Ontario Proposes to Give Thousands of Kilometers of Georgian Bay Shoreline to American First Nation

TORONTO - Nov. 24, 2017 - PRLog -- The land claim dispute centers around 41 fishing islands near Manitoulin Island that were set aside in 1836 for all native bands but in 1863 a subsequent treaty ceded these islands to the crown. Wikwemikong claims that some members of its band did not sign the second treaty. Wikwemikong filed a lawsuit in 1997 claiming exclusive possession of these 41 islands plus another 23,000 islands in Georgian Bay extending from Sault Ste. Marie to O'Donnell Point located 50 miles south of Parry Sound.

If the transfer of these islands were to proceed, the immigrant Indian Band, which has not used or occupied the islands, would be displacing generations of Ontarians who have used these islands since the days of the fur trading voyageurs.

Philip Edward Island and its archipelago are located in northern Georgian Bay in Municipality of Killarney and not near the Wikwemikong Native Reserve. It is accessible via Killarney Provincial Park. A trip around Philip Edward Island is considered one of the most scenic and unique trips for canoers, kayakers, boaters and campers.

These alternate islands which were not in the original land claim, are used by boaters and campers and were to become a new "Killarney Coast and Islands Provincial Park". Should the transfer to Wikwemikong be allowed to proceed, the tens of thousands of people who have used the islands for over a century will be denied access to these public islands.

Owners of private islands in Georgian Bay will also be affected as their properties will be located inside the newly created Indian Reserve. Water access to these islands is an issue with the residents as residents point to a blockade that occurred last year on the Beaverstone River which passes through Wikwemikong's Point Grondine Reserve.

Native reserves are for natives, not the public. Should Philip Edward Island and the thousands of other crown owned islands be handed over to Wikwemikong, the public will be trespassing on these islands. The native band has already shown to expect. Wikwemikong settled its first land claim in 1995 and immediately posted no trespassing signs on its Point Grondine Reserve along the Beaverstone River.

According to the Ontario Government in their Statement of Defense, Wikwemikong members were considered as recent immigrants to Canada from USA at the time when the treaty of 1836 was signed and now these American Indian descendants are claiming 23,000 crown islands in Georgian Bay even though they never inhabited or used these islands. When Canada fought the USA in the war of 1812, the Wikwemikong were American Indians and not Canadian. They are not Canadian First Nation.

Canada is a country founded by immigrants many of whom arrived in Canada before the Wikwemikong, including some island residents who will now be prevented from accessing the public lands.

A potentially more serious and deadly situation is the removal of thousands of kilometers of shoreline from public use which will prevent canoers, kayakers and boaters from coming ashore between the French River Park and Killarney Park. Georgian Bay routinely gets waves in the one to two meter range which is dangerous for small craft or families on a weekend or week long canoe trip. There will be no place to camp and no place to seek shelter in rough seas along the entire northern Georgian Bay shoreline and its thousands of islands.

Recognizing that the public has been using this area for wilderness adventures and vacations, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources issued Report P189 in 2006 to create "Killarney Coast and Islands Provincial Park" covering the Georgian Bay Shoreline and offshore Islands. Now MNR is silent on the new park with Ontario's Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in charge.

Ontario appears to be ignoring the provisions of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which requires bands of Indians at the date of the Royal Proclamation to have occupied and used the lands being claimed. No predecessors of the plaintiff occupied or used the islands in question in 1763. They migrated to Manitoulin Island 70 years after 1763.

MIRR issued a Draft Environmental Study Report in June 2017 for the Wiikwemkoong Islands Boundary Claim and requested comments from the public by Sept 15^th. The Beaverstone Bay / Mill Lake Association, a local cottage association found the draft ESR to be deficient and provided comments: "It does not address the needs of the public to continued free access to these public islands; it does not recognize the historical use of these islands by the public now and before the arrival of Wiikwemkoong to Canada; it does not address the validity of giving additional mainland, land not in the island land claim; it does not address the control and potential blockage of water access along Collins Inlet Channel into Mill Lake and Beaverstone Bay; and it does not address the third claim by Wiikwemkoong for all the remaining islands from Sault Ste. Marie to O'Donnell Point. The draft report does not deal with any long-term issues regarding pubic access through a native reserve."
The ESTR also ignores a statement from Wikwemikong and MIRR dated November 1993 that states the 41 fishing islands do not include the islands in Collins Inlet/Beaverstone Bay

Hopefully the staff at MIRR will not ignore these serious issues and come to the same conclusions that have been presented which are:

Alternate 1 – Ontario does not pursue a negotiated settlement.

Alternative 2: Re-Negotiate Proposed Settlement Lands if Ontario were to purchase Fitzwilliam Island and the third claim for the 23,000 islands is withdrawn.

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