Fort William favours claim

Fort William First Nation band members voted 942 to 5 in favour of the Neebing Surrender Specific Claim settlement offer.
The vote on the about $22 million settlement offer was held Dec. 4. The government of Canada still needs to approve the settlement offer.
The Neebing Specific Claim relates to the surrender of about 6,400 acres of the western portion of the Fort William First Nation reserve in 1859. The lands were surrendered with an understanding that the property would be surveyed and sold for the use and benefit of the First Nation. The basis of this claim is that when the lands did not sell, Canada should have asked if the First Nation wished to have the lands returned. The Neebing Specific Claim was submitted in 2000 and negotiations began in 2007.
Fort William will also be voting Jan. 22 on a joint federal-provincial settlement offer of about $154 million for the Fort William First Nation Boundary Claim.
“Like all negotiations, there have been ups and downs, but we have worked tirelessly towards a resolution that will benefit present-day members and future generations, which our forefathers expected when they signed the Treaty in 1850,” said Fort William Chief Peter Collins about the Boundary Claim. “The settlement will also provide the resources that our First Nation needs to create businesses, employment and other opportunities for the long-term which will benefit our members and the entire Thunder Bay area.”
The proposed Boundary Claim settlement includes about $154 million in total financial compensation and the transfer of provincial Crown lands on two islands located in Lake Superior, Flatland Island and Pie Island, to Canada to be set apart as reserve for the Fort William First Nation.
“Today, we are taking a decisive step forward towards the resolution of a longstanding claim,” said Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians Minister John Duncan. “It is clear that working in partnership we can find common solutions that will deliver real results for the Fort William First Nation, create economic initiatives for northwestern Ontario and balance the interests of all Canadians.”
The Boundary Claim dates back to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. The Robinson-Superior 1850 community, which is located along the southern limits of Thunder Bay, claims the boundary of the Fort William reserve, as surveyed in 1853, does not reflect the First Nation’s understanding of the location and size of the reserve that was supposed to be set apart for their use under the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850.
The Boundary Claim was submitted to Canada in 1986 and to Ontario in 1987. After extensive research and legal reviews of the claim, Canada accepted the claim for negotiation in 1994 under its Specific Claims Policy. Ontario accepted the claim in 2000.