Council demands halt to project

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo said he’s concerned about a plan to build two residential towers in Chateauguay along Industrial Boulevard, speaking with the mayor of the city Éric Allard last week to denounce the project. 

“People are trying to develop, people are trying to build, they’re trying to contribute to the economy, but you can’t keep developing on land that’s not yours,” Diabo said, saying it’s crucial governments do more to recognize and respect Kahnawake’s unceded territory. “Don’t try to claim this ownership over lands when you were never even given them.”

Council chief Jeffrey Diabo and Ian Lafrenière, Quebec’s minister of Indigenous affairs, also sat in on the virtual meeting last Friday, aimed at kickstarting consultations over the proposed development.

The city of Chateauguay hopes to modernize its entrance by Kahnawake by connecting Industrial and St. Francis boulevards together, work aimed at promoting the flow of traffic along Highway 138. The city also wants to turn the area into a residential zone, the MCK grand chief said, saying he was informed of plans to construct two 16-storey towers there. 

“From the Council’s perspective, we’re against it,” said Diabo, who wrote a letter to the mayor back in March to say so. 

“There could always be a solution, or there could not be,” he said. “Having the space to have a proper dialog, I think, is the first step.”

That said, he doubts the community will be in favour of it. 

“The community is not going to support that type of development within the Seigneury, and so close to Kahnawake,” Diabo said.

Both Quebec and Canada now need to step up and meet their obligation to consult Kahnawake over the plan, he said, especially considering the housing development is being proposed on lands subject to the ongoing land grievance with Canada.

“We’re trying to bring Canada, even though they’re in elections, as well as the province, to the table now, because all this development is happening on Seigneury lands,” Diabo said. “There needs to be some directive to stop development until that grievance is settled once and for all.”

The Eastern Door sought an interview with Chateauguay mayor Éric Allard about the proposed development, but the request was declined. Instead, he responded with a short written comment.

“This area has been designated as a TOD (transit-oriented development zone) since 2016,” he wrote, referring to the area surrounding the city’s bus terminal.

“The project to realign St. Francis and Industrial boulevards began back in 2022. In the interest of transparency, I communicated with the grand chief at the time, Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer,” he added. “We will continue to ensure Kahnawake’s Council and grand chief Cody Diabo remain up to date.”

The MCK grand chief has also brought his concerns to premier François Legault, writing a letter to him, as well as another addressed to Gary Anandasangaree, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. 

Minister Lafrenière responded on behalf of Quebec. The one sent to Canada, on the other hand, received no response, he said. 

“The government of Quebec still owes over 200 acres of land to the Mohawks of Kahnawake,” Diabo wrote in both letters sent on March 17. “The acceptance of our grievance for negotiation and this established land debt means that any development of land within or in proximity to the SSSL (Seigneury of Sault St. Louis) requires Kahnawake’s free, prior, and informed consent prior to moving forward.

“The vast majority of our SSSL land grievance lands have been developed and compromised for the sole benefit of non-Indigenous governments and people. This development has continued unabated since the SSSL land grievance has been accepted for negotiation,” he also wrote in the letters. “Non-Indigenous land use and development of our territory has resulted in significant negative socio-economic impacts, a decrease of traditional land use opportunities and access to sites of cultural and spiritual importance.”

Diabo is calling on both governments to take immediate action to halt the project, even going as far as to suggest they should “explore the possibility” of purchasing land from the city and “private interest holders” in order to do so.

The MCK grand chief is expected to meet soon with Liberal and Conservative candidates for the La Prairie-Atateken riding, where he will lay out his expectations for how the community expects to be consulted on development projects like this moving forward. Election promises to build housing on federal lands from NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, and plans from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to build pipelines with little mention of how First Nations will be consulted, are among his top concerns.

“They’re supposed to allow for lands to be returned, land back, which we’ve always held to be the principle that has to be followed,” said Ross Montour, the Council chief that’s taken the lead on overseeing the land grievance against Canada.

“My concern has been that there’s a lot of unrestrained urban development happening within the MRC (regional municipal county),” he added. “You see this along Highway 132, where they have plans for an urban boulevard, and now you have this in Chateauguay.”

He said he hopes Quebec will step up to plate, especially now that Council has signed a memorandum of understanding with the province. 

“As minister, my role is to remain in dialogue with Indigenous communities, to ensure that we can all live together in harmony,” minister Lafrenière wrote in a short comment to The Eastern Door. “We’ve had discussions with various municipalities and with Diabo, the grand chief, about projects proposed in Chateauguay as well as others surrounding the 132. We are looking for avenues to find solutions that’ll be a win-win for everyone.”

The Eastern Door also reached out to minister Anandasangaree’s office for comment, but did not hear back by deadline.

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