CFN – In the spring of 2014, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) commissioned MNP LLP to conduct a study to gain a better understanding of the size of the local economy (northern/Canadian portion of Akwesasne) and to estimate the extent to which households, businesses and MCA spend dollars outside the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory* (the “AMT”). This “Economic Leakage Study” was undertaken to support the development of strategies that promote the growth of the local economy.

The surprising results of the study indicate that the AMT businesses, households and MCA itself spend an estimated 76 percent of their income dollars outside the AMT. Across Ontario, First Nation communities are estimated to have economic “leakage” of 60-70 percent, indicating that Akwesasne spends more dollars outside the territory than the provincial average.

According to the study, Akwesasne does an estimated $140 million of economic activity annually of which $107 million leaves the AMT. $31.8 million is spent annually in the city of Cornwall and $25.4 million is spent in the nearby US region and towns.

The study also provides valuable information such as what types of spending is being done most in specific areas. The AMT spends $17.3 million off the territory annually on food and beverage. Most AMT grocery spending is done in nearby US towns according to the study ($7.3 million in US vs. $3.6 million in Cornwall). However, Akwesasne spends more dollars at Cornwall’s restaurants ($0.7 million annually) vs. in nearby US restaurants ($0.4 million annually).

The study data will be useful for planning and business development. MCA hopes that economic partnerships can rely on the study’s data to move forward with plans and mutually beneficial strategies.

“We need to find ways to work together to support the growth of the entire regional economy,” said Grand Chief Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell. “The study provides a solid tool for understanding Akwesasne’s economic position in the region. We all benefit from positive economic/business relationships. Our governments can work together to grow our economies, assist our business people, and stimulate the region even more through joint efforts.”

The study will be used to assist MCA in all areas of economic planning going forward. Community members and business people can use the data to understand the market and economy, which areas of business are strong and what needs there are for businesses in the area.

“We intend to use the study results in two ways,” said MCA Director of the Department of Tehotiiennawakon Jim Ransom. “We want to support and grow our local economy while setting incremental goals for reducing economic leakage such as through our “Buy Local” campaign. We also want to develop strategic partnerships with our neighbors that recognize and support Akwesasne’s efforts and grow the regional economy at the same time.”

The full study and report is posted on the MCA website at Akwesasne.ca. If you have any questions about the study, please contact Jim Ransom, Director, Department of Tehotiiennawakon, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.

*Akwesasne Mohawk Territory is defined as the northern or Canadian portion of Akwesasne only.

CFN – What constitutes a lie?  There is the obvious verbal and written distortions of the truth but what is not said may also be deemed a lie. Take this as an example:

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Mr. Thompson goes to the A-1 Used Car Dealer. He is told that the vehicle he is interested in is in top shape, will pass inspection and is safe to drive. Based upon this assurance he buys the car and is driving home when the accelerator sticks. Despite his best efforts to slow down the car speeds up. When he tries to apply the brakes nothing happens. He tries to shift gears but the transmission does not work. He races into an intersection, swerves to avoid another car and crashes into a telephone pole, suffering many injuries.

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The A-1 dealer is not only sued but indicted on a number of charges. He is held liable not because of what he said but his failure to tell Mr. Thompson about the car’s defects. In this case, silence had dire consequences.

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So too, the deliberate exclusion of Native history from US and Canadian schools along with the outright fabrications, distortions and omissions which have formed the basis upon which both nations have built their respective laws, social policies and economies. There is no doubt that these actions have caused demonstrable, permanent and extensive harm to Native people.

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The late Mohawk teacher Ray Fadden-Tehanetorens was among the first to challenge the lies the colonists used to demonize Natives and thereby justify the theft of a continent. His historic work with the Mohawks has been followed by writers and historians brave enough to strip these myths bare and reveal uncomfortable truths. Books have been written ( “Lies My Teacher Told Me”, “1491””A People’s History of the United States”, “Indian Giver”, “Lies Across America”, “American Indian Holocaust and Survival”, “The Forgotten History of America”) which tell a story quite different from the standard history texts used in high schools and colleges.

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From these, and from Mr. Fadden, I have compiled a list of ten of the many great lies in North American history.

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1. Natives came from Asia.  This teaching is not only stupid but a denial of physical and biological fact. No group of humans would be so dumb as to cross thousands of kilometers of tundra then risk their lives across a massive bog before being confronted by massive glaciers 3 kilometers high and hundreds of kilometers long. That was the Bering Strait during the Ice Age 15,000 years ago. The “theory” of this crossing is contradicted by the latest DNA tests and omits one obvious fact: there is no physical evidence to support this myth yet it is cited today as a rationale to undermine indigenous ownership to our ancestral lands and is often used by our critics to label our people as immigrants just like the Europeans.

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2. The continent of North America-Anonwarakowa was a howling wilderness, under populated by roaming bands of Stone Age nomads. Another stupid, nonsensical lie in the face of hard facts. There was no place in the Americas where Native people did not live and in the millions. As the anthropologist Henry Dobyns writes; “ ..the size of the aboriginal population of the Americas directly affects their interpretations of New World civilizations and cultures”. Believing in a nearly vacant land justifies not only its theft but also the murder of its inhabitants. Dobyns places the pre-contact population of the western hemisphere at 112,000,000 with an estimated 9,800,000 living north of Mexico. In what is now Mexico there were over 30,000,000 natives. By the year 1900 less than 400,000 indigenous people survived in North America, the remnants of hundreds of nations and societies systematically slaughtered, starved, hunted, confined and contaminated by the colonists.

3.  Natives did not have science, were primitive and bound by superstitions. The first step towards subjugating a people is to de-humanize them. By denying Natives intellect, reason and capable of complex thought the Europeans rationalized their killing. In truth, Natives were master builders, agriculturalists, foresters, mathematicians, astronomers, urban planners, political theorists, biologists, artists and writers. They designed and built cities, conducted trade, entered into treaties and established societies in which humans were able to live without adversely affecting their environment. Native spirituality was based upon natural law which in turn required a formidable knowledge as to the world in which they lived. But one example from Ray Fadden: Native physicians had mastered the art of surgery hundreds of years before the Europeans and there is not one herbal plant in the Americas unknown to Native pharmacists.

4. Christopher Columbus, Italian, was a brave sea captain who used the pawned jewels of Spanish Queen Isabella to discover America. All lies: there was no Italy at the time of the explorer’s birth. A man named Cristolo Columbo was born in the latter part of the 15^th century in the city state of Genoa but this was not the explorer. He was, according to self-identification from Barcelona in Catalonia, now part of Spain. His name was Cristobal Colon. He spoke, thought and wrote in Catalonian, a distinct language. He never spoke in the Genovese dialect of Italian. He came from an upper class family and had red hair, a distinctive characteristic of the Catalonians. He paid for his 1492 voyage with funds stolen by Isabella from the Jews she expelled from Spain. His ships were all named after prostitutes and he was never lost since he possessed sea charts which clearly showed a land mass at a specific distance west of the Azores. He was an incapable governor who brought slavery to the Caribbean and engaged in the selling of children for sexual exploitation. Not until long after his death was the name “Columbus” made popular. He discovered nothing.

5. The pilgrims came to American to find religious freedom. This lie has become a cornerstone of American history and is often cited by self-serving politicians. The pilgrims arrived in 1620 in a region where, a year before, tens of thousands of Natives lived. The Europeans had been trying for a century to colonize the eastern coast of North America only to be turned back by the hundreds of thousands of Natives who would not permit this. The Pilgrims were highly intolerant of other spiritual traditions and ventured to this continent so they could continue their repressive, highly orthodox ways. A few months before they landed at Cape Code an epidemic swept through the region killing most of the inhabitants. Only then were they able to land and then endure by stealing Native food. Only when friendly aboriginals taught them Native plating techniques were they able to survive. A generation later these same Pilgrims would launch a series of military attacks on their former hosts in which tens of thousands of Native men, women and children were exterminated.

