Band proposing $26.8-million purchase of land

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(Image credit: OKIB)

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The OKIB band and council said it explored a number of options of how to pay for the property including borrowing the money, using some Canada Trust funds, and developing the land quickly to cover the costs.

“At this time there are two options: Option A: will be to get Canada to make a down-payment on the Colonial claim and purchase this land for OKIB,” the band explained. “This acreage encompasses part of the land that makes up the Colonial Claim. While OKIB and Canada are getting closer to final settlement, the timing of that is still uncertain. With the final settlement set to be much higher than the purchase price, it makes perfect sense for Canada to ensure we don’t loose the opportunity to obtain this land parcel while it is still available.”

The second option would be to finance the purchase of the land with a bank and then quickly develop a portion of it to pay the costs of purchasing it.

“This option is not as ideal as it means paying interest to the bank, taking away funds that could be spent on programs and services,” the band’s information package stated.

Chief Byron Louis believes it’s their duty to return the land to the original owners.

“It is adjacent to our border and it will be sold to someone. Opportunities to expand the reserve do not come around often and we are in a good position to act. For posterity, we need to add these 2,310 acres back to the reserve,” Louis remarked.