EDMONTON - A tentative agreement on what could be Canada's biggest land claim settlement has been reached between Alberta, Ottawa and several northern Alberta communities.
An agreement in principle for the settlement, worth nearly $300 million and covers nearly 57,000 hectares, was signed today in Wabasca, about 375 kilometres north of Edmonton. The claim was launched because the communities did not receive the land they were entitled to under Treaty 8, which was signed in 1899.
The proposed settlement includes the Bigstone Cree Nation and the communities of Calling Lake, Chipewyan Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake.
Ottawa's contribution to the proposed settlement is $236 million, including $59 million dedicated to housing and infrastructure in the tiny communities.
Alberta will contribute 56,658 hectares of land, $28 million in compensation, two schools valued at $25 million and water treatment plants at Peerless and Trout Lakes worth about $10 million.
Before a final agreement on the settlement can be reached, the parties must first make a final selection on the land. Consultations with the communities and a vote by the members of the Bigstone Cree Nation must also take place.
The communities will not receive any of the money until a final agreement is reached, possibly next summer.