MOHAWK+GRAND RIVER

Gazette No. 28 — Declaration of Interest — Chapel of the Mohawks

Be it known and placed on record: That the Mohawk Nation of Grand River Secretariat declares its interest in Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, Brantford, Ontario, as a Crown property within the Haldimand Acquired Territory.

I. The Chapel of the Mohawks

Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, located in Brantford, Ontario, is the oldest surviving Protestant church in Ontario and one of the most historically significant buildings in Canada. It was built in 1785 for the Mohawk people who came to the Grand River with Joseph Brant following the American Revolutionary War. It is a Crown property — one of only two “Royal” chapels in Canada.

II. The Band Council Encounter

During a personal visit, the Six Nations Band Council Tourism Centre purported to grant the Secretary-General access to the Chapel grounds as if they had the authority to consent to access on Mohawk national land. The Secretary-General formally disputed the Band Council’s authority to consent on behalf of the Mohawk Nation to access to a site within the Haldimand Acquired Territory. This encounter and the dispute are recorded as Exhibit C67 in the Application for Writ of Mandamus (G63).

III. The Constitutional Status of the Chapel

The Chapel is a Crown property within the six-mile Haldimand corridor. As such, it is subject to the constitutional encumbrance recorded in Gazette No. 65. The Secretariat’s interest in the Chapel is both historical and constitutional. The Directive for Reclamation and Preservation (G52) establishes the Secretariat’s programme for the Chapel.