Ipperwash Crisis
Encyclopedia
The Ipperwash Crisis was an Indigenous
land dispute that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park
, Ontario
in 1995. Several members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied the park in order to assert their claim to nearby land which had been expropriated from them during World War II
. During a violent confrontation, the Ontario Provincial Police
(OPP) killed unarmed protester Dudley George.
The ensuing controversy was a major event in Canadian politics
. In 2003 a provincial inquiry was started after a change in government. Former Ontario Chief Justice Sidney Linden led the investigation of events, which was completed in the fall of 2006.
In 1942 during World War II
, the Government of Canada
wanted reserve land from the Stoney Point Band to use as a base for military training and offered to buy it for $15 per acre. They also promised to return the land after the war ended. The Natives rejected the offer.
Under the War Measures Act
, the federal government appropriated the lands from the Stoney Point Reserve and established Military Camp Ipperwash
. The First Nations
claim that the grounds contain a burial
site. As of 2010, archaeological surveys have established that such a site does indeed exist.
As early as 1993, while Camp Ipperwash was still being used as a summer training centre for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
, a few natives had occupied portions of the camp and the adjacent piece of land. After the summer of 1993, the government moved the cadet camp to CFB Borden
. There was growing tension about the base at Camp Ipperwash.
Monday, September 4, 1995, a group of natives started a protest in Ipperwash Provincial Park to draw attention to the decades-old land claims. After the park closed at 6:00 p.m., protestors cut back a fence and by 7:30 had moved vehicles into the park. About thirty-five protestors occupied the park. The protestors had been threatening occupation since the spring. The original OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) strategy was to co-occupy the Park peacefully with the First Nations. But, when a protester from the group smashed the window of a police cruiser, the OPP pulled back from the Park.
In anticipation of the move on the Park by the Stoney Point First Nations, the OPP had prepared a contingency plan named Project Maple. The plan stressed "a peaceful resolution", and called for a team of two negotiators to be on call around the clock.
Ontario PC
M.P.P. Marcel Beaubien
was in contact with the police the following day, and Beaubien also contacted the office of the Premier
, Mike Harris
in an attempt to put pressure on the government to intervene.
On Tuesday, September 5, 1995 several government officials met in Toronto to discuss the Ipperwash protest. The meeting notes conclude, "The province will take steps to remove the occupiers as soon as possible."
There was also misinformation about damage that had been done to a Band Councillor's car by this group of protesters. The damage to the Councillor's car was by a rock thrown by one of the protesters who took exception to an article the Councillor had written disapproving of the occupation. A rumour started that the protesters smashed up the vehicle of a female driver with baseball bats, a report that was later found to be false and misleading by Justice Sidney Linden.
Out of public safety concerns, the OPP decided to deploy the Crowd Management Unit (CMU) to force the protesters back into the Park. The CMU was a riot squad armed with steel batons, shields and helmets. The CMU was backed up by a Tactical Response Unit (TRU), effectively a SWAT
team. The OPP intended a show of force to move the protesters back inside the park.
On Wednesday evening, police riot squads marched down to the Sandy Parking Lot to confront the protesters. As the CMU advanced, the protesters initially retreated back and the CMU responded by retreating back. A particular protester, Cecil Bernard George approached the police (peacefully according to the protesters, violently according to police reports). George was taken down and surrounded by police and arrested. Protesters attempted to rescue George from the assault by the police units. This resulted in a riot.
A car and a school bus driven by protesters started out of the park to assist the protesters. According to police officers, there was gunfire from these vehicles but First Nations protesters have insisted they had no weapons in the park that night. The OPP TRU teams opened fire on the vehicles, resulting in the wounding of two Native protesters and the death of Dudley George, an Ojibwa
protestor. Among the TRU members was Acting Sergeant Ken "Tex" Deane, a senior officer in charge of a four-man sniper team with the job of escorting the force's crowd management unit. Deane was near the park entrance and fired three shots at Dudley George, who was about fifteen feet from the park entrance, and was hit and badly injured. Deane later claimed he had mistaken the elongated dark coloured branch which George was carrying for a rifle
.
George's sister Carolyn and brother Pierre attempted to take him to the local hospital for treatment but were arrested and delayed by the OPP for over an hour. George was declared dead at 12:20 a.m. on September 7, 1995, at nearby Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital, in Strathroy, Ontario. Anthony O'Brien George (March 17, 1957 – September 7, 1995), nicknamed "Dudley", was the eighth of ten children born to Geneviève ("Jenny") Pauline Rogers George and Reg "Nug" (Reginald Ransford) George.
causing death. Deane's defence was that he had believed that Dudley George was carrying a rifle
. The judge rejected Deane's claim, stating: "I find, sir, that you were not honest in presenting this version of events to the Ontario Provincial Police investigators. You were not honest in presenting this version of events to the Special Investigations Unit of the Province of Ontario. You were not honest in maintaining this ruse before this court." He sentenced Deane to a conditional sentence two years less a day to be served in the community (not in custody).
