The federal government recently offered $3.5 million to settle a hundred-year-old Loch Lomond land claim.
Fort William First Nation members voted on whether or not to accept the offer Saturday. Members could vote at the Fort William First Nation Community Centre or mail in their ballot. More than 1,350 members registered to vote, and results are expected sometime Monday.
If the offer is accepted, Fort William First Nation will have to hand over $2.3 million of the settlement money to the City of Thunder Bay for outstanding taxes on the AbitibiBowater sawmill that is situated on the land in question.
John Kimball came to vote with his mother and his sister. He is an adult education instructor for the enabling program on Mission Road and he said the voting day was a great day.
"We get to get over the past and move on," Kimball said.
Kimball said he would like to see some of the money go toward paying off the debt. The rest of the money could go toward the community, including taking care of the elderly, better education and health care and spiritual growth.
The Fort William First Nations submitted its land claim in September 2005. The community’s leadership complained that they hadn’t received adequate compensation for the use of First Nation land at the north end of Loch Lomond.
The First Nations community received compensation in 1925 but that did not include the use of the water.
Between 1910 and 1995, the Town of Fort William made a number of agreements to provide the federal government with right-of-way and restricted First Nation’s use of land near the north end of Loch Lomond.
Crystal Donohue lives in Thunder Bay and came to the community centre to vote. She said it is always important to vote and added that it would be awesome if the band received the settlement money.
"I would like a few things," Donohue said. "Maybe housing…maybe some kind of halfway house for people coming out of prison or trying to prevent people from going to prison."
Peter Collins, chief of Fort William First Nations, said he is disappointed that they will have to pay the tax despite not being a taxable community.
Despite that disappointment, Collins said he still would be surprised if the community rejected the offer.
"I’m hoping that this will get settled today," Collins said. "The money is only going in two directions. There is going to be a cash distribution for our members and 2.3 is going to offset the tax burden."
Collins said the federal government failed to protect the band’s rights in 1905. The government at the time took two land surrenders from the First Nation community, the first of which was for the pipeline right-of-way from Loch Lomond and the second to draw water from Loch Lomond.
