Kanesatake’s big boss linked to dumping allegations

Victor Bonspille’s late mother, Myrtle, who died 10 years ago, is listed as co-owner of land at Lake of the Two Mountains that was allegedly filled with contaminated soil, facilitating the construction of a cannabis dispensary.

Bonspille, the grand chief of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK), did not disclose that connection when he addressed Quebec’s Superior Court on Monday, where he challenged Quebec’s attorney general’s efforts to obtain an injunction to stop an increase in ‘illegal dumping that has stunned the community for more than a year.

It is not clear who is the true owner of the share of 850 Rang Ste. Philomene attributed to Bonspille’s late mother, Myrtle Bonspille nee Jacobs, but unless a will stipulated otherwise, her children would each have inherited a share of Oka’s charter title under the rules of intestacy .

The lot is the site of the Golden Star cannabis store, which opened in the spring at a time when Kanesatake was being overrun by hundreds of dump trucks a day illegally bringing in soil, some of which was contaminated, with consequences potentially disastrous environmental

Asked by The Eastern Gate to discuss the lot, Bonspille said, “I have no comment on that.” Asked directly if he owns the land, he said, “Thank you, I’m not commenting on anything.”

It is not clear why the property record has not been updated to name the current owner of the portion of the land. The rest of the lot is held by Karen Conway and Stewart Conway, who each own a sixth, and Jessie Jean Nelson, who owns a third.

These three Kanehsata’kehró:non are named as defendants in the civil case; Jacobs, being dead, is not. However, an attached document specifies that Barry Bonspille, Bonspille’s brother, confirmed to an investigator on September 19 that Jacobs had died.

The big chief’s comments during the one-day hearing aired Kanesatake’s internal governance complaints, hampering Quebec’s efforts to intervene.

The timing came after defense lawyers argued that the emergency order, which was expressly intended to end illegal dumping activities, should be refused because Quebec’s attorney general lacks jurisdiction to take the case to court and that only the Council has that authority.

Dionne Schulze’s attorney, Wade MacAulay, representing the MCK, stated that the Council was not contesting the Attorney General’s request for an interim measure.

Bonspille then addressed the court, thanking the judge for allowing him to speak and introducing himself as the big boss of the MCK.

He argued that MCK’s lawyer had been dismissed with a show of hands at a community meeting and that his opponents on the Council had been rejected by two votes of no confidence last autumn. However, the validity of these votes does not appear to be supported by Kanesatake’s Personalized Election Code and is not accepted by government agencies.

“I acted, and I did the custom of our community to remove this company and those five individuals, and they refused to leave. So they’re misrepresenting our community right now,” Bonspille told the judge.

Asked explicitly by the judge if he contested the demands of the Attorney General, Bonspille replied: “I contest it, yes.” Because of the jurisdiction”.

Defense attorneys relied on Bonspille’s comments to advance their arguments that the injunctive relief request should be denied.

Bonspille declined to comment when asked The Eastern Gate to explain his objectives in speaking at the court hearing.

In September, Bonspille was cited in a press release in support of an effort by a group of Oka citizens to deal with illegal dumping by forming potential roadblocks to stop dump trucks in the absence of ‘a police action.

By this time, Golden Star had already been operating for months on land allegedly filled illegally.

According to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), it has never received a request from Myrtle Bonspille’s estate to transfer title to 850 Rang Ste. Philomena.

“Mrs. Bonspille (Jacobs) is still listed in the Indian Land Registration System (ILRS) as one of the holders of this lot. A request to transact your estate must be made to the ISC Quebec Region ILRS office before any changes can be made to the system,” said ISC spokeswoman Carolane Gratton.

“So far, the department has not received this request.”

A temporary injunction was granted to stop the illegal dumping pending a follow-up hearing next Friday.

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Marcus Bankuti, reporter of the Local Journalism Initiative

Marcus is an award-winning journalist and editor-in-chief of The Eastern Door, where he has been reporting on issues that matter in Kahnawake and Kanesatake since 2021. He was previously editor-in-chief of The Link and contributing editor of Our Canada magazine.