Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. First Nation gets $147M from Ottawa for lost water rights 131 years ago

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Jul, 2024 03:37 PM
  • B.C. First Nation gets $147M from Ottawa for lost water rights 131 years ago

The federal government has reached a $147-million settlement with a First Nation in British Columbia over a dispute about water rights that dates back to the late 1800s.

Members of the Esk'etemc First Nation in the Cariboo region began hand digging an irrigation ditch to their reserve with picks and shovels in the 1890s, but the government forced them to stop just a kilometre from their goal to access water for their reserve. 

In 1925, the water rights from the nearby Vert Lake were taken from the nation and granted to settlers of the area and the Esk'etemc didn't get water to its reserve #6. 

The nation filed a claim against the federal government with the Specific Claims Tribunal more than 20 years ago over the loss of the value of the land and the crops band members could have grown there. 

The nation says in a news release that it settled through negotiation for $147.6 million to compensate the Esk'etemc for the loss of water rights over 131 years. 

Esk'etemc Kukpi7, or chief, Fred Robbins says while the settlement is substantial, the impacts of generations of Esk'etemc who lived in poverty because of the water loss is also substantial. 

“This settlement will allow us to plan for a better future for our community, our children, our elders, and generations to come. It will give us a chance to heal and is a step toward reconciliation," Robbins says in a news release.  

MORE National ARTICLES

Rare white grizzly bear Nakoda and her cubs die in separate crashes in B.C. park

Rare white grizzly bear Nakoda and her cubs die in separate crashes in B.C. park
The crash that killed the adult bear, nicknamed Nakoda, happened on Thursday about 12 hours after the two cubs were struck and killed on the highway in southeast B.C. that morning. The agency says wildlife management staff had been repairing fencing along the road when the adult bear was startled by a train and ran in front of two vehicles. 

Rare white grizzly bear Nakoda and her cubs die in separate crashes in B.C. park

28 year old shot in South Surrey identified as Yuvraj Goyal

28 year old shot in South Surrey identified as Yuvraj Goyal
According to IHIT, 28-year-old Yuvraj Goyal, who was shot to death in South Surrey on Friday, had no history of police contact.  He was employed at car dealership in Surrey.  Goyal came to Canada nearly 6 years ago as an International student. 

28 year old shot in South Surrey identified as Yuvraj Goyal

Union representing Canadian border agents moves strike deadline to Friday at midnight

Union representing Canadian border agents moves strike deadline to Friday at midnight
The union representing more than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency employees says workers are set to strike on Friday if a deal is not reached with the federal government by then.  The Public Service Alliance of Canada says it has moved its strike deadline to Friday at 12:01 a.m. after extending negotiations with the Treasury Board last week. 

Union representing Canadian border agents moves strike deadline to Friday at midnight

Alleged sexual assault in Kelowna

Alleged sexual assault in Kelowna
RCMP in Kelowna are investigating after a woman accused a man of trying to sexually assault her as she was walking along a trail in Mission Creek Regional Park. The woman told officers that the man grabbed her last night and tried to assault her, but she was able to run away and call police.

Alleged sexual assault in Kelowna

B.C. police seek witnesses, video of 93-year-old woman being pushed in front of bus

B.C. police seek witnesses, video of 93-year-old woman being pushed in front of bus
Mounties in Penticton are looking for witnesses after they say a 93-year-old woman was pushed in front of a moving city bus. Police received a report around 11 a.m. on Wednesday that a woman pushing a cart full of belongings "forcefully pushed" the elderly woman into the path of the bus as it left a stop near Calgary Avenue and Main Street.

B.C. police seek witnesses, video of 93-year-old woman being pushed in front of bus

Wildfire that forced thousands from Fort Nelson now listed as under control

Wildfire that forced thousands from Fort Nelson now listed as under control
The wildfire that forced 4,700 people to leave their homes in Fort Nelson, B.C., is now listed as under control. The BC Wildfire Service says in a social media statement that the 123-square-kilometre fire in northeastern B.C. is not expected to grow beyond its current boundary. 

Wildfire that forced thousands from Fort Nelson now listed as under control