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Band-HDI-Farmers clash causing comm~nitv divisions (Continued from page 4) lease was critical," he said. "When this farming group advised that they were going to refuse to sign a lease, we were advised by other farmers that the Burtch lands could receive up to $ I 75 per acre. We did not put any range to the (SNFA). If the farmers told us that $50 was what they thought was reasonable, we would make the recommen- dation to the council to proceed ." Jesse Porter also claimed Hazel Hill contacted SNFA secretary Ruby Jacobs to discuss a lease. "She (Hill) gave her a pretty rough conversation on the phone about the urgency for us to sign this lease," said Porter. "Ruby stated to her that we're not in a posi- tion to sign a lease and we didn't recognize HDI. I guess it escalated a little further until she (Hill) fi- nally hung up." As the conversation heated up Elected chief Bill Mon - tour called for order. "I think it's time we quit talking about the other side as the enemy," he said. "We're all people here. We're all Hau- denosaunee." Montour said council needs to work with the commu- nity to determine how the Burtch lands are going to come back. "It's got to be the people that make a de- cision on how to do this," he said. Montour said taking Burtch back under the ATR (addi- tions to reserve) process is not the best solution and wants to push for the land to come back under the Haldirnand Treaty. "My concern is, putting it as ATR - the Minister of Indian Affairs has complete au- thority to decide how that land can be used. You have to go back and ask permis- sion how to use your own land. If we're going to get beyond this Indian Act, we have to look at different ways of land holdings." Montour planned to con- tact Infrastructure Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs Monday to determine the future of the Burtch lands and to order Elliott's crew back to work. He did not provide an update on those conversa- tions by press time. Meanwhile, Caroline Knight, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Ontario (10). said no safety issues were reported to them. "All work conducted on the site has been to Work Place Health and Safety and Con- struction Standards," said Knight. "No health and safety concerns have been reported to 10 or its service providers to date." She said the HDI requested everyone, including 10, leave the site until a com- munity issue on the farming is resolved . She said 10 will continue to work with Six Nations and the provincial Ministry of · Aboriginal Affairs to com- plete the remediation of the property. "The transfer of the property to Six Nations .will be car- ried out by (the province) 9nce the e9vironrnental re- mediation work is corn- . pleted and necessary arrangements are in place," said Knight. Band Council suggested hir- ing its own Burtch environ- mental monitors and holding district meetings to determine how the Burtch lands will be returned to Six Nations.