Haldimand "David Crombie, Public Meeting, and a Chat with Councillor Grice"

Approximately "95-100" residents from Haldimand County attended last nights public meeting in Cayuga hosted by Federal Liaison representative David Crombie. It was an excellent turnout for an event that was not advertised in the local newspapers.

Representatives that were in attendance;

Robin Crombie, assistant to David Crombie
Ron Doering, Federal representative, Main Negotiating table
Monique Doiron, Federal Representative, Main Negotiating table
Murray Coolican, Provincial Representative, Main Negotiating table
John Nolan, Provincial Representative
Bill Pearce, Provincial Representative
Chris Mayer, Provincial Representative, Main Negotiating table
All Council Members, Haldimand County, CAO Don Boyle

David Crombie did the introductions and had a few words about his role as Federal Liaison, and an update as to where the talks stand. Ron Doering spoke of the history of native claims, his information was very informative and I am sure a few of us learned a great deal. Murray Coolican also said a few words before the floor was opened up for residents to ask questions.

I won’t go into all the details except to say that after listening to the speakers it was clear to me that the negotiations are very complicated, and the process is a slow process. And if the truth be told there was so much information last night that it would be impossible for me to get all the facts straight, as to who said what. The public meeting is available on video, please visit http://www.numberswatchdog.com/ for all the nights coverage. Thanks Numbers Watch!

For many months residents have felt that they have not had the opportunity to have their voices heard by the appropriate government officials. Then when they do have the opportunity to speak, they are told that it is time to mend. How can someone mend when they have not yet been heard? Well in my opinion last night was the beginning of the mending process.

Every one that was in attendance last night had the opportunity to ask questions and share their personal experiences. Although there were business owners, builders, developers and "all" council members were in attendance the floor was left for the residents to be heard. What an amazing experience! This in my opinion is the start of the mending process, and I do hope that David Crombie has these public meetings on a regular basis.

I had the opportunity to meet and speak with David Crombie after the meeting was over. I thanked him for having this public meeting, and I urged him to "advertise" the next public meeting, as most of the residents in Haldimand were unaware of what was going on. As this was the first public meeting of it’s kind, there will be some learning curves. I asked if he intended on having more public meetings, and his answer was a definite "Yes".

Now that in my opinion is what the position of the "Federal Liaison" is all about, the person that is the communicator between the residents and the government. For some they may say that this is too late, but in my opinion it is "never" too late. I hope to see David Crombie set a schedule for public meetings in the near future to keep the residents informed. Thank you Mr. Crombie!

I also had the opportunity to speak with Councillor Grice this morning about his feelings on how the meeting went last night. Grice was very pleased with the turnout and all those that wished to speak had the opportunity to do so. One comment that Grice had was that outside of a few questions about money, most of the comments by residents were about the emotional toll. This is the "Human Cost", Grice states.

I asked Councillor Grice why no one from council had any questions, his answer was simple, last night was for the residents! And he is absolutely right on that one!

A quote from Grice "Where there is secrecy there is rumour, and where there is rumour there are Victims".

While we were having our conversation, I brought up the subject of development in Haldimand County. Grice spoke of the resolution that he brought before council four weeks ago, apparently this was in the local papers, but I totally missed it, so here is the resolution by Grice if you also missed it;

Resolution 969-07

Moved By: Councillor Grice
Seconded By: Councillor Dalimonte

WHEREAS the Federal and Provincial Governments have continued to work positively together to resolve land claim issues in the Haldimand Tract for the past nineteen months;

AND WHEREAS these claims, valid or otherwise, are beyond the legislative scope of Haldimand County's legal municipal mandate;

AND WHEREAS Haldimand County taxpayers, developers, and merchants continue to feel the economic, and social impact of First Nations protests and occupations;

AND WHEREAS the Federal Government has the complete power to control negotiations and how land claims are settled;

AND WHEREAS both the Federal and Provincial Governments have repeatedly declared that no lands will be expropriated from third party holdings and moreover that the Province of Ontario continues to support its' Land Registry System;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that Haldimand County, in support of all its residents merchants and potential developers, respectfully requests that both the Federal and Provincial Governments support economic and social development within Haldimand County by providing financial guarantees for development projects to facilitate development by ensuring that potential developers will not feel the adverse affects of possible occupations or protests on properties they own.

CARRIED (Unanimously 7-0)

Thanks to everyone that signed Toby Barrett’s petition last night, we sent in over a hundred signatures today. We will keep working on this, so if you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do so. Toby will be presenting this petition to the legislature next Wednesday.

A special thanks to Judy Laszlo your sign is working, "STOP THE SECRECY AND LET THE PEOPLE KNOW".

