Kanesatake security funding at risk

The Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS) team, the internal security force the community has relied on for the past few years, is on track to run out of funding by the end of the month.

If the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) caretaker council cannot secure funding soon, the community could lose their only consistent security force, said caretaker council member Serge Otsi Simon. The void in services is expected to create a vacuum that will leave room for cannabis stores to mobilize their own security forces in the community, he suggested.

“The alternative to the KPS, like I said, is what I call the ‘casino barons’ around here,” said Simon. “Some of the pot stores are paying for this team, and they’re just waiting for KPS to lose their funding so that they can take over patrolling the community, which, again, is going to create some animosity and uncertainty.”

The MCK has tried to secure more funding for the KPS for years, said caretaker council member Brant Etienne. Last year, the caretaker council was told by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), which currently provides the funding, to reach out to Public Safety Canada to learn whether the funding program for the KPS would be renewed, said Etienne.

The council learned last month that the current funding program under Indigenous Services Canada would not continue, he said.

Funding has so far been provided through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Program, a five-year program that began in 2021.

As the caretaker council scrambles to find another funding stream, Etienne remains hopeful on some leads.

“There may be some positive news,” said Brant. “But until everything’s confirmed, we don’t really want to say too much.”

In the coming weeks, the caretaker council not only hopes to renew funding, but to increase it, said Etienne. Funding for the KPS was $850,000 per year for 16 hours a day of services.

The caretaker council hopes to obtain about $1.8 million in funding for 24/7 services.

The KPS has helped intervene in hundreds of road accidents, criminal incidents, and civilian requests for help since their official start in 2020. The mains goals of the KPS were to increase security and safety in Kanesatake as well as bridge relations between the community and the Surete du Québec (SQ).

“We give the community a little bit of peace of mind and security, and we’re starting to really see that with the increase in calls,” said KPS coordinator Kane Montour.

“You take that away from the community, they don’t have anybody to call, and it’s scary.”

Many members of the community do not feel comfortable calling the SQ for help, said Montour.

Many would also not feel comfortable with the cannabis stores for help either, he said. The issue with private security forces is not only may they lack training to intervene in emergencies like the KPS has done, but the private security forces would also not be subject to a code of conduct under the MCK.

“All these supposed security forces are essentially goon squads hired by different stores,” said Etienne. “What happens when those stores come into conflict and there’s nobody there to protect the interests of the community?”

With no community police, instances of crime and organized crime may increase, said Etienne.

“The stores and the organized crime would have free reign. I mean, more so than they do now,” he said.

Montour said he and perhaps some more members of the security team would remain available if funding is not renewed at the end of the month.

“Regardless of whether we’re here through council or not, my phone’s always going to be on,” said Montour.

But how long members could work on a volunteer basis remains unknown.

Indigenous Services Canada and Public Safety Canada did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter