Garden River citizens each receiving $110,000 in Robinson Huron payout
Garden River First Nation approved initial payout in its Robinson Huron Treaty settlement, providing a minimum of $110,000 to each registered citizen.
This payout includes all citizens registered with Indigenous Services Canada as of Sept. 9, 2023, with totals roughly 3,300 people according to local Robinson Huron Treaty coordinator Robert Peace.
While this doesn't account for the community's overall settlement of approximately $610 million, more settlement money will be headed to Garden River down the line, with $200 million being allocated to a legacy trust.
An additional $40-50 million is expected from the community's "war chest fund" that was reduced from 10 per cent to five per cent of the $10-billion annuities settlement earlier this year.
"This settlement is a significant milestone for our community," Chief Karen Bell said in a Wednesday news release.
"We are dedicated to managing these funds responsibly and ensuring they benefit both current and future generations of Garden River First Nation."
Garden River is also hosting a series of community engagement sessions throughout this week to help guide members on how to use their settlement money wisely.
Following a Wednesday evening workshop at the Garden River Community Centre, the community will also be hosting an in-person session at the Delta Hotel in Sault Ste. Marie Thursday and a virtual session over Zoom Friday (both taking place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.).
"We are committed to keeping our members informed throughout this process," Garden River councillor Chester Langille said in Wednesday's release.
"Significant engagement with smaller, targeted meetings was a request of the community last year and is essential to building trust and ensuring everyone understands the implications of these decisions."
All 21 First Nations included in the Robinson Huron Treaty finalized their settlement total back in January, with this agreement involving $10 billion in federal and provincial funds.
The Robinson Huron Treaty was originally signed in 1850 between the British Crown and these Indigenous communities living on or near the shores of Lake Huron.
While the Crown promised to fairly compensate these First Nations for use of their land — which led to the extraction of valuable resources such as nickel, copper, uranium and timber — annuity rates remained the same since 1875.
This historic disparity was finally brought before the court in major fashion following the formation of the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund in 2010.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ultimately sided with the Litigation Fund’s legal team in 2018, ruling that the Crown had an obligation under the original 1850 treaty to increase annuities as wealth generated from the land increased over time.
After half-a-decade of work, the parties involved finally reached a proposed $10-billion settlement in June 2023, laying the groundwork for payments distribution the following year.
kdarbyson@postmedia.com
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Kyle Darbyson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Sault Star
