The federal decision to sell 20% of the land of the former military district of Sainte-Foy to three Innu communities enrages the Huron-Wendat, who harvest the remaining 80%, but who will have to completely review the residential and commercial project they had concocted with the City of Quebec.
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“A bad decision”, a “monumental error”, announced “in a cavalier way”. The disappointment was deep within the Huron-Wendat Nation of Wendake on Tuesday, expressed the Grand Chief, Rémy Vincent, who looked gloomy when he met the media at the end of the day.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
11 hectares
As revealed on Tuesday morning The newspaper, the Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, announced at the end of the day that Ottawa was ceding the surplus land of 11 hectares of the former military district located behind the shopping centers of Sainte-Foy to the Huron-Wendat Nation in a proportion of 80%. The remaining 20% goes to three Innu communities, namely the Pekuakamiulnuatsh Nation (Mashteuiatsh) and the First Nations of Pessamit and Essipit.
It is therefore 20% of the territory they coveted that the Huron-Wendat will have to do without. They had planned to share this portion of the territory with all the First Nations who frequent the region in order to allow them to integrate projects. This sharing cannot take place. “The place of the other First Nations is the biggest sacrifice that I find difficult to make,” said Mr. Vincent.
Disappointed Merchant
Alongside the Grand Chef, the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, also denounced this decision. It is a disappointment to be “back to square one” after years of preparation. The City and the Hurons-Wendat had in fact developed a six-storey building project overlooking Hochelaga, with commercial space on the ground floor and 1,200 housing units. “We have just lost a huge amount of time when there are enormous needs, particularly in housing, in particular in social housing,” laments Mr. Marchand. Rémy Vincent adds that 1000 families of his Nation are waiting for housing on a territory owned by the Community.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Mr. Vincent foresees a difficult collaboration with the Innu, with whom the Huron-Wendat are not on good terms, particularly those of Mashteuiatsh. The mayor is worried about the lack of harmony in the architectural framework.
“It’s quite difficult today to get it down the throat that we are going to partner or develop with someone who does not want to talk to us, to whom we have reached out several times, who has confirmed to us by letter that he did not want to participate in our project, “dropped Mr. Vincent.
Duclos positive
On the side of Federal Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, his spokesperson, Guillaume Bertrand, reacted by speaking of “an important step”. “We have come a long way in this case. We are coming to a decision that will be good for the economic development of the region and also in our reconciliation with the Indigenous Nations.”
Already, a one-hectare portion of this land had been ceded to the Ministry of Education for the construction of a new English-language secondary school. Strips of land were also ceded to the City of Quebec for the expansion of Hochelaga.
The federal asking price for the land was not disclosed. Grand Chief Rémy Vincent did not know this on Tuesday.