A Six Nations of the Grand River resident who’s been a figurehead in an occupation at a now-closed Brantford municipal golf course is facing break and enter charges, according to police.
Trevor Bomberry, part of a small group of “land defenders” demonstrating at the former Arrowdale Golf Course, was charged on Tuesday for an alleged break-in at the club on Oct. 9, 2021.
“Investigation revealed that the lock to the front gate of the property had been cut in order to gain entry. Individuals were found at the site, refusing to leave,” Brantford Police (BPS) said in a release recounting their response to an alarm call.
BPS say they’ve been monitoring the site ever since to “preserve the peace, maintain public safety and investigate criminal wrongdoing.”
Bomberry, 48, is facing two charges: break and enter plus public mischief.
The Oneida man claimed in a number of social media posts that the land is part of the Haldimand Tract and does not belong to the city.
In late 2019, the city of Brantford voted 8-to-3 to three to sell the 92-year-old Arrowdale golf course in order to acquire cash to build affordable housing within municipal boundaries.
The city is in the process of selling most of the 47-acre land to Elite M.D. Developments for $14 million.
Fifteen acres of the course are set to be transformed into a park and open green space.
Sixteen delegations – the bulk of them opposed to the sale – came forward during the 2019 deliberations by council members.
“We’re stayin’, we’re hunkering down for the wintertime,” Bomberry, a member of the Oneida Nation, said in a Facebook video posted on Oct. 9, 2021.
“I don’t know how they can sell something that doesn’t belong to them in the first damn place. An archeological study was done here finding bones, arrowheads and pottery.”
The city of Brantford characterized the occupation of the golf course by protesters opposing its sale as “unlawful.”
In an October release, city officials accused the group of trespassing, breaking and entering as well as vandalism and would turn the matter over to the BPS.
They went on to say the land at 282 Stanley St. has been “lawfully and peacefully owned and operated” by the city for close to 100 years and that its decision to sell has been upheld by the Courts in Ontario.
Toronto based law firm, Gilberts LLP, is defending Bomberry. The agency has declined comment on the court action.