Price of Caledonia land deal remains a secret

Karen Howlett
Globe & Mail
Posted on 21/06/06

[SISIS note: The following mainstream news article is provided for reference only, as an example of how mainstream media treats indigenous resistance to genocide. Mainstream media often presents biased and distorted information, lacking pertinent facts and/or context. Inclusion of this article on our site should not be considered an endorsement by SISIS.]

TORONTO -- The Ontario government is refusing to disclose how much it is paying to buy a tract of land in Southwestern Ontario at the centre of a standoff with aboriginal protesters, even though taxpayers are footing the bill.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory tried repeatedly in Question Period yesterday to get Premier Dalton McGuinty to disclose how much money the government is spending, but to no avail.

Mr. McGuinty said the owners of Douglas Creek Estates, a housing development adjoining a Six Nations reserve in Caledonia, are not prepared to make that information public.

"It is not your money, it is the public's money that we're dealing with here," Mr. Tory said. "Since when did the competitive concerns of a particular business in Ontario -- the seller of land -- override the public interest in knowing about the expenditure of millions of their dollars?"

Mr. McGuinty responded that there are more pressing issues on the minds of Ontarians surrounding the 3½-month-old dispute at Caledonia. "I think they can take some heart and comfort in knowing that we are making some real, measurable progress in getting barricades down and providing yet more financial assistance to the community," he said.

David Ramsay, the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, told reporters yesterday that the government has agreed to pay fair market value for the land. He said reports valuing the deal at $45-million are inflated.