem to have recognized me, all I heard was a groan (sort of "oh no, not him again" type of groan), and they walked away.

More to follow.

DY

The Organizers of the Summer 2017 Caledonia Blockade - Professional Protesters and Those Awarded Large Settlements

Throughout the whole ordeal of the August 10th to September 5th 2017 blockade of Argyle Street South in Caledona, I thought about the organizers who were there most every day, and kept asking myself, "How are these people able to show up every day to a protest?  Don't they have jobs that require their presence?  Of course some of the older ones may have been retired or independently wealthy, and some may have been funded by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC).

Professional Protesters:  It is a well known fact, as I have blogged about time and time again since 2013, that the HCCC has bilked millions of dollars from the green energy corporations such as Samsung by convincing them that they had treaty rights (there is no treaty that covers Six Nations, as I have spoken about time and time again with postings of the original documents), and that there is unsurrendered land in the Haldimand Tract (again, I have shown that this is a false assumption by using the documentation signed by the Chiefs in Council), and that they are the legitimate government of the Six Nations people (this false assertion was at the root of the recent protest).  No one outside this group at Six Nations appears to know where the money went.  The HCCC have never opened their books to the Community (which has been but another thorny issue here abouts).  They could have used some of the millions of dollars to pay the protesters to keep vigil at the barricades.

The Settlement:  However, one of my relatives reminded me that a protest organizer is likely still living off the avails of a "settlement" with a hospital in Hamilton - one that was very controversial.  As is often the case, instead of dragging the matter through Court, the hospital provided an undisclosed sum in a "settlement".  Virtually all of us working in the system believed this person had bilked "the system", and in the process ruined the careers of a number of health care professionals.  I guess this person to this day has been able to live with themselves, and not worry too much about the considerable collateral damage.

Who is this person?  I am not going to open myself to litigation by an individual who would drag anyone through the Courts until they cried "uncle".  What I will do is cite "redacted" facts, those that I recall, those that likely can be verified by an inquisitive reporter who has the backing of media conglomerates.

My point in all this is to expose the background of the parties orchestrating the unconscionable acts which have had such a negative impact on Caledonia.

Here is what I recall, assisted by the recall of my relative.  While working as a health care provider in what is today the Hamilton Health Sciences system, a group of 7 hospitals and partner facilities "offering specialty care to people throughout the entire life cycle" (click here), I became familiar with one of the protest organizers.

Although the matter was covered extensively in The Hamilton Spectator and on CHCH TV news, since this occurred in the early 1990s, in the days before the Internet as we know it today, google searches are going to be unproductive.  The data resides in the archival files of the Spectator on microfilm, and in the minds of many of us who were working in the health system in Hamilton at the time.

To keep the information in this posting on point, I will simply list the most important details in the sequence they occurred:

1)  The person brought their aged mother to a hospital in Hamilton with symptoms of cardiac failure.

2)  During the mother's stay, the family (led by the 2017 "protester") claimed that the hospital was "racist" since the hospital was unable to provide a "translator" for the mother who allegedly only spoke Onondaga.  Of course Onondaga is a dead / dying language at Six Nations and so the demand was unreasonable.  Also to the best of my knowledge the mother spoke English; and it occurred to me at the time that if there was a concern, why did the person or other members of the family not assist here.

3)  The mother, died of cardiac failure; but the family believed that the death was caused by a Tylenol allergy.

4)  The family initiated a law suit, where, during the inquest experts testified that there had been no documented cases of "Tylenol allergy".  Also the family claimed that their mother did not speak English and did not understand that the nurse was telling her she was being given Tylenol - which if true would be highly important.  However my relative was one of the nurses who gave the patient Tylenol (there was a doctor's order), and claims that the patient understood what she was given, and responded in the affirmative when asked if it helped any with her pain.

5)  Then, as now, it is often best for those institutions or corporations accused of anything, especially when the "race card" is in play, to simply "settle" and avoid further litigation.

6)  The family received a massive "out of Court" settlement.

7)  Blame (since there needs to be a scapegoat) was ascribed to the nurse who happened to be on shift at the time the mother died.

8)  There was massive fallout within the system including resignations of excellent health care professionals who were dragged through this "no win" situation.

Hence, it is likely that the protest organizer is still living comfortably on the funds obtained from the hospital, and would have ample time to orchestrate protests.

The above is based on memory (of two persons) and if there are errors, I apologize in advance, and will be pleased to make any necessary corrections.  I have not, nor will I, name the person or family discussed here.

DY