Members of the Williams Lake First Nation will soon be hitting the polls to decide whether or not to accept a $135 million settlement.
That settlement stems from a specific claims legal dispute with the Government of Canada, which lasted for nearly 30 years.
Initially filed in 1994, the Specific Claim relates to a stretch of land, now part of the City of Williams Lake, taken by settlers over multiple years, beginning in 1859.
After that claim was rejected, the Nation fought through other legal avenues for years before a 2014 Tribunal ruled in their favour.
That tribunal ruled that Canada had unlawfully evicted the Nations, but Ottawa chose to appeal the ruling, which was again upheld in 2018.
Last January, the Nation and Canada reached an Agreement-in-Principle for the $135 million settlement.
Currently, plans are to hold and disburse the funds through a professionally managed community trust, but the settlement must first be ratified.
Nation members over the age of 18 will be able to take part in a referendum on June 29th, with multiple information meetings over the next two months.
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