6. Democracy came from the Greeks. No society is democratic when any of its members lives in a condition of servitude. The Greeks held much of their population in slavery and denied equal rights to women. This means that whatever popular form of government developed by the Greeks, and then the Romans, was highly conditional and restricted to a small class of social and economic elites. Not until the latter part of the 19^th century was slavery prohibited in the European nations and not until the 1970’s were all women given the right to vote. Contrast this with the Iroquois Confederacy, where true democracy was invented, codified and practiced. Its citizens had specific human rights, and women held great social, political and economic powers unequaled in any other human society. Even children were accorded legal and political standing under the protection of a set of customs and laws. The freedom of Native people and our the manner in which we governed our affairs were envied, then copied in part, by the colonists since Europe had nothing to offer but class divisions, religious persecution and eternal national wars.

7. The founders of the American nation were freedom loving, God fearing patriots who rebelled because of the oppressive rule and taxes imposed upon them by the English Parliament. We know this lie all too well. The rebels enjoyed a higher degree of liberty than any other place in the British Empire. They were taxed at a far lower rate then their English-Scottish-Welsh cousins. We know that Parliament wanted the colonies to pay their fair share for the recently concluded Seven Years War and to abide by the 1763 Royal Proclamation which prohibited their intrusions and theft of Native lands west of the Allegheny Mountains. We know that John Hancock was one of the biggest smugglers in colonial America, a criminal who organized and financed the Boston Tea Party because the British and removed taxes on that beverage which almost destroyed his business. We know that the true cause of the Revolution was to protect the wealth of the colonial elite which was based upon lands stolen from Natives: Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Adams-all speculated in Native lands and feared their wealth would diminish if westward expansion ended. None of those individuals adhered to any specific Christian church since they saw the effects of religious wars and deliberately excluded organized religion from the Constitution.

8. Europeans, and Americans, used their superior military weaponry and tactics to defeat Native nations. This is often cited by the apologists for the theft of the continent. Some will concede that diseases such as smallpox and typhoid may have been a factor in driving Natives from the land but it was, they argue, the military strength of the colonies that won the day. To unravel this lie take three examples. On July 3,1778 a force of 460 Iroquois and 110 British rangers were engaged in a fight with 360 US militia at Wyoming near Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. Using superior field tactics under the leadership of Cornplanter the Iroquois fired one volley at the Americans before charging them and engaging in deadly hand-to-hand combat. No match for the Iroquois the US fled the field of battle after suffering over 300 casualties to the loss of a single Iroquois fighter. Instead of referring to this as an Iroquois victory it is called a “massacre’ although no non-combatants were harmed.

Second, the defeat of the US army in Indiana in the fall of 1790. President George Washington ordered the army to invade Shawnee-Miami territory to take their lands by force. The Native alliance (the Iroquois called Mingos were present) led by Blue Jacket and Little Turtle drove back the Americans in a series of battles during which the Natives used complex field tactics and superior marksmanship. Over 220 of the 540 US soldiers were lost at the final clash before the Americans left the area.

Third, the Battle of the Wabash in present day Ohio. A 1,000 strong American army which included almost all of the senior commanders was struck at dawn by the same Native alliance as had defeated Harmar the year before. Once again using the element of surprise Blue Jacket and Little Turtle drove back the Americans until the fight became a rout. Of the 1000 US soldiers only 33 escaped unharmed with 632 killed. Virtually all of the officers died. It was, by far, proportionally the worse defeat suffered by the US Army in any battle at any time in its history yet it is not even cited during the military history course at West Point.

What the three examples prove, and there are many others, is that when adequately equipped Native military forces defeated the colonials in almost every pitched battle yet other than Little Big Horn no standard history texts cite this fact.

9. Natives were on the margins of history and gave the world little more than canoes, corn and tobacco. Another lie of epic proportions. It may be said that the single most profound event in human history took place on October 12, 1492 not because of the bad navigation of Colon but that it meant the collision of two human realities as different from each other as was possible. But in that clash came inevitable exchanges which would forever change world history. This is best explained in the book “The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492” by Alfred Crosby and in Jack Weatherford’s “Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World” and in Kay Porterfield’s “Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World”. These books, and others like them, destroy forever the myth that Natives were wisps of smoke. Our innovations, our inventions, our technologies, ideas and art, our politics and our music have been felt by every human being on this planet. The authors cite basic things such as the gift of corn, the most important plant in human history, and go on from there to list thousands of instances of what our ancestors gave to humanity; chocolate, rubber, oil, syringes, basketball, hammocks, hockey, dream therapy, popcorn, snowshoes, cotton, women’s rights, ecology, tomatoes, peppers, pineapples and on and on.

Without Native products life as we know it would not be possible yet we continue to be denigrated, ignored, obscured and held to ridicule in the form of mascots and other instances of idiocy.

10. Freedom. The Europeans knew nothing of true freedom when they came to Anonwarakowa. They were class bound, restricted by gender, consumed by material wealth, sickly in body and spirit and ignorant of the world about them. They were the product of generations of religious prosecution and immersed in violence. They were unclean, more intoxicated than not, smallish in stature and plagued by diseases from which they barely survived as a people. They feared their Creator and were taught the earth was their dominion. They whipped their children and discarded their elderly. When they met Natives for the first time they were intimidated by their physical beauty, their size and their health. The colonists were patriarchal and were amazed by the seeming lack of singular authority in Native society. They envied the absolute freedom enjoyed by the Natives to go as they pleased and whenever it suited them.

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They thought their lack of material possessions was primitive only to be told that in a land of great bounty where all the resources are held in common there is no need for physical wealth, no need to create artificial class distinctions. Whenever given an opportunity to live like Indians individual colonists would often do so and, after living as Indians, they refused to return to the confines of the colonies. This was particularly true for the children and women. We taught the Americans what it could mean to be free and they in turn elected to destroy us since we represented the great temptation.

So it stands, our collective history, for good and ill. We have overcome great odds from a century ago and now number in the millions although nowhere near what we once were. Our presence reminds Canada and the US of their duplicity, their institutionalized lies. It is our duty to set them straight and it is working in part. As we move into the harvest time we can point to one shared ritual which is not a lie: thanksgiving. Although much of what has been written about the first Pilgrim ritual of this kind (and most of that is a lie) the actual gathering of the people to express familial and communal gratitude for the blessings of the past year is one of our great gifts to the world.

And that is an absolute truth.

Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, is a co-founder of the Native American Journalists Association and the former editor of the journal Akwesasne Notes. A former member of the Board of Trustees for the National Museum of the American Indian he is the author of “Iroquois on Fire” among other books. He may be reached via e-mail:Kanentiio@aol.com.

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CFN – The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is responding to a National Post article that reported on the RCMP’s $92-million dollar plan to place a myriad of high-tech, high-security equipment along the U.S.–Canada border to act as an electronic surveillance “fence”. One of the locations being targeted for this latest border enforcement plan is the waterways located within and around the Territory of Akwesasne.

The National Post included a statement about Mohawks criticizing the plan as an attack on our sovereignty and a threat to our economy.  It is true that putting Akwesasne into a police state that is already surrounded by security cameras and a multitude of law enforcement agencies can be viewed as an attack on not only our sovereignty; but also on our human rights, mobility rights and privacy rights. It’s akin to the federal government putting more salt on the crisis situation that already exists between Canada and First Nations, which was noted in the report submitted by UN Special Rapportuer James Anaya following his visit to Akwesasne on October 7, 2013.

