AKWESASNE – The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne has agreed with a $240 million land claim settlement with the Canadian government.
The MCA said it passed a resolution at a meeting last week (June 27) approving the agreement in principle. But the deal still has to go to a community vote.
The agreement has been 37 years in the making and includes a provision where Akwesasne could add about 18,000 acres to the reserve if it can find “willing sellers” in Ontario and Quebec.
The compensation is for 20,000 acres of land – basically the area of Snye, Que., north and east of the village of Dundee, which the MCA claimed was illegally surrendered to the Province of Quebec in 1888.
The First Nation is planning upcoming meetings so residents can get information on the deal before the vote.