Wachay, Greetings,

Spring is here but you would not know it! The snow cover on the ground is deep, ice on the lakes is thick and the days continue to be cool.

The day when our members can be on our land in our community to witness the change to the seasons will happen, however many more hurdles that will have to be overcome before that occurs. This is what our Council has been working at, to get our land back and ensure that we have the funding and resources to continue to be a prosperous and successful community.

Treaty Land Entitlement

Last year at our gathering, one of the important items we discussed was the offer by Canada for our treaty land entitlement claim. Canada offered Missanabie Cree thirty million dollars plus the cost to negotiate the settlement, which added up to a total of almost 34 million dollars. The members in attendance gave a clear message to Council – reject the offer on the idea that the offer was an insult to the impact and suffering our members have endured since the treaty was signed in 1906. Loss of language, loss of connection to the land, loss of family unity, loss of community, loss of the opportunities afforded to every other community that received land and transfer payments.

 When I informed Canada of the views of the members, they in turn sent a letter stating that it was Canada’s intent to withdraw from any further negotiations. With the stoppage of negotiations, Canada would stop any further payments that funded our portion of the costs to coordinate our studies, hire staff, hire our legal advisors and support our administration costs.

 Since then council has been working hard to convince Canada to consider other options that include the cost to build a new community. 

 To date we have had two additional meetings with Indian Affairs. One meeting was with the Director of Specific Claims and other meeting was with the senior advisors to the Minister of Indian Affairs. Both meetings resulted in an assurance by Indian Affairs to reconsider offering Missanabie Cree a more realistic settlement that would include the true cost our community suffered since 1906 as well as having the financial commitment from Canada to build our community to the level of infrastructure and development offered to other communities of similar population.

 Land Transfer

In the spring of 2006, Ontario committed to transfer fifteen square miles of land to Missanabie Cree as partial payment for the land they are legally obligated to provide us. Missanabie Cree has always argued that Ontario is actually obligated to provide a total of seventy square miles. The remaining fifty-five square miles will have to litigated for a final resolution.

 Originally, the Land Transfer Advisor Committee and Ontario agreed to a timeframe that would see the land formally transferred by the summer of 2009. The timeframe was changed to address a supplementary consultation requirement on some minor boundary changes. At a recent meeting with Minister Duguid (Minister of Aboriginal Affairs – Ontario), he assured the team that the transfer would proceed as scheduled in the new revised timeframe. The land will be transferred and officially owned by Missanabie Cree in the summer of 2011.

 Immediately following the transfer of land, Missanabie Cree will be seeking Canada’s support to have the land converted to reserve land under the Addition to Reserve (ATR) policy of Indian Affairs.

 It is anticipated that this process will not take too long as Canada has a representative at the Land Transfer process and a number of the issues that are to be addressed for the land transfer from Ontario to Missanabie Cree will also address the policy requirements for Canada such as consultation with third parties, environmental assessment studies, land surveys and boundary marking.

 New Relationship Fund

In the New Year, Ontario offered funding to assist communities to build more capacity to understand issues around resource development. Each community that applied will use the funds to hold community meetings, hire consultants and have the ability to hold meetings with resource development companies who are interested in working on developing projects on our traditional lands.

 As the funds have only recently been confirmed to Missanabie Cree, it is our intention to begin the process to hold community meetings and get direction from the members on the development of projects on our traditional lands. More information will follow in future newsletters and on the webpage.

 Chi-meegwetch.

                                                  -Okimahgan Glenn Nolan