Protests at new restaurant site

LEAMINGTON — Reports of a peaceful protest in front of the proposed site of the new Three Fires Restaurant this past weekend, had residents wondering what was happening within the Caldwell First Nation.

A small group of protesters were claiming that they had no input into the decision to develop the Caldwell land and that the first they heard about the restaurant was in January of this year — after the artist’s renderings hit the news media.

Along with the protest, a letter was sent to Caldwell First Nation headquarters, demanding more transparency.

The Sun reached out to Caldwell First Nation Director of Operations, Nikki Van Oirschot, who responded Monday morning.

“We believe it is their right to exercise a peaceful protest,” she said. “I will say that they are incorrect in suggesting they haven’t been informed about projects and it looks like some of the questions were copied and pasted from other sources.”

According to Van Oirschot, the letter is laden with expectations, not mandates, and even references things that don’t apply to Caldwell First Nation.

She further clarified that they engage an independent auditing firm as required by Indigenous Services Canada and have some of the highest review rates available.

The Sun first reported plans for an indigenous restaurant on the former Happy Snapper site last summer, when Chef Billy Alexander came aboard to take over culinary responsibilities within the Caldwell First Nation.