Mohawk activists are demanding to get the facts straight on the future of a vast piece of land in the Pinède which has just had its “residential” zoned back, in the wake of intense tensions and legal proceedings between the City of Oka and a promoter for a few months.
Posted at 5:50 p.m.
“It’s time to stop these games. Does he or does he not want to build? If not, let him give us a guarantee,” says Mohawk activist and artist Ellen Gabriel, in a statement sent to The Press Tuesday.
This case has occupied many minds in the region for months already. In December, the municipality of Oka changed the zoning of the Pinède to “ensure its preservation and enhancement in the public interest”. The place was then declared “heritage” and “in environmental conservation”, thus preventing any residential complex on these lands.
8 million lawsuit
However, the decision quickly generated tensions. The owner of the land in question, Grégoire Gollin, has since filed a lawsuit for 8 million against the municipality, judging that it was a “disguised expropriation attempt” against him.
In mid-January, the mayor of Oka, Pascal Quévillon, finally reconsidered his decision, officially restoring residential zoning. “Eight million is the equivalent of our annual budget. I don’t think the citizens of Oka can afford that. The discussions we had with our lawyers were that putting the residential zoning back on would really pull the rug out from under Mr. Gollin. And that avoids large percentages of the prosecution, ”admitted the elected municipal councilor, who did not wish to say more, given the judicialization of the file.
It is this return to residential zoning that worries Aboriginal activists, including their spokesperson Ellen Gabriel, who says she wants to “protect [les] land for present and future generations to enjoy”. “Any construction project whatsoever, sale and attack on the integrity of the Pinède would put us on the path to conflict”, she warns.
“These are my rights”
Joined by The PressGrégoire Gollin affirms that his decision is still not officially taken as to the future of his property, but that “in the foreseeable future and probably [son] alive, there will be no development on this land”.
“What I didn’t accept was that the City took away my acquired rights, for no logical reason. That’s why I filed the lawsuit. I wanted to restore the value of this land, so that whether I decide to sell it, give it to an organization or, in 10-15 years, build, I can do it. If I want it, I also want to be able to pass it on to my children. These are my rights,” he thunders.
Mr. Gollin says despite everything maintains his offer to make the land “an ecological gift” to the community. “It is a good that must clearly belong to the community”, he continues, saying that he is “always open to dialogue”. Ellen Gabriel, she retorts that this “ecological gift” is not really one. “I spoke with Mr. Gollin about his eco-friendly gift when he proposed it. There were conditions to be met. Her gift was actually an exchange for permission to sell more of our land,” laments the activist.