Akwesasne Mohawk Council and City of Cornwall Approve Co-Ownership of Port

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) along with the City of Cornwall has approved a plan for a joint ownership of the Port of Cornwall.  All negotiations have been completed and both communities have approved this co-ownership.  This transfer should be complete by the end of June 2016.  A committee that is made up of Mohawk Council and Cornwall City officials have negotiated with Transport Canada on the divestiture of the Port of Cornwall and the surrounding lands involved.  The specifics of this deal between MCA/City of Cornwall and Transport Canada cannot be released at this time, but will be shared with the public once the transfer is complete in June.

Mohawk Council Grand Chief Abram Benedict told Akwesasne TV that no specifics can be given at this time because MCA is under a confidentiality agreement with the government, but was able to provide an oversight of what this co-ownership may entail.  MCA Grand Chief Benedict stated that, “even though this land was once ours (Akwesasne) at one point, and the fact that they want to give it back but only at a 50/50 ownership is tough to swallow, it is progress and partnership with our neighbours that we never had before.  We are at a critical point where we need to act quickly or this ship will sail, and Transport Canada will offer it to other entities, which could lead us to taking court action.  Court is costly, and not the route we’d want to take.”

Benedict was very confident in that taking co-ownership of the Port of Cornwall will create a bridge in the relationship between Akwesasne and Cornwall; create economic development opportunities for both communities, as well as the ability to control the use and future use of this critical piece of waterfront property.

Mayor of Cornwall, Leslie O’Shaughnessy, is looking forward to the new opportunities, significant opportunities, to move forward.  “The cooperation between Cornwall and MCA is excellent, there have been no issues, and everything has been fairly and equally discussed.  We are a few years away from major developments, but they’ll have a lot of work to do, and of course must seek approval from both municipalities.  I strongly believe that this process has proven to everyone that there is a willingness to cooperate and a willingness to move forward for new opportunities.  The signing is this coming Tuesday, May 3rd, and I am looking forward to that,” says O’Shaughnessy.

The Port of Cornwall is located on Harbour Road, adjacent to the Legion Park, in Cornwall, ON.  This piece of waterfront property is currently being used as a dock, and storage for two chemical tanks.  Gaining control of this property will ensure that Akwesasne and Cornwall could make decisions for what this port may be used for, including shipping and tourism, and steer away from chemical storage next to the beautiful shores of the St. Lawrence River.

To ensure oversight and long term development goals are met, a joint public entity is being established as the Cornwall Akwesasne Port Development Commission.  This commission will be made up of four Akwesasronon, including one district chief, and four Cornwall community members.  A media event is scheduled for Tuesday May 3rd, 2016 at 10am in the Turtle Room at the Anowarakowa Arena, on Kawenohke- Cornwall Island.  Officials from both communities will be there to sign co-owners agreements, which will be immediately followed by these agreements being released to the public.

The Mayor of Cornwall, Leslie O’Shaughnessy stated that “by taking ownership of the Port, we will be able to control the future use of a critical piece of waterfront land.  This significant achievement signals a new era of cooperation and collaboration between Cornwall and our neighbours in Akwesasne.”

Mohawk Council Grand Chief Abram Benedict also issued a statement in a joint media release on April 26th, that he is “pleased by the efforts of the negotiation committee thus far and [look] forward to working closer with our neighbours; the City of Cornwall.  This transfer will demonstrate our commitment to finding innovative ways of creating opportunities for both our communities.”

Akwesasne TV will continue to follow developments in this story and update the community when information becomes available.

BY: Ohseraséia:hawi

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