Fort Chip Cree get reserve, cash

Traditional park rights, too

Page 3

The Cree Band of Fort Chipewyan, the province of Alberta and the federal government announced December 23 the conclusion of an agreement settling the band's claim...the largest outstanding treat lands entitlement claim in Alberta.

Bill McKnight, minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; Jim Horsman, Alberta attorney general and minister of Federal and Interprovincial Affairs; and Rita Marten, chief of the Cree Band of Fort Chipewyan, announced details of the agreement which provides for 12,280 acres (4,969.5 hectares) of land to be set aside for Indian purposes, hunting, fishing and trapping rights and $26.6 million in cash compensation.

"I am pleased to announce that as a result of continuing good faith and commitment of all parties...the federal government, the province of Alberta, and the Cree Band - Canada is now able to fulfill its longstanding commitment to the Cree Band of Fort Chipewyan," McKnight said.

Settlement of the treaty land entitlement also fulfills an obligation assumed by the people of Alberta when the province obtained control of its natural resources in 1930, under the Natural Resources Transfer Act.

"The agreement represents years of patient and productive negotiations between the band and the two orders of government. This unique settlement also creates opportunities for economic development by providing the financial and natural resources the band needs to ensure the self-sufficiency of its members," said Jim Horsman.

Alberta, for its part, provides 11,000 acres (4. 451.6 hectares) of land on seven sites, including mines and mineral rights, $2.6 million in lieu of another 13,000 (5,260.9 hectares) and a $15 million cash component.

"The signing of this agreement is a great event for us because it means that the efforts of those who have gone before us were not made in vain," says Rita Marten, Chief of the Cree Band of Fort Chipewyan. "We are glad to see the terms of Treaty 8 finally fulfilled."

A referendum on the proposed agreement was held by the band during the week of April 14 - 18, of this year. The results indicated strong support for the proposed settlement among band members: of the 74 per cent voter turnout, 94 per cent voted in favor.

The genesis of the claim is found in the terms of Treaty 8, signed by the Cree Band in 1899, which stipulates that a land allotment of 640 acres (259 hectares) be made per family of five.

The terms of the settlement include: 1,280 acres (517.9 hectares) of land at the existing Peace Point community which will be excised from Wood Buffalo National Park; guarantees of continued hunting, fishing and trapping rights for band members in their traditional area within 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of the 11 million acre (4.45 hectare) park; the establishment of a joint band/Environment Canada wildlife advisory board; and, confirmation of the release of the province's obligations to Canada under the Alberta Natural Resources Transfer Act.

Wood Buffalo National Park falls under the authority of Tom McMillan, federal minister of the Environment. The excision and wildlife provisions are not precedents which will affect other established national parks, but recognize the long-standing relationship of band members to lands within the park, where they pursue their traditional lifestyle.

Settlement of the Cree Band's claim is the latest in a series of initiatives in Fort Chipewyan that illustrate a positive spirit of co-operation between the members of the community and the federal and provincial governments. These include: construction of a new Northlands School, development by the Cree and Chipewyan bands of a community complex, construction of a fish plant, and a water management project to enhance muskrat habitat in the region.