Suggestions in the media that Akwesasne supports or wants criminal activity to continue are incorrect and damaging to our positive endeavors and opportunities.  There is no mention of Akwesasne’s appeal to work cooperatively with Canada to address our common concerns, which began as early as 2000 in a letter to then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien that warned of the impact that the federal action of raising taxes on cigarettes would ultimately have on our community. There is also no mention of our repeated requests; as recent as May 1, 2013 before the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs; to work with Canada to effectively deal with potential criminal elements that attempt to take advantage of the geographic and jurisdictional challenges that have been imposed upon our community and people.

Akwesasne has made requests for partnerships and has called for increased support from Canada in order to help secure the border that physically dissects our community into several jurisdictions: Ontario, Quebec, and New York.  The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services needs the resources to patrol the nearly 100 miles of the border that zigzags around almost 400 islands located in the Territory of Akwesasne. It’s an area that has been called a “jurisdictional nightmare” by external law enforcement agencies and is better patrolled by Mohawk police officers intimately familiar with the St. Lawrence River’s tributaries, channels, wetlands and marshes.

In recent decades, Akwesasne has witnessed a substantial growth in our community’s population and the need to increase employment opportunities that focus on a legitimate economy, as well as expand our community’s essential services in areas like policing. The implementation and enforcement of border security initiatives of Canada and the United States however, is beyond the mandate of the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services, but has been assumed by our local police department to ensure the ongoing safety and security of the community and traveling public.

The additional responsibility of maintaining the international border’s integrity was exacerbated in 2009 when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) relocated its customs facility from Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island) to the City of Cornwall. The unexpected relocation of the CBSA and the role of ensuring border integrity have placed a strain on the 24-member Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service. To effectively respond to the additional responsibility, AMPS requires funding for additional patrol officers and the creation of a full-time marine unit. It will enable our local police department to continue having a major impact on criminal organizations that seek to exploit our community. This will cost far less and will be more effective than what is being proposed in the RCMP’s plan.

Under the current proposal, there is a concern that criminal organizations and terrorists will still attempt to take advantage of our community—especially when mainstream media and elected officials continue to publicly promote the border at Akwesasne as being an unsecure area in order to advance their own political agenda or to cater to special interest groups. Blaming Akwesasne is not new as immediately following 9/11 our community was heavily blamed in the media as a suspected entry point for terrorists. This was later disproven, but  Akwesasne has suffered ever since these reckless and incorrect statements were made.

Akwesasne shares the goals of other governments to secure the border however; the Government of Canada has been unwilling to support our efforts. We have received more support from the United States than we have received from Canada. Perhaps it is easier for Canada to continue blaming Akwesasne for its problems, rather than work with us.

At a time when Canada is planning to spend tens of millions more on law enforcement, Akwesasne continues to propose the least expensive path of partnerships and increased cooperation. We have also proposed the development of a secure border identification card that will ultimately enhance border integrity by clearly identifying our local residents. It’s a proposal that has received a favorable response from U.S. Congressman Bill Owens and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has asked Canada numerous times to also support as it will assist the border enforcement efforts of both countries. It will expedite the processing of local residents that comprise the vast majority of border travelers and will support our region’s cross-border commerce.

Akwesasne has also proposed and is pursuing other security measures that will contribute to border enforcement. In fact, the MCA and its counterpart on the southern, or “U.S.” portion of Akwesasne, have begun negotiations to implement a Mohawk Border Security Plan of our own that would include local security/border officers and procedures that take into account Akwesasne’s unique multi-jurisdictional reality. It recognizes Akwesasne as a cross-border community and builds upon our proven experience at developing multi-jurisdictional agreements and political protocols with external and internal governments to address the needs of our community.

In response to the National Post statement that Mohawks view additional security as a threat to the economy, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne firmly disagrees. Akwesasne does view Canada’s border security as being damaging to our local economy. The added law enforcement initiatives combined with the CBSA’s reporting requirement has been devastating to the many stores and small businesses located on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island). No longer can travelers stop and support our local economy as they travel on their way to the City of Cornwall. It has led some of our hard-working community members to make the difficult decision to close their businesses located at the Peace Tree Mall located on Kawehno:ke, as well as gas stations and restaurants located elsewhere in Akwesasne.

Akwesasne is entering the second year of a two-year tobacco pilot project with Ontario that is exploring avenues for controlling, regulating and legalizing tobacco products. Any cigarettes coming from the southern portion of Akwesasne will go through the same regulation and control measures. These are the type of partnerships that are still possible at all levels and will translate into a healthy and legal economy for Akwesasne and improved border security for Canada and the United States, but before this can happen the finger pointing at our community has to stop. We need government officials to see the potential of cooperation and collaboration. There are solutions and we have been speaking about them to external governments.

The plan to spend millions of dollars more on external law enforcement is equivalent to Canada sending in more cavalry soldiers to further surround Akwesasne. We continue to state that other solutions can be found that are more productive and will benefit all.

It has been our experience that when our leadership identifies alternative strategies that would translate into a healthy and legal economy we have gotten no support from the federal government.

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On November 30th, 2014 at approximately 1:50 p.m., the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service was dispatched to a residence on Cornwall Island, Ontario. Upon arrival, police discovered a deceased male.

Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service investigators, with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Forensic Identification Services Unit and Criminal Investigation Branch determined that foul play was involved in the death of David “Tawit” Benson Hopps, aged 61 years, of Cornwall Island, Ontario. A post mortem examination has been scheduled for today, December 1, 2014 in Ottawa.

Today, as a result of the investigation, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service officers arrested Rachel Bertha FENN, aged 39 years, of Summerstown, Ontario and Christopher Philip BALDWIN, aged 31 years, of Westport, Ontario. Both subjects appeared in Ontario Court of Justice, Cornwall, Ontario today and have been remanded until December 5th, 2014. They have been charged with Second Degree Murder.

If anyone has information about this crime, they are asked to contact the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service at 613-575-2340.

WARRANT

Cornwall, ON – Chloe McRae, 22 of St-Andrews was arrested on November 28^th, 2014 on the strength of a warrant and also charged with possession of hydromorph. It is alleged that the woman failed to attend court and a warrant was issued for her arrest. On November 28^th, 2014 the woman attended police headquarters to deal with the matter. She was taken into custody on the strength of the warrant and was found to be in possession of a controlled substance. She was charged accordingly and released to appear in court on December 30^th, 2014.

RESIST ARREST, ASSAULT POLICE

Cornwall, ON – A 21-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on November 28^th, 2014 and charged with assault police and resist arrest. It is alleged that on November 27^th, 2014 police attended a Prince Arthur Street address in relation to a family dispute. During the investigation police attempted to gain control of the man who then attempted to spit on two officers and bit one officer on the hand. On November 28^th, 2014 the man was taken into custody, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on December 30^th, 2014.

BREACH, DRIVE DISQUALIFIED

Cornwall, ON – Christopher Raymond, 38 of Cornwall was arrested on November 28^th, 2014 and charged with drive while disqualified and breach of undertaking for being seated in the drivers’ seat of a motor vehicle, failing to carry identification and release documents as well as failing to keep the peace. It is alleged that on November 28^th, 2014 the man was found to be operating a motor vehicle in the area of Brookdale Avenue and Thirteenth Street despite being on conditions not to be in the driver’s seat and being a disqualified driver. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on December 30^th, 2014.

ASSAULT, MISCHIEF, BREACH

Cornwall, ON – A 20-year-old North Glengarry woman was arrested on November 29^th, 2014 and charged with assault, mischief under $5000 and breach of an adult probation order and youth probation order for failing to keep the peace. She was also charged with breaching an undertaking for having consumed alcohol. It is alleged that on November 28^th, 2014 during an argument with her 20-year-old boyfriend the woman punched him several times in the face and damaged a floor heater. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. On November 29^th, 2014 during their investigation the woman was located at a Bedford Street address, taken into custody and found to have consumed alcohol. She was charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. Her name was not released as it would identify the victim in the matter.

