First Nation (Shoal Lake No. 39) Goes to Court Over Winnipeg and Ontario’s Dishonourable Dealings around the Taking of Water
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Posted by Shelby Percival
- Posted in BlogsNews
Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 (Shoal Lake No. 39) is in Court (via virtual hearing beginning at 9:30am EST) on Tuesday and Wednesday (March 26-27, 2024) arguing that their claim for compensation must include steps taken by the Crown to extinguish their water and fishing rights in order to pave the way for Winnipeg’s 110-year extraction of Shoal Lake water. Despite access to at least three lakes located in the province of Manitoba (Lakes Winnipegosis, Manitoba, and Winnipeg), Winnipeg instead built a 150-kilometre aqueduct that remains the biggest and longest straw in Canada. To this day, Shoal Lake continues to be the sole source of drinking water for the City of Winnipeg. Evidence demonstrates that Winnipeg has profited extensively (in the tens of millions of dollars) from accessing the waters of Shoal Lake for 110 years and has NEVER paid reparations to Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 Independent First Nation.
Both the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Ontario are resisting a motion by the First Nation to assert that a taking of their water rights (as originally stipulated in Treaty and Statute in the 1890’s) was engineered by the Defendants to facilitate the creation of the Winnipeg water project.
Link to Live Hearing:
https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/62229437219?pwd=RVQ5TzBFTTdvS2kyV1ZNVlhuR2tZUT09
Meeting ID: 622 2943 7219
Passcode: 333625
Related Materials:
- Press Advisory – March 26, 2024
- Shoal Lake No. 39 Notice of Motion to Amend – Oct. 11, 2023
- Shoal Lake No. 39 – Fresh as Amended Statement of Claim – Oct. 12, 2021
- Shoal Lake No. 39 Draft Amended Fresh as Amended Statement of Claim – Oct. 11, 2023
- Factum of Plaintiff Shoal Lake No. 39 – Oct. 11, 2023
- Reply Factum of the Plaintiff Shoal Lake No. 39 – Nov. 17, 2023
- Factum of the Defendant Ontario – Nov. 7, 2023
- Factum of the Defendant Winnipeg – Nov. 7, 2023
- Correspondence from Aubrey White to Deputy Superintendent General Scott – December 15, 1914
- Correspondence from Deputy Superintendent General Scott to A. White – Dec 30, 1914
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- Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 Independent First Nation
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- Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 Independent First Nation Community Centre
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- Radar Map of Shoal Lake and Surrounding Area
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- Shoal Lake Chief and Council, Julian Falconer and Meaghan Daniel
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- Shoal Lake Litigation Committee, Julian Falconer, and Meaghan Daniel
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- Shoal Lake Timeline re Water Taking
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- Winnipeg’s Aqueduct
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- Winnipeg’s Aqueduct
Previous Postings:
https://falconers.ca/recent-media-coverage-of-iskatewizaagegan-no-39s-fight-for-water-justice-full-compensation-promised-in-1913/ – April 7, 2021
https://falconers.ca/ontario-not-appealing-decision-dismissing-its-bid-to-duck-shoal-lake-court-case/ – March 15, 2021
https://falconers.ca/court-rejects-ontario-bid-to-duck-shoal-lake-court-case/ – February 17, 2021
