BIGSTONE CREE TIMELINE by Jhomar Navidad https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw The Bigstone Cree Nation is the largest First Nation in northern Alberta with over 6,700 members. The Band lives in Wabasca, which is located 250 km northeast of Slave Lake. Bigstone Cree Nation is committed to the pursuit of the highest quality of life for all its members. en-us 2021-03-26 05:52:08 UTC 2021-03-26 20:53:28 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f49e.png 1899 jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356128888 The Bigstone Cree Nation are signatories of Treaty 8, signed in 1899. This treaty promises that the First Nations of Treaty 8 territory have the right to use public Crown lands for traditional uses and activities; this promise is protected under section 35 of The Constitution Act, 1982. For this reason, the federal and provincial governments have a duty to consult the Bigstone Cree Nation, along with other Treaty 8 First Nations, regarding the impacts of proposed projects on public land. Under the terms of the treaty, the government set aside reserve lands for the band. Each member of the band, according to the treaty, would receive 128 acres of land. The problem arose, however, when the Crown did not count the members living north of Bigstone Cree. Although this mistake was eventually discovered, the Crown did not compensate for the members that they initially had not counted.]]> 2021-03-26 05:56:20 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356128888 1981-2000s jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356132206 The band filed a claim in 1981 to increase the size of the reserve lands. The land that was given was inadequate, according to the claim. Alberta, Canada, and the Bigstone Cree have been in negotiations since 1999. Bigstone Cree Nation was made up of five communities at the time, one of which resided on the reserve and the other four in isolated communities. The Bigstone Cree Nation filed claims with the government in 1989 and again in 2000, arguing that treaty promises from the late 1800s had been broken.]]> 2021-03-26 05:58:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356132206 2010 jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356134382 At the negotiating table, elected representatives from the four isolated areas started participating in 2002. Bigstone Cree Nation signed the claim settlement on April 1, 2010. Alberta approved the settlement on July 13, 2010, and Canada approved the agreement on December 13, 2010, as the final steps in the claim resolution process. The claim was eventually settled in December 2010 when the Bigstone Cree Nation, Alberta, and Canada concluded a $259,400,000 settlement agreement. Alberta contributes $28 million for the construction of two elementary schools in Peerless Lake and Trout Lake. Alberta will also have water treatment plants for each of the five communities. Canada is providing a $231,400,000 contribution. Bigstone Cree Nation would use some of the money to help communities improve their housing and infrastructure. The remaining funds would be distributed to the communities and used to cover the expenses of the negotiations.

A vital part of the settlement was creating a new band for Peerless Lake and Trout Lake communities. Peerless Trout First Nation members were also members of Bigstone First Nation, but they have always seen themselves as independent and distinct from Bigstone. On May 19, 2010, the Peerless Trout First Nation was formally created and acknowledged.
]]> 2021-03-26 06:00:16 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356134382 2017 jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356143088 Members of the Bigstone Cree Nation stop drivers on Highway 813 north of Calling Lake, Alta. March 15, 2017. In a letter dated Feb. 20, the chief of Bigstone Cree Nation told Minister of Indigenous Relations Richard Feehan the band was preparing to install gates that would be manned by band members near the entrances to reserve lands. One of the Bigstone chief, Gordon Auger wrote all traffic related to the oilfield/forestry/mineral industry will be barred from entering without the express written consent of Bigstone Cree Nation. Bigstone Cree Nation said it is re-affirming its pre-Alberta treaty and aboriginal rights due to many reasons, including the abandonment of the local economy, the delayed transfer of treaty entitlement lands to the nation as well as water protection concerns. On March 16, 2017, RCMP said that the peaceful demonstration on Bigstone Cree Nation ended and the checkpoints were taken down.]]> 2021-03-26 06:06:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356143088 2020 jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356155274 On February 8, 2020, Moose were found with cyst-like abnormalities. Bigstone Cree Nation members in northern Alberta have begun to notice abnormalities in the moose they hunt. To perform experiments, the nation has teamed up with researchers from the University of Calgary. Janelle Baker, an anthropology assistant professor at Athabasca University, was influential in bridging the divide between the nation and the University of Calgary. It's part of a research grant to install environmental monitors in the Bigstone Cree Nation, according to Baker. She took samples from the moose and tested them for infections, parasites, and environmental pollutants. The community is getting involved in research to help monitor the wildlife and water on the nation's land.
Back in 2015, the nation started a joint initiative for a food sampling study, funded by the First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program. Bigstone Cree Nation environmental monitors sampled 150 animals and plants. The partnership included McGill University's Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment. Stuart says the community has also been helping the province monitor the water in the region as the nation has noticed changes like declining water flows. Stuart says he hopes the program will help establish trust between the community and researchers. He also hopes it will increase his community's confidence in the results by being involved in the sample collection. Stuart says he hopes the project will help spread awareness of environmental issues within the nation. The top priority, he adds, is to find out what's happening in their environment.]]> 2021-03-26 06:15:16 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356155274 Thoughts jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356224033 I believe the Bigstone Cree Nation has a legitimate land claim because they have prospered and struggled to be respected for obtaining this amount of land in order to create a better future for their nation. For the betterment of the future, they now have a government that preserves and reinforces the spirit and purpose of the treaties and the traditional lands. The Bigstone Cree Nation claims that their way of life will become impossible unless they take action independently. Bigstone Cree Nation continues to organize rallies during which they halt traffic or attend events. These demonstrations are being performed to reassure industry officials that they are on traditional Bigstone Cree Nation territory. In addition to righting past wrongs, it provides the Bigstone Cree and Peerless Trout First Nation communities with new opportunities, both economically and socially.  Adding lands to the reserve offers opportunities for individual First Nation communities to have a better, more prosperous future and economic benefits for the surrounding areas.]]> 2021-03-26 07:07:51 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356224033 RECENT EVENTS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY LAND CLAIM jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356284475 2021-03-26 07:43:47 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356284475 EVENTS LEADING TO LAND CLAIM jhomarn1 https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356284819 2021-03-26 07:44:00 UTC https://padlet.com/jhomarn1/r2g15n31n444avkw/wish/1356284819