First Nations that fall under the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850 are hoping to see some resolution on their claim for an increase in annuities.
A court hearing is underway in Sudbury with a focus on determining how much the First Nations are owed under the original terms of the treaty.
The 30,000 or so individuals receive $4 per year, an annuity which has not been increased since the 1870s.
This week’s latest court hearing focuses on determining how much the First Nations are owed in back payments, and who will pay for it, the Ontario government or the feds.
Justice Patricia Hennessey is encouraging all sides to negotiate a settlement adding she finds that the Crown has a mandatory and reviewable obligation to increase the treaties’ annuities when the economic circumstances warrant.
Twenty-one First Nations communities won the first round last December when Justice Hennessy ruled Ontario and Canada had failed to live up to a clause in the treaty calling for a periodic increase in the payments the communities receive as the natural resources were developed.
The hearing continues at the Radisson Hotel this week.