(Caledonia, ON) – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett says Caledonians are suffering while government continues it’s “don’t worry-be happy” approach to the Haldimand Land-claim dispute.
Barrett says until rule of law is restored there is little chance that the ongoing impact of issues emanating from the land dispute will subside any time soon.
“Wednesday, Mr. Tory and I met with a group of Haldimand developers – all of them had the same questions – when will the law be enforced equally to all to allow developers to get back to work?” stated Barrett. “They spoke of an environment of fear, intimidation and mixed-messages which have ensured that development across the County has ground to a halt.”
Barrett went on to point out that while the McGuinty Government says 1. it stands behind the land title system, and 2. that the Haudenosaunee Development Institute has no standing to demand development fees, developers are left on there own when it comes to backing up these words.
Following the developers meeting, Barrett and PC Leader John Tory met with Caledonia resident Sam Gualtieri. Mr. Gualtieri was attacked at a home he was building for one of his daughters on a disputed land site. He is still suffering from the incident, which happened this past September and left him with a fractured cheek bone, broken collar bone and head trauma from the attack.
“While government would like Ontarians to believe otherwise, the impacts of the ongoing occupation continue to grow,” Barrett reported. “This is the 11th time that MR. Tory has been to Caledonia to speak with the people and address this sad situation – unfortunately the state of affairs continues unabated. I join with Mr. Tory in reiterating four specific action steps to getting things back on track in Haldimand County.”
The action steps include:
- A clear, unqualified statement that there is one rule of law for everyone in Ontario that will be upheld always.
- A policy that the Government will not negotiate on the substance of any legal dispute with any person or group involved in an illegal occupation or any other illegal activity.
- A commitment to use the courts to ensure one rule of law and a commitment to not stand in the way of police enforcing the law.
- A commitment to an independent examination of the chaos presently enveloping our justice system as charges are dropped, cases are thrown out and outrageous deals are agreed to. If the government has nothing to hide, why not commit to an inquiry now?
Barrett concluded that government must provide developers and builders with clear direction to allow them to get back to work as well as proper compensation to mitigate the losses of affected local businesses
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For more information, please contact
MPP Toby Barrett at: (519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629
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