"G.R.E. only gives $2 million for fire hall construction"

Grand River Enterprises (GRE) CEO Jerry Montour says he isn't reneging on a promise to give Six Nations $3 million to help build a much needed fire hall, but can promise only $2 million at this time.

He told Six Nations Band Council Tuesday night he will go back to his partners and seek another $1 million but can only provide the $2 million.

Six Nations needs the $3 million to build another fire hall after the Ohsweken hall was closed by Health Canada this past summer.

Former Chief Bill Montour, now a consultant working with GRE on a recycling company and as their advisor on the Six Nations land fill site incinerator, had told the previous council GRE would provide $3 million for the fire hall and over $1 million for the incinerator.

But Jerry Montour said he could not promise the more than $1 million would be provided and he asked for a closed meeting to discuss it.

"We are a private business and we don't have to discuss our private business in public. That's for you to do."

He told council he did not want to appear as if he was "telling you what to do." He said he was looking forward to working with them.

Chief Ava Hill told Montour and president Steve Williams if they had concerns about providing funds for the land fill site incinerator she would strike a committee to look into the concerns.

She said she signed two certificates for GRE today for Mexico as per a band council resolution but did not specify what the resolution said.

GRE is a tobacco manufacture headquartered at Six Nations with over 300 employees that has taken advantage of the community's tax free status to become a world wide distributor of tobacco products.