Ottawa Police Service

(Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Service is investigating a fatal collision between a cyclist and a large truck that occurred at the intersection of Clyde Avenue and Lotta Avenue this morning at approximately 8:25am.

The male cyclist succumbed to his injuries on scene. Next of kin has yet to be notified.

Collision Investigators are investigating and seeking witnesses

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call Ottawa Collision Investigators Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2481.  Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477(TIPS), toll free at 1-800-222-8477 or by downloading the Ottawa Police iOS app.

 (Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Service is investigating a shooting that took place in the 2900 block of Penny Drive on November 26, 2014 at approximately 8:45pm.

Multiple shots were fired at a residence and entered the upper window at the rear of the property.  No injuries resulted from these gun shots; however there were 4 young children playing in the room at the time of the incident.

Guns and Gangs are investigating and are seeking witnesses.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call Ottawa Police Guns and Gangs Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5050.   Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477(TIPS), toll free at 1-800-222-8477

(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Robbery Unit has laid charges in relation to two west end swarmings.

On Friday November 21, at approximately 11:00 pm, a lone female, age 32, was leaving her place of employment and was walking home in the area of the 2900 block of Carling Ave. She was approached by two females and a male who first asked to use the victim’s phone. When she declined, the victim was thrown to the ground and assaulted. This victim was able to retain her property and the suspects left empty-handed. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require further medical attention.

On the same date, at approximately 11:15 hrs, another female, age 28, left her place of employment and came across the same two females and male along the 2800 block of Carling Ave.  When the victim reached the trio, one stepped in front of her and made a demand for money. When the victim attempted to continue walking, she was thrown to the ground and assaulted. The victim was able to draw attention to the situation and the suspects fled empty-handed. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require further medical attention.

During the afternoon of Wednesday November 26, 2014, the three suspects were observed walking along Carling Ave.  Police were contacted, attended, and located the suspects in a retail store.  The three were arrested without incident.

Two females, ages 15 and 17, and a male, age 16, all of Ottawa, are jointly charged with two counts of robbery.  They will all appear Youth Court on November 27, 2014.

 (Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Section has seen an increase in reports of the Canada Revenue /utilities scam.

The scam involves victims receiving phone calls from persons identifying themselves as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees.  They inform the victims that they owe the government money for back taxes and indicate to them that payment must be made immediately or they will be arrested.

Victims are directed to go to the nearest store and purchase “Visa Pay Power Cards” in various amounts.  Once purchased, the victims are contacted again and asked for the card number and the security codes for payment of their “debt”.  The suspects then access the cards and withdraw the funds purchased by the victim.

An alternate variation of the scam is a person calling and indicating that an immediate payment is required for hydro/water or the utility will be disconnected forthwith.  Payment is again requested via the Visa Pay Power Cards.

“The public should be suspicious of any phone calls demanding immediate payment via this method of payment,” said Sgt. Mitch Proteau, Fraud Section, Ottawa Police Service.  “The Ottawa Police recommends that any person contacted about an unpaid bill should contact the utility (or CRA) using the publicly available telephone number to verify their account status and the legitimacy of the call they received.”

Anyone with information regarding this type of fraud is asked to call Ottawa Police Fraud Section at 613-236-1222, ext. 5162.

(Ottawa)— On Friday the 21^st of November 2014 at 3:47 pm, the Ottawa Police Service responded to a single motor vehicle collision on Swale Rd. A 30 year old male driver, from the Ottawa area, was the sole occupant. He was transported to hospital and succumbed to his injuries.

The Collision Investigation Unit is investigating but the road was reopened at 9:30 pm.

The next of kin have been notified but no names are to be released at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call Ottawa Police’s Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2481.

 CFN – On November 3, 2014 members of the Cornwall Regional Task Force (CRTF) were conducting surveillance in the Bainsville area of South Glengarry, when they noticed a boat with two occupants travel into the bay without navigation lights on. Members closed in on the area where the boat was seen and observed a white Ford van backing up towards the shoreline. Officers approached the van and observed a pile of cardboard boxes, believed to contain contraband tobacco, and one male standing next to them. A second male was kneeling inside the van and there was more contraband boxes stacked inside. Gabriel ROY, age 18, of Huntington Quebec and David HINSE-LANIEL, age 20, of Valleyfield Quebec were arrested and charged under the Excise Act, 2001, for Possession of Contraband Tobacco. Both males were released on a Recognizance. Their next court appearance was set for January 13, 2015. There were a total of 80 cases of contraband seized.

In the late evening of November 19, 2014, the CRTF members were advised by Valleyfield RCMP that there was a boat moving close to the shore at the Ontario/Quebec border that appeared heavy and was operating without navigation lights. The CRTF members deployed on foot and observed three individuals moving bags from the shoreline to two parked vans on a property in the Township of South Glengarry. Police descended on the scene and the three males attempted flight. All three were apprehended and arrested for possession of unstamped tobacco contrary to Section 32(1) of the Excise Act, 2001. There were a total of 115 bags of fine cut tobacco with a total weight of 2,130 kilograms that were seized. Arrested on scene was 36 year old Edin CEKIC of St Catherine, Quebec, 26 year old Gabriel FOURNIER-CLAVEAU of Montreal, Quebec, and 28 year old Abass SOBH also of Montreal, Quebec. All three males were released on a Recognizance with a $500 bond and a first appearance date of January 27, 2015 in Cornwall.

Members of the CRTF were patrolling the shoreline of the St Lawrence River on Thursday November 20, 2014, when they received information from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) advising that there was a boat travelling north from the US towards Canada. With the assistance of the Valleyfield RCMP, the boat was tracked and observed docking at an area near Gardner Avenue in Cornwall. There were two males seen standing on the dock. Once the vessel departed, members of the CRTF moved in and the two males ran off trying to evade police. The police pursued and located of one of the males who had fled the scene. Lying face down near a fence and wearing a black balaclava, was John PAPINEAU, age 34 of Cornwall. PAPINEAU was charged under the Excise Act, 2001, for Possession of Unstamped Tobacco after police located 20 cases of contraband tobacco on the dock. He is still in custody awaiting a bail hearing.

On November 27, 2014 members of the CRTF received a call from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) advising that a Cadillac Escalade travelling through the port of entry had been referred for a secondary inspection. A backpack with a Ziploc bag inside containing 39 grams of suspected marihuana was located. Members of the CRTF attended the port of entry and arrested Stuart MYIOW, age 52, of Kahnewake, Quebec and he was charged with possession of a substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He was also found to be in breach of his probation was charged accordingly. MYIOW was released on a Recognizance with a $500 cash deposit. His first appearance is set for December 16, 2014 in Cornwall.

Shortly after midnight on December 1, 2014 a boat was observed by the CRTF travelling at a high rate of speed eastbound on the St Lawrence. Members tracked the boat to the Penville Bay area near the Ontario/Quebec border. Police officers observed two males on shore, two males in a boat and they saw the boat being unloaded. Members attended the area and upon their arrival all subjects had departed. Police searched for the individuals with negative results. CRTF members did locate the bags that were being unloaded from the boat and seized a total of 85 bags of fine cut tobacco with a total weight of 1,210 kilograms. No charges have been laid and the investigation is still ongoing.

The individuals noted above, who have been charged under the provisions of the Excise Act, 2001, also face charges under the provincial Tobacco Tax Act for possession of unmarked cigarettes.

