Province Returns 109,000 Acres to Treaty 8 First Nations While Ottawa Provides $800 Million in Compensation

More than 109,000 acres of land is being returned to five Treaty 8 First Nations, as part of a new agreement.

Reached with both the Provincial and Federal Governments, the new settlement resolves disputes more than a century in the making.

When the Treaty was initially signed back in 1899, each Nation was promised 128 acres of land per member.

But they were ultimately denied much of the lands owed to them, which were then taken and developed by outside parties.

Now, the province is returning a combined 109,385 hectares to the Nations, while Ottawa is providing $800 million in financial compensation.

Those lands and funds will be split between the Blueberry River, Doig River, Halfway River, Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations.

So far, the exact amount of funding and land going to each Nation has not been disclosed.

In January, the Province established two separate funding agreements to help a number of Treaty 8 Nations restore over-developed lands.