Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development for the Mi'kmaq Confederacy, wants to balance commercial and park development. (CBC)

This time the Indians are lawyers in suits with the Constitutional precedents in their briefcases

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, April 8, 2009 with story from CBC

It was inevitable the peace between the elite class on PEI and our first nations would fall apart as soon as the “white people” got a drift of how uppity and organized the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. was. Being stuck in Scotchford, Lennox Island and Morell Rear can focus the mind on the disparity between the people who stole your land and your current state of poverty.

Yeah I know, you didn’t steal anyone’s land. In 1755 the British Army stole land of the Mi’kmaq and Acadians. They proceeded to give it to rich landowners in England and some United Empire Loyalists. We won’t even get into what the United Nations called ethnic cleansing of the Acadians. You know like in Yugoslavia only the English were the ones killing and deporting people based on their racial or country of origin.

For over 200 years, the Mi’kmaq lived in abject poverty. They were subject to cruel genocide and forced cultural assimilation. Now they have rights even if they lack an economic base. They have university degrees, lawyers, financial planners and all the tools the non-native population has. And they’d like a crack at prosperity too.

Instead of living on PEI’s most unproductive land, the Mi’kmaq would like a shot at wealth. Should we give them the best potato land in PEI? Or perhaps, half of downtown Charlottetown? Those ideas would upset the people who hold 200 year old deeds. Why not let them develop the Ag Farm which is sitting idle.

I know the Friends of the Farm have other ideas. Are the Friends the same people who didn’t want the new CARI swimming pool? We built an even more expensive one and gave it to UPEI. That was brilliant. We have a community resource not in in the community. The building is too far out, disability-unfriendly and not a community centre. It’s part of UPEI.

I don’t want to break anyone’s heart but UPEI is a “thank you man” – lots of great thanks for everything PEI does for them but they are not part of the community. They don’t have to obey even common sense laws on disabled parking. They are the elite of PEI – UPEI the educational elite. Trying to work with UPEI on disability issues has taught me that they are the arrogant and bigoted. If UPEI represents the best in PEI society, we are in for a tuning.

I’m not going to print the Friends of the Farm document. As far as I’m concerned it’s a thinly veiled racist document meant to build popular support for “green space” over the reasonable aspirations of people we were abused for 250 years.

Get used to it. In every state in the United States, natives have gotten ownership of large tracts of land in and near valuable urban centres. Would PEI like to pay the taxes on some multi-billion dollar Mi’kmaq land claim. The natives of North America are not even close to getting back what they deserve. It won’t be beads and baubles this time. Better to go peacefully than raise the ugly spectre of a racial war.

Mi’kmaq development proposal drives Friends from farm meeting

A brief agreement between the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. and Friends of the Farm over what could be done with 35 hectares of green space in the middle of Charlottetown ended acrimoniously Tuesday.

Agriculture Canada declared its old experimental farm surplus in 2002, leading to discussions about what to do with it ever since.

Friends of the Farm, a group of concerned residents, came together with a proposal to develop it as a park. More recently, the Mi’kmaq Confederacy developed its own proposal, with a mix of commercial and park development.

“They’ve made no secret of the fact they want to develop it for profit,” said Lane MacLaren, a member of Friends of the Farm whose home backs up on to the property.

“Our concern is that this property will be cut up and lost forever.”

In February, the two groups came together, saying they had differences but they believed they could work them out. A meeting Tuesday, hosted by the Confederacy, ended with the Friends of the Farm walking out.

“We see that property as being a part of Charlottetown’s identity, and we want it kept green and public in perpetuity,” said Janice Simmonds, vice-chair of Friends of the Farm.

The confederacy has previously made allusions to making some sort of land claim to take over the farm, but has not launched any official proceedings. It does, however, hope one day to own the property on behalf of aboriginal people of P.E.I.

The Mi’kmaq proposal would keep two-thirds of the farm as green space, but also develop a conference centre, seniors home and commercial space.

“Publicly owned means publicly paid for, which means an additional tax burden to city, province, federal government,” said Jeff Brant, director of socio-economic development for the confederacy.

“We think there’s a balance to be struck here, between the maintenance the greenspace and the economic potential that the property has.”

The confederacy intends to host a public forum within the next few weeks to let the public have a look at the proposal and have its say.