The Niisaachewan (Dalles) First Nation north of Kenora has signed an historic flooding compensation agreement with the federal and Ontario governments.
Almost $85 million has been awarded to the community.
Chief Lorraine Cobiness says it’s been a long time coming.
“It took a team of so many members, so many councils who have negotiated right along the way, to bring some sort of closure,” Cobiness said following the signing ceremony on Wednesday.
She adds that most of the money will be split among community members.
“We did a lot with our settlement dollars. Some that went directly right back to our people, which is exactly what they wanted and needed and it was like a re-set in their lives, that set some stage of stability for them.”
Minister for Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller says the flooding caused irreparable harm to the community.
“It something that should have never happened. The damage occurred well over a century ago with pretty much irreparable damage to their language, culture, tradition, economy and the effects still felt to this day. So this is a big day for the community that they fought for really long.”
The federal government will pay most of the compensation claim of 65 million.
Indigenous Affairs minister for the Province of Ontario Greg Rickford says they contributed $20 million.
“Many of these claims have gone on for a very long time and the intended beneficiaries, generation after generation, deserve this opportunity. We think this is a fresh start. We’ve got a lot to work on, but we’ve got a lot to build on.”
A traditional ceremony with drumming and elders was held prior to the signing.