Deane hung on to his job for 5½ years after the criminal conviction, as he unsuccessfully appealed the verdict to the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. After a subsequent Police Act Hearing, Deane was convicted of Discredible Conduct and ordered to resign in 7 days or be fired. He later worked at an Ontario Hydro nuclear station in security.
Ken Deane died on February 25, 2006, in a car accident
, when his vehicle collided with a truck near Prescott
. Deane was on his way to testify in the inquiry.
in the 2003 election
.
The public inquiry was funded by the Government of Ontario but conducted by a neutral third party, Sidney B. Linden, pursuant to his powers as commissioner established under the Public Inquiries Act (Ontario). The inquiry's mandate was to inquire and report on events surrounding the death of Dudley George. The inquiry was also asked to make recommendations that would avoid violence in similar circumstances in the future. The inquiry was neither a civil nor criminal trial.
During the inquiry, a 17-minute tape recording surfaced that cast new light on the events at Ipperwash. The tape records a conversation between OPP Inspector Ron Fox and Inspector John Carson, the OPP commander overseeing the standoff at Ipperwash, prior to George's death. They discussed the Premier Mike Harris's view that the government has "tried to pacify and pander to these people far too long" and to use "swift affirmative action" to remove them from the park.
Other testimony has further put the Harris government in a bad light. In particular, former Harris aide, Deb Hutton repeatedly testified in November, 2005, that she couldn't remember any specific conversations, leading one cross-examiner to pointedly remark that she had used phrases such as "I don't recall" or "I don't specifically recall" on 134 separate occasions. Also former Ontario Provincial Attorney General Charles Harnick testified that Harris used profanity while shouting, "I want the fucking Indians out of the park." Later witnesses denied Harnick's evidence.
Former Premier Mike Harris appeared before the inquiry on February 14, 2006. He testified that he had never said the statement attributed to him by Harnick. Justice Linden "found the statements were made and they were racist, whether intended or not."
The day before George was killed, a call was recorded in which then-OPP Sgt. Stan Korosec, in charge of the OPP emergency response team at Ipperwash, said, "We want to amass a fucking army. A real fucking army and do this. Do these fuckers big-time."
The evidentiary hearings of the inquiry ended on June 28, 2006. Justice Linden's final report and findings of the inquiry were released on May 31, 2007.
Minister Michael Bryant
, the land will be fully returned over an unspecified period of time, until the Chippewas have full control.
On Thursday 28 May 2009, Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid formally signed over control of Ipperwash Park to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
land dispute that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park
Ipperwash Provincial Park
Ipperwash Provincial Park is a provincial park on the shores of southern Lake Huron in Lambton County, Ontario.Located near Grand Bend, the 56 hectare, or , park was established in 1936. It contains a long sandy beach on the lakeshore, as well as rare flowers and sand dunes...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in 1995. Several members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied the park in order to assert their claim to nearby land which had been expropriated from them during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During a violent confrontation, the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
(OPP) killed unarmed protester Dudley George.
The ensuing controversy was a major event in Canadian politics
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 2003 a provincial inquiry was started after a change in government. Former Ontario Chief Justice Sidney Linden led the investigation of events, which was completed in the fall of 2006.
Background
In 1936, the Province of Ontario created Ipperwash Provincial Park.In 1942 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
wanted reserve land from the Stoney Point Band to use as a base for military training and offered to buy it for $15 per acre. They also promised to return the land after the war ended. The Natives rejected the offer.
Under the War Measures Act
War Measures Act
The War Measures Act was a Canadian statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers in the event of "war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended"...
, the federal government appropriated the lands from the Stoney Point Reserve and established Military Camp Ipperwash
Camp Ipperwash
Military Camp Ipperwash is a former Canadian Forces training facility located in Lambton County, Ontario near Kettle Point.-Geography:...
. The First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
claim that the grounds contain a burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
site. As of 2010, archaeological surveys have established that such a site does indeed exist.
As early as 1993, while Camp Ipperwash was still being used as a summer training centre for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
, a few natives had occupied portions of the camp and the adjacent piece of land. After the summer of 1993, the government moved the cadet camp to CFB Borden
CFB Borden
Canadian Forces Base Borden is a Canadian Forces base located in Ontario.The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is the largest training facility in the Canadian Forces...
. There was growing tension about the base at Camp Ipperwash.
