Lac La Croix First Nation in northwestern Ontario reaches 'transformational' land claim settlement

Story by Sarah Law • May 5, 2023

Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford signs the commemorative document of the Lac La Croix First Nation treaty land entitlement settlement agreement, with Lac La Croix First Nation Chief Carrie Atatise-Norwegian and Marcus Powlowski MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River.© Flavia Mussio

Asettlement agreement was signed this week between Lac La Croix First Nation and the Ontario and federal governments, more than 20 years after the First Nation submitted its treaty land entitlement claim.

The semi-remote First Nation is about 320 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay along the Ontario-Minnesota border. It has a registered population of 489 and residents primarily speak Anishinaabemowin.

The settlement resolves a longstanding claim that Lac La Croix did not receive all the lands owed to it under Treaty 3, which was signed in 1873.

Now, 150 years later, a historical wrong has been addressed, said the First Nation's chief, Carrie Atatise-Norwegian.

Altogether, Lac La Croix is receiving $131.3 million in compensation: $118.2 million from the federal government and the remaining $13.1 million from Ontario.

This makes up for the amount of land the First Nation lost in the 1873 agreement, plus the loss of economic benefits that land would have produced, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski told CBC News.

"That land that was once Indigenous land through the treaty process has become the land for non-Indigenous people," he said. "We've all benefited over the years and now we owe them for some of the things which were supposed to have been in the agreement where we reneged."

Here's the timeline of the settlement process:
2002: Lac La Croix First Nation submits settlement claim to Ontario, federal government.
2011: Ontario and federal governments accept the claim for negotiation
November 2022: Lac La Croix ratifies the settlement agreement
December 2022: Ontario's minister of Indigenous affairs executes the settlement agreement
February 2023: Canada's minister of Crown–Indigenous relations executes the settlement agreement
May 2023: The settlement agreement is signed by all three parties

Grand Council Treaty 3 spans from west of Thunder Bay to north of Sioux Lookout, along the international border, to Manitoba. It is made up of 28 First Nations.

There are many Treaty 3 land settlement agreements currently underway, including Couchiching First Nation, Mitaanjigamiing First Nation and Grassy Narrows First Nation, said Powlowski. Many of the claims under Treaty 3 are related to damages caused by flooding.

"I don't think this is going to be the last announcement related to Treaty 3 in the near future," he said.

A commemorative signing was held Tuesday in the First Nation's Roundhouse with Powlowski, Chief Atatise-Norwegian, and provincial Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford.

"It's very memorable, it's historical, it's transformational for our community to have achieved this and to have reached this point," Atatise-Norwegian told CBC News.

It's been both an exciting and emotional time for the First Nation. Negotiations have gone through multiple chiefs and councillors over the years, with involvement from community members and elders, many of whom have passed away since the claim was first submitted, she said.

"It changes and transforms the dynamics of our community in so many aspects, I mean, from an individual standpoint to a collective and community standpoint, it changes our entire economy," Atatise-Norwegian said.

Public consultation has been a top priority when looking at how to best use the settlement money, to meet the community's current needs and those of future generations. Under the community's trust agreement, members identified investments in youth and housing as top priorities.

Some projects on the horizon include:
A new youth centre.
Upgrades to youth facilities, playgrounds and the baseball field.
A new Pow Wow Arbour.
Major renovations and new housing developments.

"We're very excited about the opportunities that are forthcoming," said Atatise-Norwegian.

Since the start of January 2016 to the end of January 2023, the federal government has said it has resolved 241 claims, totalling nearly $7.5 billion in compensation. The Ontario government has settled 63 land claims/other agreements since 1983.