MEMBERSHIP 
  NOTIFICATION 
   
  

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
2015-­‐CO-­‐6 
  

Department: 
   
   OFFICE 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHIEF 
    
  
 
  
 
  
Subject: 
   
  GRAND 
  TRUNK 
  PACIFIC 
  RAILWAY 
   
  
SPECIFIC 
  CLAIM 
  SETTLEMENT 
  OFFER 
   
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  

 
  

Date 
  Prepared: 
   
  March 
  31, 
  2016 
  

 
  

Prepared 
  by: 
   
  Kristy 
  Boucher-­‐Communications 
  Officer 
  
Executive 
  Assistant-­‐Office 
  of 
  the 
  Chief 
  

 
  

On 
  March 
  30, 
  2016, 
  Fort 
  William 
  First 
  Nation 
  received 
  on 
  a 
  without 
  prejudice 
  basis 
  a 
  global 
  settlement 
  offer 
  
for 
  the 
  Grand 
  Trunk 
  Pacific 
  Specific 
  Claim 
  from 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Canada 
  in 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  $98, 
  933, 
  310.00. 
   
  
This 
  offer 
  of 
  financial 
  compensation 
  includes 
  a 
  contribution 
  towards 
  legal, 
  negotiation 
  and 
  ratification 
  costs, 
  
as 
  well 
  as 
  land 
  acquisition, 
  environmental 
  assessment 
  and 
  survey 
  costs. 
   
  This 
  will 
  mean 
  that 
  the 
  negotiation 
  
loan 
  funding 
  from 
  Canada 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  deducted 
  from 
  the 
  Global 
  Offer 
  
 
  
In 
  exchange 
  for 
  the 
  compensation 
  provided, 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Canada 
  requires 
  in 
  the 
  settlement 
  agreement 
  
that 
  FWFN 
  provide 
  a 
  full 
  release 
  and 
  an 
  indemnity 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Canada 
  regarding 
  this 
  
specific 
  claim. 
   
  In 
  addition, 
  to 
  achieve 
  legal 
  certainty 
  and 
  finality, 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Canada 
  will 
  require 
  FWFN 
  
to 
  surrender 
  their 
  complete 
  interests 
  in 
  the 
  claim 
  lands, 
  approximately 
  147.5 
  acres, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  
those 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  claim 
  lands 
  that 
  the 
  First 
  Nation 
  has 
  re-­‐acquired. 
  This 
  does 
  not 
  mean 
  were 
  releasing 
  or 
  
losing 
  land 
  but 
  rather 
  that 
  FWFN 
  will 
  release 
  their 
  interest 
  in 
  any 
  future 
  claims 
  against 
  Canada 
  for 
  the 
  Lands 
  
currently 
  acquired 
  and 
  occupied 
  by 
  Abitibi. 
  
 
  
Should 
  an 
  ATR 
  request 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  settlement 
  up 
  to 
  1132.67 
  acres 
  of 
  land, 
  
the 
  Minister 
  of 
  Indigenous 
  and 
  Northern 
  Affairs 
  Canada 
  may 
  recommend 
  to 
  the 
  Governor 
  in 
  Council 
  that 
  the 
  
requested 
  lands 
  be 
  set 
  apart 
  as 
  reserve. 
  FWFN 
  will 
  in 
  fact 
  pursue 
  an 
  ATR 
  (Addition 
  to 
  Reserve) 
  on 
  the 
  GTP 
  
Lands 
  available 
  
 
  
There 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  FWFN 
  Membership 
  Meeting 
  on 
  Monday 
  April 
  4, 
  2016 
  at 
  6:30 
  p.m. 
  at 
  the 
  FWFN 
  Community 
  
Centre, 
  regarding 
  this 
  file. 
   
  As 
  always, 
  the 
  meeting 
  will 
  be 
  live 
  streamed 
  at 
  www.fwfn.com. 
   