Occupation of the park
On Labour DayLabour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
Monday, September 4, 1995, a group of natives started a protest in Ipperwash Provincial Park to draw attention to the decades-old land claims. After the park closed at 6:00 p.m., protestors cut back a fence and by 7:30 had moved vehicles into the park. About thirty-five protestors occupied the park. The protestors had been threatening occupation since the spring. The original OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) strategy was to co-occupy the Park peacefully with the First Nations. But, when a protester from the group smashed the window of a police cruiser, the OPP pulled back from the Park.
In anticipation of the move on the Park by the Stoney Point First Nations, the OPP had prepared a contingency plan named Project Maple. The plan stressed "a peaceful resolution", and called for a team of two negotiators to be on call around the clock.
Ontario PC
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
M.P.P. Marcel Beaubien
Marcel Beaubien
Marcel Beaubien is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and unsuccessfully sought election to the Canadian House of Commons as the Conservative candidate in the federal riding of Sarnia-Lambton in...
was in contact with the police the following day, and Beaubien also contacted the office of the Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
, Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
in an attempt to put pressure on the government to intervene.
On Tuesday, September 5, 1995 several government officials met in Toronto to discuss the Ipperwash protest. The meeting notes conclude, "The province will take steps to remove the occupiers as soon as possible."
Death of Dudley George
On Wednesday, the OPP became concerned about a group of protesters who had wandered outside the Park and into the Sandy Park lot area adjacent to the cottages. The group was allegedly carrying bats and sticks in their hands. The number of protesters has been debated, although police reports indicate a group of up to 8.There was also misinformation about damage that had been done to a Band Councillor's car by this group of protesters. The damage to the Councillor's car was by a rock thrown by one of the protesters who took exception to an article the Councillor had written disapproving of the occupation. A rumour started that the protesters smashed up the vehicle of a female driver with baseball bats, a report that was later found to be false and misleading by Justice Sidney Linden.
Out of public safety concerns, the OPP decided to deploy the Crowd Management Unit (CMU) to force the protesters back into the Park. The CMU was a riot squad armed with steel batons, shields and helmets. The CMU was backed up by a Tactical Response Unit (TRU), effectively a SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
team. The OPP intended a show of force to move the protesters back inside the park.
On Wednesday evening, police riot squads marched down to the Sandy Parking Lot to confront the protesters. As the CMU advanced, the protesters initially retreated back and the CMU responded by retreating back. A particular protester, Cecil Bernard George approached the police (peacefully according to the protesters, violently according to police reports). George was taken down and surrounded by police and arrested. Protesters attempted to rescue George from the assault by the police units. This resulted in a riot.
A car and a school bus driven by protesters started out of the park to assist the protesters. According to police officers, there was gunfire from these vehicles but First Nations protesters have insisted they had no weapons in the park that night. The OPP TRU teams opened fire on the vehicles, resulting in the wounding of two Native protesters and the death of Dudley George, an Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
protestor. Among the TRU members was Acting Sergeant Ken "Tex" Deane, a senior officer in charge of a four-man sniper team with the job of escorting the force's crowd management unit. Deane was near the park entrance and fired three shots at Dudley George, who was about fifteen feet from the park entrance, and was hit and badly injured. Deane later claimed he had mistaken the elongated dark coloured branch which George was carrying for a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
.
George's sister Carolyn and brother Pierre attempted to take him to the local hospital for treatment but were arrested and delayed by the OPP for over an hour. George was declared dead at 12:20 a.m. on September 7, 1995, at nearby Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital, in Strathroy, Ontario. Anthony O'Brien George (March 17, 1957 – September 7, 1995), nicknamed "Dudley", was the eighth of ten children born to Geneviève ("Jenny") Pauline Rogers George and Reg "Nug" (Reginald Ransford) George.
Criminal investigation
Acting Sergeant Ken Deane (October 1961 – February 25, 2006) was convicted of criminal negligenceCriminal negligence
In the criminal law, criminal negligence is one of the three general classes of mens rea element required to constitute a conventional as opposed to strict liability offense. It is defined as an act that is:-Concept:...
causing death. Deane's defence was that he had believed that Dudley George was carrying a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
. The judge rejected Deane's claim, stating: "I find, sir, that you were not honest in presenting this version of events to the Ontario Provincial Police investigators. You were not honest in presenting this version of events to the Special Investigations Unit of the Province of Ontario. You were not honest in maintaining this ruse before this court." He sentenced Deane to a conditional sentence two years less a day to be served in the community (not in custody).
Deane hung on to his job for 5½ years after the criminal conviction, as he unsuccessfully appealed the verdict to the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. After a subsequent Police Act Hearing, Deane was convicted of Discredible Conduct and ordered to resign in 7 days or be fired. He later worked at an Ontario Hydro nuclear station in security.
Ken Deane died on February 25, 2006, in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
, when his vehicle collided with a truck near Prescott
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
. Deane was on his way to testify in the inquiry.
