News

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory condemned the use of violence in Caledonia, and faulted Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty for what he said was failing to show leadership in the standoff.

But he refused to comment on questions about the police handling of the situation.

"I think my job is to talk about what the role of the government should be, and I think the role of the government under Mr. McGuinty has been missing in action," Mr. Tory said.

"They have asserted no leadership in terms of trying to assert the rule of law and the importance of the rule of the law being maintained at all times by all people, regardless who they are."

Mr. Tory was speaking one day after a contractor putting the final touches on a home he was building for his daughter and fiancé was seriously injured after a confrontation with several young men in Caledonia.

Owners of the Stirling South development had spent the day negotiating with Six Nations members after they occupied and shut down the site yesterday morning.

The occupation was about to end peacefully around 4 p.m. when the subdeveloper entered the house and clashed with several aboriginal youths.

Sam Gualtieri, 52, of Caledonia, was found unconscious on the floor inside the home with at least four young men, his brother Joe, told The Globe and Mail.

He was rushed to West Haldimand General Hospital with serious injuries.

"He's in and out of consciousness. He has a concussion, a broken nose, he's bruised all over the face. His teeth are broken. He might have fluid in his spine as well," Joe Gualtieri said.

OPP Constable Paula Wright confirmed there was a confrontation between a 52-year-old contractor and a "number of unknown young males" shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday near the building site where protesters from the Six Nations reserve were gathered.

Protesters put up yellow tape, signs and flags in front of an infill project being built by Venture Homes, a local company, but did not stop construction. The site is about a kilometre from the former Douglas Creek estates development, which protesters have occupied since February, 2006.

Constable Wright would not say whether the attack was linked to the land dispute, but said the OPP are "conducting a criminal investigation into the situation and all angles will be looked at."

The protest came only days after the government privately warned developers that the province can do little for them if they become the target of native protest.

While the province purchased the Douglas Creek site from the developer, builders who now become the target of protest should not look to the province for help, according to industry sources who attended a recent private briefing by John Burke, the deputy minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

On a different topic, Mr. Tory also said today he would consider a proposal for environmental labeling but that it is not now part of is party's platform.

Earlier today, NDP Leader Howard Hampton said a government led by his party would bring in a "right to know" environmental law to force polluters to dislose the chemicals they emit and to force manufacturers to produce labels revealing the hidden toxins in toys and other products.

Instead of that, Mr. Tory said the Conservatives have pledged to track and reduce the use of cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins in manufacturing processes.

"I'm proud that in our platform, we have a policy that would require companies to submit lists on carcinogenic and other kinds of toxins that they are using in manufacturing processes, together with a plan on how they can begin to reduce and eliminate the use of those toxins over time," Mr. Tory said.

With a report from Unnati Gandhi and James Rusk