Police and county officials respond that all actions taken have been designed solely to ensure public safety.
In a June 13 e-mail to Simcoe Warden Tony Guergis, CAO Mark Aitken and other municipal politicians, protest organizer Vicki Monague said a parking ban on Tiny Township Concession 2 would be “racist and discriminatory and an insult to aboriginal people.”
“This will impede our flow of supplies to the native encampment, as well as limit access and increase risk to our traditional elders and visitors to the site,” she said.
Guergis disputed Monague’s description of the county’s actions, saying it is “unfortunate that she chose to ignore our staff’s assurances on this matter and misinform” people about the issue.
“The intention of the proposed parking bylaw is to ensure the safety of all workers and protesters at the site, while allowing construction vehicles access,” Guergis said in an e-mail to Rod Monague, chief of Beausoleil First Nation.
“It is not our intention to negatively impact a peaceful demonstration…. We will explore wording changes to the proposed bylaw before it is considered by county council to allow some parking on the Second Concession, provided it can be accommodated safely.”
The bylaw is due to be considered by county council on June 30.
A rally planned for June 12, meanwhile, was scuttled when Southern Georgian Bay OPP officers blocked access to the road, preventing participants from joining those already at the native encampment across from Site 41.
The reason police took action, said Const. Peter Leon, is that a native smudge-pot ceremony was taking place in the middle of the road.
“Although the road was closed for a short period of time, and some members of the public were impacted, it allowed members of the OPP to respond to these issues in an appropriate and professional manner,” he stated in a press release.
Leon said safety – of both motorists and protesters – was the prime consideration.
Protesters said police turned away rally participants with the false explanation that a bonfire had been set ablaze on the road. Leon said he was unable to address such claims, though he noted a smudge-pot ceremony is a small happening quite unlike a bonfire.
He added officers appreciate the protests at the site have so far been peaceful.
“Public safety is a shared responsibility,” he said, “and the OPP hopes that planned activities take place peacefully, without the need for police intervention.”
According to Vicki Monague, however, police intervention is already happening. The OPP’s actions prove officers have taken the county’s side and “no longer remain a neutral presence” in the dispute, she said.
Leon disagreed, pointing out the supervising officer on the scene makes the decision to close the road or not. Though police have been communicating with county representatives, he said, government officials in Midhurst have not dictated the OPP’s approach to the protest.
Protesters have declared repeatedly they will not relent until the county cancels its plan for the landfill, which they insist will contaminate groundwater beneath the site. The county says the dump has been engineered to prevent that from happening.
To date, demonstrations have included a march on May 4, two tractor blockades of Concession 2 and the ongoing native encampment. Another protest is scheduled for June 30 at the county administration building in Midhurst.
Leon said he is unable to say when or if police will take a harder line on protesters blocking the road. He acknowledged the police presence has been increased on Concession 2.
“The OPP will continue to preserve the peace, maintain public safety and investigate criminal wrongdoing in accordance with legislated responsibilities and in the best interests of all involved,” he said.
Vicki Monague, striking a far different tone than in her comments about the OPP’s supposed lack of neutrality, assured police they have no need to worry about public safety or criminal activity.
“The Anishinabe women camped at Site 41 are dedicated to remaining peaceful, and feel any act of violence or aggression will negatively impact our fight,” she said. “We will, if at all possible, continue to work with the OPP prior to and during protest demonstrations.”
tmealing@simcoe.com
