Eastern Door Volume 8 Number 18

Volume 8 Number 18

May 28, 1999

Convice Escapes in Kahnawake
Local Criminal on the Loose
By: Greg Horn

Shawn Deer 27, of Kahnawake who has been serving two ten-year prison sentences since 1992, has escaped custody. Deer was in Kahnawake on Saturday, May 22, to visit his mother and was accompanied by a Corrections Canada Officer. Deer was on an escorted day leave.

While at his mother’s residence on Clay Mountains at about 5:02 p.m. Deer told the Corrections Officer

that he was going outside to turn off a garden hose. One or two minutes later the Corrections Officer went to check on him. There was no sign of him and he has not been seen since.

On February 18, 1992 Deer appeared in Federal court on charges of aggravated assault, attempted murder and culpable homicide. He was acquitted on the charge of attempted murder but was found guilty on the charges of aggravated assault and culpable homicide. He received a ten year sentence for each.

These charges stem from an incident where he was driving away from the Chateauguay Police and bumped a kid on a bicycle. While in custody, Deer managed to escape and during that time he killed someone in a bar fight.

The Kahnawake Peacekeepers are actively looking for Deer but have run out of leads on where he could be.

When asked if Deer is considered dangerous Peacekeeper Chief Warren Lahache responded: "No comment."

However he did say that if anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Deer to contact the Kahnawake Peacekeepers at 632-6505. You could remain anonymous when doing so.

Lahache also said that it is quite common for a Corrections Canada Officer to come to Kahnawake escorting prisoners to see their families or to attend funerals.

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Federal Homes Destined For Kanehsatake
By: Kenneth Deer

What will happen when the Kanesatake Mohawk Council takes over the federal homes? This is the question that is being asked by many families who are currently living in these buildings.

The 74 homes were occupied immediately after they were purchased by the Federal government as part of a plan to consolidate the fragmented land base of Kanesatake after the Oka Crisis of 1990. Mohawk families moved in without waiting for a formal distribution system to be set up. The occupiers basically squatted in the homes.

Patsy Bonspille is one such person who is wondering how the transfer will affect her. She moved into a house in 1995 after it was abandoned by a previous Mohawk occupant.

"The houses are for the benefit and use of the Mohawks of Kanesatake and that is what we are doing. The house was empty so we moved in. It was a mess. It needed a lot of repairs which I did at my own expense. I spent thousands of dollars fixing the place up," said Bonspille.

The houses are under the administration of the Department of Indian Affairs and they insisted that the occupants sign a lease and pay rent on their home or the electricity would be turned off.

"I signed the lease because I was afraid of losing the electricity. But I found out that those that did not sign a lease did not get their electricity cut," said Bonspille.

The lease was for $420 a month but the occupant was responsible for the upkeep of the house. Bonspille was willing to pay the rent but wanted the cost of repairs deducted from her lease payments but the Department refused to negotiate any terms.

"I offered to start paying my rent in December of 1995 to make up the cost of needed repairs but the Department wanted me to pay all the back rent so I never paid any rent at all," said Bonspille.

In the meantime, Bonspille had applied for a housing loan to build her own house and she received it from the Mohawk Council in 1998.

"I got a $19,500 grant for a house but I could not get a mortgage for the balance because the Feds would not guarantee my mortgage because I was in one of their homes. It doesn’t make sense to me. One side is helping but the other is holding me up. If I can get a mortgage, than someone else can move into the house I’m living in," said Bonspille.

She has started building her new house with the grant money but does not have enough money to complete the building.

Grand Chief James Gabriel said that Kanesatake is in the middle of negotiations with the Federal government to transfer the homes to their control. He said that it is no secret that these discussions have been taking place. But he would like to reassure everyone that they have nothing to worry about.

"There may be an issue with those who have not been paying their rent which still will have to be settled," said Gabriel. "What happens if people want to purchase these homes is also not settled yet." Negotiations are still ongoing.

The Federal homes are administered by Walter Walling. He did not return calls from The Eastern Door.

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Mold Causes Sickness In Homes
By: Kenneth Deer

After several attempts at getting help, Karen Etienne Hill is finally getting relief from a mold infested house in Kanesatake. The Department of Indian Affairs has agreed to relocate her family while the house is tested again for mold.

The home of Hill, who lives in a house along the lakeside, was flooded twice last year. Once during the spring thaw and a second time when the river overflowed. After the water receded, there was a strong smell in the home. A black mold had begun to grow in the basement of the house.

