25 years and I'm still shaking my head

25 years have passed since an Ontario Provincial Police sniper killed an unarmed Indigenous man named Dudley George. The killing of George at Ipperwash brought the Ipperwash crisis to a head but it did not result in a quick solution.

During the Second World War, the Canadian government took control of some land in Ipperwash owned by a number of local aboriginal families. The land, taken for military use, was to be returned with the end of the war. It wasn't.

After decades of failing to regain control of their land, the wronged Indigenous people began a very visible protest which came to a climax of a sort when Dudley George was shot. Since then, after a lot of time in court, it is clear the government was wrong.

So, is the land back in the hands of the rightful owners? No. The government estimates it may take another 25 years before all the unexploded military ordnances are cleared from the land.

After the killing of George, I was sent by the local paper to the Ipperwash area. I was a staff photographer on the daily at the time. At sunrise on the first day after the killing, the main highway in the area was closed by a massive fire set by the angry protestors.

I got pictures of the blaze and later I got pictures of a parade of Indigenous protestors marching along the highway. I only managed to get my pictures thanks to the kindness of an older tribal lady. She noticed that I was limping and having a difficult time keeping up. She offered me a ride and so I was able to shoot the march from the open back of a pick-up truck. She was very gracious.