The RCMP would like to remind everyone that smuggling or being in possession of illegal tobacco is a criminal offence that could lead to serious consequences. Individuals who are found guilty will have a criminal record; will have to pay heavy fines or face imprisonment.

“December is a time to celebrate” said Inspector Kimpan Officer in Charge of the CRTF, “we are proud to provide our services to this community and we will continue doing so throughout the holiday season. The CRTF would like to wish everyone safe and happy holidays”.

If you have any information regarding criminal activity in your area, you can contact the CRTF at 1-613-937-2800 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The CRTF is a joint forces partnership that includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Ontario Ministry of Finance.

CFN – By December of 1814 the war between the US and Britain was coming to a close. Britain was under growing pressure to restore trade with the US and reduce the tax burdens of its citizens not only from the conflicts in North America but with France on the European continent.

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Napoleon had been defeated in June, 1814 by Prussian and British forces at the small town of Waterloo,Belgium forcing the French ruler into exile. This meant that Britain was able to direct its military with full force against the Americans. Up to that date only small elements of British regulars actually fought in the American campaign but with the prospect of facing the largest land army in Europe the Americans pressed for a quick resolution of the war.

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Negotiations directed at signing a peace treaty began in August, 1814 in the Belgian city of Ghent. The British delegation began the discussions by insisting on the creation of an aboriginal state in the Ohio-Michigan-Wisconsin area to act as a buffer between Canada and the US while serving as a brake on American expansion into the upper Midwest.

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A primary cause of the war had been the US invasion of Native lands and the subsequent efforts by Tecumseh to form an alliance to thrust the Americans back. Tecumseh proved to be an exceptional political and military leader whose forces inflicted numerous defeats upon the US but needed British supplies to continue to do so. When Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of Moraviantown in October of 1813 the dreams of a broad aboriginal alliance died with him.  While most Native nations (including the majority of Mohawks) fought alongside the British and Canadians there was no chance of continuing the war without necessary firearms and ammunition only the British could supply.

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The American response to the British demands at Ghent was to demand that all of Canada be ceded to the US without any regards for the aboriginal nations. Both sides spent the next few weeks exchanging positions until they were given news about the burning of Washington in August and the Battle of Plattsburgh in September. While the torching of the US Capitol was a moral victory for Britain the defeat at Plattsburgh under incompetent military command meant the end of the plans to march down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor and divide the US into sections. The British knew there was movement in New England to secede from the US had such an invasion been successful but those hopes evaporated after Plattsburgh.

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With no compelling reason to continue the war as a result of the military stalemates on the Niagara Peninsula and on Lake Champlain the US and Britain came to terms in December of 1814 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Only one provision, Article Nine, cited Natives. It held that the pre-war status of the Native nations would be acknowledged but it also meant that Britain would no longer support them in their fight against the Americans.

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For Akwesasne the treaty failed to remove a prime source of contention on the community. The international border would remain in place. Its exact place would be subject to further surveys and included in the 1842 Webster Ashburton Treaty, again between the US and Britain exclusive of aboriginal participation.

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Despite the sacrifices of the Mohawk people in defending Canada they would not warrant specific protection under the terms of the Ghent Treaty. The Americans, and particularly New York State, would continue to intrude upon Mohawk lands using the fraudulent  Seven Nations of Canada (1796) and Joseph Brant (1797) “treaties” and by empowering the three “trustee” system now known as the St. Regis Tribal Council.  In 1899 at force of arms Canada would replicate the Americans when it imposed its own “elected” system with the formation of the St. Regis Band Council (now the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne).

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The basis for generations of internal tension and periodic conflict at Akwesasne was set. While the majority of the community desired then (as now) one governing council the external powers would not-and will currently oppose-the return to singular Mohawk jurisdiction.

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The War of 1812 solved nothing for the Mohawks. It was the last time the Mohawks fought as cohesive units using ancestral battle techniques. It was the last time the Iroquois fought other Iroquois in pitched battle. It was the last chance for the border at Akwesasne to be redrawn.
But the war has another unforeseen effect. Eleazer Williams, the Anglican deacon and son of Thomas Williams a signatory to the Seven Nations Treaty, had served as a US spy during the conflict.

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It is said his information at the Battle of Plattsburgh enabled the US to defeat the British land forces but it made him a controversial person at Akwesasne. As a result he moved to the pro-American Oneidas in Oneida Castle, NY where he used his government ties in Albany and Washington to effect the removal of the majority of Oneidas to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Unknown to the Oneidas Williams was also an agent for the Ogden Land Company (hence the name Ogdensburg), accepting bribes to open Oneida lands for settlement.

Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, is a co-founder of the Native American Journalists Association and the former editor of the journal Akwesasne Notes. A former member of the Board of Trustees for the National Museum of the American Indian he is the author of “Iroquois on Fire” among other books. He may be reached via e-mail:Kanentiio@aol.com.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

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CFN – The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS) is investigating a shooting incident that occurred on December 28^th, 2014 in the village of Kana:takon.

At approximately 5:17 pm, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service received an emergency call of shots being fired at a motor vehicle.   During the investigation the Police Service closed off Sections of First Street and Park Street to the public for approximately two hours due to public safety concerns.
Tacala Drew Buckshot, age 29, and Jessie William Stacey, age 31, were both taken into custody. Buckshot and Stacey appeared before the Valleyfield Provincial Court and were remanded into custody on the charge of Discharging a Firearm with Intent. Tacala Drew Buckshot and Jessie William Stacey will be appearing in Remand Court today in Valleyfield Provincial Court.

No one was injured as a result of the shots being fired.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or any criminal activity can call the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service directly at 613-575-2340.

Grand Chief Mike (Kanentakeron) Mitchell

CORNWALL Ontario – Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Mike Mitchell makes over twice the average salary of a chief according to data about the incomes of Chiefs of bands across Canada.

MCA Chief Salaries including expenses:

April Adams-Phillips $35,886

Louise Thompson $55,663

William Sunday $62,204

June Phillips-Jacobs  $67,893

Steve Thomas $69,582

Larry King $ 70,267

Florence Phillips $ 70,693

Joe Lazore $71,556

Abram Benedict $ 73,254

Grand Chief Mike Mitchell $132,203

Brian David $ 84,809

Joanne Jocko $81,495

Karen Loran $78,486

The Median average salary was $64,697.  There were a eight chiefs that took no salary compared to some who took home close to $2M in salary and bonuses.

Chiefs have had to have their incomes audited under the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.  Less than 30 chiefs have failed to provided audited information.

Top Ten Paid Chiefs 

1) Ron Giesbrecht $930,793

2) Jim Boucher $764,957

3) Ronald Morin $435,084

4) Isaac Laboucan Avirom $423, 697

5) Kathleen Laboucan $403,599

6) Gerald Gladue $391,019

7) Raymond Powder $386,098

8) David Bouchier $374,622

9) Casey Bird $357,288

10) Whitehawk Norman $354,629

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CFN – On Friday March 20^th, 2015, Ryan John Lazore was extradited from New York State to Canada. On December 30^th, 2014, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service had obtained a Canada-wide Warrant of Arrest for Lazore for the “Second-Degree Murder” of his mother, Lori Sue Lazore. Mr. Lazore was being held in New York State pending an Extradition Hearing for his return to Canada.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Police took custody of Mr. Lazore shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday. He was processed at the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service whereupon he was Remanded into custody until Monday March 23^rd, 2015 for his first appearance in Valleyfield Provincial Court.

Chief of Police Jerry Swamp stated “this is an example of the high level of cooperation the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has with local and International partners in Law Enforcement. This Extradition moved quickly due to the assistance of the Canadian Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshall’s office and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department”.

Area photographer, Jacko Otter from Akwesasne captured some of the stunning moments from the sinking of the tug boat Monday.