Your Voice Counts, you proved that last night. Thanks to everyone that attended!

Haldimand "We need Local Homegrown Solutions"

The message was clear from the New Aboriginal Minister Michael Bryant today, he “wants to hear from the local People”.

About 60 residents showed up at the Caledonia Arena today hoping for some information from Aboriginal Minister Michael Bryant. The Minister was in Caledonia today for a “closed meeting” with Mayor Trainer, Councillors Grice, Boyko, Haldimand County CAO Don Boyle and others. After the meeting Mayor Trainer, CAO Don Boyle and Councillor Grice answered questions from the residents. My feeling was that the new CAO Don Boyle was very sincere and understands the frustrations of the residents of Haldimand, and is willing to do what it takes to make sure that we are heard!

Minister Bryant arrived with Mayor Trainer and we had the opportunity to ask a few questions before they went into the “closed meeting”. We also had the opportunity to have our name on a list if we wished to be contacted by the Minister directly. I put my name on that list and will update you if I get a call. We were hoping to speak to Minister Bryant further after the meeting, but he slipped out the back door to go to another meeting with local Faith Leaders in Caledonia.

Judy Laszlo a resident of Caledonia held a sign that stated, “Stop the Secrecy and Let the People Know”. Judy is asking that all levels of government be “Transparent” to the residents, in my opinion this is not asking too much, in fact McGuinty states that the government needs to be more “Transparent and Accountable” to the people!

Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand Norfolk was not invited into the closed meeting today, but that did not keep him away. We had the opportunity to voice our concerns and ask Toby many questions while we all stood together outside the arena waiting for Minister Bryant to appear. In my opinion the conversation between the residents and Toby Barrett was positive, this is the kind of dialogue that is needed from all levels of government. Be Honest….Be Transparent….Be Accountable….

One of the things that came up was distributing a petition to ensure that Minister Bryant sticks to his words. The following is an email that I received this afternoon from Toby’s office.

Hello Donna, below please find Toby's news release referencing the Minister's visit, public hearings and petition.

I had hoped to have the petition ready for you this afternoon., but unfortunately I won't have all approvals til tomorrow....I will send you a copy for distribution before noon tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's the release.

Rob......


For immediate release
November 26, 2007

Barrett calls for recorded public hearings on area land dispute

HN MPP holds Aboriginal Affairs Minister to stated interest in "homegrown solutions"


Caledonia - Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett is calling for public hearings on the area land dispute - building on the Aboriginal Affairs Minister's reported, "interest in listening to people".

Barrett called for hearings while outside the Caledonia Twin Pad Arena as Minister Bryant held a closed door meeting inside.

"People are disturbed by the secrecy and lack of transparency that has become a hallmark of this 22 month land dispute," Barrett bristled. "This week's opening of a new legislative session provides us with a renewed opportunity to ensure communication with the people government decisions impact most."

To that end, Barrett has drawn up a petition calling for government to hold a round of recorded hearings whereby deputations - both spoken and written - could be made to a standing or select committee of the Ontario Parliament.

"I take him at his word when Minister Bryant indicates that he, 'wants to hear from local people', and that, 'we need local homegrown solutions'," stated Barrett. "Now it's time for real input and communication through recorded, public meetings open to the media - our taxpayer dollars fund Ontario Legislature activities for just such a purpose."

Several people in attendance outside of Bryant's meeting indicated they would circulate Barrett's petition.

"We have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in this area - knowledge that government has yet to tap," Barrett pointed out. "That's why I'm calling on all those affected to sign my petition and ensure Minister Bryant follows his reported intention to, 'see things locally'."

For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at (519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629

A Reminder of the “Public Meeting” this Wednesday November 28th, 2007. Cayuga Council Chambers at 7:00pm. Come show your support for Haldimand County.

I also had the opportunity to meet and ask our new CAO Don Boyle if the residents would be allowed to ask questions at this Wednesday’s public meeting in Cayuga with David Crombie and other representatives from the government. He couldn't promise that this would happen, but it is a possibility.

I will have the petition there from Toby Barrett for you to sign as well.

Haldimand "We need to Show the Government the Strength of the People "

Federal Community Liaison, David Crombie will be making a "public" presentation along with other Federal Representatives regarding ongoing land claims negotiations in Haldimand County on Wednesday November 28th, 2007 in the Cayuga Council Chambers starting at 7:00pm.

This is your opportunity to hear first hand information on what is actually going on in Haldimand County. Don't rely on "rumors" or "assumptions", come out and hear the information "first hand".

There have been many press releases lately and I know that a lot of people are really worried about what the government is doing, or not doing.

