A land claims dispute has continued in Caledonia, Ont., for more than three years. (Canadian Press)

Forming a local militia to protect residents at the scene of a long-running aboriginal dispute in Caledonia, Ont., is a "dumb idea," Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci said Wednesday.

Doug Fleming, a local activist, said he's planning to form an unarmed militia to make sure the law is enforced and to protect property owners from trespassers.

An outstanding land claim dispute has erupted into several violent clashes between homeowners and the aboriginal protesters occupying a 40-hectare tract of land on the outskirts of the southwestern Ontario town.

Both Bartolucci and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid slammed the idea Wednesday, saying it could tear the town apart.

"Allow policing issues to be handled by people who understand the complexities of the issue," Bartolucci said.

"I would suggest that the formation of a militia is a dumb idea."

Most Caledonia residents want to move forward and a militia is "not helpful at all," Duguid said.

"We're trying to do everything we can as a government to help bring people together," he added.

"Efforts such as that — forming a militia — it's a shameful attempt to divide, and that's exactly what people should not be engaging in."

Bartolucci noted that talk of a militia has already threatened a Caledonia farmer's arrangement with an aboriginal group to remove a smoke shack from his property near disputed land.

"What was good in that discussion reverted to what was wrong," he said.

"The formation of a militia isn't supported by the police, it's not supported by the general public at large. And why? Because it's not effective. It's that simple."

Residents call for inquiry into policing

Six Nations members occupied the contested land in February 2006, claiming it was theirs.

Some residents have been pushing for a public inquiry into the actions of OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino in Caledonia, complaining that police have mishandled the aboriginal occupation that's gone on for three years, with no end in sight.

Local residents drafted a petition in January that sharply criticized police, accusing Fantino of being biased in favour of protesters and using his position to support them in court against charges filed by his own police force.

The provincial police force has faced similar complaints that it's not doing enough to protect local residents.

In 2007, Sam Gualtieri suffered serious brain damage after he was attacked while attempting to clear native protesters from a home he was building for his daughter in Caledonia.

Three arrests were made, but Gualtieri launched a lawsuit against the Ontario government, claiming police were in the area and did nothing to prevent the assault.

Duguid said he shares the frustration of residents who say negotiations aimed at resolving the land claim dispute have dragged on far too long.

But the province is pushing Ottawa to speed up talks and find a way to resolve the dispute, he added.

"We've called on them to bring forward some form of a mediator or facilitator to try to invigorate the discussions, and they've agreed that they're looking at doing things like that," Duguid said.