Poundmaker chief will do whatever it takes for the First Nation to get its own police force nipawinjournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nipawinjournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
REGINA Peepeekisis Cree Nation has voted in favour of ratifying a $150 million settlement with the Government of Canada, for a land claim that has been in the works for more than 35 years. “Great day for our nation,” Peepeekisis Headman Colin Stonechild said. “118 years later. We had a unanimous vote in favour of accepting the $150 million from Canada for the File Hills colony scheme. I want to thank all our past leaders that worked on this, and our negotiating team.” Members voted for or against the settlement on Friday at the First Nation, or by mail-in ballot. With a total of 1,142 ballots cast, 1,113 voted in favour of accepting the settlement, according to Chief Frank Deiter.
It s kind of not council s fault that not everybody can attend, Frank said. Because we were under a strict confidential agreement between ourselves and Canada, we could not disclose anything, too much. These were high-level talks.
He said the community intends to distribute a portion of the claim money among band members and use money set aside in a community trust for community-based projects or improvements.
Those are decisions band members can and will be able to provide input on in the future, he said.
As for any concerns related to COVID-19, Frank said the voting station at the Peepeekisis School will adhere to federal and provincial guidelines around the virus. Masks are required and those casting votes will be asked to sanitize their hands upon entering and exiting the building.