Teme-Augama blast government for breaching protocol agreement

Page 2

Land claim talks between Natives and governments officials in Ontario have stalled over a breach of negotiations etiquette.

The Teme-Augama band in north-central Ontario denounced the provincial government for prematurely releasing information about its land claim offer.

The settlement offer was published in violation of an established protocol by which both parties refrained from publicizing their positions, band officials said in a press release.

A 120-day moratorium on settlement details was not scheduled to end until Aug. 17. But the Ontario government announced two weeks ago that it was offering the band a 220-square-kilometre section of land and $410 million in compensation.

The province's action is little more than a 'media stunt' which the Teme-Augama Anishnabai Executive Council rejects and will not dignify with any further public comment, the press release said.

Native negotiators said, however, they are still willing to sit down with the provincial officials to finish the deal.

The Teme-Augama had originally filed cautions on title to 10,000 square km of land around Lake Temagami and North Bay back in 1973. The cautions, which warn potential buyers of a land dispute, halted development in the area for almost 20 years.

In 1991, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the band's land claim was invalid, but the provincial government had already begun negotiations with the Teme-Augama for a treaty involving shared stewardship of the region. The three-year negotiation period expired last March but was extended to Aug. 20.

Ontario's premature announcement of their settlement offer follows an agreement with non-Native residents of the Temagami area to refrain from signing secret deals with Natives, the province's negotiator said.

Any agreement with the band was needed July 31 to have a draft agreement ready Aug. 20, Grant Wedge said. But the Teme-Augama were making new demands as late as last week, making it impossible for the province to reach an accord on some key issues.