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Mark Vandermaas, Editor
VoiceofCanada
519.457.0709

info@voiceofcanada.ca

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Barb Patterson-Tucks's 2008 award-winning painting depicting the Caledonia crisis. Click image to see a high-res version and more info about those depicted, including VoiceofCanada editor Mark Vandermaas (wearing blue UN beret, R side of maple leaf).

Barb Patterson-Tucks’s 2008 award-winning painting depicting the Caledonia crisis. Click for high-res version and info about those depicted, including VoiceofCanada editor Mark Vandermaas (blue UN beret, R side of maple leaf).

About Mark

Caledonia Victims ProjectMark’s Caledonia and Israel-advocacy ‘resumes’ can be found here:

Introduction to the Caledonia crisis

HELPLESS: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us, by Christie BlatchfordIt is highly recommended that all Canadians read National Post journalist/award-winning author Christie Blatchford’s 2010 book, Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, And How The Law Failed Us. Helpless tells the story of Caledonia’s victims, and it includes the story of how Mark Vandermaas and Gary McHale were arrested while attempting to raise a Canadian flag. Ordering info and excerpts published in the National Post can be found here:

  • HelplessByBlatchford project: Excerpts

Mark Vandermaas speaks at 'Caledonia:No More Nightmares' presentation, Ottawa, ON, March 22/11A comprehensive online resource about the Caledonia crisis can be found on this feature page devoted to our March 22/11 presentation at the Library and Archives Canada Building in Ottawa sponsored by the Free Thinking Film Society and the Canadian chapter of the International Free Press Society (the organization that brought Ann Coulter, Geert Wilders, Philippe Karsenty, Bat Ye’or, Lars Vilks and Kurt Westergaard to Canada):

Breakthrough

I am pleased to report that, since our March 2011 presentation of Caledonia: No More Nightmares, an historic breakthrough took place in Caledonia on June 19/11 when we were able to place a temporary Apology & Reconciliation monument at the entrance to the Douglas Creek Estates with the cooperation of both the Ontario Provincial Police and the Six Nations occupiers without being arrested or physically assaulted:

This breakthrough took 4 arrests and nearly five years of full-time work to achieve.

How we did it:

Caledonia – advanced reading for journalists & policy researchers

Caledonia Solutions

  • Diagram - 'Reconciliation: the CANACE path,' Aug 07-08. Prepared for presentation to Brantford Council, Sept 2008. Click to enlarge.CANACE diagram, Aug 07/08: Reconciliation: the CANACE Path [PDF]
  • Tekawennake News (Six Nations) op-ed series, Gary McHale, Mark Vandermaas, Merlyn Kinrade & Doug Fleming, 2010: Healing Two Communities [PDF, 7p]
  • CANACE/Caledonia Victims Project joint recommendations, Feb 06/11: Caledonia – Issues & Recommendations (The Caledonia Act) [PDF, 4p]
  • Mark Vandermaas presentation, 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, Mount Royal University, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p, 8.5 MB – be patient]
  • Mark Vandermaas presentation, Queen’s Park Media Studio, Truth & Reconciliation’ news conference, Feb 23/11: Healing in The Absence of Justice [PDF]

I am not an unbiased journalist

Although I do my best to be accurate and fair in my stories I make no pretence about being an unbiased, independent journalist. I am an activist engaged in what I believe is a vital struggle to restore the rule of law to my province that is being threatened by native extremists and a racist goverment and police policy of appeasement. I don’t care what ‘reasons’ are offered for their violence and lawlessness; I only care that innocent people – native and non-native are not victimized by failure to enforce the law.

Despite my strong ‘bias’ on the side of the rule of law, equality before the law, the belief that all people should be equal before it, and that no group or race has the right to victimize other human beings in pursuance of their grievances, I have been complimented privately by various professional journalists, and cited – along with Gary McHale – by the Ryerson Review of Journalism for providing coverage of Caledonia when other media failed:

Thank you for visiting!

2inch_voc_logo-url.jpgThank you for taking some of your valuable time to understand what is at stake in this most important struggle! 

Mark Vandermaas, Editor
VoiceofCanada.ca
info@voiceofcanada.ca

SENDING COMMENTS: I welcome your comments via the forms provided at the bottom of each post. Note that your email address is not published with your comment. All comments are moderated, and I reserve the right not to publish your comment at my sole discretion. I do try to provide a personal response to every comment, but time restrictions may prevent me from doing so. It doesn’t happen often, but please accept my apologies if it happens to you.

This is not an ‘open forum’ or discussion board. My decision to publish your comment is based on whether or not I think it assists in the struggle against Race-Based Policing and/or helps readers understand a particular point of view or set of facts.

I especially welcome inquiries from those of Six Nations who are interested in working together to bring about true healing and reconciliation based on truth, justice and apologies. Please read this document before contacting me in order to be sure we share the same perspective:

If you wish to send a comment on a story, please use the form provided at the bottom of the story.

