In case you missed Rex Murphy last night on The National, he did a great piece questioning the Ontario Liberal Government’s treatment of Dave Brown and Dana Chatwell’s plight in Caledonia.
As Rex so eloquently notes, “States exist – they exist – to protect their citizens.”
Except in Caledonia, Ontario.
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Update:
Why are we paying this bill? - Joe Warmington:
To think the whole time the lawless lunacy has been going on here, you have been paying the native occupiers’ hydro bill.
And their natural gas and water bills, too. In fact, an invoice dug up by Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett shows since 2006, the province, through the government’s Ontario Realty Corp., has paid $26,178.57 to keep the one house on the occupied Douglas Creek Estates site lit up, heated and in full plumbing.
The invoice shows regular payments from 2006 up until March of this year.
Turns out you are not only paying your own rising home utility bill but also of those who have held this town hostage for three years…
Good grief. And come next summer we get to pay the HST on that too! Thanks Dalton.
And get this!! Caledonia couple no longer suspected of trashing own home – Barbara Brown, CP (In the Standard):
…In examination for discovery, Cain acknowledged the police actively investigated Brown and Chatwell for the vandalism after receiving information from a member of the provincial police force’s Aboriginal Relations Team that pointed to them as possible suspects.
The couple’s lawyer, John Evans, asked the officer, “Did any interviews of any First Nations people take place with respect to the break-in and vandalism?”
Cain replied: “I’m not aware of any First Nations people being interviewed as suspects.”
In January, Fantino acknowledged the police no longer consider Brown and Chatwell as suspects.
“I believe that was the outcome of the investigation,” said Fantino.
The commissioner said the matter remains under investigation and no other suspects have been questioned or apprehended…
More here: Ontario suggests Caledonia homeowner concocted evidence for publicity – Post:
The government’s cross-examination of David Brown, the Caledonia man suing the province of Ontario after his house was caught in a no man’s land when native protesters took control of a large construction site in a fiery land claims dispute, started with a suggestion he made up portions of his dramatic evidence to draw attention to his lawsuit...
So what did they think? That he was another Balloon Boy?
A reign of terror, a trail of OPP inaction – Christie Blatchford (H/T Peter):
…Mr. Evans was asking if the commissioner was aware of an incident where Mr. Brown was cutting his grass when a native man drove by, said “You’re fucking dead!” and drove directly at him, forcing Mr. Brown to jump in the ditch.
Commissioner Fantino said he hadn’t heard about that particular incident, but admitted he did know of instances where suspects were allowed to flee unmolested onto the DCE lands, or as Mr. Evans put it, “the OPP would not go onto DCE to apprehend the individual.
“And what’s the reason for that?” Mr. Evans asked.
“The escalation of conflict and violence and so forth, and safety of the officers as well,” Commissioner Fantino replied.
Mr. Evans also took Commissioner Fantino through a series of questions that established that the head of the OPP knew natives, sometimes wearing camouflage and face masks, were shining spotlights into the Brown home; threatening and harassing the family; regularly trespassing and lighting fires; drumming and yelling and disturbing the peace – and that the cumulative effect of such conduct was likely to intimidate Mr. Brown and his family and constituted “emotional and psychological abuse” by the protesters.
Yet, when Mr. Evans asked the OPP commissioner if the proper police response would be to investigate or lay charges, he regularly replied, “In normal circumstances, yes” or “Normally, yes.”
And bear in mind – This is happening in Canada! Where are all those bleeding hearts who scream about following the rules concerning the treatment of Afghan detainees? We don’t even have police following the rules in Ontario!
Kevin Libin: Caledonia — Coming soon to a land claim near you – Post
Finally, Lorne Gunter sums up the effect this whole incident is having on Ontario residents who are losing faith in police and government (H/T Peter):
…It is not only the preferential treatment of aboriginals that corrodes the rule of law, it is also the abandonment of non-aboriginal citizens by their government and the police — the way the Browns felt forced to defend themselves as a last resort — that damages the web of society.
