Tuesday, February 8, 2000 CHENAIL ECARTE RESERVE

WIFN Seeks Support for Chenail Ecarte Land Claim

The Walpole Island First Nation is reaching out to its neighbours in Sombra Township and the adjacent northern portion of Chatham Township for their support to get the Federal Department of Indian Affairs to respond to a land claim filed by the First Nation almost 4 years ago. The claim relates to a Reserve that was supposed to be established in 1796 for this First Nation and other Indians allied to the British Crown at that time.

The First Nation has reached a point of clear frustration in their dealings with the Specific Claims Branch of the Department of Indian Affairs. The First Nation wants to know whether its claim will be accepted or rejected, and if accepted, to immediately start the negotiations to resolve the claim.

The Specific Claims process is an initiative started by the Federal Government more than 20 years ago to deal with historic land claims by First Nations through negotiation, and as an alternative to the Courts. The Specific Claims process requires that third party interests in the affected land be respected. This means that title to land in the affected area would not be affected if the claim was accepted and a settlement reached. The settlement would clear up any potential claims of those lands by the First Nation.

The Walpole Island First Nation has sent out a letter by Chief Joseph Gilbert with a summary of the historical background to the claim, and a summary of the history of the claim since it was submitted to Specific Claims. According to Chief Joseph Gilbert:

"The Federal Government has had all of the historical research in its possession since 1996. They have broken promise after promise to provide an answer. There is no end in sight. We are reaching out to our friends and neighbours to enlist their support. The longer this claim goes unanswered, the longer our First Nation will suffer from this historic wrong."

The First Nation prefers a negotiated resolution to this claim, which would be a win-win for everyone. If the Government continues to delay or rejects the claim, the First Nation will have little choice but to pursue the process which Specific Claims was intended to avoid; namely, a civil lawsuit.

Further information can be obtained from:

Mr. Dean Jacobs
Executive Director
Walpole Island First Nation Heritage Centre at (519) 627-1475