Band to vote on $80.6-M land settlement

Courtesy: Winnipeg Sun

December 27, 2010

It’s not the $100 million that was expected, but Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation members will vote in February on an $80.6-million settlement from Ottawa in a land dispute that goes back more than 100 years.

The deal would see each eligible band member receive a one-time payout of $5,000, with the bulk of the settlement money locked into trust.

The settlement relates to what’s known as the 1903 Surrender, when the band was pressured to open up nearly 8,000 acres of its reserve land for sale to farmers and settlers despite the fact that the band repeatedly refused to do so over the course of more than a decade.

A majority of Roseau’s 1,400 or so members must accept the agreement through referendum. The vote is scheduled for Feb. 8, the band announced Monday.

If accepted, most of the money — about $60 million — would be held in trust while $5,000 payouts would be available to every eligible man, woman and child, said Roseau River Chief Terry Nelson.

“People wanted money in (their) pockets. That was pretty clear what they wanted,” Nelson.

The interest off the money held in trust would be spent on things like housing and education, Nelson said, noting on-and-off reserve housing is a top concern.

Nelson said he expects to see “at least 100 new homes.”

While the final offer is less than the $100 million discussed in a Dec. 2008 verbal offer, it is still substantial, said Nelson.

“It is a good settlement in terms of the acreage number,” said Nelson, noting Roseau River will see about $10,000 per acre while other First Nations have received land claim settlements of $3,900 an acre.

Nelson attributes the higher figure for his band’s settlement to the value of the land, calling it “some of the finest agricultural lands,” in Manitoba.

At issue is 12 sections — about 7,900 acres — of surrendered land that stretched from the banks of the Roseau River northwest of Dominion City several kilometres south to the Red River between Letellier and Emerson.

The band filed its first claim over the lost land nearly 30 years ago. The band’s claim has been twice rejected — in 1986 and 2001.

In 2007, the Indian Claims Commission ruled that Canada breached its fiduciary duty and allowed “a foolish, improvident and exploitative agreement to take place.”

Over the next month, the band is pledging to hold at least three information meetings both on- and off-reserve to explain the settlement.