He shared his photos from his rezdude.ca website with our viewers.

His camera caught the rescue of one of the workers in detail.

More of the rescue

The brave rescue.

(Police Commission Chairperson Rowena General, Tribal Sub-Chief Michael Conners and Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Officers following the announcement.)

SRMT POLICE RECOGNIZED AS THE AUTHORITY IN THE HOGANSBURG TRIANGLE

Certificate of Expanded Jurisdiction Signed By Governor Cuomo

AKWESASNE — Stemming from legislation passed by NYS Senate and Assembly in June 2015, legislation has been officially signed into law allowing the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police to exercise police authority to the area known as the “Hogansburg Triangle.”  Superintendent of the New York State Police Joseph A. D’Amico endorsed the Superintendent’s Certificate of Expanded Jurisdiction on August 13, 2015.

In June, the State Assembly and State Senate overwhelming voted in favor of their respective versions of the bill that extends the jurisdiction. Prior to the enactment of this law, pursuant to Indian Law S114, State courts had concluded that the Tribal police did not have authority to the area because police authority delegated to the tribal police to enforce state law did not extend to the Triangle, an area that is part of ongoing land claim negotiation and always considered part of the reservation by the Mohawks. This has resulted in court cases involving DWI’s, drug-related arrests and other criminal offenses being dismissed. “The safety of our community and our police officers has been the driving force behind our collective efforts to see this bill through,” stated Chief Eric Thompson. “The law provides clarity to law enforcement, resolves jurisdictional ambiguity and respects tribal sovereignty.”

SRMT Police Commission Chairperson Rowena General shared, “The overwhelming support of Bill #07256 by the Assembly and Senate [210 – 1] and NYS Governor Cuomo provides our Police Department with the support and recognition that allows them to continue to exercise their authority and obligation to preserve the safety and well-being of everyone within the Territory of Akwesasne. On behalf of the Police Commission, I thank Tribal Council for upholding a strong position on this issue.”

Chief of Police, Matthew Rourke remarked, “This is an historic day for our Police Department and the community of Akwesasne.  We need to have Mohawk police officers patrolling our territory and we’ve always considered this area part of Akwesasne. On behalf of the SRMT Police Department, we extend our appreciation to Governor Cuomo, the State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico, the New York State Legislature, NYS Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, NYS Senator Betty Little, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council, former SRMT General Counsel Michele Mitchell, our State Lobbyist, Giorgio DeRosa from Bolton St. Johns, General Counsel Danielle Lazore-Thompson, NYS Police Major Charles Guess, the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office and the community of Akwesasne.”

Negotiations concerning the Mohawk land claim continue between the Tribe, Franklin County and New York State. Resolution of the land claim would bring finality to the boundary of Akwesasne. “The Tribe appreciates the support of our neighbors and the New York State Legislature for sponsorship of a bill that enhances the public safety of our communities, our visitors and our law enforcement officers,” commented Chief Beverly Cook.

Lacrosse is coming home. For the first time ever, the FIL (Federation of International Lacrosse) will hold the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships (WILC) at the home of the game: The Onondaga Nation, capital of the Iroquois Confederacy. The start of the 2015 Games will commence at 7 PM EST at the War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse, with a spectacular Opening Ceremony and Iroquois vs. USA game on September 18^th. NFL Hall-of-Famer and Syracuse Alum, Jim Brown will attend along with support from Bill Belichick and the Bill Belichick Foundation.

“The Bill Belichick Foundation is proud to support and be a major contributor to the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Central New York especially with the games being hosted at the home of the game, The Onondaga Nation,” said Bill Belichick.

The Opening Ceremony includes a memorizing display of visual and aural magic created by over 30,000 watts of intelligent lighting, 40,000 watts of digital array sound and over 320,000 lumens of projection devices on a variety of arena surfaces that will include the audience, donning over 2,500 white and purple wampum vests, and becoming an interactive part of the show.  Through this display the arena will transform the War Memorial into a stage that will help tell the story of the evolution of the Nations, our Mother Earth and the ever growing game of lacrosse.

After this visual piece, Tadodaho Sid Hill, will then welcome everyone to the War Memorial and officially kick off the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. This includes having 46 Haudenosaunee Dancers entering the arena representing each of the Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora, which is presented by Seneca Nation, followed by athletes from each of the thirteen nations participating in the World Games.

“We are looking forward to seeing a spectacular show on opening night,” said FIL President Stan Cockerton. “Not only will we see two of the premier teams in box lacrosse facing off with the Iroquois and USA but we also get to learn some of the history of lacrosse from the Haudenosaunee people through the opening ceremonies. It will definitely be a night that no one will want forget.”

“We are treating this opening ceremony with the pageantry and grandeur the fastest growing sport in the world deserves,” says Syracuse born executive producer Erick Weiss of Honeysweet Productions. “It will be a wonderful show for the whole family instilling enormous pride in the rich cultural history of this region.”

The FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships is a significant milestone for the Haudenosaunee as they will step onto the world stage and carry their flag, exercise the sovereignty of indigenous nations, share their culture, field their national team, welcome guest nations and proudly host the game of their ancestors. Thirteen Nations from around the world will journey to Onondaga to compete. The eyes of the world and all of Indian Country will descend on the Onondaga Nation in Upstate New York this September.

“It will be our pleasure and our honor to have the game come home. Lacrosse is coming home in 2015,” said Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation.

The FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is an international tournament that is held every four years. The 2011 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships were held in Prague, Czech Republic. The defending World Champions are Canada, with the Iroquois Nationals finishing second and the United States finishing third. These nations will compete again in 2015 alongside Australia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey.

International visitors, dignitaries, lacrosse fans and all of Indian Country will travel to upstate New York to support their teams. The Iroquois Nationals will proudly carry their Nations’ flag, colors and sticks into International competition. Lacrosse…is coming home.

The FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championships would also like to give a special thanks to our sponsors Nike, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, NBC Universal Sports, Rit, Seneca Nation, Bill Belichick Foundation, Traditional Lacrosse, Wegmans, Hank Parker’s Party & Tent Rentals, Quiet Storm Custom Wrapz, Onondaga County, City of Syracuse, Graph-tex, Destiny USA, Crowne Plaza, Visit Syracuse, Syracuse.com, Natural Tableware, Saranac Brewery, Shiftboard and Art of Lax.

There is a reason why the Federal Government is trying to unload harbour lands across Canada.    Most are polluted or have historic environment issues that literally could cost billions of dollars to resolve.

Cornwall’s harbour is so polluted that when a movement to create a beach occurred a few years ago it was pointed out that upsetting the sediment was the issue preventing a beach from happening.

Think about that.  Laying some sand and people enjoying the waterfront was a potential health risk.   What would happen if you wanted to actually develop the waterfront area?

The people of Cornwall still haven’t been told the truth in what led up to the chem tanks on our waterfront.  Even with MP Guy Lauzon’s  outburst during the election the City has not come clean in what was most likely a cover up of secret negotiations.      Clearly the public did not want nor wants chem tanks across from development property nor do they see it as a future plus for Cornwall.

Now we have had over a year of secretive meetings with the Federal government.  Bob Kilger and Mike Mitchell are gone replaced by Abram Benedict and Lesley O’Shaughnessy, but work to move forward is at the stage that some facts are leaking through.

A creation of a Municipal Service Corporation is being bandied about.  It would be a partnership between Akwesasne and Cornwall.

This raises a few flags off the bat.  The reason Akwesasne is involved is because of land claims.  Most land claims will not be resolved during our life times.     There simply isn’t political will on either side to go to court because frankly, in some cases decisions could go either way.  In a more sinister level, it’s Canadian tax payers that would be forced to pay for the entire process one way or another.

