Walpole Island responds to ‘Grassy 2 Rock’ denial

Walpole Island First Nation says “environmental protection” was given priority and was the reason behind their denial to hold the 2017 ‘Grassy 2 Rock’ events.

The Walpole Island First Nation Political Office provided the Sydenham Current with an official statement about the situation on Friday afternoon.

“At a meeting of the Walpole Island First Nation Council on Tuesday April 26, the Council elected to uphold a previous vote, denying the request to hold ‘Grassy 2 Rock’ within our waters,” Walpole Island officials stated.

“While we appreciate the intention of the event, there were a lot of concerns from our community members about garbage left by those that attended and our community feels very strongly about environmental protection. It took our Resource Protection, hunters, and fishermen many days to clean up the party site.”

Walpole Island officials added: “We are a community that still derives much of our livelihoods and food from the land and water, and it is of the utmost importance for us to ensure that we can continue to do that. Our community has also expressed a desire to limit traffic in our waterways in order to protect the many rare species and ecosystems that we share our home with. Again, we appreciate the intention of the event and would be happy to work together with our neighbours on collaborative initiatives that achieve shared goals that benefit all of our communities.”

Officials with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent announced this morning that events planned for Canada Day and Labour Day weekends had been cancelled.

Last year’s events attracted hundreds of boats and thousands of spectators to Mitchell’s Bay.

“If anything, it is disappointing,” Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope told the Sydenham Current.

“It was one of the best events ever and it met a clientele group that want to have fun on weekends. The exciting part was that there were people of all ages there. That is something you want to see.”

Hope said he was surprised by the decision made by Walpole Island.

“At the end of the day I mean I have to respect their opinion in saying no,” he said.

Read more of Mayor Hope’s comments in our original story, here.

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