Provincial police say they’ve charged 22 people in relation to an ongoing land dispute in southwestern Ontario.
Officers have been charging those at the camp at McKenzie Meadows, a housing development at the centre of the dispute since Aug. 5.
They say the 22 individuals arrested have all been released and are expected to appear in court in Cayuga, Ont., at a later date.
Among those charged are members of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and Tyendinaga First Nation, as well as residents from elsewhere the province.
Most of the charges include mischief and disobeying of court order. There is currently a court injunction ordering everyone off the land.
A group of protestors from Six Nations of the Grand River have named the site “1492 Land Back Lane“ and created a Facebook page to share their views.
“McKenzie Meadows is one of several housing developments within the area that are directly violating the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee,” reads a description on the group’s Facebook page.
“Collectively we remain firm in our stance that action must be taken to stop the ongoing development of our lands.”
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Toronto on Sept. 12 in front of Ontario’s Ministry of Indigenous Affairs demanding an end to police actions tied to the controversial housing development in Caledonia, Global News reported.
Organizers said the protest was in opposition to 26 people who have been arrested in connection with an occupation at 1535 McKenzie Rd. in Caledonia tied to a land claim dispute that’s been going on for more than 50 days.
“We’re here because we wanted to choose someone at the provincial level to target in terms of doing something about this, because that’s what they’re there for,” organizer Subhanya Sivajothy told Global News.
A similar demonstration took place in Caledonia near the Mackenzie Meadows site.