KTA, MCK to Visit Seneca Community to Explore Regulations

05/11/2009

The Kahnawake Tobacco Association (KTA) and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wish to inform the community of the results of a meeting held earlier today.

The KTA’s Board of Directors, along with members of the MCK’s Tobacco Working Group, has agreed to send a group of ten people (five KTA, five MCK) who will travel to Salamanca, New York to visit the Seneca Nation’s tobacco stamping facilities and to meet with its regulatory body. The Senecas have had some notable successes in implementing tobacco regulations within their territory.

“We were invited to a presentation that was given by the Senecas to the MCK several weeks ago and were impressed,” said KTA board member and spokesperson Louis Stacey. “We agreed that a visit to their territory would be very useful and that’s what we’ll be doing on May 21st.”

The KTA and MCK also agreed to organize a Community Information Session after the visit. The exact date will be determined later.

Also discussed were issues such as mistrust, the various existing draft regulations and taxation, with the MCK clarifying that issue:

“The MCK is not and will not be a tax collector – let’s be very clear on that,” said Portfolio Chief Peggy Mayo-Standup. “We would like to remind the community that, in 1989, the MCK actually signed a Mohawk Council Resolution to that effect. As well, the MCK is not interested in selling tobacco. These meetings are about protecting the industry.”

The next discussion has been scheduled for May 25. Both organizations have agreed to share their draft regulations and have begun exploring solutions that would be beneficial to both the industry and the community in general.