Inquiry
The George family repeatedly called on the Ontario and federal governments to launch an inquiry into the events at Ipperwash. A public inquiry was launched on November 12, 2003, after the Ontario Conservatives lost power to the Dalton McGuinty's Ontario Liberal PartyOntario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
in the 2003 election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
The public inquiry was funded by the Government of Ontario but conducted by a neutral third party, Sidney B. Linden, pursuant to his powers as commissioner established under the Public Inquiries Act (Ontario). The inquiry's mandate was to inquire and report on events surrounding the death of Dudley George. The inquiry was also asked to make recommendations that would avoid violence in similar circumstances in the future. The inquiry was neither a civil nor criminal trial.
During the inquiry, a 17-minute tape recording surfaced that cast new light on the events at Ipperwash. The tape records a conversation between OPP Inspector Ron Fox and Inspector John Carson, the OPP commander overseeing the standoff at Ipperwash, prior to George's death. They discussed the Premier Mike Harris's view that the government has "tried to pacify and pander to these people far too long" and to use "swift affirmative action" to remove them from the park.
Other testimony has further put the Harris government in a bad light. In particular, former Harris aide, Deb Hutton repeatedly testified in November, 2005, that she couldn't remember any specific conversations, leading one cross-examiner to pointedly remark that she had used phrases such as "I don't recall" or "I don't specifically recall" on 134 separate occasions. Also former Ontario Provincial Attorney General Charles Harnick testified that Harris used profanity while shouting, "I want the fucking Indians out of the park." Later witnesses denied Harnick's evidence.
Former Premier Mike Harris appeared before the inquiry on February 14, 2006. He testified that he had never said the statement attributed to him by Harnick. Justice Linden "found the statements were made and they were racist, whether intended or not."
The day before George was killed, a call was recorded in which then-OPP Sgt. Stan Korosec, in charge of the OPP emergency response team at Ipperwash, said, "We want to amass a fucking army. A real fucking army and do this. Do these fuckers big-time."
The evidentiary hearings of the inquiry ended on June 28, 2006. Justice Linden's final report and findings of the inquiry were released on May 31, 2007.
Return of land
On December 20, 2007, the Ontario Provincial government announced its intention to return the 56-hectare Ipperwash Provincial Park to its original owners, the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. The decision did not take immediate effect, as the land will be "co-managed" by the Province and the Chippewas, with consultation from the surrounding community, for the time being. According to Aboriginal AffairsMinistry of Aboriginal Affairs (Ontario)
The Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for issues relating to First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Ontario. The current Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is Kathleen Wynne who sits in the Executive Council of Ontario or cabinet...
Minister Michael Bryant
Michael Bryant (politician)
Michael J. Bryant is former public administrator and former politician in Ontario, Canada. A Harvard-trained lawyer, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the electoral district of St. Paul's for the Ontario Liberal Party from 1999 until 2009...
, the land will be fully returned over an unspecified period of time, until the Chippewas have full control.
On Thursday 28 May 2009, Ontario Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid formally signed over control of Ipperwash Park to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
See also
- One Dead IndianOne Dead IndianOne Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis is a book by Canadian investigative journalist Peter Edwards about the 1995 Ipperwash Crisis and the shooting death of aboriginal land claims protester Dudley George by the Ontario Provincial Police on September 7, 1995...
- Oka CrisisOka CrisisThe Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada which began on July 11, 1990 and lasted until September 26, 1990. At least one person died as a result...
- Burnt Church CrisisBurnt Church CrisisThe Burnt Church Crisis was a conflict in Canada between the Mi'kmaq people of the Burnt Church First Nation and non-Aboriginal New Brunswick fisheries, from 1999 to 2001. Natives and non-Natives of the area prior to this crisis had a long history of living peacefully together and helping each other...
- Gustafsen Lake StandoffGustafsen Lake StandoffThe Gustafsen Lake Standoff was an indigenous land dispute involving members of the Secwepemc nation and members of other indigenous groups in British Columbia, Canada which began on June 15, 1995, and lasted until September 17, 1995.-The Standoff begins:...
- Caledonia Land DisputeCaledonia land disputeThe current Grand River land dispute came to wide attention in Canada on February 28, 2006. On that date, protesters from the Six Nations of the Grand River began a demonstration to raise awareness about First Nation land claims in Ontario, Canada...
Sources
- Peter Edwards, One Dead IndianOne Dead IndianOne Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis is a book by Canadian investigative journalist Peter Edwards about the 1995 Ipperwash Crisis and the shooting death of aboriginal land claims protester Dudley George by the Ontario Provincial Police on September 7, 1995...
. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., 2001
External links
- Indepth: Ipperwash from CBC NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
- Ipperwash Inquiry homepage