For Immediate Release
February 28, 2008

Numbing acceptance marks two-year anniversary of land dispute

Queen’s Park – Two years of lawlessness in Caledonia has to be stopped.

That was the sentiment today as Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett and PC Leader John Tory spoke at a news conference concerning the second anniversary of the land dispute.

“The outlook is bleak,” Barrett said following the news conference. “We at times thought this could be wrapped up in a few days – we’ve had two winters now.”

During the news conference, Barrett and Tory spoke about Caledonia homeowners Maria and Dieter Rauscher who have been trying to sell their home, located near the occupied site for over a year. During that time, the family has had only 12 inquiries about the property and have been forced to significantly drop the asking price of their home by $150,000.

“Lives have been put on hold in Caledonia,” Tory said. “We saw it last week with [Sam] Gualtieri and we see it here again today with the Rauscher family who are unable to sell their home because of the danger of the on-going situation in Caledonia.”

Barrett and Tory told the media that it’s time for the McGuinty government to address the impacts lawlessness has had on the people of Haldimand and surrounding area.

“There’s a numbing acceptance of what would normally be unacceptable in any town or county,” Barrett later told CBC Newsworld during a live interview. “Over two years we’ve been told progress is being made. Nobody knows – the negotiations are secret.”

While Barrett and Tory presented their thoughts to the media, Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant addressed the two-year anniversary via a video broadcast on YouTube.

“I believe that this diminishes the seriousness of the issue,” Barrett said. “It’s also a cowardly way to avoid questions from the public and the media.”

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