LAC LA CROIX FIRST NATION — Community leaders are celebrating the signing of a land settlement agreement with the federal and provincial governments.
Lac La Croix First Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski, and provincial Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford signed the treaty land entitlement claim settlement agreement on Tuesday.
The tripartite agreement settles the First Nation's long-standing claim that it did not receive all the lands owed to it under Treaty 3, which was signed in 1873.
“It’s a historic day. This is a very symbolic day. It’s a really important day,” Atatise-Norwegian said. “It’s a transformation. I’ve been saying this for a long time, since I started sitting at the negotiation table for our First Nation.”
Lac La Croix First Nation began its effort to reclaim its land in 2002. In 2011, Ontario and Canada accepted their claim and began negotiations for a settlement agreement. A decade later, the settlement was ratified by the First Nation, Canada, and Ontario.
“The settlement agreement honours a treaty promise and is an opportunity to mitigate a historic wrong against the Lac La Croix First Nation," Atatise-Norwegian said. "This transforms the lives of our citizens in all aspects, and we acknowledge all parties that have made this possible including but not limited to our Elders, ancestors and leadership past and present, our citizens and members of our negotiating team who have worked diligently in their commitment to finalizing this historic claim."
Under the settlement, the federal government will provide $118.2 million, and the province will provide $13.1 million, for a total of $131.3 million in compensation to the First Nation.
"When they calculated the amount owning, it was based on the amount of land they didn’t get, plus the loss of money because their band hasn’t been able to utilize that land for logging or farming for the last 150 years," Powlowski said. "So that’s where you get that number. I think certainly, it’s a lot of money, but it’s a deal. When the government commits to a deal, it’s obligated to follow the deal. So, I’m glad our government has eventually complied with the terms of the agreement.”
Lac La Croix First Nation, located in the Rainy River District, has a registered population of 489 people, of which their on-reserve population is 318.
Atatise-Norwegian said that they intend to use the settlement money for a youth center and some much-needed housing in the community.
“It marks a new beginning for us to work together as one community with a common interest of prosperity for all of us. This has been a long time coming,” Rickford said.
