The Eastern Door Volume 13 Number 13

Volume 13 Number 13

April 16, 2004

Michael Stalk Sr. Fired From Peacekeepers
By: Kenneth L. Williams

Yesterday, Michael Stalk Sr. told The Eastern Door that he had received a letter from interim Peacekeeper Chief Dwayne Zacharie, advising him that he had been terminated effective immediately. The (administrative) letter was also CCd to Alana Goodleaf-Rice, James Jacobs and Warren Lahache.

According to Stalk, the letter of termination specifically referenced Stalk's court appearance in Longueuil on April 8, wherein Stalk challenged the conditions of an arrest warrant he had been served with in the previous week. The warrant was for the altercation he and other officers were involved in at the Peacekeeper Station last December. Meanwhile, the conditions mentioned were that Stalk could not return to the Peacekeeper Station and also could not carry a firearm.

To quickly recap the legal and administrative chain of events, the Peacekeepers attempted to arrest Stalk with the aforementioned conditions included in the arrest warrant.

Stalk then challenged the conditions in court, but was not successful. Finally, the Peacekeepers sent Stalk a letter of termination because the Quebec Court upheld the conditions of the warrant - conditions which effectively prohibit Stalk from being able to carry out any duties as a Peacekeeper, and which the Peacekeepers themselves had included in the warrant. Stalk described the apparently circuitous process as "ridiculous." He said that he would be turning this matter over to his lawyer, and that the matter will end up becoming a lawsuit.

Stalk also said that Peacekeeper Warren White (the officer who served Stalk with the arrest warrant in the first place) had told him that the proceedings against him were "personal," in terms of their motivation. Stalk further explained that, prior to all of this, he had not had any problems, conflicts or complaints levelled against him by other Peacekeepers. Still further, Stalk explained that other officers were now claiming to be afraid of him.

For now, Stalk is awaiting a pro forma hearing some time in May. Evidence will be presented at that hearing for the purposes of determining whether or not there is sufficient matter in this case to proceed with a trial.

As of yesterday afternoon's Eastern Door deadline, official comment still had not been received from the Peacekeepers.

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Joe Norton Meets With Daniel Johnson
By: Kenneth Deer

Grand Chief Joe Norton met with former Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson, the newly appointed provincial negotiator, on Tuesday evening to set the ground work for a new round of negotiations with the government of Quebec.

"The fact that Quebec has appointed such a high-profile negotiator is encouraging," said Norton. "It shows that they respect the importance of the Quebec/Kahnawake Relations (QKR) process."

Mr. Johnson was Premier of Quebec in 1994 and is currently a close advisor to Premier Charest. He will be assisted by Ann Bigué from the law firm of McCarthy Tétreault. She will probably do the majority of the liaison work for Johnson.

"We expect that Johnson will re-open the door with Quebec and start the ball rolling on a series of issues," said Norton. "Issues like the expansion of the Kateri Memorial Hospital, the Seigneury negotiations, and Autoroute 30, to name just a few."

"We are very concerned, though, about his mandate, if it is strong enough to tackle these issues in an effective way. He is a busy man with other commitments and we hope the he can give this file the time it needs and the access to the Premier and other cabinet ministers to move things along," said Norton.

As part of Johnson's orientation, he will be visiting Kahnawake sometime next week and will be given a brief tour along with meeting the principle people involved with the QKR process.

"Johnson asked me what irritates us the most and I replied 'having to start with new faces all the time.' It seems that there is a constant change of personnel in the government and it is hard to have consistent, reliable discussions with the new people every time."

Norton emphasized with Johnson that the QKR process is political process and not an administrative one.

"We deal with jurisdictional issues and seek cooperation between us to resolve real problems. Quebec acknowledges that Kahnawake is a unique situation and negotiations must reflect that uniqueness."

The QKR process is best known for the ten agreements signed in 1999. These agreements, which include policing, transport and user fees, economic development, sales tax, tobacco, petroleum and alcohol products, administration of justice, and other matters, have expired but are given a one-year extension in anticipation of new negotiations.

"If any of these agreements need improvement then we will reopen them but some have not been implemented such as some of the tax issues," said Norton. "But we need to negotiate new agreements like the expansion of the hospital."

