OHSWEKEN — Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation says it is going to resume work on the Niagara Reinforcement Project hydro line.
Construction was halted in January 2019 after SNGRDC announced they received a cease and desist letter from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council ordering work on the line to halt.
SNGRDC Director Matt Jamieson said in an emailed statement that there is no new arrangement between Hydro One and the HCCC, but says Hydro One wishes to continue on the original agreement and complete the NRL.
In a public notice, SNGRDC announced it was returning to work on the project, saying the decision to return to work was reached by the “SNGRDC Governance Group and it’s Shareholder.”
“The Governance Group is comprised of the SNGRDC Board of Directors, SNGRDC Advisory Committee, and Economic Development Trust- Board of Trustees,” said Jamieson. SNGRDC’s shareholder is the Six Nations Elected Council.
“We have spoken to our shareholder and Governance group on numerous occasions and the consensus is that the project gets completed pursuant to the original plan as communicated during the engagement process.”
Initial reports on the shutdown said men from Six Nations attended the work site and insisted construction halt immediately, that an engagement payment of $250,000 be made to the Haudenosaunee Development Institute and demanded a meeting between the HCCC and Hydro One.
SNGRDC later confirmed the halt was led by HDI’s lawyer Aaron Detlor, along with HCCC Chief Allan McNaughton and HCCC’s Ogwawista Dedwahsneys Director Colin Martin along with a collective of supporters who instructed workers to stop.
Officials told TRT workers on site were threatened with “men from all the territories” to shut down the project entirely if workers did not halt construction.
In February, SNRGRC held a community meeting to inform the Six Nations community of the steps they’d taken since the letter was received and to publicly ask the HCCC to lift their cease-and-desist.
TRT sent numerous requests to the HCCC and HDI for an interview on the work stoppage but to date have not received a reply.
SNGRDC Director Matt Jamieson said in an emailed statement that there is no new arrangement between Hydro One and the HCCC, but says Hydro One wishes to continue on the original agreement and complete the NRL.
In a public notice, SNGRDC announced it was returning to work on the project, saying the decision to return to work was reached by the “SNGRDC Governance Group and it’s Shareholder.”
“The Governance Group is comprised of the SNGRDC Board of Directors, SNGRDC Advisory Committee, and Economic Development Trust- Board of Trustees,” said Jamieson. SNGRDC’s shareholder is the Six Nations Elected Council.
“We have spoken to our shareholder and Governance group on numerous occasions and the consensus is that the project gets completed pursuant to the original plan as communicated during the engagement process.”
