There are still about 100 members of Gull Bay First Nation waiting on their share of a $12.5 million settlement deal from Ontario Power Generation.
Chief Wilfred King said cheques started going out in December of last year and 90 per cent of the community have received their settlements.
However, the remaining 10 per cent have been held up because of paperwork details.
“Some of them did not have the proper identification,” said King. “Valid status cards are a requirement. We’ve had that notice out more than two years ago.”
The settlement was voted on by the community in November and is because of development projects from more than 80 years ago on the Nipigon River and the diversion of the Ogoki River in the 1940s that caused extensive flooding in Gull Bay.
The flooding caused extensive damage in Gull Bay, including the desecration of the community’s sacred burial grounds.
King said the First Nation’s council has held various media events and community events on and off reserve to let people know how to claim their portion of the settlement.
“For the most part, 90 per cent of the members have complied. A few members did not take the time out to get their status cards updated,” he said.
The community is also accepting letters from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada saying a community member has started the process of obtaining a new status card since the process can take a few months.
Other communities like Whitesand First Nation, Rocky Bay First Nation and Matawa First Nations can also help members with the status card process.
In addition to status card issues, some community members haven’t provided the correct banking information.
The settlement with OPG is the first time Gull Bay has engaged in the process of paying out claims and King said they want to make sure they do it right and learn the process because this claim is just one of five the community is working on.
They currently also have claims against the province and federal government for the flooding damage.
