Esk’etemc (Alkali Lake Indian Band) settles with Ottawa for $147 million after 131 years of water rights loss
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Twitter
- Copy Link
ESK’ET, B.C. — Esk’etemc, formerly Alkali Lake Indian Band, has received a settlement of more than $147 million from the federal government due to a loss of water rights.
In a news release issued Wednesday (July 24), the First Nation south of Williams Lake states it has been pressing the federal government through Canada’s Specific Claims branch since 2003 to acknowledge the breach of its duties by not obtaining and safeguarding Esk’etemc’s water rights, water records and dam, and preventing it from constructing an irrigation ditch.
The $147,606,733 settlement compensates Esk’etemc for the loss of water rights for over 131 years that was based on the difference in the value of the land if it had access to water versus not having such access, along with the value of the crops that could have been grown at Tsqewt since 1893, which the First Nation says is the date Esk’etemc Chief August complained to Indian Superintendent Arthur Vowell about the inability to obtain water for Tsqewt.
“The settlement amount for the loss of water rights is substantial, but the impacts on generations of Esk’etemc who lived in poverty because of the loss of water rights is also substantial,” Esk’etemc Kukpi7 Fred Robbins says. “This settlement will allow us to plan for a better future for our community, our children, our Elders, and generations to come. It will give us a chance to heal and is a step toward reconciliation.”