So rather than deal with any possible land claim or issue from our friends in Akwesasne we’ve made them partners.

Now if the land actually belongs to Akwesasne then it should be theirs.  If it doesn’t then they shouldn’t get any.  What is with this sharing proposal?   This isn’t a tiny proposition.  This is probably the biggest impact on the future of the region.

People have to remember that when Heart of the City had a project in the parking lot on First and Pitt that hit oil tanks it was the City of Cornwall that had to cough up nearly $1M for clean up.      Who will pay the bills when we strike issues along our water front?

We’re not sharing a symbolic event.   This is something that potentially can make or break our community.

Does the MCA or City of Cornwall remotely have the expertise for this exercise?  Nope.   Have they called in Independent Consultants?   Not to this scribblers knowledge, and frankly this is an area where you bring in a consultant or two.

This is a community that has a brutally bad record when it comes to the river and environment.     Big Ben has no membrane and is literally contributing to the deaths of many in the region without any coverage or thought to fix because frankly, there is no money to address the issue.

Allegedly the land that the new Wal-Mart is on in some sections had to be excavated more than 40 feet to remove icky stuff in the ground.   This isn’t cheap to fix.

When the bridge bed was being taken down recently there were media reports and leaks of illegal dumping on Akwesasne lands.

Again, this project could be the biggest factor in our regions future, all of our futures, yet it’s been done in secrecy, and even scarier, could be signed to without any more than a simple public consultation.

There are of course more issues, but one thing that is utterly apparent is that before any deal should move through it should be transparent, and the public should be voting on it via referendum or plebiscite.   That includes Akwesasne, and Cornwall.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

This is far too important a decision to be made by a handful of councilors who most likely will not be around if the brown stuff hits the fan, and have zero accountability other than hand wringing as tax payers have to cough up the costs.

While waterfront development is key to the future of both Akwesasne and Cornwall the process should be transparent and accountable.   Sadly it’s difficult for the public to make that happen when kept in the dark.

What do you think dear CFN viewers?   You can post your comments below.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) today announced the arrest of four people involved in the attempted smuggling of foreign nationals from the United States to Cornwall, Ontario.

On February 11, 2016, the CBSA’s Cornwall Enforcement and Intelligence team received information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) officers that three foreign nationals were identified in Massena, New York as acting in a suspicious manner. The CBSA, with the assistance of partner agencies, conducted surveillance on the three individuals and the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service were able to intercept and arrest three foreign nationals and a resident of Cornwall.

The Cornwall resident was arrested for aiding and abetting the illegal movement of people into Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and the three foreign nationals were arrested for entering Canada without examination. All were transported to the Cornwall Regional Task Force detachment for processing by the CBSA.

The three foreign nationals received their detention review and admissibility hearings on February 15 and 16, 2016. The Cornwall resident was released on a Promise to Appear. He will appear in court on March 15, 2016.

Quick Facts

• The CBSA works closely with government and law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and protect the safety and security of Canadians.

• All allegations involving the illegal immigration practices are taken very seriously and fully investigated by the CBSA to ensure that the security of our borders.

“These arrests are a great example of how law enforcement agencies in the Cornwall area are working together to fight crime and smuggling activity. I want to congratulate officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Akwesasne-Mohawk Police Service and the CBSA for working together and sharing timely information that led to the arrests.”

–        Jeff Davidson, Director, CBSA Enforcement and Intelligence Operations Division

Dear Editor,

For several years, “Keeshechewan” residents have been coming to the Cornwall and  “Ahkwesáhsne” communities to escape the springtime flood waters of the Albany River.

It’s a hardship for the families for sure, but our communities strive to make it work, and we’ve developed something of a rapport along the way. Unfortunately, the uprooting of homes and families from Kashechewan is followed repeatedly by a return home to the same problem, and worse.

But now, with new interest and the generous resources offered by the Canadian Government, now may be the time to stop this stupidly grim cycle. We have the opportunity to go beyond rapport and to build a partnership that profits our northern and southern communities.

We are squandering the opportunity to resolve the housing, water and flood catastrophes that devastate Kashechewan and its families every year, and the tragic health consequences.

It’s time to develop a training and resource plan between Federal, Provincial and First Nation(s) governments to correct those housing, infrastructure and site shortfalls that uproot this northern community every year — A plan that can begin here, to give our First Nations neighbours a hand-up and not the usual government hand-out.

There is little work, limited training opportunity, and a very real need to improve the living environment for residents of the Kashechewan and nearby communities. Cornwall can be a host for change, if the people of these communities take up the challenge.

The Government of Canada is offering billions of dollars for aboriginal programming including; education; water infrastructure; housing; and child and family services. And all of the elements are in place…

– The Akwesasne Iohahi:io Education & Training Centre and Iethinisten:ha/ Te Hot to nion ha kie Family Wellness and Outreach Programs

– The Nav Canada Centre; a long time facilitator of education and student accommodation

– St. Lawrence College; proven for delivery of training in Construction, Carpentry and associated Building Trades.

– St. Lawrence College; a training centre of excellence for the Nursing profession, and Emergency Services and  Personal Support workers.

– The Eastern Ontario Training Board and expertise to bring together the relevant authorities, the finance, the curriculum, the facilities and affected First Nations.

Cornwall and Akwesasne can be more than a bandage solution… We simply need to DO IT!

Yours hopefully,

James Marshall

Cornwall, ON

Akwesasne, NY — The Salmon River Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team and volunteers embarked on a trip to New York City, NY this morning for a special viewing of “Keepers of the Game.” The feature-length documentary about the girl’s lacrosse team is being premiered today at the Tribeca Film Festival and will provide the player’s with a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ red-carpet experience. Sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods and produced by Flatbush Pictures, the film profiles the young all-Native lacrosse team’s efforts to secure a sectional championship, while blazing a new path that honors their people’s traditions for the next generation of Native women.

The group included: Shari Adams, Jillian Benedict, Summer Bero, Jadie Burns, Trysten Burns, Shye Chubb, Sequoya Chubb, Sienna Chubb, Olivia Cook, Reen Cook, Tristan Cook-Hasty, Halle Cooke, Mikayla Francis, Katsitsionni Fox, Colonie Gray, Elisha King, Marietta Jock, Tawny Martin, Louise McDonald, Tatyana Papineau, Nihahsennaa Peters, Konwahonkarawi Porter, Terri Swamp, Geena Terrance, Dava Thompson, Tisha Thompson, and Wahsontiio. Joining the group at the film festival are Jacelyn and Mirabella Lazore, along with parents Amy and John; as well as Marcella, Quinton and Karonienhawi Thomas.

The movie “Keepers of the Game” will be broadcast on ABC on Saturday, April 23rd at 3:30pm EST.

The deed was done under cover.    No public consultation.  No real public information delivered.  A non nonsensical that jeopardizes the future of the city of Cornwall Ontario.

The bad drama started with the Chem Tanks and ended with the release below by the city which actually rezoned the land “prior” to announcing the deal.

As though it was never in doubt or question.

Was there any reason to partner with Akwesasne?  Not really.    Land claims can only be resolved by cash in Canada according to law.    If there is a discovery of a clean up needed is Akwesasne going to write the cheque for its share?

Nobody knows much of anything.  It’s not sure if Council as a whole even knows the full nature of the deal or has the remote expertise to read the documents which only required the mayor and CAO to sign on behalf of the city as per another hustle perpetrated by the Kilger Council.

The City of Cornwall and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne have approved a plan to take joint ownership of the Port of Cornwall.

A bilateral committee made up of staff and elected officials from the City and MCA has been negotiating with Transport Canada on the divestiture of the area that is known as the Port of Cornwall and the surrounding lands.

