Police Arrest Two In Violent Caledonia Incidents

Police have charged two people in connection with violent clashes arising from the native land dispute in Caledonia.

Ohsweken, Ont. man Ken Hill, 47, faces two counts of assault after a scuffle broke out between Six Nations protesters and Caledonia residents on June 4.

OPP officers also charged 45-year-old Audra Ann Taillefer of Victoria, B.C. with intimidation and robbery after executing an arrest warrant. The charges against Taillefer relate to a June 9 ^th incident where an elderly couple’s car was swarmed. A confrontation between the couple and the natives occupying the land resulted in the man being taken to hospital to be checked out.

Both will appear in Cayuga court in the weeks to come to answer to the charges.

Meanwhile, dozens of non-native Caledonia residents landed on the Premier’s doorstep Wednesday to protest the months-long occupation in their hometown.

After demonstrating outside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where Dalton McGuinty was giving a speech, they planned to move to Queen’s Park to air their concerns. Many feel the OPP isn’t doing a good enough job enforcing the law as it relates to the aboriginal protesters.

“The problem is just daily life. It’s not normal. We want to feel safe. We want our children to be safe,” said protester Lisa Sauve. “We want the OPP, even though they’re surrounding our community and literally in dozens in my own neighbourhood, I don’t feel like the OPP are protecting us.”

Demonstrator Larry Gibson was emotional about the conflict, which began in February after natives laid claim to the site of a planned housing development and has since descended into chaos on more than one occasion, saying “Caledonia is lawless.”

Another Caledonia resident, who wished to be identified simply as Kevin, alleges he’s been personally threatened.

“We want the fear and the terrorism and the intimidation that’s going on to stop,” he said. “We’ve had cars come in our neighbourhood. I had a gentleman pull up in front of my house and just stop there and stare at me. I’ve had phone calls (saying) ‘We’re going to kill you’ because I went on air to tell my side of the story.”

McGuinty addressed the demonstrators’ concerns after his speech.

“I also took advantage of their presence here today to meet with some representatives to gain a better understanding firsthand of some of their concerns, and those focused largely on what is happening to the local economy and ongoing concerns with respect to personal safety,” he said.

David Ramsay, the provincial minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, vowed this week to compensate those who suffered financially or psychologically as a result of the dispute.

 

“We know that (residents) have been incredibly hurt by this dispute, and we want to help them directly,” Ramsay said.

 

“We’re trying to make sure that everybody that’s been affected by this is helped.”

 

The Ontario government has already decided to buy out the developer, Henco Industries. The province wouldn’t say how much it paid to the company, a detail taxpayers have the right to know, say Conservatives.

 

“The government has a responsibility to be open and transparent about the process and also about any kind of settlements that they’re engaging in,” contends Tory John Yakabuski.

 

“They are completely secretive in how they’re dealing with taxpayers’ money, and you can’t take the attitude that you’re going to try and pour as much cash as it takes to settle the situation, and then not let the people know how much you had to pour.”

 

But the minister wasn’t giving any estimates on how much might eventually be spent to calm the situation.

 

“Well, right now we want to listen to (residents) and find out what the ideas are, so we’re not going to say, ‘This is what we’re going to do,”‘ Ramsay said.

“We want to talk to them (and) engage them.”