Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte continue efforts to protect traditional lands
Press Release ...
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Demand The Province Of Ontario Revoke Quarry License
Gather at: Ministry of Natural Resources
Whitney Block (at the corner of Queen’s Park Circle and Wellesley, in front of two large canons)
DATE: Monday, April 23
TIME: 11 am
Join us as we tell the Ontario government to uphold its duties to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) and to the environment. Join us as we deliver direct evidence of illegal dumping and a message sent by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte to the steps of the Ministry of Natural Resources. It is time the MNR and the Province of Ontario stepped up and took responsibility for their part in the destruction and theft of indigenous land.
One month ago, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte reclaimed a portion of the Culbertson Tract – 925 acres of land taken from their community, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, in 1832.
The land reclaimed by the Mohawk community pointedly includes a gravel quarry. Beyond the obvious direct thieving of stolen land which quarry operations so blatantly embody – more than 100,000 tonnes of land are trucked out every year, to benefit settler Canadian business interests - it has since been discovered that the crimes against the Mohawk Territory are greater than first imagined.
Thurlow Aggregates, the quarry operators, were also carrying out illegal dumping of waste on this site. Building materials, batteries and highway asphalt have been uncovered. The operators went so far as to try and bury the evidence of this scandalous activity, when they became aware of the Mohawk’s intended reclamation of the land.
While this information was made public several weeks ago, the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) – responsible both for the licensing and environmental standards of quarry operations in this province - has refused to inspect it.
Since day one of the quarry takeover, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte have demanded that the quarry license be revoked. Not only has the MNR refused to comply, but the MNR District Manager came to the Territory, only to refuse to see the evidence of the dumping and environmental destruction at the quarry.
The MNR refuses to act despite Federal government recognition of the validity of the Mohawk’s claim to the land. The Province of Ontario has failed in every way – no proper monitoring of the quarry, no revocation of the license to ensure its rightful owners can clean up the mess that has been made and put the land to healthy use, complete risk of the local environment and local water supply. Before the quarry was reclaimed, the MNR sat back and collected fees from the operation of removing stolen land from the Culbertson Tract.
Join us on Monday, as we demand the Province of Ontario own up to its inaction and answer for its role in the devastation and pilfering of indigenous land.
This demonstration is organized by a coalition including No One Is Illegal-Toronto, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, and members of the Coalition In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty.
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Aboriginal Protest Ends Near Deseronto
Sean Connolly
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Aboriginal protesters removed their blockade of one of the country's busiest rail lines Saturday morning, but they are warning the demonstration is just one in a series of "escalating" actions they plan to take.
They say there are plans to stage other protests targeting the railway, provincial highways, and the town of Deseronto, Ontario.
The CN, Via Rail corridor between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto was blocked for almost 24 hours after protestors disrupted the route with an old school bus near Deseronto.
The Mohawks are protesting a plan to build condominiums using materials from a quarry on land the natives claim belongs to them.
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From First Perspective - The Drum ...
Aboriginal protest forces railway to close Montreal-Toronto route
April 20, 2007
An Aboriginal protest has forced a major railroad company to stop traffic on a major corridor.
CN announced today a shutdown of rail operations in its Toronto-Montreal corridor, including an embargo on all freight and passenger traffic, to ensure the safety of its employees and the travelling public. The shutdown follows what is being called an illegal blockade of CN's double-track main line west of Napanee, Ont., by some members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation.
The blockade has seriously disrupted freight and passenger service in the busiest rail corridor on CN's system - the Montreal-Toronto line accommodates on a daily basis an average of 25 CN freight trains and 22 VIA Rail Canada Inc. passenger trains.
CN earlier today obtained an interim injunction from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordering protestors to remove the blockade immediately.
The injunction has been served on the protestors. CN in a press release said that they are concerned that the Ontario government has not ensured enforcement of the court order to allow train traffic to resume in this very important corridor. CN hopes to be able to restore service as soon as possible for its customers.
The Aboriginal groups involved in the protest activities have not commented on the shutdown.