Signatory nations to the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850 could see the benefits from resource revenues as early as this spring, after signing a $10-billion settlement agreement proposed by the provincial and federal governments last summer.
In a January update to members, the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund indicated that trustees from each of the 21 nations met on Jan. 3 to sign the agreement together.
The agreement is the result of an Annuities Statement of Claim, which the Fund filed in 2014.
It outlines how Robinson Huron signatory nations are to benefit from resources extracted from the treaty area, which includes communities situated along the north shore of Lake Huron.
Canada and Ontario will each contribute $5 billion to the settlement.
The settlement agreement will next be signed by Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford on behalf of the provincial government, and then sent to Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree to sign on behalf of the Government of Canada.
The details of the agreement are privileged and confidential, and therefore not disclosed to the public.
However, members of the signatory nations should have access to the details of the settlement agreement through confidential means, as led by each First Nation’s chief and council.
Once the settlement has been finalized, it will be distributed to the 21 nations from the Fund Trust based on a formula agreed to by the Fund and their councils.
— Sudbury.com
