"Men's Fire objects to band council control of Burtch lands"

The Six Nations Men's Fire says it will fight any attempt by Six Nations Band Council to place the controversial Burtch lands into a federal corporation before transferring the title to Six Nations under the Crown's Additions to Reserve process.

"We're not going to allow an outside force, whether it be the provincial or federal government, to come and tell us and dictate to us how and where we can use our land," said Men's Fire member Lester Green at a press conference held yesterday (Tuesday).

On June 16, Six Nations Band Council announced it would create its own corporation to hold the controversial Burtch lands in trust before transferring the property under the Crown's Additions to Reserve process.

The corporation will be governed by a three-member board and the sole shareholder of the corporation will be band council.

One of those three board seats is being offered to a hereditary chief of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs' Council, while the other two would be held by elected councillors.

The band's decision came after Ontario sent out a letter to both band council and the HCCC about two months ago announcing the land was ready to be transferred to Six Nations with the suggestion of creating a band-controlled corporation 6.

The Burtch tract, which sits just outside the current reserve boundary near the community of Mt. Pleasant, used to house the former Burtch Correctional Facility and underwent extensive remediation and clean-up work during the past eight years.

Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton had negotiated for the return of the land to in exchange for barricades coming down on Hwy. 6 during the 2006 land reclamation in Caledonia. It included stipulations the land be returned "in its original state" outside the control of band council.

Lands and Resources Director Lonny Bomberry told the Turtle Island News last week the corporation could be used to hold title in future land dealings.

If the land is added to the Six Nations reserve under the "additions to reserve" (ATR) process, the Crown will have legal title.

A local farmer has signed a lease with the HCCC to work the land this year. Ed Green has already planted tobacco and flint corn on the property and he has security at the site 24/7 after rumours circulated last month that local farmers planned to protest.

Bill Monture, a member of the Six Nations Men's Fire, said band council has "no right" to hold title to the Burtch lands under a federal corporation.

"Band Council has no authority...to be talking or dealing with lands on our behalf," Monture said. "It's about damn time somebody said and we mean what we say. We're not sitting blowing hot air. I'm getting sick and tired of who they think they are...without anybody standing up to them."

The Men's Fire also says it fully supports the Green family farming the Burtch lands after the family received a letter from the province last month demanding they stop all work on the property.

"Band council needs to back off right now in their dealings with the Burtch lands because we already have someone up there farming," said Green.