We last left you with this image.
We were driving towards Ipperwash Beach when we encountered these signs along a fenced off, deserted looking area.
It may be common knowledge, but we weren’t completely sure what UXOs are. Especially after closer inspection of this faded and highly imaginative sign.
So we googled it. Sure enough, UXOs are Unexploded Explosive Ordnance, and this is what the Canadian Government has to say about them here. You can even go through a list of hundreds of location of UXOs in canada.
Who knew?
Really, Ipperwash Beach should have been a big enough clue, but we were a bit slow that day and only after further googling we put 2 and 2 together:
Ipperwash Camp
In 1928, under pressure, Stony Point First Nation surrendered 377 acres including all of their shoreline. The land went to development and to what later became Ipperwash Provincial Park. During the Second World War, the Canadian government asked them to surrender the rest of their lands for an army training camp. They refused and the government appropriated the land under the War Measures Act for a mere $50,000 in compensation. Stony Point First Nations “temporarily” relocated to the neighbouring Kettle Point Reserve.
The reserve remained a military camp into the 1990s. Promises to protect the Stony Point burial grounds and gravesites on site were not kept despite repeated pleas.
In 1994, after a peaceful protest/occupation, the federal government announced that it would be closing the base and returning the land. Despite this, military personnel and equipment remained on site. In 1995, Stony Point First Nation protesters forced their way into the camp’s administrative buildings, prompting the military to withdraw completely.
Tensions increased when In 1995, a group of protesters entered the provincial park as well. After an altercation, a Stony Creek man, Dudley George, was dead; shot by police.
More than 10 years later, the Ipperwash Inquiry and report (2003-6) shed light on systemic racism within government and police institutions and set the stage for change through several recommendations. The provincial park was transferred to the Kettle and Stoney Creek Nation, however concerns about live ammunition and environmental contamination kept the negotiations about the military base fate until 2015 when the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation accepted a $95 million settlement from the federal government that included return of the land.
No echos from the past were present, just a silent plastic fish.
Wow I had no idea. Thank you for sharing this.
There are a few more stories like this one, unfortunately 🙁
Gotta love Government expropriation. In the long run, it costs us all more than dialogue and agreement ever would. Thanks for sharing. Allan
So very true! And the heartache that would be prevented…I once talked to a farmer whose land was expropriated twice! The second time he was allowed to rent his place and stay on.
For those of us in the US, where appropriation of native lands is a tragically normal part of government policy, it’s shocking to hear how Canada has had the same problems. Will we ever wake up to our common humanity and put people before profit and power?
Oh, Canada certainly has its fair share of atrocities in the name of religion, profit, and power. It may be getting better, but the realist ( or cynic) in me doesn’t think that we will ever have justice for everyone.
It’s strange how come UXOs aren’t more common knowledge. I’ve never heard of that term. It makes total sense, but I’ve never seen signs for explosives anywhere. I smiled (not really a laughing matter) at the sign “Do Not Touch. Do not Remove.” I don’t know if that is in reference to the explosives (which seems obvious) or the sign itself. I know sometimes these warnings are placed because of potential lawsuits, but removing unexploded ammunition isn’t anywhere on my Bucket List.
The graphic signs made us laugh! Yeah, I am not sure why its not common knowledge if there are so many of them around.
I don’t remember hearing anything about Ipperwash, yet another one of the long list unfortunately.
It may be more of an Ontario recent history kind of thing, but it’s surprising that it’s not better known throughout Canada. I thought that everyone in Canada knew who Dudley George was. But then again, we didn’t clue in right away either 🙂
An interesting story and troubling as well…thanks for sharing!
It is! Thanks for reading and commenting!
A tragic story…although I have limited knowledge on the racism and tense history of the First Nations, I know that it’s a major, contentious issue similar to the Native American reservations we have in the US. Thanks for bringing light to this continuous issue, and here’s hoping we work to improve the situation.
I certainly hope that things will just keep improving!
These are sad events, I believe that a better knowledge of the past would bring more mutual respect.
You are absolutely right! Education is key!
I had no idea what UXOs were either. It’s sad to hear about the history of this place and how it took so many years to restore the lands back to their rightful owners. It’s a good reminder that the government has made mistakes in the past (and I guess the present too … don’t even get me started on how this pandemic is being handled)!
I am sure there will be future mistakes as well, so learning from history is a good idea. It will be a while until all of the land is returned; probably 25 years. They give back small parcels as they clean them up.
It would be scary to find one of those UXOs. And in such a beautiful setting…
It would be scary!
👍
Sorry to hear that these can be found in Canada, of all places.
I suspect that they are found all over the world!
I knew what UXO stood for thanks to military service and having visited Southeast Asia, specifically Lao and Cambodia where they are a massive problem.
Whilst it is a global problem to a greater or lesser extent in various countries I had never really associated UXO with Canada for some reason. A very interesting post, thanks for that.
Yeah, Canada is not usually associated with this sort of things. Igloos and polar bears come to mind more often 🙂 We never realized this either. Thanks for reading and commenting, and welcome aboard!
Sometimes our history is not very pretty.