"Council pushing to get people evicted"

Six Nations Band Council will be asking the Six Nations Police to do what ever is necessary to remove non-band members served with eviction orders from the community.

Councillor Les Sowden told the former council at its last meeting he was faced with another complainant writing about a non-band member living in the community. "How do we implement this. What do we do to get these people out of here," he asked council.

But his pleas didn't strike sympathy from councillor Dave Hill. "You guys went on a week retreat. Didn't you discuss this."

Council Sowden said the retreat didn't deal with the enforcement problem. He said the problem is the Six Nations Police. "How do we impress upon the police authority that they have a complaint and it needs to be acted on now, not when they get a minute." He said because police are lack in delivering band council notices to leave the community, "people want to know when their removal comes into effect, when they get it or 15 days from the time its delivered or from the date on the notice."

Band Council Chief Wellington Staats said police enforcement has been a problem all along with the bylaw. "Enforcement letters have gone out to the police. We have to look at police involvement and if we charge someone, we have to go to court."

Sowden said the problem is looking sooner not later. "People expect us to drag these people kicking and screaming to the edge of the Rez. We have to do something, this is not getting any better for us."

Staats said people can be charged but it takes so long to go to court. Former councillor Wendy Johnson-Martin asked the councillors "are we just having an open discussion on this or is there a motion."

Sowden said one person has been served three times and is still living in the community.

Wendy Johnson-Martin told Sowden, "council has had its legal people here they told us what to do and unless council proceeds in dealing with it once and for all it's not going to stop."

Former councillor Dave Green told council to give the person to the (Nov) 30th to leave. "We should be getting the Chief of Police here at a political liaison meeting (a closed session) to tell us what we can do. Some people kicked off two years ago are back. He's the chief of police, he should know the law, put him on the spot."

Councillor John Peters told council, "our protocol says we have to go to the police commission and ask them first, then he can attend." But Johnson-Martin told council, "He is not going to tell you anything different than what you know. You have to go to court. It's the process. Council has to make a decision."

Green withdrew his motion and put forward a new motion, "tell the chief of police to do what he has to do to get these people off the Rez. Charge 'em with trespassing do whatever and we'll suffer the consequences. But he should do what he has to do."

Staats added "If it means coming over here to file an injunction, then he'll have to do it."