Mohawk chief suspects arson in Kanesatake youth-centre fire
"If there's someone out there starting fires, we have a duty to bring that person to justice," Serge Simon said about the ongoing investigation
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Ever since the Kanesatake youth centre burned down in July, a question has been gnawing at Serge Simon.
Was it an electrical fire that laid waste to the building or did someone torch it to cover up a robbery?
Oka’s fire chief — who arrived on site as 20-foot flames engulfed the centre on the night of July 8 — says the blaze was electrical. The city’s mayor, Pascal Quevillon, agrees with that assessment.
But sources say the Sûreté du Québec and the band council’s insurance company haven’t ruled out arson. And Simon, Kanesatake’s Grand Chief, points to a number of “red flags” that have led him to believe there’s an arsonist on the loose.
When the flames were extinguished, Simon said there was no trace of the youth centre’s 70-inch television, its Xbox, barbecue and a small safe used to hold petty cash.
He also claims there were tire impressions leading from the building to an adjacent field on the night of the fire.
“One way or another, we’re covered by our insurance. I just think that if there’s someone out there starting fires, we have a duty to bring that person to justice,” Simon said. “People have tried to set the youth centre on fire before. So I don’t know why the fire chief was so quick to dismiss arson.”
Quevillon said neither he nor the fire chief will comment on the story, given that it’s a “sensitive subject” and that the investigation is ongoing.
The youth centre was targeted by arsonists a few years back, according to Simon and two other sources in Kanesatake. At the time, someone tried setting the building’s back porch on fire.
The Mohawk settlement, which sits about 45 kilometres west of Montreal, doesn’t have a fire department and relies on a volunteer brigade from neighbouring farm communities. And since there’s no fire hydrants on the territory, the threat posed by fire is grave.
During a failed drug raid that culminated in a standoff at the local police station in 2004, a handful of community members burned down Chief James Gabriel’s house. Gabriel had enlisted officers from neighbouring reserves to forcefully take over the Kanesatake police station that winter, alleging corruption within the local department.
But Gabriel’s move triggered intense local backlash and, as his crew took control of the police station, local men and women surrounded the building and demanded an end to the operation.
It was during this standoff that Gabriel’s house was torched.
The band council has had to deal with a handful of arsons since the events of 2004 but the turmoil of those days has largely subsided.
In the face of last month’s fire, parents have cobbled together funds and volunteers to host activities for local youth. Beyond the skate park in its back lot and boardgames within its walls, the centre also ran programs for young mothers and their toddlers.
“When it happened, I was at a loss for words,” said Ellen Filippelli, who runs the Shakotihenté:se youth program. “It seems like just yesterday, my son was fundraising to build the youth centre. It hit us hard.
“But after the dust cleared, we were in solutions mode right away. We found a new space for the kids and started coming up with new programming for the summer.”
Filippelli says the community will make do while Simon and the band council work towards a more permanent solution.
“Whether it was an arson or act of God, we’re going to rebuild,” said Filippelli. “This is typical Kanesatake, typical of any Indigenous community: in times of trouble, we stick together and we fight for each other.”
As for Simon, who says the band’s insurance covers about $500,000 worth of damage, he sees the fire as an opportunity to make a better, safer place for local youth.
“We’re working with the federal and provincial government to get in-kind contributions and really get the best centre we can,” said Simon. “If we can get the government to partner with us on this, we can do something great.”
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