Roseau River approves $80M land deal

People on Roseau River First Nation are backing a land settlement deal worth $80 million.

The historic deal, offered by the federal government, was approved by 87 per cent of the registered members who cast a ballot during a voteTuesday.

Of the1,430 people eligible to vote, 929 took part, said Chief Terry Nelson.

The results were calculated late Tuesday night.

Under the terms of the deal, every band member will receive $5,000.

The rest of the money would go into a trust fund for community projects.

Nelson and the band councilrecently negotiated the settlement with the Canadian government on a land grievance dating back to 1903.

"It's 108years later so you know, I think we've been very very patient with the injustice. We've had to fight every inch of the way but, I think for our side it is what the people have said," Nelson said in an interview on Wednesday.

The vote was controversial, with people being handed a$50 bill in return for theirvote. Nelson defended the payment, saying themoney was an incentive, the same as busing people to the voting station.

Nelson hopes to see the land settlement payments from the federal government within the next few months.

It is compensation for land in the Red River Valley, which the government took from the natives and opened up to settlement. Those settlements now make up the Rural Municipality of Franklin and part of Emerson.

Nelson said some of the money will be used to address theband'shousing crisis. There is a shortage of homes, resulting in crowded confines with as many as a dozen people in some houses.

He hopes within 10 years, he'll be able to replace all of the houses in the community plus provide mortgage downpayments for people who live off-reserve to be able to buy their own homes somewhere else.

The money will also be used to deal with a number of issues the reserve has faced in recent years.

In 2008, the reserve had it's water supply shut off because it hadn't paid its bill for four months. Roseau River has its water piped in by the Pembina Valley Water Co-operative in nearby Letellier.

And a week prior to that, Manitoba Hydro cut off power to a couple of government buildings on the reserve, also blaming lack of payment.

As well, the reserve had been trying to find money to build septic fields. Makeshift drainage systems were causing raw sewage to pool on the ground near homes.