Decontamination of the Kanesatake dump | Dissident leaders withhold crucial document

As an agreement to decontaminate the illegal Kanesatake dump is at hand, five dissident chiefs of the Band Council refuse to hand over a crucial letter required by Ottawa to begin the work, learned The Press. The group also passed a motion to strip Grand Chief Victor Bonspille of many of his powers.

“The dissident leaders are holding the letter hostage. They are colluding to prevent the progress of the file. It’s an attempt to divert attention,” said Grand Chief Bonspille.

The letter in question, called “Oka Letter”, is the equivalent of a title deed on the Mohawk territory, which operates according to a unique land regime in Canada. It officially grants brothers Robert and Gary Gabriel the right to occupy the site where the illegal dumping ground of their company G&R Recyclage is located, in Kanesatake.

This dump, contaminated by PCBs, heavy metals and hydrocarbons dangerous for aquatic life, has been the subject of numerous orders from the Ministries of the Environment of Quebec and Canada since 2017, obliging the Gabriel brothers to better secure the site. The Press noted on two occasions this spring leaks of contaminated water flowing from one of the most polluted sections of the site, towards streams that flow into Lac des Deux Montagnes.

Before launching calls for tenders to carry out the preliminary work and finance the decontamination of the site, Ottawa and Quebec demanded that the Gabriel brothers submit their “Oka Letter” to the Band Council, so that the site becomes an “orphan” again.

Quebec estimates that decontamination could cost around 100 million. “It has been clear from the start that the sine qua non condition for decontaminating the site is that the land no longer belongs to them,” confirms the Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, who took part in the negotiations. .

However, the “Oka Letter” is now physically in the hands of a group of five dissident chiefs who control the Band Council. Grand Chief Victor Bonspille and his twin sister, Valerie Bonspille, find themselves politically isolated and unable to pass a resolution that would negate its value.

Fronde at the Band Council

“These dissident leaders think the federal government is going to back down on its word and leave the community with contaminated ground. It’s far-fetched, ”says Victor Bonspille. His opponents adopted a motion on Thursday, “totally illegal” according to Mr. Bonspille, stripping him of all his portfolios and his title of spokesperson for the community.

Dissident Chief Serge Otsi Simon explains this action by accusing Grand Chief Bonspille of having negotiated an agreement behind closed doors with Ottawa and Quebec to decontaminate the site, without informing the rest of the Council.

He wants to obtain several guarantees from the two governments before returning the “Oka Letter” to the Band Council, in particular an assurance that the Mohawk community will not be prosecuted for the environmental damage caused by the illegal dump. “We have a lot of other questions. The total cost of decontamination is not known. Can moving contaminants cause even more contamination? We have no idea of ​​the details. We want meetings with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, and Minister Lafrenière, with the people who are in a position to make decisions,” claims Mr. Simon.

The Gabriel brothers, who both have a heavy criminal past, in particular for having participated in the kidnapping of 67 Peacekeepers police officers during riots in 2004, would also try to negotiate protection against possible prosecution. The Press could not reach them.

Minister Lafrenière says he is in contact with the two factions of the Band Council to try to resolve the impasse. “The political situation in Kanesatake is far from improving. I asked the federal government to assess how we will react to this. Who do we recognize in there? asks the minister.

“I have written to the Grand Chief and the rest of the Band Council to tell them that the transfer of the ‘Oka Letter’ will in no way change the responsibility of the Gabriel brothers. This is a position that is very clear, both on the part of the federal government and the Quebec government,” insists Mr. Lafrenière.

Minister Patty Hajdu’s office said in a statement sent to The Press that “all parties have recognized the urgency of the situation” and that “the priority [est] to find a long-term solution for the remediation of the land”.

Context of tense police interventions

This new political crisis within the Band Council comes against a backdrop of tension after the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) carried out two searches in one month on the territory.

On Tuesday, a hundred SQ police officers from the National Organized Crime Squad (ENRCO) landed in Kanesatake, in particular with an armored vehicle, to carry out searches targeting Sharon Simon, a drug trafficker linked to the Hells Angels who operates a cannabis sales business in the territory. M^me Simon is the cousin of chef Serge Simon.

“We had excellent cooperation from everyone. The community wants the police to do their job, it’s important that people know that,” said SQ communications coordinator Benoît Richard.

On May 25, the SQ also conducted a series of searches at the Band Council and at the Kanesatake Community Health Center, as part of an investigation into alleged fraud surrounding a nearly $5 million aid fund granted by Indigenous Services Canada for COVID-19. Mr. Simon was Grand Chief when these sums were spent, but he accuses Grand Chief Victor Bonspille of trying to smear him with false documents.

Mr. Simon ensures that the rebellion led by the dissident leaders has absolutely nothing to do with these two police operations.