The Stoney First Nation will host a gathering of anarchists and activists opposed to the June G-8 summit in Kananaskis, the Calgary Herald has learned.
Activists in Alberta have been invited by the First Nation to set up an anti-G-8 "Solidarity Village" on Stoney land.
In turn, the Stoney First Nation hopes the international publicity generated from the event will shine a spotlight on the plight of natives in Canada.
"We have been invited to use their land (the Stoney First Nation), to work in partnership to pull solidarity village together," said Fiona Cavanaugh, an Edmonton activist currently travelling to Eastern Canada to mobilize protesters against the G-8.
"(We hope) to draw attention to the history of abuse the First Nations have continually experienced."
Stoney officials were unavailable to comment about the solidarity village.
However, former band councillor Greg Two-youngmen said protesters were in negotiations with the band to use the section of land on the corner of Highway 1 and Highway 40.
"They will still have to go through a lot of bureaucracy," he said, adding he is not at liberty to expand on the negotiations.
Stoney lawyer Tibor Osvath said he was unaware of plans for a "solidarity village," but added that he is not always "privy to all the information" concerning band activities.
Cavanaugh was in Ottawa Wednesday, along with six other activists from that city and Montreal, to brief local activists on the Kananaskis summit.
The event will be held June 26 and 27 in Kananaskis Village, a mountain resort about 100 kilometres west of Calgary.
The Stoney First Nation is located just north of Kananaskis. Protesters will not be allowed into the summit site, so thousands of activists hope to gather on the reserve nearby.
A pamphlet handed out to Ottawa activists says the Solidarity Village will run from June 21 to about June 29.
The village will be more than simply a site for protest. There will be teach-ings about G-8 issues and celebrations of anti-capitalistic ways of life.
The village will also offer aid to protesters who intend to directly confront G-8 security forces, by offering medical support and legal aid to those arrested.
Cavanaugh said activists believe it's important to "have a strong presence" in the Kananaskis area.
"That's what Solidarity (Village) is all about," she told the crowd of Ottawa activists. "It's important to have a strong presence there to show the government and other leaders that we are still going to mobilize."
Twoyoungmen, who operates Yethka Getaways -- a cultural program and teepee village on the reserve -- said he is expanding his business to accommodate G-8 visitors.
"I'll definitely be making a killing out of it," he said.
Twoyoungmen is adding to his marketing campaign and expanding recreational vehicle accommodation on the site. He currently has 30 RV pads and will expand to 50.
He said the band regularly rents its land out -- for up to $1,500 a day -- to businesses such as movie companies.
Stoney chief Darcy Dixon recently asked the federal government for special funding to provide security for his First Nation during the summit.
Jim Starko, a spokesman for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, said negotiations about the money are ongoing.
RCMP officials, however, say they will step up security for all communities in the area of the G-8 summit, including the Stoney nation.
Cavanaugh said the attention the Solidarity Village will receive will greatly benefit the Stoneys who will be able to use the event as a forum to tell the international media about the "injustice" and "oppression" natives suffer in Canada.
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