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 appropriated land at Stoney Point 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 appropriated 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 Ipperwash Inquiry began in 2004 and Part I concluded in August 2006. Commissioner Sidney B. Linden will deliver his report early in 2007 with Part II beginning sometime following that report. For more information on the Ipperwash Inquiry, go to www.ipperwashinquiry.ca.

An Agreement in Principle, dated 1998, was never officially accepted by the First Nation, and the claim is still outstanding as of 2007. Negotiations continue between the First Nation and Canada. The Investigation Agreement to determine the environmental impacts on the land began in 2006. Once the investigation is complete, that will formulate the basis for the future clean up of the land. Cultural, Environmental and UXO investigations are underway, and Canada along with the First Nation are working closely with an Independent Contractor who was selected through the Public Works Canada tendering process as well as with special advisors who have the necessary expertise to oversee the project. The cleanup may prove difficult, since the base was used as firing range for tanks and unexploded ordnance has been found.