March Planned On Caledonia Occupation Site Could Take Violent Turn
Posted October 14, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The ugly saga that is the Caledonia standoff may soon have another unfortunate chapter.
The southern Ontario town, embroiled for months in a land dispute between local aboriginals and residential developers, could be the site of a violent clash Sunday should plans for a march on the occupation site by non-aboriginals go forward.
Mayor Marie Trainer has already said she is prepared to declare a state of emergency.
Six Nations protesters began their occupation of the housing site in February claiming it’s on their land and now rally organizer Gary McHale says the march is being held to demonstrate how a lack of action to end the occupation proves aboriginals are treated differently and viewed as above the law.
“The OPP are not upholding our criminal code, they’re violating our constitution and they’re disobeying a judge,” McHale told CityNews.
Several politicians have pleaded with McHale to cancel the march and move his rally to Queen’s Park, but plans for the potentially explosive confrontation appear firm.
Meanwhile aboriginal protesters say they’ll hold a “potluck for peace” at the occupation site and plan to “secure” the boundaries.
But locals are concerned the presence of non-aboriginal protestors that aren’t even from Caledonia will merely fan the flames
“People are bringing a lot of problems here and it’s bad enough as it is,” said Caledonia resident Esther Roukema.
“They don’t have to live here, we do.”
It’s not the first time something like this has taken place. There was a demonstration held at the occupation site in May that sparked violent conflict.
“We’ve been planning for some time now, we have contingencies in place to deal with any eventualities that may arise,” said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Rektor.
Local businesses are expected to stay open, though many employees have expressed safety concerns about going to work. The local arena is closed however, and several community events have been cancelled.
