Ontario reaches land claim settlement with Matachewan First Nation

MATACHEWAN, Ont. — The Ontario government says it has reached a settlement in a treaty land entitlement claim linked to the Matachewan First Nation.

Under the settlement, the First Nation located southeast of Timmins, Ont., will receive $590,000 and more than 2,000 hectares of provincial Crown land, which may be added to its reserve.

Treaty land entitlement claim settlements are meant to remedy instances where First Nations did not receive the amount of reserve land promised to them under numbered treaties.

The province says Treaty 9, also known as the James Bay Treaty, provided First Nations with nearly 260 hectares of land per family of five, or just over 50 hectares per member.

However, the Matachewan First Nation did not receive all the land it was entitled to.

Since it began settling claims with Indigenous communities in 1983, Ontario says it has handled 65 land claims and other agreements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press