Article content

TORONTO — It’s Ottawa’s fault that a Six Nations confederacy is warning of “grave consequences” this summer if Ontario continues talking with other groups about access to disputed land in Caledonia, Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said Friday.

“I think that the responsibility for any consequence rests with the federal government, who is refusing to get to the table right now and solve that land claim,” Duguid told reporters. “That’s really the crux of the challenge.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario says federal government to blame if dispute with Six Nations leads to unrest in Caledonia this summer Back to video

The land claim centres on what was going to be a housing development called Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia, which was occupied by a small group of Six Nations protesters in 2006. The Ontario government bought the land for $16 million to try to defuse the situation, but tensions have remained high in the community.

The province will do all it can to restore harmony in the area, such as meeting with the elected chief of the Six Nations, to discuss restricting access to the Douglas Creek Estates, but only Ottawa can deal with the land claim at the heart of the problem, added Duguid.