Chapleau Cree negotiates more land

Chapleau Cree First Nation has initialed an agreement to settle a long outstanding Treaty Land Entitlement claim with the governments of Canada and Ontario. The eight-year long negotiation has resulted in the addition of more than 9,100 acres of reserve land in the Chapleau, Ont. area, as well as a significant monetary compensation package to address loss of use. “Although I feel that we negotiated a very good overall settlement under this process, this still falls far short of what we lost as a people. Canada will never be the country it was intended to be until they truly acknowledge the injustice that has been dealt us as a nation and we have real truth and reconciliation,” said Chapleau Cree Chief Keeter Carston in a statement. Chapleau Cree members must now decide whether to proceed with finalizing the deal. A referendum will be held and information packages are being mailed out to all members.