Treaty 3 First Nations withdraw from Chiefs of Ontario organization
From http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/News/273958.html
Treaty 3 separates from Chiefs of Ontario
By Mike Aiken - Miner and News - Friday December 08, 2006
Grand Council Treaty 3 announced Thursday their decision to withdraw from the Chiefs of Ontario.
A spokesman for the council, Adolphus Cameron, said he was pleased with the council’s decision.
“I’m proud of it. They’ve taken a firm stand on their direction,” he said.
“Some communities may suffer, but ultimately it’s the right choice,” he added.
Cameron noted Grand Council Arnold Gardner has wanted to move in a direction that protects treaty and aboriginal rights, while building relationships that will help rebuild the Ojibway nation.
He said the Chiefs of Ontario had gone too far in becoming an administrative body for the purposes of program funding.
The decision comes as Grassy Narrows First Nation, in the northern part of Treaty 3, celebrates the fourth anniversary of its roadblock at the entry to the Whiskey Jack Forest. Protesters are against clearcutting and the destruction of traditional lands by logging companies, such as Abitibi.
While the Slant Lake site has been peaceful, a total of 21 demonstrators were charged last summer -- mainly with mischief -- in connection with the two blockades. The first halted traffic on the Kenora bypass along the Trans-Canada, while the other stopped logging trucks along the English River Road.
Treaty 3 represents about 17,000 people on 28 First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba.
The Chiefs of Ontario movement began in 1975, and it became a co-ordinating body for 134 communities within the province.
The Grand Council’s decision had been rumoured for several days, and it was announced the same day as a Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa.
In the capital, federal Health Minister Tony Clement and National Chief Phil Fontaine, of the Assembly of First Nations, signed a joint workplan that aims to improve the First Nations health system over the short and long-terms.