It’s been a busy year for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Quinte News sat down with Chief R. Don Maracle to discuss the year that’s past.
He said that one of their biggest successes in 2025 was expanding their long-term care capacity. The $80-million dollar project is set to be complete in December.
“I worked with infrastructure Canada, CMHC, Indigenous Services Canada, and the Ministry of long-term care so that they would each put capital together,” said Chief Maracle. “And so the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte share of the long-term care is only $3 million, and of that I was able to raise over a million dollars toward that through fundraising.”
The expanded long-term care home will have 228 beds.
Another major milestone for the community was the completion of a loss assessment regarding a 200-acre parcel of land that the government of Canada had leased from the band council in 1830.
“It was an assignment to a man called Turton Pen, and it was for 30 barrels of flour,” said Chief Maracle. “It was never consistently paid, and the quality of the flour was was not up to par. As a result of the failure to, on their part to form the lease, the council declared it null and void.”
In 1991, the council signed a memorandum of understanding with Associate Minister of Indian Affairs to have that land bought out and returned back to the band’s control. The loss assessment is one of the final steps in receiving compensation for the land’s use during that time.
Several smaller achievements were also noted, such as the formation of a new police governance board, receiving $10 million for road upkeep and maintenance, and the purchase of new fire trucks, garbage trucks, and water delivery trucks.