Norton is concerned about the regionalization of Quebec bureaucracy where regional health boards are set up which report to a commission in order to get their funding.

"We want Quebec to know that we will not take part in any regional body that dilutes the government-to-government relationship that we have with Quebec. The original ten agreements were negotiated directly with Quebec and we will continue on that path. We will not deal with regional boards," said Norton.

The original agreement with the Kateri Memorial Hospital was ratified by Quebec legislation and Norton wants to keep negotiations at that level.

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KSDPP Present Findings
By: Kenneth L. Williams

Since the week before last, the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP) has scheduled workshops at four different times to present its findings from school-based evaluations. The data was collected at Kateri and Karonhianónhnha Schools during the years 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2002.

The Eastern Door attended the first session, which took place on the morning of April 6 in the Peacekeeper Station boardroom. The presenters were KSDPP's Interim Executive Director Alex McComber, Scientific Director Dr. Ann Macaulay and Facilitator Lois Montour.

The presentation, which was done in the form of a slide show, began with an explanation of the two main types of diabetes, as well as an indication of the damage this disease can inflict, and the risk factors and causes of Type Two diabetes in particular. A number of other interesting statistics and explanations of their implications were also presented.

The Type Two risks were categorized into unchangeable and changeable factors. The unchangeable factors include genetic predisposition, family history, age and whether or not the subject's mother had diabetes or gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

By contrast, the changeable factors include lifestyle (i.e. eating habits, physical activity), body weight (i.e. degree of obesity and so forth) and stress level. And of course, the important underlying message of the presentation had to do with addressing these changeable factors.

Some interesting points made in the later part of the presentation were, on one hand, that there was reduced consumption of things like candy, soda, potato chips and French fries, and an increase in the consumption of whole wheat bread. On the other hand, things like fruit, vegetables and milk, were found to be consumed less often, and there was evidence of a trend toward low fibre intake. It was also noted that sweetened drinks were found to be the most popular choice of beverage.

These findings proved to be rather interesting in that there was found to be an increase in the number of overweight children, and a general increase in their average weights, despite the fact that they were generally consuming less in the way of sugary and fatty foods, and less in the way of healthy foods. This indicates that inactivity is of increasing concern among children. McComber mentioned a pilot project to address this trend, which began in the past year, encouraging after-school sports and other activities for students.

The final portion of the presentation featured some very important recommendations. These include: spending less time watching TV and playing video/computer games; spending at least some time being physically active every day; providing opportunities to enjoy healthy foods - including milk, milk products, fruits and vegetables; drinking water when thirsty; drinking milk or juice (real juice - not to be confused with sugar drinks) with meals or as a snack; and eating more home-cooked meals.

There were also some suggestions offered for parents. These include: encouraging self-esteem and positive body image; having regular meals and planned snacks; providing opportunities to try new healthy foods; eating together; being physically active; and being a positive role model.

The list of things for parents to avoid includes: putting an emphasis on weight; restriction or deprivation of foods; and forcing children to eat certain foods.

The package accompanying the presentation reminds people (parents in particular) that nutrition consultation is available at KMHC, and anyone with concerns about their children's weight should call 638-3930 to set up an appointment. Meanwhile, the fourth and final workshop will be presented in the Peacekeeper Station boardroom on Wednesday April 28 at 9 a.m.. If you would like to attend, call 635-4477 to reserve your seat. N Caption: Alex M. McComber, Lois Montour and Dr. Ann Macaulay.

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Occupation of Kanehsatake Police Station Continues
By: Kenneth Deer

Members of the community of Kanehsatake, former police commissioners and some Mohawk Council of Kanehsatake Chiefs continue to occupy the police station and secure it contents.

After Interim Police Chief Eddy Thompson told the staff of the police station to go home, the station would be unprotected so the station was occupied by members of the community.

"Despite what others may have reported, there is no vandalism here at the police station," said Jeri Cree. "We are here to protect the station. There are no police here at all."

Cree said that community members are taking turns keeping the station safe.

