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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...d=1156845306368


Protesters prepare for long occupation
Aug. 29, 2006. 06:29 PM
CANADIAN PRESS


Hopes for a quick end to the ongoing aboriginal standoff in Caledonia, Ont., faded even more Tuesday as Six Nations protesters asked for donations of food and building supplies to help maintain their occupation through the winter.
Janie Jamieson, spokeswoman for the protesters, said they plan to finish the construction of 11 half-built homes if they get the donated building supplies. No one wants to see the houses “rotting away” when they could be used for shelter during the winter, she said.

“The option is to tear them down or to finish them,” Jamieson said. “If we have that opportunity to finish them so our people won’t have to sleep in snowbanks, I’d really like to see that.”

A call for donations has gone out on the website of the Six Nations protesters, asking for non-perishable food, warm clothing, building supplies and money, which can be deposited into a Bank of Montreal account.

People have quit their jobs and dedicated the last six months to the occupation, Jamieson said, and they will continue to do so until the land is returned to Six Nations — even if it means staying there throughout the winter.

“We’ve said that right from the beginning,” Jamieson said.

Aboriginals and the provincial and federal levels of government continue to negotiate the fate of the land. In the meantime, the disputed site is being held in trust by the province.

David Ramsay, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, declined to comment on aboriginal plans to finish construction on the houses and stay the winter. Anne-Marie Flanagan, Ramsay’s spokeswoman, said anything regarding use of the land is a “matter for discussion at the negotiating table.”

But the thought of watching further construction on the hotly-contested site — and the idea the occupation could last into the winter months — is horrifying to residents of the town.

Jason Clark, a lifelong Caledonia resident, said people are at their “wit’s end.” The occupation, which has been marred by barricades in the town and violent clashes between aboriginals and residents, has driven some residents to take medication for anxiety, Clark said.

Watching aboriginal protesters hunker down for the winter will just increase tension in the community, he said.

“There is high anxiety on both sides,” said Clark, a member of the Caledonia Citizens Alliance.

It’s time both levels of government did a better job of communicating with residents and worked overtime to end the occupation, he said.

“They tell us there is progress but nothing has been transparent to the community. If there is progress, we’re not seeing it,” he said. “This whole thing needs to be resolved.”

Mayor Marie Trainer said she doubts many residents will answer the call for donations to help sustain the occupation.

“It angers everyone,” she said. “It’s not getting them any brownie points.”

Residents are further infuriated because aboriginals are on provincial land but aren’t being required to follow Ontario law, she said. If they decide to continue building houses on the property, Trainer said they won’t have permits or other paperwork all residents must have before they begin construction on a house.

It adds to the feeling in the community that aboriginals are somehow above the law, she said.

“It’s not proper that they just go forward and do whatever they want without following standards that everyone in Ontario has to follow,” Trainer said. “It’s not right.”

Aboriginals have occupied the former housing development site since February, saying the land was wrongfully taken from them over 200 years ago by the Crown. The province bought the site this year and have allowed the protesters to remain despite a court order evicting them from the property.

Aint that the funniest s*** ever.

Man they have some balls.

skrew them protesters. I say anyone who lives within our borders, follows our rules.

If any other country would have wanted to "annex" land, that's declaration of war. This standoff and other standoffs are a f ucking joke.

If it were a teachers union on strike, government would have forced them back to work. Our government has no balls if you ask me.

There are a lot of really hard working aboriginals, but you think that they would leave their jobs to do this s*** 24/7? What's more important, reclaiming land or feeding your children?

It's all a big publicity stunt of people who probably don't have jobs and live off the social safety net to which you and I pay taxes for.

And now they have the gall to ask for donations to finish up houses on land which they hold ransom...

I'm getting sick and tired of this BS that we see...

I bet if we had a Tory government, this BS wouldn't happen in Ontario.

I'm just so goddamn mad right now... Talks are useless, send in the OPP, RCMP, even the goddamn military and restore order.

That's what happens when you negotiate with a gun to your head. At least 2 levels of government have f***ked up royally in this situation. The day after the natives set up the blockades they should have been removed and prevented from returning.

But it seems pretty clear that this "protest" has nothing to do with forcing the government to the negotiation table.

IMO the negotiations are a sham and only serve to further the First Nations cause because it is apparent (to me anyway) that whatever happens they will disregard any negotiated / legislated / judicial outcome that doesn't end up with them getting the land.

This is no protest folks ... this is (was) an invasion, and frankly right now I'd say the First Nations won the battle and are digging in for the long haul - and the longer they stay there the harder it will be to get them out.

this is pretty friggin' sad.

They should get (or keep their) real jobs and work on making a living of their own instead of living off of handouts. We're not empowering them, we're just placating them.

p.s. no bypassing the swear filters please.

darkpuppet,Aug 30 2006, 02:17 PM Wrote:p.s.  no bypassing the swear filters please.
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Might as well put it in the cage. This can only get worse.

These guys are absolute idiots.

Who do they think they are? :lol:

Come on, let's donate, they get the money=they get drunk=white people taking thier land= WE WIN SUCKAS

jen_deans,Aug 30 2006, 02:35 PM Wrote:Come on, let's donate, they get the money=they get drunk=white people taking thier land= WE WIN SUCKAS
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I'll donate a 2x4 to their heads.

It's ridiculous, but it's just another example of how people treat this country day in and out. The rest of us bust our asses (including many employed aboriginals) daily, and this is the disrespect we're shown in return.

