The Government of Saskatchewan has approved the transfer of additional Crown mineral rights to the federal government on behalf of three First Nations, moving the province forward on its Treaty obligations.
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The transfers will benefit the Onion Lake Cree Nation, Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation, and Pasqua First Nation in support of their respective Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) agreements.
“The transfer of Crown land and Crown mineral rights to entitlement recipient First Nations is an important Treaty responsibility,” Eric Schmalz, the minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, said in a news release Thursday.
Schmalz added that the process allows Saskatchewan and Canada to uphold Treaty commitments while fostering long-term economic growth for First Nations.
Under the approvals, the province will transfer approximately 64 hectares of Crown mineral rights for the Onion Lake Cree Nation. This brings the community’s total approved mineral rights transfers under the Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement to roughly 36,961 hectares.
Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation will also receive a transfer of approximately 64 hectares of Crown mineral rights. The latest addition brings its total approved transfers under its specific settlement agreement to about 13,374 hectares.
For the Pasqua First Nation, the province approved the transfer of about 185 hectares of Crown mineral rights, bringing its total under the Pasqua Band Treaty Land Entitlement Settlement Agreement to approximately 1,776 hectares.
The TLE process is a tripartite effort involving the Saskatchewan government, the federal government, and First Nations that did not receive the full amount of reserve land they were entitled to under original Treaties.
According to provincial officials, Saskatchewan leads the country in land transfers, with more than 363,896 hectares of land transferred to date under TLE agreements.
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