The occupiers removed several items from the station for safekeeping. The material was taken to the Kahnawake Peacekeeper Station and kept in a storage area.

The items were extensive: computers, guns, ammunition, radar gun, and many other materials in duffle bags filling a storage compartment at the Peacekeeper station.

According to Peacekeeper Information Officer Jodie Diabo, the material was dropped off by Kanehsatake Chief Steve Bonspille.

"We have secured the equipment at their request to make sure that none of the material disappears," said Diabo. "The guns and ammunition are in the weapons locker and kept separate from the other material."

Thompson was expected to arrive in Kahnawake to retrieve the material sometime yesterday.

It's about leadership

Cree said she is occupying the police station to protect her mother.

"She is in her 90s and is sick over all of this," said Cree. "This is not about policing, it is about leadership. James Gabriel is not the leader that we need. He keeps rejecting mediation. A good leader would accept any help to rectify the situation but he only wants total control. He is showing his true side.

"Look at how peaceful the community is. It is peaceful here. There have been no incidents. Doesn't that say something about our community?

"We want peace and it seems that James wants to provoke a violent confrontation. People have different reasons for criticizing James but we are all united in getting him out. We have been trying for a long time."

AFN offers mediation

Kanehsatake Chiefs Steve Bonspille, Pearl Bonspille and John Harding have requested the intervention of the Assembly of First Nations Emergency Response Unit. On Saturday, Roger Augustine visited Kanehsatake and met with members of the community and toured the area. He strongly recommended a mediator and has suggested Ralf Brant, from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, to mediate the dispute.

According to the three chiefs, Augustine met with James Gabriel's representative, Mike Stalk Sr., who personally supported the AFN's assistance and the mediation proposal.

However, Grand Chief James Gabriel has stated at a press conference he will only consider mediation after policing has been restored in Kanehsatake.

In the meantime, Community Watch patrols have been continuing inside and at the borders of the community. Police Chief Thompson has been patrolling on the outskirts of Kanehsatake.

The last Kanesatake Mohawk Police officer, Melissa Montour, who was patrolling for seven days in a row, was sent home for her own safety and protection by the Kanesatake Mohawk Police Commission.

"We sent her home for her own professional safety and to avoid burnout," said Sonya Gagnier. "We have no problem with her work. We appreciate the effort she put in."

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Junior B Girls Win Silver
Valleyfield Takes Nailbiter in Fifth Perioe
By: Bob Oliver

Don't believe everything you read in the paper. Not The Eastern Door, mind you. But sometimes other newspapers.

"In their local paper, West Island said they will beat Kahnawake. 'They did it before and they'll do it again' they said," said Kahnawake Junior B girls hockey coach Peter Jacobs, after his charges made West Island coaches eat their words by winning the regional semi-final 2-1 on goals by Kristine Daoust and Nichelle Hocaloski. "I told our girls about the article before the game hoping it would inspire them a little. It worked. It inspired them a lot."

In the make or break encounter, Kahnawake, not West Island, ended up advancing to the regional finals. According to Jacobs, the Kahnawake girls stayed focused, played as a well-oiled machine and got spectacular netminding from goalie Kwaronienhawi Jacobs.

The win paved the way for Kahnawake to meet arch-rival Valleyfield in the championship final played last Saturday at Cite des Jeunes Arena and it turned out to be the largest barn to burn all season. After making two initial saves, Jacobs was beaten on the third rebound at the 2:27 mark of the second overtime period that gave Valleyfield gold and Kahnawake silver.

Valleyfield scored midway through the second period to take a 1-0 lead and for a while it looked like it would cling to it the entire game. However, with only 2:27 left to play in the contest, Corleigh Beauvais set up Meleena Lombardi with the equalizer that would send the game into overtime,…and then some.

"Both teams played a great game," said coach Jacobs who witnessed two fine hockey clubs going end to end for five periods. (In OT, the teams played 4-on-4.) "Our girls gave it their all and we're proud of them. It was a great season. This is the regional finals; no one loses. They won the gold (medal), we won the silver.

"This is Kwaronienhawi's first year playing in nets," Jacobs added. "And she did a fantastic job. She was so dedicated and she learned so quickly. In many of our games this year, she made the difference."

