Brantford's Mayor Kevin Davis recently called on the Province of Ontario and the Federal Government to settle the land claims dispute that Six Nations of the Grand River filed against the crown and the province in March 1995 regarding the Haldimand Tract.

"It's a national shame that this lawsuit has been ongoing for 27 years with no clear end in sight," Davis said in a passionate speech at a Brantford committee of the whole meeting on July 5. "The last government that made a serious effort to resolve the claims outside of the court process was 14 years ago under the (Stephen) Harper government."

The mayor also said the process that the federal government uses to move this lawsuit forward is flawed saying

"I'm told the lawsuit will be proceeding to trial next year," he said. "However, if the federal government continues it current litigation strategy it won't surprise me, and I'm saying this as a lawyer, if it takes another decade or two to work through the trial and the lengthy appeal process court of appeal in the supreme court."

Davis presented and outlined his Notice of Motion titled "Seeking Prosperity and Partnership with Indigenous Nations and a Timely Resolution of Haldimand Tract Land Dispute" to which other Brantford city council members voiced their support on the matter.

Coun. Joshua Wall spoke on his excitement to be apart of the motion.

"I'm thrilled to support this motion. It's about time something like this came to the table."

"Indigenous people are speaking up, they're speaking loudly, they're speaking proudly and they are taking action. And maybe more so than any other time in history more people than ever are listening," he added. "This is not a Brantford issues, this is not a Ontario issue, this is not a Canada issue, this is a worldwide issue and people and leaders in every country in the world are watching how our governments are communicating and negotiating with and working together with the Indigenous peoples of this land. I urge everybody to hold the people they have elected to be their leaders accountable, to speak with them to see what they are doing to work together towards truth and reconciliation."

In Mayor Davis' motion, he called on the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Act, 2001 to allow all municipalities in Ontario that so desire to implement a Municipal Land Transfer Tax (MLTT) to be applied to purchases on all properties in the municipality. This is something that only the City of Toronto currently does when residents purchase homes in the city. Some Brantford city councillors believed this is not the solution to the problem. Coun. Dan McCreary was one of them.

"I would appreciate if members of council go to their constituents and ask them if they think its reasonable that they pay another thousand, two thousand or six thousand like they do in the City of Toronto to acquire a house here," he said. "How many people in Brantford are going to be put out of the housing market because there is going to be a land transfer tax?"

"Yeah, the Federal government has let us down, but since when is it the City of Brantford's duty to pick up the slack for every senior level of government that has let us down? he asked "This can't be done on the backs of Brantford residents."

Mayor Davis' Notice of Motion was approved by council and final ratification will be considered at the City Council meeting on July 26.

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