Aboriginal protesters have removed their blockade of Canada's busiest rail line, but warn the demonstration is just one is a series of "escalating" actions they intend to take.
Plans for the next protest are said to be in place with future targets including the railway, provincial highways and the town of Deseronto.
The busy CN and Via Rail corridor between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto was blocked for almost 24 hours after protestors blocked the line with an old school bus near Deseronto, Ont.
The Mohawks are protesting a developers plan to build condos using materials from a quarry that lies on land the natives claim belongs to them. Negotiations are underway to try and resolve the dispute.
Shawn Brant, a spokesperson for the demonstrators, told Â鶹´«Ã½net the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte removed the barricade early over concern that the situation would become violent, Brant told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
However, he warned that more demonstrations are planned and the actions will likely become more aggressive in nature as time goes on.
"As scary as this sounds, it's an escalating campaign. The track was the first. We consider that a soft hit and from there we will be escalating this campaign according to the province's action or inaction."
Deseronto Mayor Norm Clark initially said the removal of the blockade was a step forward for the community.
However, after hearing Brant's comments, he worried what was coming next.
"That makes you wonder, if that was a soft hit what is the next demonstration going to be and what's going to happen?" he told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
"The fear that I have is that they're going to do something to the town because Deseronto and Tyendinaga reserve are beside each other. If they're going to try and block off the town, that could be devastating," he said, suggesting such an action could result in violence.
Clark said ongoing disputes have "put a cloud over Deseronto," with several developers taking their projects out of the town, a drop in tourism and divisions developing between natives and non-natives.
He said people who have nothing to do with the dispute are being made to suffer as the result of the protests.
"I haven't heard anybody disputing or complaining about the land claim itself. What the complaints are about is all the demonstrations and the disruptions these demonstrations cause to people," Clark said.
"People can't understand that. Now that negotiations are underway, they don't understand why the demonstrations have to take place."
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice praised the efforts of those who continued negotiating through the blockade, but said such demonstrations aren't an effective means of solving disagreements.
"In terms of blockades there really is no excuse," Prentice told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
"These blockades do nothing to help the negotiations and do nothing to bring stability or progress at the negotiating table, and frankly all they do is harm innocent people who are not involved in the dispute and the negotiations. And I think it leads to an erosion of good will towards aboriginal people."
At one point during the blockade, billows of black smoke could be seen rising from the blockade and emergency fire crews were called to the scene.
Chief of the Tyendinaga Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte maintains both sides are negotiating and advocating for a peaceful resolution of the claim.
"The process may take a long time but that is the only process that we have to work with -- negotiating a resolution," Don Maracle told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Friday.
"There are a number of parties that have to be consulted and a number of studies that have to be done and it will take time."
"I implore everyone to have patience and to give the negotiating table a chance to work," Maracle said.
The federal government has appointed a land-claims negotiator to resolve the dispute. But protesters say the negotiations are taking too much time.
With files from The Canadian Press
