The Dudley George shooting: Timeline of events from the shooting to the Ipperwash Inquiry

1995

September 6, 1995

A sniper for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) kills Anthony Dudley George during a nighttime raid in an attempt to remove native protesters from Ipperwash Provincial Park. The protesters had occupied the park claiming the land was sacred because of ancient burial grounds. A dispute begins over what actually happened on the night of the shooting. The OPP claim the protesters were armed and that they were returning fire initiated by the protesters. The protesters vehemently deny the allegations.

September 8, 1995

Premier Mike Harris denies there is any rightful native burial land claims at Ipperwash. "There is no burial ground," he says. Just days later, a 1972 archeological study that dismissed the existence of a burial site is exposed as having faulty methodology.

September 11, 1995

Dudley George's funeral is held by members of the Kettle and Stony Point band. His sister, Pam George, discovers mugs and t-shirts of the OPP insignia, mixed mockingly with native symbols, being sold at a local store.

September 18, 1995

Investigators comb the scene of the standoff but are unable to find any evidence the protesters were armed.

1996

April 1, 1996

Dudley George's family files a wrongful death lawsuit. Premier Mike Harris is named as one of the accused, based on allegations that Harris initiated and ordered the raid that killed George.

July 23, 1996

OPP sniper Kenneth Deane, who was responsible for shooting Dudley George, is charged with criminal negligence causing death.

1997

April 28, 1997

Ontario Provincial Court Judge Huge Fraser rules that OPP sniper Kenneth Deane knew George was unarmed when he shot him. He receives 180 hours of community service with no house arrest.

May 1997

Twenty-three protesters are cleared of disturbing the peace charges in connection with the standoff. Dudley George's cousin, Judas, is found guilty in the smashing of a police cruiser window.

1998

June 18, 1998

An agreement-in-principle is signed between the federal government and the Kettle and Stony Point peoples to return the land to the natives. The agreement involves a $26 million settlement with lump sums going to individual band members.

1999

April 9, 1999

A United Nations human rights commission calls for an inquiry by the Ontario government into the shooting death of Dudley George.

September 15, 1999

Lawyers for convicted OPP sniper Kenneth Deane claim they have new witnesses that can prove the protesters were armed during the raid.

2000

December 20, 2000

A Toronto Star report suggests that Premier Mike Harris met with OPP Commissioner Thomas O'Grady the day that George was killed in the raid. Harris confirms the memo in the legislature.

2001

January 26, 2001

The Supreme Court of Canada rejects an appeal by Deane upholding his conviction in the death of native protester Dudley George.

May 2001

Mike Harris reverses his statement that he met with the OPP Commissioner Thomas O'Grady the day of the raid.

November 21, 2001

Mike Harris testifies in the trial brought forth by Dudley George's family. He denies ordering the OPP to conduct the raid on the protesters.

2002

January 18, 2002

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kenneth Deane is removed from duty after a meeting of the police services board in London, Ont. Adjudicator Loyall Cann gives Deane seven days to officially submit his resignation. Deane appeals the decision.

February 19, 2002

Ontario Premier Mike Harris launches a $15 million libel suit against The Globe and Mail newspaper. His actions stem from an article printed on Dec. 14, 2001 that marked his last appearance in the legislature as premier.

The article referred to the way Harris allegedly reacted to the Ipperwash standoff. The Harris statement of claim says the article implies he took part in a homicide. Harris continues to deny accusations he or his government ordered the use of force in the incident.

March 23, 2002

Citing personal reasons, Mike Harris officially steps down as Ontario Premier with long-time friend Ernie Eves coming in as his replacement.

September 23, 2002

Kenneth Deane officially resigns from the force. The announcement ends an appeal by Deane of his dismissal.

September 26, 2002

Court documents in the George family civil trial show former Ontario Premier Mike Harris met senior advisers an hour before one of them told a high-ranking police officer, and other officials, that Harris was "hawkish" on the native occupation of a provincial park.

September 26, 2002

Premier Ernie Eves says he will not call an inquiry into the death of Dudley George as long as there were related matters before the courts. He remains non-committal about whether he would do so if the George family dropped their current lawsuit, as they offer to do.

2003

August 21, 2003

The Ontario government releases police photos and videotapes that show racial comments made by police only one day before the death of Dudley George.

On the tape, two officers are heard talking:

Officer #1 -- "We had this plan, you know? We thought if we could get five or six cases of Labatts 50, we could bait them and we'd have this big net and a pit."

Officer #2 -- "Creative thinking."

Officer #1 -- "Works in the south with watermelon."

In another section:

Officer #1 -- "Is there still a lot of press down there?''

Officer #2 -- "No, there's no one down there. Just a big fat fuck Indian."

October 2, 2003

The family of Dudley George settles a civil suit against former premier Mike Harris and several members of his former cabinet. Confident of a Liberal win in the Ontario election, in which they promise an inquiry, the family accepts a $100,000 settlement from provincial police plus undetermined legal costs.

November 12, 2003

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty keeps his election promise by announcing his government has launched an inquiry into the death of native protester Dudley George at Ipperwash Provincial Park.

2004

April 20, 2004

The judicial inquiry into the death of Anthony Dudley George begins more than eight years after he was shot and killed.

Justice Sidney Linden chairs the inquiry and is made responsible for compiling a report on the events surrounding George's death and for making recommendations that might avoid future violence in similar circumstances.

Some 35 individuals and groups apply to appear before the inquiry. The inquiry is separated into two phases that run concurrently. Part one deals with the events surrounding Dudley George's death and 17 groups and individuals are allowed to participate. In part two, the inquiry deals with ways to prevent the same violent outcome in the future. This section has 27 groups and individuals with standing.

To see a complete timeline of the commission go to the Ipperwash Inquiry.

With files from "One Dead Indian" by Peter Edwards and APTN News.