Specific information on the settlement is available only to LLRIB members. (FIle photo/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

agricultural claim

Voting for Cows and Plows settlement to occur in August

Jul 30, 2024 | 1:07 PM

Dates have been set for Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) members to vote on a Treaty 6 Agricultural Benefits Claim settlement.

That’s according to a notice published Monday by Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, which states electronic voting will be held Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. Electronic voting will be organized by OneFeather Mobile Technologies.

In-person voting will also occur on Aug. 23 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Polling stations will be available in all six LLRIB communities, as well as Pinehouse, Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

The band will also be hosting information meetings ahead of online and in-person voting. Information meetings will be held in Stanley Mission (Aug. 7), La Ronge (Aug. 8) and Prince Albert (Aug. 9) between noon and 4 p.m. Legal counsel and a financial advisor will be available to provide information about the settlement.

“We are looking forward to meeting with you at the information meetings and ask that you read the materials provided and participate in the ratification vote,” the notice explains.

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The LLRIB Council is recommending voters to accept the settlement agreement, trust agreement and finance code. Copies of those materials will be made available at the six band administrative offices.

It was announced in April 2024 that a formal offer of settlement for the Treaty 6 Agricultural Benefits Claim, also known as Cows and Plows, had been received by the LLRIB from the federal government.

Cows and Plows refers to a commitment under Treaty 6 negotiated with Queen Victoria in 1876. It is a commitment to assist First Nations in transitioning from a hunting-centric lifestyle to one more aligned with Euro-Canadian agriculture or livestock raising.

In October 2018, the LLRIB completed historical research and submitted its claim to the federal government. In 2021, the LLRIB received partial validation for its claim, but as the federal government only agreed to negotiate part of it, the band escalated the matter to the federal court.

In-person negotiation meetings were held with the federal government in December 2022 and, at that time, it was indicated they were ready to begin substantive negotiations which would resolve the band’s outstanding claim.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com