CANACE Report – McGuinty’s Ipperwash Cover-up: The Caledonia Legacy

The Caledonia-based Regional News has become the first media outlet in Canada to publish the full story of our Ipperwash Papers project —  in a two-part series that appeared Feb 18 & 25/09. Both parts are reprinted below as they appeared (photos are added) with references following.

The authors would like to thank publisher Chris Pickup and reporter Bill Jackson for allowing us to tell this important story in our own words. The Regional News has been a fierce watchdog for the people of Haldimand County, and we are very grateful to them. As Mark Vandermaas once said:

When the politicians and police finally realize that no realistic landclaim solution is possible if they continue to ignore the innocent victims of landclaim lawlessness it will be due in no small part because one courageous newspaper and a gutsy reporter held true to the highest and finest ideals of journalism in a town where fear has silenced so many.

VoiceofCanada, July 23/08: Ryerson Review of Journalism: McHale & Vandermaas important news sources for Caledonia dispute

The Regional News is not published online, but readers can download a PDF reprint of the series:

• McGuinty’s Ipperwash Cover-up: The Caledonia Legacy – Full Version PDF

——————————————————————-

The Regional News, Feb 18/09

MCGUINTY’S IPPERWASH COVER-UP: THE CALEDONIA LEGACY

by Mark Vandermaas, Mary-Lou LaPratte and Gary McHale

PART 1: Race-based Policing in Ipperwash

On the sandy roads and beautiful Lake Huron beaches of Ipperwash, 35 kilometres north of Sarnia, Ontario there are few signs of the turmoil that once ripped apart an entire community and set others on a collision course with land claim anarchy thanks to a public inquiry that wasn’t.

Imagine if a future government invested $20 Million and three years on an inquiry into the Caledonia crisis, but refused to allow a single resident to testify, and deliberately excluded every shred of evidence of crimes against them by native protesters. What if this inquiry was then used to hold natives blameless and justify a ‘hands off’ policy against land claim lawlessness in other Ontario towns? This is the legacy of Premier McGuinty’s Ipperwash Inquiry.

CANACE counters T.R.U.E. attempt to rewrite Caledonia history

The Brantford Expositor today published a letter written by CANACE President and Executive Director Gary McHale intended to expose the attempt by a group called ‘Two Row Understanding Through Education’ (TRUE) to blame the media for the well-deserved black-eye native extremists are receiving in the media.

———————————-
Brantford Expositor, July 30/08
Letter to Editor by Gary McHale,
Executive Director of CANACE
T.R.U.E. – Meeting held little truth [PDF]
———————————–

Mr. McHale made it clear that CANACE believes that if true healing is to begin, native extremists owe an apology to the innocent victims – both native and non-native – of their lawlessness, and that CANACE will not allow them to rewrite history:

CANACE Report: Legalized MYTHS of Illegal Occupations

UPDATE July 14/08: Legalized MYTHS was downloaded more than 2,600 times in the first 24 hours following its release on May 07/08 with 8,457 total downloads to date. In the last 13 days there has been renewed interest in the report with 1435 downloads – 110 times per day.

UPDATE May 13/08: 1. Revised edition of ‘Legalized Myths’ report released. In addition to correcting several typos, and adding source citations, the revised report includes an acknowledgement of MPP Toby Barrett’s role in representing his constituents in the struggle to end race-based policing in Ontario.  2. Link to video footage of Cayuga presentation added below.
——————————————-

CANACE is pleased to announce that our latest report – Legalized MYTHS of Illegal Occupations – was presented to a crowd of 90 people at a packed hall in Cayuga, Ontario on May 07/08 who gave us and our report a very warm welcome, especially when CANACE’s Director of Research Mark Vandermaas summed up the last two years of state-enabled lawlessness:

“Once you strip away the myths and the lies they are predicated upon, the so-called ‘justification’ of race-based policing offered by the OPP and the McGuinty government is nothing more than liberalist-ideology-gone-insane hidden inside a house of cards surrounded by smoke and mirrors.”

CANACE report: Ontario deserves a full and fair inquiry into landclaim lawlessness

On March 14, 2007 CANACE co-founders Mark Vandermaas, Gary McHale and longtime Ipperwash resident/community leader Mary-Lou LaPratte held a news conference in the Queen’s Park Media Room to release The Ipperwash Papers project, 400+ documents that show how the Ipperwash Inquiry suppressed all evidence of native crimes against innocent residents.

CANACE report: Proof of Race Based Policing in Ontario

UPDATE: This report was downloaded more than 4,000 times within 48 hours of its release.

Thanks to CANACE research and activism this week, we were able to expose the fact that the Ontario Provincial Police is deliberately misleading landowners, municipalities and native protesters when they tell them native occupiers have the right to commit illegal acts under the ‘colour of right’ defence.

The documentation uncovered shows that the OPP have been misinforming the public with the full knowledge of the Ontario government, and of the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs in particular.

CANACE report: The Human Costs of Illegal Occupations

UPDATED 1336 EST April 15/08: Over 17,000 copies downloaded to date.
—————————
Canadian Advocates for Charter Equality (CANACE) has released a draft copy of a 101 page report documenting some of the violence and crime perpetrated against Caledonia residents - both native and non-native – during the occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates by native extremists.

‘The Human Costs of Illegal Occupations’ is based on various documents, letters, media reports, statements from residents, as well as evidence from our Ipperwash Papers project showing how events in Caledonia parallel those in Ipperwash, and how the official Inquiry suppressed evidence of native crimes against residents there. 

‘The Human Costs’ is a ‘must-read’ for anyone who wishes to understand the awful price to be paid when lawlessness is tolerated by those tasked with the responsibility to prevent it.

The cover photo above shows Caledonia builder Sam Gualtieri in his hospital bed following his attempted murder by native occupiers who beat him inside the home he was building for his daughter. 

Please click on the photo to download a PDF copy of the report.