Kettle Point 44, Ontario
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Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, or Kettle Point No. 44, is an Indian reserve 35 km northeast of Sarnia, Ontario on the southern shore of Lake Huron. Its area is 8 km². The resident population is 1,163.
In 1942 the federal government expropriated land belonging to the Stoney Point band under the War Measures Act to build a military camp, Camp Ipperwash. The land was to be returned after World War II when it was no longer required for military use, but after forty-five years it was still in use.
Band members began moving back onto the expropriated land in 1993. The military withdrew in 1995. Band members then barricaded part of neighbouring Ipperwash Provincial Park to promote their land claim and protect a burial ground and water purification plant. A band member, Dudley George, was shot and killed during a confrontation with Ontario Provincial Police at the protest.
In 1997, acting Sgt. Kenneth Deane was convicted of criminal negligence causing George's death. Native groups called for an official inquiry into George's death, but none was launched until the provincial government changed in 2003.
The original land claim was settled in 1998. The expropriated land was to be cleaned up and returned to the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation, and each band member was to receive between $150,000 and $400,000 in compensation.
The cleanup may prove difficult, since the base was used as firing range for tanks, and reportedly, unexploded ordnance has been found.
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