Two meetings are set to take place beginning Friday to discuss the rising tensions first sparked by a dispute over a proposed land deal.
Kanesatake and representatives of the federal and provincial governments will discuss 'urgent issues requiring governmental action' in the first tentative meeting, according to PR for the Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council Serge Otsi Simon.
A second meeting could also take place immediately afterwards with Mayor Pascal Quevillon of Oka, but only on the condition that the mayor apologizes for comments about the Kanesatake community.
The dispute started after local land developer Grégoire Gollin proposed to donate the 60 hectares known as The Pines back to the Kanesatake Mohawk Council as an “ecological gift.”
Gollin has said he acted in the spirit of reconciliation when he signed the agreement. He also said he is prepared to discuss the sale to the federal government of an additional 150 hectares for transfer to the Mohawk community — nearly half of which he said is adjacent to land owned by Kanesatake.
Quevillon said he was concerned about Oka becoming encircled by Kanesatake, saying property values would decline and he fears illegal dumping and an expansion of cannabis and cigarette merchants.
Simon has demanded an apology, saying the mayor has used social ills facing his community for political purposes. Simon reminded the mayor of how a previous mayor made similar comments 29 years ago that led to a 78-day standoff in the same Pines during the Oka Crisis.
“There’s always been an underlying tension,” Simon said. “There’s always been the ghost of 1990 and a mistrust of each other.”
The mayor had stated he will not apologize despite criticism from many, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said the comments “lacked the necessary respect and understanding that is key to true reconciliation.”
Because of this, a confirmation of the second meeting, which will only happen once the mayor issues an apology, is yet to be determined. Without the apology, the Grand Chief will not participate in the second meeting.
