Getty signs $310 M Metis land deal

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Alberta Metis settlements will receive 1.25 million acres of land as part of a $310 million land settlement signed by Premier Don Getty Nov. 1.

The move also paves the way for increasing self-determination for the eight Metis settlements.

"The legislation provides the base we can build on and the tools to make and meet our own destiny," said Randy Hardy, president of the Metis Settlements General Council.

Getty signed over ownership of the land to the 5,000 settlement Metis. The $310 million will be provided over 17 years.

"With secure land we can get on with the job of bringing our communities up to standard and get onto the road to economic self-reliance," said Hardy in a news release.

Hardy said the transfer of land title and an amendment to the Alberta constitution protecting the land are the key elements of the package.

"The Alberta government recognizes the unique nature of our land as a home for Metis. They also recognize the need to protect it for future generations of our people, he said.

Part of the deal provides the settlements with $30 million a year for seven years. The agreement also allows Metis a co-management role in subsurface resources giving them a say in resource development on their land.

Mineral rights, however, remain with the province.

Ross Daniels, chairman of the Fishing Lake Metis Settlement Association, said all settlement members "are pleased and excited about the deal."

"It's been a long time coming. We now have more opportunities because we can govern ourselves and we're the legal owners of the land."

Daniels said most settlements plan to build more houses and will be open to Metis wanting to live on the settlements. Larry Desmeules, president of the Metis Association of Alberta, said he is pleased with the agreement, which will see the settlements treated more like municipalities than reserves. He said it has been a 50-year struggle but the Metis finally have "land which is entrenched in the Alberta constitution, self-government and money to build houses, roads and schools."