Aamjiwnaang Office (BlackburnNews.com File Photo by Briana Carnegie)Aamjiwnaang Office (BlackburnNews.com File Photo by Briana Carnegie)
Sarnia

Land claim settlement payment being distributed at Aamjiwnaang

A settlement payment for a 168-year-old land claim has been received by Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

The Government of Canada agreed to pay $35,728,354 to Aamjiwnaang and the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nations last year, as compensation for the misuse of funds from the sale of lands in 1853.

Just over half of the payment, $18,513,445, was to be allocated to Aamjiwnaang.

In a letter to Aamjiwnaang members, the chief and council said they passed a resolution February 2, to distribute 75 per cent of the funds to members, and the remaining balance would be set aside until there's more consultation with the community.

Band members registered as of February 1, 2021 will each receive a one-time payment of $5,000.

For members under the age of 18, $2,000 will be paid to custodial parents or legal guardians and the remaining $3,000 will be directed into a trust account to be accessed when they turn 18.

Parents can also choose to send the entire amount into the trust account.

The historic claim concerned the sale of land in what is now downtown Sarnia that occurred after Walpole Island separated from the Sarnia Indian Band, and prior to 1919 when Kettle and Stony Point separated.

An investigation found that J. B. Clench, a superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1830 to 1854, misappropriated land sale proceeds and the Indigenous communities never received a penny.

The fraud was swept under the rug for over 100 years until a mediator was brought in and an inquiry into the “Clench Defalcation” was held in 1997.

Distribution plans at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation are unknown at this time.

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