‘There is no Oka crisis 2.0,’ Kanesatake chief says as land dispute simmers
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Twitter
- Copy Link
MONTREAL — Kanesatake’s grand chief says his people are not heading towards a second Oka crisis despite tensions over a land dispute and a highly publicized war of words with the mayor of the nearby Quebec town.
In an open letter published this morning, Serge Simon says that as far as he’s concerned, the current dispute over a developer’s intention to donate a parcel of land to the Mohawk community will not lead to a repeat of the 78-day confrontation that shook the region in 1990.
But he says that still doesn’t excuse what he calls the neglect of the federal and provincial governments to settle the questions surrounding land rights, nor the inflammatory comments of Oka Mayor Pascal Quevillon.
Quevillon has previously raised concerns that the land donation would lead to his community being encircled by Kanesatake, and voiced fears of illegal dumping and an expansion of cannabis and cigarette merchants.
