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Peacemakers guard Caldwell band office

Vandalism sparks invitation from chief

By JOHN MINER, Free Press Regional Reporter  Mennonite peacemaker teams have moved onto the Caldwell band office property near Blenheim at the invitation of Chief Larry Johnson.

It's a move to reduce the chance of violence at the band office, which has been vandalized.

"We don't think it is right the way the chief and his people have been harassed," said Benno Barg, co-ordinator of the Ontario Christian peacemaker teams for the Mennonite Central Committee.

The unarmed teams will allow Johnson and his family to relax the vigilance they've kept up since vandalism to buildings, a baseball backstop and some tools, he said.

The two- and three-member teams moved in Friday and are staying nights in a tent trailer at the Caldwell band office. Barg said they're committed to stay two weeks and then will re-evaluate their presence.

"We are there to reduce violence so that parties concerned can concentrate on getting the work done, which is trying to negotiate peace in the community," he said.

"We are there to observe what happens, to provide a neutral presence."

The Caldwell First Nation is trying to buy farmland in the area between Blenheim and Rondeau Bay for a reserve. It has been awarded $23.5 million by the federal government and given 25 years to buy the land on the open market.

The announcement has run into opposition from groups in the Chatham-Kent area, who say they should have been consulted before the deal was reached between the Caldwells and Ottawa. Signs reading "Not For Sale" have gone up on properties near the band's office.

Barg said he has participated in Mennonite peacemaker teams on the West Bank, where there have been clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians.

The teams have also been sent to reduce the chance of violence in the Chiapas area in Mexico.

The Caldwell issue was raised yesterday for the second day in the House of Commons by Tory MP Gerald Keddy, who questioned whether Chief Johnson had been democratically elected.

Keddy said in an interview he had no evidence Johnson wasn't properly elected and that the issue had originated with members of the Caldwell band itself.

"Which isn't unusual. You quite often get two sides of a story," he said.

Indian and Northern Affairs spokesperson Steve Outhouse said the department's records indicate Johnson is the duly elected chief for the Caldwell First Nation.

The last election was Dec. 2, 1994, Outhouse said.

'Secret' plans public in '97, band insists

By JULIE CARL, Free Press Native Affairs Reporter  A reserve deal opponents said was struck in secret has been a matter of public record since October 1997, said a spokesperson for the Caldwell First Nation.

Bud White-Eye said it's not fair to accuse the Caldwells of secrecy because they told neighbouring municipalities of their plans to create a reserve. At that point in 1997, the Caldwells had bought about 28 hectares of land with band money and were applying for reserve status.

Area landowners have expressed anger and shock over the proposed deal giving the band $23.4 million to create a 1,820-hectare reserve near Rondeau Provincial Park. Opponents say the deal was sprung on them.

The band told its new neighbours -- the now-defunct Harwich Township and later the amalgamated Chatham-Kent -- about its plans months before December's announcement of a deal, said White-Eye.

In October 1997, the band wrote to the former Harwich Township council announcing its intention to set up a reserve there, White-Eye said. The band got no response.

Hugh Thomas, who was chief administrator of the transition board that set up Chatham-Kent, said a letter to the board from Harwich councillors was returned. The board wasn't a governing body and didn't have the authority to deal with the letter, said Thomas, who now has the same job in the new municipality.

Thomas said Harwich council wrote to Indian Affairs with questions about the new reserve, but he didn't know whether that letter was answered.

But former Harwich councillor Bill Wymenga remembers it differently. He said council's letter never came back from the transition board. And although Harwich council asked staff to look into the reserve, he thinks it was too late in the term for staff to report back, he said. In January 1998, Harwich Township was absorbed into the new Chatham-Kent.

Other former Harwich Township councillors either couldn't remember the Caldwells' letter or couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.

White-Eye said Caldwell lawyer Paul Williams also told Chatham-Kent Mayor Bill Erickson in April 1998 about the purchased land and the negotiations for more land. Erickson didn't tell his council about the reserve plans.

