Feds reach settlement with Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, invest in Wollaston Airport
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Bluesky
-
Share on X
- Copy Link
Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation has reached a $29,602,664 agreement with the federal government for a treaty land entitlement claim.
Announced on September 1, the claim is part of the Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement, which addresses situations where First Nations did not receive reserve lands promised at the time of treaty.
For Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation, they were not provided the full amount of land it was entitled to receive under Treaty 10. The treaty required the Crown to set aside 640 acres per family of five, or 128 acres per person.
“This settlement has been a long time coming for the people of Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation. Our ancestors entered into Treaty 10 with the understanding that its promises would be honoured, including the land that was owed to our people,” said Chief Bartholomew J. Tsannie of Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation.
“We honour the generations who carried this claim forward and whose determination brought us here. This agreement gives our Nation an opportunity to invest in our community and create a stronger future for our children and grandchildren,” he said.
Under the agreement, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada will provide $23.2 million, and the Province of Saskatchewan will provide $6.3 million to Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation as full and final compensation for the claim. The Nation may also apply to add up to 28,118 acres of land in line with the federal Additions to Reserve Policy.
“Treaties are promises, and for far too long, the promises made to Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation under Treaty 10 were not fully honoured. This settlement can not undo that history, but it recognizes the wrong that was done and takes a meaningful step toward righting it,” said Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development.
Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation is situated on the south-eastern shoreline of Wollaston Lake in the Athabasca region of northern Saskatchewan.
