"Chiefs, ministry meet"

"We've been on this merry-go-round for some time now," Harvey Longboat, one of the chiefs, said after the meeting.

He said that during the short meeting the chiefs told the representative that they want a land claim about the Dunnville dam settled quickly.

And, they want to meet with the natural resources minister - or anyone who can make decisions about the project and land claims - "as soon as possible."

They did not get any commitments, Mr. Longboat said.

On Sunday, confederacy supporters locked a gate leading to one of the weirs in the dam that was undergoing repairs. The weir had failed during the winter.

The weir is on 810 hectares of land - some of which was flooded by the dam - that is the subject of a land claim by the Six Nations.

Confederacy chief Arnie General said the group is particularly concerned about sediment deposited at the base of the weirs and dam.

Mr. General said they suspect that the sediment contains hazardous metals such as mercury and zinc and that the sediment could be stirred up and released into Lake Erie during construction.