Commercialization
“We have to pay our bills”, is the answer. Last summer, a poster was placed near the entrance to the Christie Lake Conservation Area informing the users that access to the area surrounding the beach and beach pavilions was to be temporarily limited due to a commercial show. White exhibition tents were erected, a fence was erected, the event has run its course. The tents were not removed in a timely manner, they stayed there for weeks. The fence is to stay there permanently.
Part 3 – (Last updated on October 18, 2014)
Is the “Nanfan Treaty” legally valid? Does the 1701 “Conveyance of lands by the Native American Chiefs of the Five Nations” constitute a valid treaty between the Crown and the Indians? Do the Haudenosaunee have a valid case to claim hunting rights in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area? Does the Hamilton Conservation Authority have the right to enter into relevant Protocol Agreements with the Haudenosaunee, based on alleged “treaty rights”? Were the Ontario learned justices in R. v. Ireland and Jamieson [1990] and R. v. Barberstock [2003] wrong? Is the Ontario government wrong?
Lunar Eclipse, October 8, 2014, around 5:30 a.m.:
Picture taken from the hill near the main entrance to the DVCA at 650 Governor’s Road
(Photo: L. Biegalski)
Early in 2013 I thought I had reached a low point as I reacted to the way the animal-loving British elite happily slaughtered anything that got in its way. The most visible sign of its lust for ‘controlling’ wildlife by culling has been the project to kill badgers on the poor excuse that they are responsible for all the bovine TB in cattle. So the start of the second year of badger culling coinciding with Medway Council trying again to destroy a protected site where nightingales breed forced me to revisit the war we wage on nature.
By: Deyoyonwatheh (DeYo)
Six Nations – Haldimand Tract – Beliefs versus Facts
Issues Concerning the Publication of a Map of Indian Land Treaties in Ontario: In “Turtle Island News” (TIN), May 14, 2014, p.4 is an article entitled, Feds Ontario treaty map released to schools ….. but no Six Nations. The content here concerns a map entitled, “First Nations and Treaties” which is to be used in schools across Ontario, and is based on information from the Federal Government’s Ministry of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Canada (see here). Thus the document represents the distillation of what is in the Federal records relating to treaties signed by various First Nations peoples throughout the years (see here).
(Click on picture to enlarge)
In my letter to the editor, “Why the change to Dundas Valley trails?“, published in the Hamilton Spectator on May 28, 2014, I wrote:
Up until last year, the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) was able to maintain a friendly and accessible character to Dundas Valley Conservation Area (DVCA) trails. They looked natural; they were easy to walk, run and bike on, even to push a baby stroller or a wheelchair. The water damage, frequently caused by rain and melting snow, was repaired in a timely manner, garbage was promptly removed, the area was clean and user friendly.
Since last fall, the HCA has been implementing a new idea — our beautiful and natural-looking trails are now being covered with large, coarse gravel and crushed rock, often the size of table tennis balls. The trails are beginning to look like rough farm lanes and the rare Carolinian forest like a construction site. The new surface is difficult to walk or run on, dangerous to bike on and impossible to access with a baby stroller or a wheelchair.
It destroys shoes and bike tires. It hurts the legs of dogs and other animals. It makes it impossible to remove the ever-increasing amount of horse manure. It looks plain ugly and creates a safety hazard.
A better solution is badly needed. It could be a layer of fine gravel or sand on top of the sharp and rolling rocks or a removal of the new surface and restoration of its natural state. For years, it was possible to maintain natural and accessible trails. Why is it not being done now?
By: Tom Kennedy
Wikipedia describes “speaking with a forked tongue” as being of North American Aboriginal origin. The term means that the truth is denied, promises not kept, and any other fantasy that enriches the speaker allowed. The lands of what we call Ontario, especially the Niagara Peninsula, is a good example.
The Nanfan “Treaty” of 1701 Does NOT Give Six Nations People Special Hunting, Fishing and Consultation Rights in Ontario
By: Deyoyonwatheh (DeYo)
Six Nations – Haldimand Tract – Beliefs versus Facts
If one believes in the maxim that one cannot give away or sell that which does not belong to you, then the provisions of the treaty negotiated between Governor John Nanfan and the Six Nations in 1701 can have no validity – despite beliefs to the contrary. The principle is enshrined in law under the term, Nemo dat quod non habet. See here for details. This principle is derived from English Common Law and is expressed succinctly here.
Part 2
The original “Nanfan Treaty” document, the “Conveyance of lands by the Native American Chiefs of the Five Nations” – (The Albany Deed of 19 July 1701), is held at the National Archives in Kew, Surrey, England. The back (reverse) of this document has never been photographed, until yesterday. I have purchased official copies of both front and back of this document and I now, it seems, have the first official copy of the reverse of the original.
Part 1
“Nanfan Treaty” is a hoax. It is not a “treaty.” It is a fraudalent interpretation of historical facts and a legally invalid claim of “treaty rights.” Nanfan Treaty does not exist. Historically, the deed of land to the English King, made by the Five Nations’ sachems in Albany on 19 July 1701, was never intended, recognized or confirmed by the Crown as a valid treaty.
Introduction
There are many aspects of the annual Haudensaunee deer hunt in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area (DVCA) that need to be cleared of the smoke and mirrors that surround this highly controversial issue.
The following article by David Suzuki addresses a similar situation in the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site but it also directly relates to the deer hunting in Dundas Valley Conservation Area, Short Hills Provincial Park near St. Catherines, and other similar places proudly parading in public glory as “Conservation Areas”.
by Jeff Bolichowski
St. Catherines Standard
Foes of a native deer hunt at Short Hills Provincial Park are still hoping to build traction against the coming event. Opponents of the November hunt, open only to Aboriginals, crowded an open house by the Ministry of Natural Resources Thursday, said area resident Robin Zavitz.
Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) is implementing a new approach to maintaining the trails in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area (DVCA). Our beautiful and naturally looking trails are now being covered with large, coarse gravel and crushed rock the size of table tennis balls. The trails are beginning to look like rough farm lanes and the rare Carolinian forest like a construction site.
As the old saying goes, “Shit happens.” But in Dundas Valley Conservation Area shit, literally, “happens” too often.
KML and GPX files with a selection of Dundas Valley Trails, Single Tracks and bike rides around Dundas, for Google Earth and suitable GPS devices can now be downloaded through this blog.
Links, instructions, and a disclaimer are included on the Downloads page.
(Updated: April 19, 2015)
