Major land claim nears completion

Page 2

Saskatchewan's $455-million land claim is only a few signatures away from becoming reality. And negotiations are hammering out the last few details before a signing ceremony that should take place before the end of July.

"We're doing some minor touching up on the document," said Winston McLean, a spokesman for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. "We're dotting the i's and crossing the t's."

Under the umbrella agreement, negotiated by the federation, the province's 27 bands will be required to purchase land from farmers and municipalities over the next

12 years.

The land purchases, which will be financed by Ottawa, will clear up unfulfilled treaty obligations that are more than 100 years old.

Affected towns are enthusiastic about the claim and are anxious to see it finalized, said Daryl Chambers, executive director of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities in a letter to the federal and provincial Indian Affairs ministers.

With the deal nearly complete, McLean said he is taking the claim to the communities "to make sure everybody understands the documents."

One of the first steps toward implementing the agreement will be drawing up band membership lists. McLean said once the deal is complete individual bands will have up to three years to sort out their memberships and select their lands.