If you live anywhere in "Haldimand County" and feel that all levels of "Government" play a vital role in the expedient resolution to the Land Claims Issues...you should attend this meeting.

If you live in Dunnville and have concerns over Walmart, No-Frills, TSC...you should attend this meeting.

If you live in South Cayuga and are worried about the 4,744 acres of land that the "Province" has frozen...you should attend this meeting.

If you live in Townsend and are worried about the 1,413 acres of land that the "Province" has frozen...you should attend this meeting.

If you live in Caledonia and have concerns over DCE lands that the "Province" has frozen...you should attend this meeting.

If you are a business owner and are concerned over the recent statement by Dalton McGuinty who seems absolutely "clueless" to the fact that business in Caledonia is being affected, you need to know if the Federal Government is clueless as well...you should attend this meeting.

If you are concerned over the "Province's" freeze on Selkirk Provincial Park or Rock Point Provincial Park...you should be attending this meeting.

If you are a Builder, Developer, or investor in Haldimand County...you should be attending this meeting.

The County has stated recently we have lost a staggering "24 Million dollars" since the same time last year in development related charges. If any of the reasons above don't interest you, this should! We will all pay in the end on "our" property taxes. We cannot recover these losses!

As Haldimand County "does not" have a seat on the main negotiating table, we have no representation. This is a serious concern, if for any other reason you should attend this meeting it should be to "demand" that we have a representative from Haldimand County at this table. I would suggest that this person could be a "resident" and not a political leader.

I know that many people have been writing letters to council members, but Haldimand County doesn't seem to have any "power" at all. So this is our opportunity to send a "Strong Message" that the "communication" lines need to be open to "ALL". Our locally elected officials are our first line of defense, if they cannot speak on our behalf then we have to do it ourselves.

We live in a very strong community and we have come together in the past over issues like saving the "Dunnville Hospital", saving "Haldimand County Hydro", let's show this government that we are strong, and we demand that "negotiations" are a "Priority" for "ALL" levels of "Government", Get this business done and do the right thing for "ALL" "Parties"!.

Let's Together show the Government that we are Strong and Determined to make them Transparent and Accountable for the betterment of "ALL" involved!

Haldimand "Maybe it is Time for Us to Stop Our Protesting"

It's not often that I get really angry about a story printed in the newspapers, but this one really peeved me off. A reporter had an interview with Police Commissioner Julian Fantino in Toronto and the article was printed in the Hamilton Spectator on November 8th 2007. This story was regarding the costs related to the Land Claims in Caledonia. The real issue for Julian Fantino seemed to be the "so called" costs related to Gary McHale's coming to Caledonia.

It is not a secret that Gary McHale and Julian Fantino are not buddy's, and it certainly is not a secret that they are in a legal battle with each other, but keep it too yourselves guys! I am really not interested in either one of these individuals airing their dirty laundry in public, nor their "15 minutes" of fame. Take your fight to where it belongs......in a courtroom!

Gary Mchale is a "private citizen" and Julian Fantino is the "Commissioner " of the OPP. There is a big difference between the two of them and that should not be overlooked.

Julian Fantino should know better than to act and speak in the manner that he did in this interview. This was not the first "attack" that Julian Fantino has engaged himself in, and I am sure it will not be the last. Maybe I will be next, or even you, if you speak out or do something that is "out of line" in this man's book!

In my personal opinion Julian Fantinio is "out of line" for publicly "attacking" "any" citizen of Ontario . His words are "unprofessional", "insulting", "immature", and "intimidating".

Julian Fantino talks about "stirring things up", in my opinion he is the one stirring things up here, as he is the one who would get the press to print whatever he wanted whenever he wanted!

Julian Fantino talks about "interlopers" in this interview, it would be nice to have some clarification on this statement, but that is not going to happen. So I will add my personal take on the real message here........"STAY HOME EVERYONE, NO MORE PROTESTING, WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL OF YOU".

I had another thought as I was writing this article, what if Julian Fantino had the same words come out of his mouth about a "native individual". Now before you crucify me here, I am not being racist, just put a person's name, any name, in the article that I re-wrote below. Julian Fantino would be "crucified", "fired", my point is that Julian Fantino is using Gary McHale's name to send us all a message. "My whole point about this is that we "all" have the right to "assemble peacefully", "voice our opinions", and demand answers!

This was the story from the Spectator;

Says agitators play big role in $32m cost of policing Caledonia November 08, 2007

The Hamilton Spectator Toronto (Nov 8, 2007)

The cost of policing the native land occupation in Caledonia has reached $32 million.

