On December 23, the Federal Court of Canada and the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba approved the settlement agreement between Canada and three First Nations communities related to the 25-year long absence of safe drinking water and the national class action litigation process initiated in October 2020. The settlement agreement, reached between Canada and the Tataskweyak Cree, Curve Lake and Neskantaga First Nations back in July sets out a series of terms, outlined below:
- $1.5 billion in compensation for individuals deprived of clean drinking water
- the creation of a $400 million First Nation Economic and Cultural Restoration Fund
- a renewed commitment to Canada’s Action Plan for the lifting of all long-term drinking water advisories
- the creation of a First Nations Advisory Committee on Safe Drinking Water
- support for First Nations to develop their own safe drinking water by-laws and initiatives
- a commitment of at least $6 billion to support reliable access to safe drinking water on reserves
- the planned modernization of Canada’s First Nations drinking water legislation
December 23, 2021 (Government of Canada):
Courts approve settlement agreement to resolve class action litigation related to safe drinking water in First Nations communities
“Yesterday, the Federal Court and the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba issued a joint decision approving an agreement to settle class-action litigation related to safe drinking water in First Nations communities. An appeals period of approximately 60 days will follow the courts’ approval of the settlement agreement.” Read more here…