The land dispute in Caledonia heated up again on Thursday with a violent confrontation between a group of native youths and a home builder.
Sam Gualtieri, 52, was found unconscious on the floor of a home he is building. He was sent to hospital in serious condition with a smashed nose and skull injuries.
Native protesters have been occupying disputed land at the site of a housing development in the town southwest of Hamilton for more than a year and a half.
OPP spokesman Dave Rektor said there was small, peaceful demonstration at one of the subdivisions when things turned violent at a separate location.
"Out of view of where the police were and away from the protest, there was an altercation inside a home at the construction site in which a male party had been struck. He ends up being hospitalized and sustained some significant head injuries."
Police later identified the victim as Gualtieri.
Reports say the homebuilder was trying to chase away a group of young natives from the home when the violence erupted.
The OPP are reviewing a security tape to try to figure out what sparked the assault.
Last year, there were a number of confrontations involving natives and townspeople all tied to a dispute over ownership of a tract of land in the small Ontario community that is being developed for housing.
