Protesting Planned OCR Development
Written by Jeremy Zafran on 7 July 2021
Several Kahnawà’kehró:non have been camping out just past the current Kahnàwake -Chateauguay boundary in an effort to protect the land. The Longhouse at the 207 has led the charge against a housing development that is planned on the OCR on disputed lands. The longhouse issued a notice to Chateauguay about the land and not to develop on it. Karihwakatste Deer is a community member saying you can’t miss the protest:
“Everyday it’s been getting bigger and bigger with more community members supporting and coming up to see, to see the space and just having a presence there, to let Chateauguay know that ultimately we won’t accept that there will be a housing development built on that land. That land is part of the Seigneurie Lands Claim and it shouldn’t be developed, so we’re putting a stop to it before the development can start. “
In a national press release the Mohawk Council of Kahnàwake stated: “not one more inch,” with Chateauguay’s planned housing development along the OCR adjacent to the current Kahnàwake boundary. Mohawk Council Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer:
“We’re obviously in opposition to it early on, we did send a letter to the Mayor of Châteauguay, Mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier in March of this year, expressing our opposition to the project moving forward and as well to multiple other people in government: Ian Lafrenière, Premiere Legault, Minister Bennett, Justin Trudeau, you know just basically saying that we have a right in those lands, they are contiguous to Kahnàwake. We’re still owed outstanding lands from Quebec with regard to the Highway 30 and because of the Seigneurie grievance that we have, those lands that the slated proposed housing project’s going to go on, is a part of that. So, unfortunately all the letters that we sent have fallen on deaf ears and we are in support of the community members and the Longhouse people in Kahnàwake who have taken action now because I think, unfortunately that’s what it has to come to with these governments.”
In A Response from Chateauguay Mayor Pierre Paul Routhier on the issue of land protectors at the site of the proposed housing development along the OCR, Mayor Routhier declaring that he sympathizes with Kahnàwake over the issue of the Sault St Louis Land claims:
“The issue is a lot larger than us, the communique is also saying that I will be sending a notice tomorrow to the Federal MP and also to the Minster of Indigenous Affairs to make sure that they will take into consideration the different requests from the community.”
Mayor Routhier did state that there are no plans at this time to develop on the disputed lands, although he did confirm that the Chateauguay council did approve the re-zoning of the area to allow for a housing development. The mayor says he has not had any recent personal contact with the MCK but he does plans on speaking with them soon.
The lands on the OCR that border Kahnàwake as well as the lands along Autoroute 30 are the only remaining lands that have yet to be developed that can come back to the community in the Seigneurie Lands Claim.