If you wish to send a private message, contact me at info@voiceofcanada.ca .

2 responses to “ABOUT”

  1. Larry Dicy | January 26, 2007 at 11:27 am |

    Mark, I would just like to say that I was more than proud to stand in Caledonia on Jan 20th with men like yourself, Gary, Chris and Merlin. After the rally I was honored to shake all of your hands.

    I am a proud 15 year Royal CANADIAN Legion member in honor of my grandfather who made 32 trips across the waters in defence of our flag and to ensure the freedoms that WE ALL enjoy today. Because of the sacrifices that my grandfather made, my father never met him until the age of five. I am not sure that most people can even fathom this. To listen to my dad recount the memory of seeing a man in uniform standing at the front door , not knowing who he was, while watching his mother cry,then to be told that this man is his father is unbelievable.

    The countless hours I have spent in Caledonia, away from my own wife and kids, pales in comparison to what my grandfather and so many other great men and women gave up for their country but I will be there none-the-less. I am astounded that every tax paying Canadian is not sickened by the blatant and willful disrespect for the law that the OPP shows. Is this what my grandfather and so many others risked their lives for? I don’t think so!!

    As you have said before, this is history unfolding before us and I for one WILL stand and be counted. I will NOT sit back and watch as we are forced into a police state. I will NOT sit back and watch the OPP make up their own rules as they go along. I will NOT sit back and listen to people tell us we are “outsiders”. Any taxpaying Canadian who comes to Caledonia that beleives in “equal justice for all people ” can never be considered an ” outsider”. I lived in Caledonia for thirteen years and I still have family that lives there. Since I now have a different postal code does that make me an “outsider” Mr. Fantino???

    Mark, if I can only come away from all of this mess in Caledonia with one thing, I hope that is to show my kid’s that their dad was willing to stand up for what he believes in and to help his fellow Canadian in a time of need.

    I urge ALL Canadians to come to Caledonia to show the government and the OPP that this kind of treatment is unacceptable. Will you stand beside us or will you ignore the sacrafices that so many of your parents, grandparents and my granfather made for us? Thank you Mark for your help and thank you to ALL our troops!God bless you all!
    Larry Dicy

    VoC REPLY: Larry, it was an honour to meet you on Jan 20/07 and I thank you for your words then and for your call to action today. I have already forwarded your comments to Gary McHale as I spoke to him today, and he is most appreciative.

    Thank you for your eloquent ‘call to action’ to your fellow Canadians. Our fight is entering a new phase – a phase in which you may think little is happening, but nothing can be further from the truth. During our protests to Caledonia we were gathering evidence to prove to Canada – to even the most wilfully blind politicians and their advisors – that the OPP is engaging in a systemic race-based policing doctrine designed to allow native law-breakers to avoid punishment. The effect of this doctrine has been to re-victimize the law-abiding citizens of Caledonia (and Ipperwash) and deny them (and we ‘outsiders!’) their Constitutional rights.

    If you’ve read, “OPP & OPPA vs. Supreme Court of Canada and the Charter of Rights & Freedoms,” you know how the OPP leadership – including Fantino himself – hid behind his frontline officers rather than come out and answer the four simple questions I raised in my ‘Blue Beret’ speech earlier that day.

    We will keep trying to hold them accountable, and this is what I ask of you and of all those who support this struggle:

    1. Send an email to everyone you know with a link to the VoC post mentioned above along with a SHORT message asking them to read it.

    2. Pick up the phone and call your MPP and ask them to read it. You can easily find your MPP’s # at: http://olaap.ontla.on.ca/mpp/daIndex.do?locale=en

    3. I hate to ask this, but the plain fact is that both Gary and I need some financial support. Some people are working to create a special non-profit company to fund projects like our struggle, but it’s going to take many months before it can help.

    VoC will be making available a product line with our new logo (see above in ‘OUR STRUGGLE.’) in order to raise funds for Gary and me until this new organization can help. Until it can, I’m going to split the proceeds from my VoC product sales with Gary and Christine. We don’t need a lot of money to keep this fight going, but we do need some. Spread the word for us, OK?

    Thanks again for introducing yourself and telling us about your Grandfather, and thanks for writing. We’re very grateful to you for it. Regards, Mark

  2. dennis | February 24, 2007 at 2:34 am |

    The myths of Caledonia

    There’s no legal basis to the Six Nations land claim; all they had was an occupancy permit.

    http://www.hamiltonspectator.com

    Click to access A13.pdf

    We have 3 tiers of government & Six Nation apparently has too many leaders and in one well researched editorial John S. Hagopian puts it all into perspective.

    The entire Haldimand Tract land claim is a Crock o’ Crap !

    VoC REPLY: Thanks for the links. Our civil rights are being violated over a bogus land claim, and believe me, it’s not the first time in Ontario. Stay tuned! Thanks for the support. Regards, Mark