[IPSM] Cottagers forced to leave after land returned to Ontario First Nation

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Mon Jan 29, 2:56 PM

By Chinta Puxley

TORONTO (CP) - Cottagers have until Wednesday to pack
up their belongings and walk away from cottages that
some built themselves after the land they have leased
on Ontario's Bruce Peninsula for 40 years reverts back
to the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation.

Some 68 cottagers on Hope Bay were told in a December
letter they had until Jan. 31 to clear out because the
Chippewas aren't renewing the long-term lease that
made it possible to rent the land to non-reserve
residents.

Cottagers were told in the letter they cannot "remove
or dismantle" any buildings on the land since they are
now considered property of the First Nation.

Karen McCulloch, whose father-in-law built their
cottage in the 1960s, said the situation is
heartbreaking. While she said cottagers knew they were
leasing aboriginal land, they were always told they
would be given at least one year's notice if the lease
wasn't renewed, and wouldn't have to walk away from
their housing investment.

"It's very stressful on all of the families," she
said. "It's an emotional loss. It's a financial loss.
It's the sweat equity that's been put into it. People
have put retirement savings into these."

Many, including McCulloch's father-in-law, built the
cottages as a legacy and gathering place for their
children and grandchildren, she said.

"That's what they're walking away from," said
McCulloch, a resident of Waterloo, Ont. "It's
devastating."

The federal government has been administering the
rentals for the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation,
leasing out the property on behalf of the band since
1965. The 40-year lease ended in 1995 but cottagers
were allowed to stay for another 10 years while the
band decided whether to redesignate the land for
leasing again.

In December, cottagers received letters from the
federal government informing them they had two months
to remove their belongings and leave the cottages.

While the cottagers have hired a lawyer and many are
still hoping they will regain access to their
cottages, McCulloch said people are more frustrated by
the lack of notice and explanation they were given.

Some cottagers are out of the country and haven't been
able to remove their belongings, she said, while
others have found removing things like boating
equipment extremely difficult in the winter.

"Cottagers always understood it is First Nation land,"
McCulloch said. "This is not a land dispute. But we
also expected to be treated fairly."

Gail Nadjiwan, who is co-ordinating the removal of
belongings for the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation,
wouldn't say how many people have removed their things
or what will happen to the cottages and any remaining
possessions after Wednesday.

The future of the cottages will be decided through
negotiations between Ottawa and the band council, she
said. But ownership of the land hasn't changed, she
added.

"(The Department of) Indian Affairs has acted as the
landlord," Nadjiwan said.

"The land has always belonged to us. It has always
been ours. I don't anticipate anything to change. It's
our land."

Leea Litzgus, the Ontario director of lands and trusts
services for Indian Affairs, said the band may vote in
the spring to redesignate the land for leasing.

"It is a First Nation decision, how it wants to deal
with its land," she said.

Unless the Chippewas decide to lease the land once
again, she said little can be done.

"When a lease expires, a lease expires," Litzgus said. 

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