We need answers on dumping 

All the dumping going on in Kanesatake for so many years has created a horrible and unhealthy situation and has divided families and broken up the firm social tenet we all used to feel of “at least we protect the land.”

That isn’t the case anymore for too many community members, who welcome dumping because they benefit from it. Recently, the grand chief was implicated in a big way, and he has to answer questions publicly about his role in all of it, because he refuses to answer The Eastern Door’s attempts to get his side.

During legal proceedings for an injunction on dumping in Kanesatake, Victor Bonspille was in court arguing to get it all thrown out.

No matter his reasoning, it’s not a good look: he says he wants to stop dumping, but he’s trying to stop the people trying to stop dumping.

To get this far with an injunction in place is a bit of a miracle, with everyone having ignored it for so long, not the least of which has been outside governments who have the real power to address the issue.

We need to keep moving forward and stop the dumping once and for all so we can start cleaning up the land that has been destroyed. How much of it is gone forever? That’s sad to think about, but it also angers us with how long people have gotten away with it.

But it gets worse for Bonspille. His late mother’s name is on land being used as a dump, and although it is unclear who owns the land now, it usually gets passed down to family, and it links him to the dumping fiasco, whether community members like it or not.

After The Eastern Door unveiled that part, and the article was shared in a Kanesatake group on Facebook, some in Bonspille’s family were upset with us using his deceased mother Myrtle’s name, but, as emotional as it is, here’s why we did it.

First, we strongly believe his mother had nothing to do with dumping or any kind of nefarious dealings when she was alive. We know her. We grew up with her. She’s family and she was the sweetest person in the community.

The reason we bring her name up, however, is because the issue is in the courts and her name appeared in sworn affidavits. And this is public information. We can’t just hide that fact. We are truthtellers, and them using her name is part of the truth thus far in this story.

And it will all add up to a result, which we will cover as thoroughly as we can, no matter who is named.

Even though it wasn’t us who named the ones on that public court document, it’s certainly our job to report on it, especially when the grand chief of the community takes it upon himself to rise in court – without disclosing his personal connection – to try to convince a judge to look the other way.

Someone could be accused of the worst crime, and the duty of reporting on it and digging deeper still falls on us, whether they’re guilty or not. We follow court proceedings and, in the end, the courts sort it out one way or another. But we follow it to the end.

With dumping such a hot topic in Kanesatake, getting as much information to the public as possible is a no-brainer.

So, the alternative of not covering it never crossed our minds (otherwise we should just quit journalism), and even if it hurts to see her name in print, it’s part of the story and we are certainly not pointing the finger at her.

But the bigger story is what the grand chief’s involvement is, which we can’t say, exactly, because we don’t know all of the details at this time. As the court moves along, however, we will hopefully see a clearer picture.

Was he benefiting from the dumping financially? Why does he think he can dodge the media, who are asking questions for the people – the ones who voted for or against him – all of whom have a right to know?

Is it just because he doesn’t want to answer? That’s not a good enough reason. The people want answers and not just at some hastily called community meeting that solves nothing. He needs to answer the tough questions and stop pouting.

This isn’t Victor the private community member, it’s Victor Bonspille the grand chief, who works for the people, not himself or his interests, and by not answering, it reflects poorly on his leadership. Surely even his supporters see this.

Why was he in court arguing against the proceedings? It can’t just be that he feels the other councillors are illegitimate, citing a non-binding, illegal vote at a community meeting that wanted them removed.

The remaining Mohawk Council of Kanesatake chiefs, however, did vote to remove him from his duties, and he has yet to recognize that.

To say it’s a mess in Kanesatake is to say it sometimes rains. We can’t remember a Council that was united for the people, and this one is right up there in terms of dysfunction.

Argue if you wish whether that was warranted or not, but know this: every chief, on your side or the other, should be against dumping and should never benefit from that type of activity, nor should they attempt to stop court proceedings that are currently the only real measure working at this point to protect the land – even though they are not stopping all of it.

There’s too much money in accepting people’s garbage, and greed is too strong, and with companies needing a place to dump, Kanesatake became known as the place to go, free of any legal proceedings or pushback.

The people have said enough is enough and the law is now looking closer at many community members who could be involved, but where are more of the names of the non-local companies that brought this disaster to the community in the first place?

They need to be held accountable just as much as the ones who accepted the garbage, if not more, because without flashing money before the community’s eyes, this would have never happened.

Steve Bonspiel

The Eastern Door