A Brant County woman who found an aboriginal burial ground on her property says she now sees light at the end of the tunnel.
It was in January 2012 that construction on a home for Habiba Ahmed and her family was abruptly halted by the discovery of a burial ground at the site on Oxbow Road, just south of Brantford.
After 18 months of uncertainty – including several months spent living with Ahmed’s mother and the ultimate purchase of another property, putting the family into a second mortgage – Ahmed says she’s starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
“It may not have been the solution that we were looking for, but it is one that we can live with,” she tells CTV.
That solution, recommended unanimously by Brant County’s corporate development committee Monday night, is to split off the part of the property where the remains were found – five metres long by five metres wide – and create an aboriginal cemetery there, leaving the rest of the property to the Ahmeds.
The proposal still has to be approved by Brant County council and Six Nations, but Coun. Brian Coleman says he’s hopeful everyone will agree with it.
“There was a recommendation put forward to work with all the parties to get this resolved as quickly as possible,” he says.
“This has been dragging on too long.”
Although Ahmed never planned to live so close to a cemetery, she says it seems like the best option at this point.
The family would then sell their other home to get out of the second mortgage, as they think it would be easier to sell that property than the Oxbow one.
“The last 18 months have been more than just a learning experience. It’s actually quite devastating,” she says.
Brant County councillors will vote on the issue July 23.