The first two years Kahnawake iced a junior squad, it didn't win a game. This year, to go with regional championship silver, the team struck gold by winning the regular season championship with an awesome 16-3-5 record, and added another silver medal to its trophy case with a runner-up finish in this year's prestigious West Island Girls Hockey tournament.

"There were a lot of people from Kahnawake supporting our team and we'd like to thank everyone involved," said Jacobs. "And we'd also like to thank The Eastern Door for all their coverage on minor hockey in general."

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Editorial

Crisis In Kanehsatake Makes All Mohawks Look Bad
By: Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

The seemingly never-ending conflict in Kanehsatake is not getting any better and the ridicule across Canada is bound to negatively affect relations between governments and Indigenous communities everywhere.

Editorials and commentaries across Canada are questioning the ability of Mohawks to govern themselves and are applying increasing pressure to use outside police forces to settle the issue.

Even columnists in the Montreal Gazette are now poking fun at the situation. The column was funny and we, as Mohawks, have a sense of humour that especially carries us during times of crisis. However, it still stings.

Comments from other Natives across Canada also express a grave concern over the issue. Most of them only read what is in the mainstream media and may not get a true picture of the situation. Many of them may even wonder out loud: "What are you Mohawks doing?"

Speaking to one Montagnais, one could see he was upset at Mohawks for surrounding their police officers in the Kanehsatake police station. He felt that Mohawks were very disrespectful of their officers no matter what the internal divisions are in the community. At the same time, he could not understand how Mohawks could allow the situation to go so far. He felt Grand Chief James Gabriel is acting very unMohawk-like by allowing himself to be bullied into not returning to Kanehsatake.

Other Natives have expressed grave concerns over the situation and wonder if this crisis will affect future self-government negotiations with Canada.

We are on the defensive nationally, even if we are not from Kanehsatake.

Blame for the current situation can be spread far and wide but the solution still lies with the people of Kanehsatake.

Certainly blame has already been cast on those who burned Gabriel's house down. If that event hadn't happened, the whole evolution of the confrontation would have been different.

And what about those arsonists? By press time yesterday, they still hadn't been arrested. Why not? Ten arrest warrants had finally been issued just prior to The Eastern Door's deadline. The Kahnawake Peacekeepers had done their job of investigating the incident and recommended charges be laid against certain individuals. But the Crown Prosecutor in St. Jerome procrastinated and did not issue warrants for their arrest until yesterday. If they had done so quickly, perhaps there would not have been a second house torched in Kanehsatake three weeks later. And perhaps any bail conditions set for these persons would have kept them from being involved in any further political activity in Kanehsatake.

Instead, these individuals were still at large yesterday afternoon.

The mainstream media had added to the crisis by not being balanced and fair to all parties in the dispute. The media has painted a good versus evil picture of the issues and that is not the real situation at all. It has damaged the image of the Mohawks in the eyes of the public and had resulted in negative editorials that do not help the real situation in Kanehsatake.

The solution, of course, lies with the Mohawks of Kanehsatake themselves and it always has. The atmosphere in Kanehsatake is poisoned right now and it is difficult for both sides to get together. Which has poisoned it most is irrelevant.

Each side has to live in the environment it helped to create.

The two opposing sides have to come together at some point in time and it might as well be now. If they can't, then it is time to change leadership.

Mediation has been proposed countless times and on each occasion it is rejected. The Mohawk tradition of putting aside one's differences to find a peaceful solution is not given a chance to work.

If Grand Chief James Gabriel and his supporters cannot sit across from his opponents today, they can they ever? If those in opposition make unacceptable demands of Gabriel, then how can there be any progress?

Kanehsatake is at an impasse and the whole community is being held hostage.

Good leadership would not have let the situation go this far. Whether they like it or not, all sides are responsible for the current situation. With all their best intentions on both sides, their efforts have not led to a resolution.

The ridicule of Mohawks will only increase. The people of Kanehsatake must overcome their hatred for each other and come to the table to negotiate a peaceful settlement. And if the current leadership can't do it, then change the leadership to those who can.

Everyone is watching.

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Comics

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