Mercier Bridge Electrical Building problem caused by communication issue

10/06/2021

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the community that a communication issue between the MCK and the Jacques Cartier - Champlain Bridges, Inc. (JCCBI) resulted in a misunderstanding that saw a group of persons from the Longhouse at 207 protest works that were planned to build a small building to house electrical equipment for the Mercier Bridge lighting system.

The lighting on the bridge has been in need of upgrading and, in recent months, problems with the lights have increased. It was agreed that, for safety purposes, to install a new electrical control system. An agreement to allow the building of the installation was made in February of this year; however, the usual communications protocols were not followed, and the information was not relayed to the community as is the normal practice.

“We met with JCCBI representatives yesterday,” said Ratsénhaienhs Arnold Boyer. “We agreed that the project will be put on hold until new plans are presented to us that are acceptable to the community. We agree that people’s safety is paramount and that this work needs to be carried out. However, it is essential that the lines of communication are maintained at the highest level possible in order to prevent issues such as what we’ve seen this week. We were not made aware or reminded that the works were scheduled for this week, nor were we made aware of their actual plans – in which case we would have been able to voice our concerns to the location.”

“In this case, we are in agreement with those who halted the work,” he added. “While we completely understand and agree with the need for safety, we must always be mindful of maintaining our territorial integrity.”