Ottawa, the province and the Pasqua First Nation signed off on a $20-million flood claim settlement on Wednesday.
The Pasqua First Nation is the last band in the Qu’Appelle Valley to finalize this type of agreement.
The deal provides a one-time payout to the band as compensation for past, present and future damages.
It also gives authorization to the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency to manage water levels at Pasqua Lake.
The process has taken decades to get this far and it is still not finalized.
This won’t happen until the 1,200 members of the band vote on ratification of the deal on Sept. 11.
Elaine Chicoose, a former chief of the Pasqua First Nation who spent ten years working on the file, was among those at Wednesday’s ceremony.
She says it is a good deal and she is confident the band membership will approve it.
“I think people should be proud and I know they are,” she says. “I have no qualms or anything like that and I think the vote is going to go through successfully.”
The dams were constructed in 1942 and claims for compensation were originally filed in 1986.
Negotiations for a settlement began in 2000.
Wednesday represents the second last step before a settlement is officially signed.
If the membership votes yes, each member will receive a lump sum payment of between $1,500 and $5,000, depending on their age.
The remaining $16 million will be invested by the Pasqua First Nation.