Native Occupation, John Tory
Caledonia -- we don't need any more laws
By Arthur Weinreb
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Ontario PC leader John Tory recently went to the besieged southern Ontario town of Caledonia that has been subject to a native occupation for the past year and a half and announced that if his party forms the next government he will strengthen the province's trespass laws. Tory vowed to increase the fines under Ontario's Trespass to Property Act to $2,000 for individuals and $25,000 for groups. The Act would cover not only those who trespass on someone else's property but would include those persons who organize or finance such occupations. This was in keeping with Tory's previous statements that civil remedies for those who are adversely affected by illegal occupations need to be used. This is bound to scare the occupiers; they'll have to go to Ottawa to get more money to pay their fines.
If modern day society has any problem regarding laws it is that we have too many laws. In our current nanny state existence, almost every aspect of peoples' lives is regulated to death. Even on their own property, people are prevented from cutting down their own trees and using pesticides to kill weeds. If anything, we need fewer laws, not more. It is hard to even envisage a situation where a completely new law is needed, although Toronto Mayor David Miller would love to see a law that would allow Councillors Rob Ford and Doug Holyday to be thrown in the slammer for not spending enough of their "office" budgets. Proposing new laws or toughening current ones is the last vestige of weak politicians who lack the political will to enforce our current laws. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the area of handguns. Rather than strictly enforce the current laws that virtually ban handguns, those found in possession of guns are easily let out on bail, given light sentences and then the politicians cry that tougher laws are needed -- a complete ban on handguns (ie. take them away from law abiding citizens).
The Caledonia occupation per se is not the problem for the law abiding residents of the town. The land that the natives are occupying belonged to a developer. Premier Dalton McGuinty liked the land so much that he bought it using our money, of course. Since the province of Ontario now owns the disputed land, they are free to let natives or anyone else that they want to, occupy it. What is adversely affecting the residents of the town of Caledonia are the illegal actions that are taken against them by the occupiers. Local resident Anne Marie Vansickle was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying, "And everybody's aware of all the incidents that's going on -- the hijackings, attempted murders, break-and-enters, tire fires, verbal and physical assaults…this is the environment that we send our children to every day at school."
Hmm. We already have laws that make assault, mischief to property, attempted murder, threatening death and a host of other actions, crimes. What is causing problems for the residents of Caledonia is that these criminal offences are being committed in their town and the police stand around and do nothing. It is too politically incorrect for the province's police force to actually enforce the criminal laws that everyone else in the province is subjected to. Very rarely do police actually investigate or make arrests in relation to occupation-related crime. The one notable exception was the arrest warrants that were issued after local developer Sam Gualtieri was severely beaten. From the swift action taken by the police, you would think that their political masters are facing re-election in a couple of weeks.
Going after money from those who engage in illegal occupations is not the answer. As long as the occupiers are free to commit criminal acts under the watchful eye of the police who stand around and do nothing (lest they upset the delicate negotiations that are taking place) there will always be two-tiered justice in Ontario. Tory's proposals to bring in new and tougher laws to exact money from the occupiers will accomplish nothing.
Many of the residents of Caledonia are placing their hopes on a Tory government will bring an end to the nightmare lives that they have lived during the last 18 months. Unfortunately if John Tory does form the next government, they are going to be in for a big disappointment. We need a government that will pledge to enforce our current criminal laws in every part of the province. The last thing we need is new laws or a strengthening of the current ones.
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