All by himself, the town's infamous "interloper," Gary McHale, has racked up a bill of more than half a million.That's $500,000-plus spent to police his rallies. To shut down his flag-raisings. To watch over his stump speeches. To keep him and some supporters in jail overnight. To deal with a guy who travels from his condo in Richmond Hill every week to "stir things up" in a town that doesn't need to be stirred any more.

That's the way OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino sees it anyway. It takes Fantino just three and a half minutes into an interview at his downtown Toronto office to offer up, unsolicited, the cost of policing McHale. This is at his fingertips. It takes someone else at the OPP to hunt down the $32-million figure.

This is Fantino on the attack.

Anybody who has been following the native protests in Caledonia since February 2006 knows the dispute between self-appointed watchdog McHale, who runs a controversial website critical of the OPP's conduct in the town, and no-nonsense Fantino is nearly as heated as the land-claim issue itself.

The critic and the cop have been trading barbs and legal threats publicly ever since Fantino stepped in as commissioner one year ago.Fantino says the half-million or so the province has spent to deal with McHale thus far doesn't even cover the cost of backfilling positions in other communities where OPP officers have been drawn from to cover his shenanigans in Caledonia."So the costs, in reality, are probably much, much higher," he says."

When (McHale) comes to town, when he agitates and creates problems down there, we obviously create a greater police presence," Fantino says.

McHale, when told of Fantino's comments, had this to say:

"Half a million? I'm surprised it's not higher." The bookkeeper-turned-activist wonders if the OPP have also taken the time to figure out the costs racked up in Caledonia by highly visible native protester Michael Laughing. He says all it would take to shut down his rallies would be for Fantino to sit down and talk with him. "He could save taxpayers money immediately if he agreed to meet with me," he says.

McHale has four lawsuits filed against Fantino, OPP union leader Karl Walsh and the provincial police. Two are for defamation of character, one is for false arrest and false imprisonment and another is for violating his charter rights. They total $3.5 million.

In turn, 22 OPP officers have launched a $7.2-million lawsuit against McHale for defaming them on his website."He can sue all he wants," Fantino says. "Every Canadian can do whatever he wants, I suppose, but that's all mischief making. That's all diverting attention."

Yes, it is. So let's get past all the dollars and cents of this. The cost of having McHale in Caledonia goes beyond money.

Each time McHale stages a production in Haldimand County, everyone leaves the negotiating table to deal with his antics. How is this helpful?

By the way, McHale says he is working on plans for something new in Caledonia, but won't tip his hand.You can bet Fantino won't be happy about that.

"Things have stabilized (in Caledonia) considerably," the commissioner says, "as long as we don't have these interlopers coming in to create problems."Susan Clairmont's commentary appears regularly in The Spectator.

This is my version, Just put in your own name.

The cost of policing the native land occupation in Caledonia has reached $32 million.


All by (himself/herself) , the town's infamous "interloper," (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE ), has racked up a bill of more than ($500,000.00). That's ($500,000.00) spent to police (HIS/HER) rallies, protests, etc.....


To shut down (HIS/HER) flag-raising's, protests. To watch over (HIS/HER) stump speeches. To keep (HIM/HER) and some supporters in jail overnight. To deal with a (GUY/GAL) who travels from (HIS/HER) (PLACE OF RESIDENCE IN ONTARIO) every week to "stir things up" in a town that doesn't need to be stirred any more.


That's the way OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino sees it anyway. It takes Fantino just three and a half minutes into an interview at his downtown Toronto office to offer up, unsolicited, the cost of policing (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE). This is at his fingertips. It takes someone else at the OPP to hunt down the $32-million figure.


This is Fantino on the attack.Anybody who has been following the native protests in Caledonia since February 2006 knows the dispute between (RESIDENTS WHO HAVE THE NERVE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS), who (STAND ON STREET CORNERS PEACEFULLY PROTESTING......STAND ON BRIDGES PEACEFULLY PROTESTING.....WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.......BLOGGING......ETC) regarding the OPP's conduct in the town, and no-nonsense Fantino is nearly as heated as the land-claim issue itself.


Fantino says the half-million or so the province has spent to deal with (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) thus far doesn't even cover the cost of backfilling positions in other communities where OPP officers have been drawn from to cover (HIS/HER) shenanigans in Caledonia. "So the costs, in reality, are probably much, much higher," he says.


"When (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE) comes to town, when (HE/SHE) agitates and creates problems down there, we obviously create a greater police presence," Fantino says.

"Things have stabilized (in Caledonia) considerably," the commissioner says, "as long as we don't have these interlopers coming in to create problems."

Haldimand "It is the Veteran"

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN , not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,
Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN , not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN ,
Who salutes the Flag,

It is the VETERAN ,
Who serves under the Flag,

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.