Members of the Métis Nation of Alberta’s Athabasca Landing Local 2010 executive are a step closer to their vision of developing a Métis community in Athabasca County, with 100 homes and supporting services.
Local president Ron Donald, along with his wife Virginia Donald and Athabasca Landing Métis Local 2010 board member Doris Naumann, spoke to Athabasca County council at their regular meeting July 9, asking for a letter supporting their vision of a proposed $450-million Métis community. In the Athabasca County agenda package, the Donalds and Naumann stated they were speaking on behalf of the Athabasca Landing Métis Community Association.
Virginia Donald — who said she has volunteered with the Athabasca local since 1974 — said at the meeting that in order to build a community, they would need land that is adjoining Crown land and the Athabasca River.
In a later interview, Donald clarified that this land criteria was required by the federal government for building self-governing Métis settlements, and that a community must be able to prove that the land that they are requesting adjoins with the river that the community came from.
“We were a Métis settlement here in Athabasca at one time,” Donald told council.
In a later interview, she explained there had been Métis scrip land allocated in the northern and western parts of Athabasca Landing, known as “Moccasin Flats.” She stated the land was not known to be Métis land, and she and her husband had even purchased Crown land not knowing it was settlement land.
“The government did not tell us,” she said. “And when we bought our land in 1982, they did not tell us we were buying land from the settlement. But now, there is a law in that to sell Crown land, it has to go through the Indigenous (people) before it can be sold. But that did not come in until 1992.”
There are currently eight Métis settlements in Alberta: Buffalo Lake, East Prairie, Elizabeth (Cold Lake), Fishing Lake, Gift Lake, Kikino, Paddle Prairie and Peavine.
“We feel this would benefit our members; it would give them secure housing, secure jobs and they will be employed,” she said at the meeting.
Donald also said she also understood the land previously belonging to the Métis people along the Athabasca River is now developed.
“We know we can’t get it back, but we are looking at (land) that’s actually just west of town,” she said at the meeting.
At the meeting, Virginia Donald passed around an Athabasca ownership map with the desired land traced in red marker.
The Division 8 land, on the south side of the river, currently belongs to the Laplantes and the Spences and includes a portion of Crown land on the north side of the river. Donald said the local has not yet contacted the Laplantes or the Spences about their intention of buying the land.
According to Donald, the organizing committee saw a budget put together by the Donalds and a consultant, which they plan to present to the federal government.
The document shows that the proposed budget asks for about $450 million for the startup cost of the community, which is intended to be self-sufficient after two years.
“I think what we’re getting from them is that they want a letter of support for their vision,” said Reeve Larry Armfelt after the Athabasca Métis local representatives left.
“To me there are a lot of questions,” Coun. Dennis Willcott said. “Don’t get me wrong — I have no problem with what they’re doing, but I don’t have enough information to support it.”
County manager Ryan Maier clarified that supporting the vision does not bind council to the community in any way.
Willcott made the motion to forward a letter of support to the local to support their vision of building a community within Athabasca County.
The motion passed, while Councillors Penny Stewart and Travais Johnson voted against it.
Response
In a later interview with Ron Donald and Virginia Donald, Virginia said there are 223 Métis families that are members of the Athabasca Landing Métis Local 2010; she said these were families that carried cards stating they were members of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Virginia Donald said the community would support families and rehabilitation, helping with education and training as well as elder and medical care. She said there would be startup money for businesses, and a portion of their profits would go into a reserve fund to help other new businesses. She said it was a start of reconciliation.
“We can’t go back,” Ron Donald said in the interview. “We can’t relive the past.”
Clarence Webb is a Métis person in living in Athabasca. He said he is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and there are some issues right now with respect to the rules and statuses of members at local levels.
That said, he is involved in the Athabasca Landing local and attends meetings when advertised, he said.
“Oh my God,” he said, raising his eyebrows when he saw the bottom line on the $450-million budget for the proposed community. “On the other hand, I would really, really hope this would go. I really do, because this would better us. I would give 110-per-cent support if this was approved by our provincial government as opposed to an individual.
“It’s great that they’re looking at this — fantastic. I applaud them for that” he continued. “Unfortunately, who are you getting your support from? How many people actually — was this whole thing presented to our membership? What if we say no, we don’t want this? It should be the membership that decides.”
Ryan Howse said he is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta as well as the Athabasca Landing local. He said that a couple years ago, he had brought up the issue of the previous scrip land that had not been issued, and he had not heard anything about it afterward.
“They haven’t been keeping the Métis local, our people informed about what they’ve been doing at all,” he said. “This is the first I’ve heard about this (proposed community).”
In a later interview, Virginia Donald said the membership discussed these topics at the June 28 meeting, where they voted to support the community.
“As long as we have 10 people with cards, we’re allowed to have a meeting,” she said. “But there was way more than that.”
She said the executive phones every member they have and publishes notices in the newspaper when meetings are held. She said they go so far as to notify people 21 days before meetings as well as seven days.
Donald also said anyone is welcome, and they can add their names to the contact lists.
“You can’t stop people from complaining,” she said. “You’ll always find somebody that’s going to complain about something.”
The Athabasca Landing Local 2010 is a part of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Métis Nation of Alberta vice president Dan Cardinal said they have no comment.
“Local 2010 Athabasca Landing — they are connected to the Métis Nation of Alberta because of the local. They’re a collective to us,” he said. “But once people say ‘I’m going to do a community association or start something,’ that has nothing to do with us.”
Métis Nation
Virginia Donald said the ultimate goal of forming a community is to have a land base with which to form a self-governing Métis Nation in Athabasca, following in the footsteps of the Fort McKay Métis Nation.
Donald noted the case of Daniels v. Canada, which ultimately decided the federal government rather than provinces is responsible for negotiating with Métis peoples.
In a unanimous landmark ruling April 14 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded the case of Daniels v. Canada with the declaration that both Métis and non-status Indians are considered “Indians” under s. 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867 and as such, should have their matters legislated under federal jurisdiction.
“And things are happening,” Donald said. “We want to be part of the happenings.”
According to the Fort McMurray Today, the Fort McKay Métis adopted a constitution May 24 declaring self-government, as well as acts covering elections, membership and governance.
“The new organization is independent of the Métis Nation of Alberta, meaning they will speak directly with governments and industry during consultation,” the article states.
The article continues, noting that the move towards self-governance began in March 2018 when the community made a $1.6-million purchase of 150 hectares surrounding Fort McKay, following the transfer of 50 hectares in 2014.
Virginia Donald said the next step is a meeting with federal government representatives July 26-28 in Saskatchewan about land claims.
She said there is also a meeting with the provincial minister of Indigenous Relations Aug. 13 to prove credible assertion, and if approved they would move to the federal level.
She said the membership would meet again to discuss the community and self-governance in late August or early September.
“Membership that was at the meeting (June 28) knows it was going forward,” she said. “And if they want to be part of it, they can join in. If they don’t want to be part of it, that’s fine. They don’t have to.”
— Written by Margaryta Ignatenko & Allendria Brunjes