And no one told Chatham-Kent Essex MP Jerry Pickard, who's critical of the secrecy of the deal. "If they didn't tell Jerry Pickard, who should have told him?" White-Eye asked.

Pickard, who aims his criticism at the Indian Affairs department, wishes constituents who knew of the planned reserve had told him. "Some communication flowing on this would have helped. It would have encouraged public consultation."

Provincial politicians fared better.

Provincial officials told Chatham-Kent MPP Jack Carroll in December 1997 the federal government had begun negotiating a land claim on Point Pelee with the Caldwells in early 1996. But the province wasn't involved in the claim and Carroll didn't consider it his concern because it's outside his riding.

Barry Wilson, press secretary for Charles Harnick, Ontario's attorney general and the minister responsible for native affairs, said Harnick knew negotiations were going ahead but his staff couldn't get information on them.

White-Eye said locals should have known the band has been fighting for a homeland for 200 years. In the past decade, walkathons and marathon canoe trips have drawn attention to the cause, he said.

From: The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs

THREE MONTH MORATORIUM ANNOUNCED TO OPEN UP CALDWELL LAND CLAIM PROCESS

OTTAWA, ONTARIO (February 9, 1999) — Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Jane Stewart and Caldwell First Nation Chief Larry Johnson today announced a three-month moratorium on a recently-negotiated specific claim settlement ratification vote.

The moratorium is designed to allow each side to do additional work in the surrounding Chatham-Kent and Caldwell communities to ensure that all local individuals and organizations have the time to understand the provisions of the Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) announced on December 17, 1998.

Under the AIP, the Caldwell First Nation will receive $23.4 million for the purchase of up to 4,500 acres of land. Following the purchase of land, the First Nation can apply to have land parcels receive reserve status under DIAND's Additions to Reserve Policy.

"We must take the time to make sure all of the questions that people have get answered, and that we respond to their concerns," said Minister Stewart. "I believe we do have answers on the important issues, from drainage and expropriation to land status and ratification proce ss. Given the opportunity to express opinions and receive information, I think people will be reassured that all interests will be dealt with fairly and responsibly in the course of implementing this agreement."

The three-month moratorium follows Minister Stewart's visit to Chatham-Kent on January 25, 1999, during which she met with the Mayor and Council, members of the Chatham-Kent Community Network and representatives of the Caldwell First Nation. Since that time, Minister Stewart and her office have been in regular contact with all of the parties in an effort to open lines of communication and clarify the facts of the agreement.

Between now and the end of May, Minister Stewart and Chief Johnson committed to making information accessible to the communities in a variety of ways.

Minister Stewart announced the establishment of a toll-free information telephone number starting February 10, 1999, to provide general public information on the claim and proposed settlement, as well as details on the First Nation process for ratifying the agreement. The telephone number is 1 (888) 590-2155.

In response to interest and concern expressed by community members, Chief Johnson has called a meeting of all Caldwell First Nation members on February 20, 1999. DIAND representatives have been invited to attend and provide information on the details of the agreement and respond to questions from First Nations members.

Representatives of the Indian Commission of Ontario, a neutral party with extensive experience in claims settlement, as well as the office of the Chiefs of Ontario, are working with the parties individually in the hopes of an eventual opportunity to bring all parties together for open communication. A possible result of these communications would be a type of positive outcome through which the municipality and First Nation could deal with issues of mutual interest and concern.

In the course of Minister's Stewart's meetings in Chatham-Kent, several series of questions were provided to DIAND for response. The department continues to provide written responses to these questions directly to the parties. Information is also being made publicly available on the Internet site of the Chiefs of Ontario. Copies are available on request.

Through the course of the moratorium, the Minister and senior DIAND officials will continue to be closely involved in the activities in the Chatham-Kent area. Minister Stewart has committed to return to meet with the parties again in the near future.

For further information, please contact:

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Last updated: February 25, 1999.