Meeting rescheduled

The community meeting for the month of October was supposed to be this Wednesday, but it has instead been moved to Thursday, November 6, at 6 p.m. at the Golden Age Club.

The meeting change was made “out of respect for the tragic loss of a young community member,” said a Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) press release announcing the change.

On the schedule is a number of hot-button issues in Kahnawake, including cannabis, the Route 207 project, the collaboration with Hydro Quebec on the Hertel line project, and tolls.

MCK grand chief Cody Diabo said earlier this week that community members asked to have cannabis included on the docket after continued assessment of the community’s feelings on the matter.

“We had put out a release back in the summer that stated that what we had heard was that the community was either not in support of any of these dispensaries, or some who are in favour of a community-owned one,” said Diabo.

He also said that having a full Cannabis Control Board is important because of certain jurisdiction issues that could arise without a board. A release stating the board is in search of three members and two alternates was released on October 21.

For the Route 207 project, Diabo said he hopes the meeting will clear the air on the goals of the project.

“I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there. I’ve seen some community members are holding a meeting, talking about Costco and Tim Hortons,” said Diabo.

“It’s a little concerning with some of the things I’ve seen out there.”

He repeated what council chief Arnold Boyer told The Eastern Door last week: the road was not going to be turned into a highway, and the goal is not to cater to outside motorists, but instead help community members to have access to safer roads and sewer and water services, as well as help community members who walk or bike around by giving them the space to do so with a bike lane.

“The residents are the focus, to have a safer road and to be able to access the community if they want to do it by bike or walking,” said Diabo.

The topic of the Hertel line project is also a community member request, Diabo said, with an emphasis on looking at the current financial situation.

The topic of tolls in response to governmental budget cuts comes following a press release from the MCK announcing it would be seeking input on the project from the community and technical, financial, environmental, and infrastructural consulting. A full article on the toll project can be found in this week’s edition of The Eastern Door.

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