Path to settlement was long, difficult says FWFN chief

The approval of the Neebing specific claim settlement was an uphill battle for the community, says the Chief of Fort William First Nation.

Members of Fort William First Nation took to the polls Saturday and voted 942, or 98 per cent, in favour of the ratification of the Neebing specific claim. Five votes cast were against the offer and 13 votes were spoiled.

The federal government proposed a settlement of about $22 million in financial compensation and didn't include a land component.

Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins said that the settlement was a step in the right direction for the community.

"It has been a long, drawn out process for our community," Collins said Monday. "For the most part, I think our community members are just happy to have the matter over with. I think it is a fair pay out and a fair settlement."

The claim refers to the surrender of 6,400 acres of land in 1859 located west of the FWFN community.

The First Nations submitted its claim in 2000 and went to the negotiation table in 2007.

Each band member will receive $10,000 as part of the settlement, with about $4 million left to invest in future infrastructure projects. Some of the infrastructure ideas he would like to see in the community included a day care centre and a trade school, he said.

With the $150 million boundary claim on Jan.22, Collins said they will look at a five-year economic plan for the community and decide what kind of infrastructure the area needs most.

"We need to grow," he said. "We still have a list of about 200 people in our community who are waiting for a house. You got to grow and you anticipate your community growing. When I first got here in 1999 there were just 600 people living in the community. Now we’re well over a thousand."