Photo by Sean Allen, Brant News
Cameron Martin, left, explains the purpose behind a spiritual unity fire to a group gathered at Kanata Village on Saturday.
Sean Allen
BRANT NEWS
As they continue to fight the City of Brantford for water services, the Mohawk Workers are calling for a united spiritual future.
The group attracted a cross-section of local residents to attend a spiritual unity fire at Kanata Village on Saturday. Cameron Martin said the small fire – which had been burning since Wednesday – was symbolic in nature.
“One of our spiritual leaders – who I believe is in the Northwest Territories – is having a fire at the same time,” Martin said. “He is trying to confer to the greater power that it is time for us to all have a united spiritual future.”
Martin led the gathering through ceremonial recitations as he wished for unity among all people.
But as the Mohawk Workers look for spiritual unity with the world, they are still battling for use of the Kanata Village facility with Brantford city hall.
Spokesperson Jason Bowman said the group is still waiting for the municipality to turn on the municipal water supply after it was cut off in December.
“After cutting off all our services, the city relented and gave us a hydro account,” Bowman said. “But they persist in denying us water.”
Bowman said the workers have sent a request to city hall for a water and wastewater account, which he said the Mohawk Workers will pay.
But in a letter dated Jan. 16, Brantford CAO Ted Salisbury explained that city staff have been directed to negotiate a lease agreement with the Mohawk Workers before considering turning the taps back on.
“Upon the finalization of a lease agreement, the city will consent to the establishment of an account for water and wastewater services in your name,” Salisbury’s letter reads.
Bowman said that flies in the face of all the Mohawk Workers are fighting for.
“We already have a lease with the Mohawk Nation, which is the true titleholder for this land,” he said. “If it turns out the city will try to compel the Mohawks to sign a lease and give up the land, there will be serious consequences under the full extent of the law.”
Bowman said the Mohawk Workers are asserting their land title rights on the eight-acre Kanata property as a starting point to establish and function as an administrative group. He said the Mohawk Workers would like the water turned back on.
“Until the water was cut off, we were open to the public,” he said. “We were having vendor markets, giving tours and welcoming international visitors to the site. We’d like to be able to resume those activities, but we can’t without water.”
The Mohawk Workers have been occupying the building at Kanata Village for several years. City council took action last fall to cut off services, noting that nearly $50,000 in unpaid hydro and water bills had been accumulating.
Well if its a unity fire then I recommend we unite them with there fellow inmates at the local jail since there illegally occupying land that isn’t theirs. The company went under the city owns it. So why cant the city up hold a no trespassing order??
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Is there by chance a sprinkler system in this building?
There could be a safety concern by the fire department which would require immediate evacuation,
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Who knows. They are trespassing on city land and the city wont treat them like the common criminals they are. There more like renting tenants who live rent free.
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Who cares there trespassing. Should be more like when are the police going to do there jobs and arrest them
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Well, I didn’t think the city had the fortitude to hold back the water. Good for them. The building would probably be condemned within the next few months without water. Can you just imagine the washroom right now? So, where do they do their business right now?? Kind of cold out there for any outdoor activity.
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The army would call it a latrene, you dig a hole in the ground put up 2 sticks for the branch to sit on
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City council took three years too long to figure this mess out.
IMO, kill the electrical and the water – and lets the chips fall where they may.
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This should be interesting. If the City of Brantford wants the Mohawk Workers to sign a lease agreement to use the Kanata site, the City must think it owns the Kanata site.
And, if the Mohawk Workers sign a lease agreement with the City to lease the Kanata site, the Mohawk Workers will essentially be admitting the City owns the Kanata site.
It should be an interesting little chess game.
By the way, I wonder if the Mohkawk Workers had a permit from the City for an open fire within the City.
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I doubt it criminals have no respect for the law
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Im trying to petition the government to bring harder sentincing on criminals
http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/government-of-canada-get-rid-of-young-offender-act-bring-back-death-row-and-stern-sentencing?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_before_sign
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