The people living here now have NOTHING to do with the sins of the past. We're ordinary citizens and we go about our daily lives doing what we must to survive.

They're ignoring the orders of a superior court judge telling them that it's currently government-owned/controlled land and to get the hell off the land till it's resolved. They're refusing, and because of Ipperwash and Oka the government wants nothing to do with forcibly removing them. That's too bad, because it has already set one hell of a precedent.

Personally, I feel bad for those who likely want nothing to do with this blatant disregard for Canada and its citizens - the children and their morally-upright parents who aren't there shooting their mouths off 24/7 at the cameras.

FWIW, the natives in Moosonee live with a hell of a lot less and they're considerably more civilized than their Caledonia counterparts.

It makes me wonder what their motives really are. That's for sure.

Most of them probably don't have jobs so now they can panhandle/beg under the guise that its "our land" ?? Hence their "new" job - begging for beer $$

I learned new terminology in Thompson, Manitoba while on my advaentures.Not only that but, found a new way to walk...on my face, after the bar.



I take it these people are all res'd out.

meh...just give them what they want.

residentdud,Aug 30 2006, 04:20 PM Wrote:meh...just give them what they want.
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I'd swear here but I shouldn't. I'll just say no.

Do not give in.

residentdud,Aug 30 2006, 04:20 PM Wrote:I learned new terminology in Thompson, Manitoba while on my advaentures.Not only that but, found a new way to walk...on my face, after the bar.



I take it these people are all res'd out.

meh...just give them what they want.
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I have a good friend of mine who is the deputy chief of a reserve up north. He's probably one of the people I respect the most. Not that he's up in the ladder, but he earned it. He went to school, worked, and did very well. He's now a parent, gonna get married, and is first in line for chief.

Him and I talked a little while ago about the caledonia thing, he supports the protesters, but not their methods.

You can't just put pressure on one side without being disrespected by the other.

By protesting the land, there's gonna be no winners long run.

If Canada kicks the protesters off the land, you can be assured that there will be an increased rate of "leud" acts in the Caledonia region.

If the First Nations win, locals will have bitter tastes in their mouths and some political implications will incurr.

Funny thing is they don't need the money either, Natives get a large part of the revenue from Casino Rama as it's Native owned and operated and most of the funds it makes are evenly given out to all rez's in Ontario.

Oscar The Grouch,Aug 30 2006, 05:31 PM Wrote:Him and I talked a little while ago about the caledonia thing, he supports the protesters, but not their methods. 
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This is interesting ... would your friend accept the ruling of the courts if it went agains the natives?

Isn't that the fundamental problem that transcends Caledonia?

How do you deal with a group of people who don't even accept the authority of the Canadian judicial system and are prepared to break "our" laws to get what they want? And yet they are totally prepared to take the Canadian taxpayers' money when it suits them.

This kind of one-sided entitlement ... the idea of a "nation within a nation" needs a resolution first, if we are to truly solve Caledonia and prevent other similar incidents in the future.

I say break off the negotiations now ... keep the land in provincial control but get the law-breaking protestors off the land ... nobody can win at this point.

Everybody take a step back and ask themselves what the relationship between aboriginals and the rest of us is going to be .... and then make that the subject of negotiation.

I think it's time to ask my MP and MPP what their positions are. It'll be interesting to see if I get a straight answer ... or the kind of answer I'd write for them if they were my client.

ZTWsquared,Aug 30 2006, 06:00 PM Wrote:

Oscar The Grouch,Aug 30 2006, 05:31 PM Wrote:Him and I talked a little while ago about the caledonia thing, he supports the protesters, but not their methods. 
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This is interesting ... would your friend accept the ruling of the courts if it went agains the natives?

Isn't that the fundamental problem that transcends Caledonia?

How do you deal with a group of people who don't even accept the authority of the Canadian judicial system and are prepared to break "our" laws to get what they want? And yet they are totally prepared to take the Canadian taxpayers' money when it suits them.

This kind of one-sided entitlement ... the idea of a "nation within a nation" needs a resolution first, if we are to truly solve Caledonia and prevent other similar incidents in the future.

I say break off the negotiations now ... keep the land in provincial control but get the law-breaking protestors off the land ... nobody can win at this point.

Everybody take a step back and ask themselves what the relationship between aboriginals and the rest of us is going to be .... and then make that the subject of negotiation.

I think it's time to ask my MP and MPP what their positions are. It'll be interesting to see if I get a straight answer ... or the kind of answer I'd write for them if they were my client.
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He's for the negotiations, but not the occupation. All the occupation does is piss everyone off. What the court should do is halt the building and have protesters pulled off the land. That way at least the current residents can live in peace until things are settled.

As for if he would accept the ruling, I don't know.

They already did the first (the province paid the developers for the land to ensure it became the province's problem), but they refuse to do the second.

Apparently the lives and sanity of every other "Canadian" rank less to our government than a bunch of protesters who have been deemed criminal for quite some time now.

It's funny... ask a native when all is green and shiny what they are. They'll likely say they were the first true Canadians, or something to that effect. I'm not sure I'll accept that, but hey, let's bite for argument's sake. Now, ask them the same thing now. I bet the term Canadian either never comes up, or it's used in a derogatory fashion.

So sad. I thought bettering one's self was race-independent as an idea and philosophy.

How depressing... what ignorant morons. I hope all this crap gets sorted out asap!