The mold was identified as Stachybotris Atra (SA), level 3, a mold that can cause the occupants to become very sick. Hill asked for help from Public Works but because she was not paying her rent they would not help her. "I paid my rent for the first six months but they wouldn’t do all the repairs that were needed in the house so I stopped paying," said Hill.

Hill then requested the assistance of the Health Representatives in Kanesatake. They investigated the problem on June 25, 1998 and recommended immediate action. A company was hired to decontaminate the basement of the house.

However, the family began to experience headaches, nausea, and other discomforts for two months. They later found out that they should have vacated the house while it was being decontaminated but they were never told this.

"It smelled as if there was a dead body in the basement," said Hill.

To further aggravate the situation for her children, it was discovered that the school had a similar mold and had to be shut down for three weeks in September. Her children were exposed to mold at home and at school.

Next, her seven-year-old son was experiencing excessive nose bleeds which would not stop. The bleeding started on December 19, 1998. He has had 40 nose bleeds up to the middle of May of this year.

Hill has a doctor’s letter, dated February 5 and 25, 1999, stating that the combination of the mold SA and the chemicals used to decontaminate the home can cause the severe nosebleeds and that he advises the family to move out of the house to a new home which does not contain the mold or the chemical spray.

Despite the letters from the doctor, Hill has not been able to get the cooperation of the Department of Indian Affairs who are responsible for the homes until now.

At a meeting with Grand Chief Jimmy Gabriel, Chief Clarence Simon, two Health Representatives, Mr. Walter Walling from the Department of Indian Affairs and a representative of public works, Hill presented them with very thorough records and documents of all the reports and telephone calls that she made to try to rectify the situation. They finally agreed to move the family but, because of a shortage of housing, the family had to move in with Hill’s mother.

"But they won’t admit that they didn’t inform us to leave the house," said Hill. "It seems that we were being punished because we weren’t paying our rent. That’s a violation of our rights."

Hill agreed to meet again later to discuss back rent.

Mr. Walter Walling of the Department of Indian Affairs has not returned calls from The Eastern Door.

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New Bridge Linking Kahnawake/LaSalle Just Pie In The Sky?
By: Dan Rosenburg

There seem to be several different slants to a news story last week quoting Quebec Transport Minister Guy Chevrette as saying that his Ministry has been considering building another bridge that would link Kahnawake and LaSalle.

"For some time, we have been looking at the question of a new bridge," Chevrette was quoted as saying. Indeed those close to the South-West political scene can remember former Chateauguay PQ MNA Roland Dussault vaunting a proposed "new link to Montreal" as many as 15 years ago.

A Montreal daily recently cited Chevrette as surmising that construction on a new bridge could start within five years. The Ministry estimates the cost at anywhere between $700 million and $1 billion.

However, federal transport officials downgrade that estimate to between $400 million and $500 million, which would obviously make it a lot more feasible. This came after a federal agency named Federal Bridges Corp. exhorted the provincial government to build a new span, saying existing bridges are "past their limits."

Tom Dearhouse of the MCK saw the news report of Chevrette’s statements on television but says nothing definite has been determined along those lines.

"There were some discussions about it in reference to the transportation agreement between Quebec and Kahnawake," he recalls. "But it was purely at the discussion stage when it came to replacing current links, either by adding lanes to the Mercier Bridge or constructing a new bridge altogether."

According to Dearhouse, "If we can set up toll boths, we can perhaps collect enough money to expand the Mercier Bridge. Quebec describes it as a win-win situation. They have some financing for it."

In any event, most parties appear to agree with Federal Bridges Corp. head Michel Fournier that "lineups are becoming ridiculous" on the existing bridges. The agency oversees the Jacques Cartier and Champlain bridges, but not the Mercier.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Chevrette does not seem sold on the idea of erecting a new bridge. "I don’t see a solution exclusively in bridges," he said. "We don’t always find answers to traffic problems by pouring concrete."

Transport Quebec official Robert Dupont confirmed Chevrette’s observations. "What Mr. Chevrette was quoted as saying is correct," Dupont told The Eastern Door. "However, the Minister has various alternatives under study. A few different trajectories are being considered."

Dupont said the solution could lie outside of Kahnawake as easily as inside the reserve. "One possible route could link Montreal to the South Shore (further east)," he disclosed.

MCK member Davis Rice, for one, has heard this song before. "These discussions date back many years and, personally, I don’t put much stock in it because I know where it’s coming from," he confided.

