PETITION TO PROTECT INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC SOVEREIGNTY ON KING STREET
The Issue
TO: Mayor of Toronto, Local City Councillor (Spadina–Fort York), Toronto Police Services Board, and Provincial Representatives
My name is Jesse Dokis, an Ojibway entrepreneur, certified Master Grower (University of Guelph), and scholar of Indigenous rights and Canadian law (Osgoode Hall Law School). I operate Native Trade Cannabis at 645 King Street West.
This enterprise operates on the traditional ancestral territory of my people, along longstanding Anishinaabe trade routes and the shores of Lake Ontario recognized under Treaty 13.
I am not an unlicensed amateur—I hold formal credentials in plant science, horticulture, and constitutional law. My goal is to build safe, professional, and sovereign commercial trading posts that create local jobs and give back to our community.
Unfortunately, this is the second time my business operations have been targeted by law enforcement raids. At our initial Lakeshore location (formerly Hidden Reserves, now Native Trade Cannabis), police interventions disrupted our enterprise. Former National Chief Del Riley and community members stood together with me to demand my Aboriginal and treaty rights be respected. Today, our Lakeshore location is a proud, peaceful part of the local community.
Now, history is repeating itself on King Street. Instead of engaging in respectful nation-to-nation dialogue, police raids are wasting public resources, seizing inventory, and threatening local jobs and economic self-determination.
THE LEGAL & HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
Many residents ask how Indigenous sovereignty and trade rights apply in Toronto:
The Covenant Chain Treaty Relationship: At the 1764 Treaty of Niagara, the British Crown and the Anishinaabe Nation adhered to the Covenant Chain treaty relationship of peace and friendship, which guaranteed free trade, mutual respect, and consultation between sovereign partners.
Treaty 13 & Traditional Ojibway Territory: The historic treaties covering Lake Ontario and Toronto preserve the inherent rights of Anishinaabe peoples to conduct trade and commerce across our traditional lands.
Sections 25 & 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982: Authored and defended by leaders like former National Chief Del Riley, these sections explicitly recognize and affirm existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights in the highest law of the land, ensuring local municipal or provincial regulations cannot unilaterally erase inherent Indigenous trade jurisdiction.
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): Affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to economic self-determination, control over traditional commerce, and freedom from discriminatory state intervention (specifically Articles 3, 20, and 21).
Economic reconciliation cannot just be symbolic words. It must mean respecting qualified Indigenous business owners operating on their ancestral lands without police intimidation.
PETITION STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
We, the undersigned residents, customers, neighbors, and allies, express our firm support for Native Trade Cannabis at 645 King Street West and call for an immediate end to punitive law enforcement actions against sovereign Indigenous enterprises on Ojibway ancestral territory.
WE CALL ON ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO:
1. Immediately cease police enforcement actions, raids, and intimidation against Native Trade Cannabis and sovereign Indigenous enterprises.
2. Respect the Ojibway / Anishinaabe Covenant Chain treaty relationship with the Crown, Treaty 13, Sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and UNDRIP by shifting from law enforcement coercion to respectful, nation-to-nation diplomatic dialogue regarding Indigenous trade and jurisdiction.
3. Honor Economic Reconciliation by upholding Indigenous economic self-determination and supporting safe, sovereign commerce in the City of Toronto.
WHY YOUR SIGNATURE MATTERS
By signing this petition, you send a clear message to city leaders, police services, and provincial authorities that Toronto stands for genuine treaty respect, small business diversity, and Indigenous economic sovereignty.
Please sign and share this petition today.
225
The Issue
TO: Mayor of Toronto, Local City Councillor (Spadina–Fort York), Toronto Police Services Board, and Provincial Representatives
My name is Jesse Dokis, an Ojibway entrepreneur, certified Master Grower (University of Guelph), and scholar of Indigenous rights and Canadian law (Osgoode Hall Law School). I operate Native Trade Cannabis at 645 King Street West.
This enterprise operates on the traditional ancestral territory of my people, along longstanding Anishinaabe trade routes and the shores of Lake Ontario recognized under Treaty 13.
I am not an unlicensed amateur—I hold formal credentials in plant science, horticulture, and constitutional law. My goal is to build safe, professional, and sovereign commercial trading posts that create local jobs and give back to our community.
Unfortunately, this is the second time my business operations have been targeted by law enforcement raids. At our initial Lakeshore location (formerly Hidden Reserves, now Native Trade Cannabis), police interventions disrupted our enterprise. Former National Chief Del Riley and community members stood together with me to demand my Aboriginal and treaty rights be respected. Today, our Lakeshore location is a proud, peaceful part of the local community.
Now, history is repeating itself on King Street. Instead of engaging in respectful nation-to-nation dialogue, police raids are wasting public resources, seizing inventory, and threatening local jobs and economic self-determination.
THE LEGAL & HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
Many residents ask how Indigenous sovereignty and trade rights apply in Toronto:
The Covenant Chain Treaty Relationship: At the 1764 Treaty of Niagara, the British Crown and the Anishinaabe Nation adhered to the Covenant Chain treaty relationship of peace and friendship, which guaranteed free trade, mutual respect, and consultation between sovereign partners.
Treaty 13 & Traditional Ojibway Territory: The historic treaties covering Lake Ontario and Toronto preserve the inherent rights of Anishinaabe peoples to conduct trade and commerce across our traditional lands.
Sections 25 & 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982: Authored and defended by leaders like former National Chief Del Riley, these sections explicitly recognize and affirm existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights in the highest law of the land, ensuring local municipal or provincial regulations cannot unilaterally erase inherent Indigenous trade jurisdiction.
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): Affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to economic self-determination, control over traditional commerce, and freedom from discriminatory state intervention (specifically Articles 3, 20, and 21).
Economic reconciliation cannot just be symbolic words. It must mean respecting qualified Indigenous business owners operating on their ancestral lands without police intimidation.
PETITION STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
We, the undersigned residents, customers, neighbors, and allies, express our firm support for Native Trade Cannabis at 645 King Street West and call for an immediate end to punitive law enforcement actions against sovereign Indigenous enterprises on Ojibway ancestral territory.
WE CALL ON ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO:
1. Immediately cease police enforcement actions, raids, and intimidation against Native Trade Cannabis and sovereign Indigenous enterprises.
2. Respect the Ojibway / Anishinaabe Covenant Chain treaty relationship with the Crown, Treaty 13, Sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and UNDRIP by shifting from law enforcement coercion to respectful, nation-to-nation diplomatic dialogue regarding Indigenous trade and jurisdiction.
3. Honor Economic Reconciliation by upholding Indigenous economic self-determination and supporting safe, sovereign commerce in the City of Toronto.
WHY YOUR SIGNATURE MATTERS
By signing this petition, you send a clear message to city leaders, police services, and provincial authorities that Toronto stands for genuine treaty respect, small business diversity, and Indigenous economic sovereignty.
Please sign and share this petition today.
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Petition created on October 14, 2026