The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the community that a Request For Proposals (RFP) process has been launched to explore the potential of tolls on Kahnawà:ke’s existing roadway network as a proactive measure in response to recent budget cutbacks and a long history of underfunding by successive governments.
The RFP aims to secure a consultant that would determine the feasibility of the project, including technical, financial, environmental, infrastructural, and community perspective considerations.
The MCK has long-steadily confronted federal and provincial budget cuts to community services, consistently challenging policies that threaten the well-being and rights of our people. Considering current funding levels are inadequate, any present and future cutbacks would represent a pattern of neglect that Indigenous communities continue to face under every government in power. This ultimately undermines Canada’s commitment to truth, reconciliation, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
As the racialized austerity measure of the federal cuts continue impacting Indigenous communities, the MCK continues to explore tolling infrastructure, a concept that has been under discussion for over half a century. In relation to the Kahnawà:ke land back political priority, particularly within the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis Land Grievance boundary, this is a reaffirmation to Kahnawà:ke’s continued sovereignty over its land.
“Tolls have been an ongoing discussion within the community for at least 50 years, representing only a fraction of the time that First Nations communities have endured the effects of totalitarian control” said Ohén:ton Í:rate ne Ratitsénhaienhs Cody Diabo. “This is yet another instance where governments cut and continue to take more. The reemergence of the tolls is our stance to enhance our self-determination and a reflection of the long-standing assertion of our jurisdiction.”
The potential revenue that comes from toll infrastructure would fund key services and infrastructure that are currently not covered or are at risk of being cut due to ongoing and historical budget reductions. This is not the first time we have faced such cutbacks, and it will not be the last—it’s time we take action to secure our future.
MCK will establish an internal team to evaluate the necessary components that need to be considered in implementing tolls. These include experts in transportation, public safety, finance, and infrastructure. Such considerations would address potential locations, as well as operational, financial, and political factors.
Most importantly, the MCK will discuss the project at the upcoming Community meeting on Wednesday, October 29th.