"Around 14 years ago they were talking about an Angrignon-South Shore-Kahnawake link. At one point the government wanted the Metro line to go to Kahnawake and they promised us the parking proceeds. It was the same thing for the railroad line which would stop at the quarry.

"I don’t actually believe much studies were done and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chevrette’s words were taken totally out of context. To me, the problem is not necessarily the Mercier Bridge, but the Ville St-Pierre interchange where cars criss-cross and a bottleneck develops. It’s a bad situation even on a good day. The only positive thing I can say about a new bridge is that it might be less bumpy!"

"There are other solutions besides a new bridge," Dupont concurred. "An increase in public transport buses and restoring train service are two other options.

"As far as Mr. Chevrette is concerned, he was merely providing an update of various studies. This is not a new project that was born yesterday. There are many alternatives."

Dearhouse confirms this, saying "We talked about the fact that railroad lines are needed and the government went farther than what Kahnawake had in mind. Our suggestion was to use existing rail lines (tracks). But Quebec’s proposal was different (and more costly) than ours."

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Delaronde's Eight Destroy Dinomites
Lahache Goes Wild & Scores First Hat-Trick of Career
By: Al Briand

There was a time, last year, when these two teams got down and dirty, both on the floor and off the floor.

It was fate that these two teams would come together at the Kahnawake Sports Complex, in front of more than 1,000 fans.

What made the night special, was that both Roger Ouimet and Earl Lafleur were both honored before the game during the Mohawks opening ceremonies... part deux.

Kahnawake was supposed to have had its home opener two weeks prior, but the Snye Warriors put a damper on the festivities by not showing up.

With the mood set in stone and the timing all right, Kahnawake and Valleyfield came out and put on a lacrosse display, until starting goaltender Peter Paul went down with an injury at the start of the first period.

"I took a shot off the forearm in warm-up, and it stung for a bit. Then I took another shot in the same place during the game, and it didn’t feel right," said Paul.

After giving up one goal, Paul was replaced by Brian ‘Rif’ Jacobs, who was a little rusty as he gave up six goals. He was then replaced by Paul, who felt ready to go in despite his injury.

Valleyfield kept pace with the Mohawks for the first two periods, but with only 13 runners, it was inevitable that the Dinomites would run out of gas.

Three Mohawk players had hat-tricks in the game; Bobby Delaronde (who also recorded five assists), Eddie Dickson (who added one assist) and Herby Lahache, who scored his first career hat-trick.

"Barry (Alfred) had a lot of confidence in me, and even put me out a couple of times on the power-play. It was a great feeling. Since I lost over 15 pounds before the season, I’m able to run a lot better," gleamed Lahache, who went from 231 pounds before the season, to a svelte 214.

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Editorial

Joe Deer Carried Himself With Dignity
By: Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

There are certain people who seem to stand out among others. People whom you always see in the front, not because they want to be the leader, but only because they feel that they have a duty to fulfill and they carry it out. And they never get a big head because of it.

Joe Deer was one of these people. He always seemed to be involved in some activity or another. Joe was an unassuming leader who led by example rather than by asserting himself. He was a teacher who taught by telling stories and singing songs.

People respected Joe. He carried himself with great dignity, giving his advice when asked and offering it when he felt he had to. You never heard him rant about anything but he would give a stern lecture if he felt it was needed. Underneath it all, a great love of people coupled with a quick wit and sense of humor, made him a pleasure to be around.

Joe was a strong advocate of the Mohawk language. He was a regular on the Wednesday "Party Line Talkshow" on K103 when he and his partners would discuss various topics in the language. He would always lament on how the young people, meaning anybody under 50, were not learning the language and the language was fading away. His passing is just another example of how fragile our language is and how quickly our language is ebbing away from us.

Joe was a member of more organizations than people have fingers on their hands. He always took his responsibilities to these organizations seriously and was a model member in all of them. He was the kind of person you wanted in your organization or your group or circle of friends.

And Joe had a lot of friends. He always had a kind word to say about everybody even if they didn’t deserve it. He was a respected person in the Longhouse. Although never holding a title, he helped all that he could during the ceremonies by speaking for his side of the house. During Mid-Winter the last few years, he would sing the Atonwa as his contribution to the festival.

The measure of a person is how they will be missed when they are gone. And Joe Deer will be missed. We always take our favorite people for granted. We always assumed Joe would be there on the radio every week, or at the Pow-wow every summer, or marching in the Remembrance Day parade, or at our next festival.

But he won’t be there any more and our community has lost a little bit of itself.

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Comics

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