   
  
 
  
Respectfully, 
   
  

 
  
Chief 
  Peter 
  Collins 
  
FWFN 
  

 
  

  
  

GRAND 
  TRUNK 
  PACIFIC 
  CLAIM 
  UPDATE 
  
History 
  of 
  Claim 
  
This 
   Claim 
   was 
   submitted 
   to 
   Canada 
   in 
   1999. 
   In 
   1905 
   pursuant 
   to 
   the 
   Railway 
   Act 
   Canada 
  
appropriated 
  over 
  1,600 
  acres 
  of 
  land 
  from 
  FWFN 
  for 
  a 
  terminus 
  for 
  the 
  GTP 
  railway. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  
largest 
   railway 
   taking 
   from 
   an 
   Indian 
   reserve 
   in 
   the 
   history 
   of 
   Canada. 
   The 
   Railway 
   took 
   the 
  
entire 
   Mission 
   site 
   on 
   the 
   Kaministiqua 
   River, 
   every 
   home, 
   farm, 
   the 
   Church, 
   even 
   the 
  
graveyard 
   had 
   to 
   be 
   relocated. 
   About 
   half 
   the 
   Members 
   moved 
   to 
   Squaw 
   Bay 
   and 
   the 
   other 
  
half 
  to 
  the 
  Mountain 
  Village. 
  
 
  
The 
  GTP 
  railway 
  went 
  bankrupt 
  and 
  the 
  terminus 
  was 
  never 
  really 
  developed 
  as 
  planned. 
  The 
  
rail 
  line 
  was 
  taken 
  over 
  by 
  Canada 
  in 
  1920 
  and 
  the 
  Mission 
  land 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  Canadian 
  National 
  
Railway 
   (CN). 
   Through 
   direct 
   negotiations 
   with 
   CN, 
   FWFN 
   Development 
   Corporation 
   regained 
  
ownership 
  of 
  about 
  1,100 
  acres 
  of 
  the 
  Mission 
  land 
  in 
  1999. 
   
  
 
  
Canada 
  accepted 
  this 
  claim 
  for 
  negotiation 
  in 
  2002 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  was 
  sold 
  for 
  less 
  
than 
  it 
  was 
  worth 
  in 
  1905. 
  Shortly 
  after 
  the 
  Osoyoos 
  decision 
  by 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Court 
  of 
  Canada 
  
potentially 
  expanded 
  the 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  acceptance. 
  FWFN 
  suggested 
  a 
  legal 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  basis 
  
of 
   acceptance 
   following 
   Osoyoos, 
   and 
   discussions 
   began 
   towards 
   broader 
   negotiations. 
   A 
  
lawsuit 
   by 
   FWFN 
   resulted 
   in 
   Canada 
   suspending 
   negotiations, 
   as 
   Canada 
   will 
   not 
   negotiate 
   a 
  
claim 
   if 
   a 
   First 
   Nation 
   is 
   proceeding 
   with 
   litigation 
   at 
   the 
   same 
   time. 
   The 
   litigation 
   is 
   now 
   “in 
  
abeyance”. 
   
  
 
  
In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  2008 
  negotiations 
  re-­‐commenced 
  with 
  Canada 
  taking 
  the 
  position 
  that 
  the 
  Railway 
  
Act 
  prohibited 
  the 
  alienation 
  of 
  appropriated 
  land 
  by 
  the 
  GTP 
  and 
  that 
  Canada 
  had 
  a 
  duty 
  to 
  
prevent 
  the 
  alienation 
  and 
  to 
  return 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  FWFN. 
   
  
 
  
We 
   negotiated 
   was 
   based 
   on 
   two 
   components: 
   1) 
   We 
   negotiated 
   compensation 
   ($) 
   with 
  
Specific 
   Claims 
   Branch 
   (SCB); 
   and 
   2) 
   we 
   negotiated 
   the 
   return 
   of 
   the 
   lands 
   to 
   reserve 
   status 
  
with 
  Ontario 
  Region 
  through 
  Canada’s 
  Additions 
  to 
  Reserve 
  (ATR) 
  Policy. 
   
  
 
  
We 
  have 
  agreed 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  for 
  compensation 
  with 
  SCB, 
  and 
  on 
  Monday 
  March 
  30th, 
  2016 
  
we 
  have 
  received 
  a 
  written 
  offer 
  from 
  Canada. 
  
 
  

 Grand 
  Trunk 
  Pacific 
  Railway 
  Claim 
  Update 
  
Community 
  Information 
  Meeting 
  
 
  
April 
  4th, 
  2016 
  
FWFN 
  Community 
  Centre 
  
6:30pm 
  
 
  

 
  
There 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  presentation 
  on 
  the 
  Grand 
  Trunk 
  Pacific 
  Railway 
  Claim 
  
and 
  an 
  opportunity 
  for 
  any 
  questions 
  the 
  membership 
  may 
  have. 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
This 
  meeting 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  available 
  on 
  live 
  stream 
  for 
  members 
  at 
  www.fwfn.com