These negotiations have been completed and co-ownership of the Port has been approved by the elected officials of both communities. This transfer is expected to be completed by the end of June. The specific terms of the deal with Transport Canada cannot be released at this time due to a standard confidentiality agreement however the details will be shared once the transfer is completed.

At the same time, a joint public entity, titled the Cornwall Akwesasne Port Development Commission, is being established to oversee the management and long-term development of the Port under the umbrella of a co-owners’ agreement. This agreement has also been approved by the elected officials of both communities and it will be released to the public once it is officially signed by both parties.

A media event is being planned for Tuesday, May 3rd at 10 am in the Turtle Room at the A’nowara’ko:wa Arena on Cornwall Island. At the event, officials from both communities will sign the co-owners’ agreement and copies of the co-owners’ agreement and the confidentiality agreement will be released to the public.

“By taking ownership of the Port, we will be able to control the future use of a critical piece of waterfront land,” said Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy. “This significant achievement signals a new era of cooperation and collaboration between Cornwall and our neighbours in Akwesasne.”

 “I am pleased by the efforts of the negotiation committee thus far and I look forward to working closer with our neighbours; the City of Cornwall. This transfer will demonstrate our commitment to finding innovative ways of creating opportunities for both our communities,” said Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict.

The agreement marks the culmination of numerous meetings and negotiation sessions involving officials from the City, Akwesasne and the Federal Government over the past two years. Consultants have been engaged in conducting significant analysis of the Port lands.

“The bilateral committee is doing its due diligence to ensure our communities are well-positioned in this divestiture while also being mindful of the need to take control of this key piece of land,” added Mayor O’Shaughnessy.

The big winners in this deal are of course Akwesasne who essentially seem to have little risk and plenty to gain.

What happens when, and it will happen, the MCA and the City disagree on a harbor issue?   The 16 acre parcel of prime located waterfront property is now up for grabs.

While the city debates flouride and other insignificant issues, it’s the people of Cornwall Ontario that have been left all wet after losing control over its harbor front lands.

What could possibly be so secret that a deal of this nature, which will impact the future of our city, should be done in the shadows and without a sign off by the public?

CFN will be covering this story as more details become available.

What do you think dear CFN viewers?  You can post your comments below.

That Hugo Rodrigues is one funny cat.   When I issued a release stating my intention to run for mayor again in the next election, and would do all possible to rescind the bizarre Harbor Deal in Cornwall Ontario that would give the good people of Akwesasne a half interest in the project; the venerable paper not only did not show up, but nary a peep. No phone call, no email.

That I was the King Maker in our last Municipal election seems to have missed Hugo even though he knows who drew the most action in the Freeholder’s live chat, and he himself moderated a debate where I destroyed former Mayor Kilger so badly that the organizers of the debate refuse to show the video.

Yet here is Hugo, who’s barely dipped his toe into the Harbor Deal debate, with cautionary protests from a minority group of elders from Akwesasne?

Yet Council in Cornwall did not have public consultations; nor were clear data or information given to the public.

They even rezoned the lands before the deal went forward.

The public knows that former Mayor Kilger lied about his own knowledge of the Chem tanks as CFN exposed.

Yet Hugo writes:

As has been said in this space before, that ownership and partnership agreement with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is well-written and protects the interests of Cornwall’s ratepayers.

The deal clearly does not protect Cornwallites.   It’s full of sketchy mumbo jumbo that clearly is not in the people of Cornwall’s benefit.   The only real beneficiaries to this deal are the Federal Government and Akwesasne.

Nothing against either of those groups, but as someone that actually lives in Cornwall and ran for mayor under a mandate to lower taxes and clean up City Hall this clearly is not a direction or process that any actual resident of this city should blindly support.

What isn’t so clear at this point is how well the MCA has acted in the interests of the indigenous peoples whose ties to these lands pre-date the establishment of the Corporation of the City of Cornwall.

A letter signed by over 30 individuals stating they represent the entire Akwesasne community says the MCA has failed to adequately consult and act on behalf of the community at large. Implicit in that accusation of failure is that any agreement signed by MCA for the divestiture of the port lands is null and void.

Again, Hugo in all honestly, where do you get the testicular fortitude to write those words when in fact the City of Cornwall truly failed to disclose to the residents of Cornwall without real disclosure?   The fact that the Freeholder and other local media refuse to ask the hard questions about the Chem Tanks and this horrible deal for Cornwall has led to many in the community not being aware.

Perhaps Mr. Rodrigues was too busy writing hack stories about the now closed public art gallery that yours truly was on the board of?

This deal truly needs media to do their real jobs and expose many of its flaws; not just one outlet.    For Hugo Rodrigues to not expose it, given his journalistic pedigree as the former President of the Canadian Association of Journalists, is frankly hinky.

For him to take the position and cast a finger at the MCA and not cast that same pudgy finger at the City of Cornwall frankly is hypocritical.

This deal needs to be ripped up, and any future deal have proper consultation with the people of Cornwall who at the end of the day will be the ones who have to pay for it.

What do you think dear CFN viewers?  You can actually post your comments about this very important subject below which is something you can’t do on the Freeholder.

Like a walk of shame, the city released news of its official signing of documents for the turn over of Harbor lands to the City and Akwesasne from Transport Canada Thursday afternoon.

Many in Cornwall and Akwesasne are against the deal which was shrouded in secrecy and with no real public consultation in either community and with media essentially giving the city a free pass in stead of asking real questions which most likely would lead to some very scary answers.

From the City:

City, Akwesasne and Transport Canada officials sign Port divestiture agreement

Officials from the City of Cornwall, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and Transport Canada gathered at City Hall this morning to sign the necessary documents for the transfer of the Port of Cornwall.

The signing marks the culmination of numerous meetings and negotiation sessions over the past two years for the area known as the Port of Cornwall and the surrounding lands. Through the transfer, the City of Cornwall and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne will become co-owners of the Port lands.

The transfer is ownership is effective today. A joint entity, known as Cornwall Akwesasne Port Development Commission, has been established to oversee the management and long-term development of the Port under the umbrella of a co-owners’ agreement.

“The transfer of the Port of Cornwall signals a new era of cooperation and collaboration between our two communities,” said Cornwall Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy. “By taking ownership of the Port, we will collectively oversee the future use of a key piece of our waterfront.”

“This milestone in our partnership with the City of Cornwall and Transport Canada is a model for other Indigenous and non Indigenous Communities to strive towards. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to create additional opportunities for both our communities,” added Akwesasne Grand Chief Abram Benedict.

A media event and community celebration is being planned for the near future at the Port of Cornwall site to formally announce the transfer.

From Transport Canada:

Building strong communities through local port ownership

June 30, 2016 – Cornwall, Ontario – Transport Canada

Today, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced the transfer of the Cornwall Port Facility to the City of Cornwall and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. The transfer agreement includes a contribution of $5,326,457 from the Government of Canada to cover operational costs and to maintain the Port’s infrastructure.

The transferred port facility is located in the South Central area of the City of Cornwall on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. This divested property totals 7.93 hectares and consists of an upland area located at the north shore of the St.Lawrence, as well as an adjoining waterlot. The Cornwall Port Facility also includes a wharf mainly used for commercial activities.

The Cornwall Port Facility is the final port to be divested under Transport Canada’s former Port Divestiture Program. Building on the success of this Program, the new Ports Asset Transfer Program was launched in April 2015 to facilitate the transfer of the remaining 50 port facilities in Transport Canada’s inventory to local interests.

With Friday being July 1st, Canada Day, issuing a late afternoon release before a long weekend certainly is not a vote of confidence in the deal.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

What do you think dear CFN viewers?  Would you like to rip up this secretive deal?  Should the city have moved forward without a proper public consultation?