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Fort William First Nation [Pilot project]

Since 1998, the Commission has been participating in a pilot project to facilitate the resolution of a number of specific claims identified through independent research. The claims involve surrenders and expropriations of reserve land for settlement, railway, mining, and military purposes.

The Rifle Range claim, which involves a parcel of land surrendered in 1907 for a rifle range, was the first of the Fort William First Nation’s eight claims to be jointly submitted to Canada. Accepted by Canada for negotiation in July 2000, an agreement on compensation was reached in January 2002. The Rifle Range claim was successfully ratified in December.

At the end of the fiscal year, the status of the remaining claims was as follows: the mining locations claim and the Chippewa Park claim had been submitted and were awaiting review by Canada; the additions to reserve process on the hydro claim was ongoing; a claim is unlikely to be submitted respecting the timber; the First Nation was pursuing the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway claim in the courts; and Canada is working on opinions on both the Neebing and Loch Lomond (water) claims.