Band To Enter Mediation Talks Over Hydro Lawsuit

Band To Enter Mediation Talks Over Hydro Lawsuit

Friday, June 04, 2010 at 15:05

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is preparing to sit down for a mediation session with the provincial government.

Chief Darrell McCallum says the band will talk with the province on June 23rd and 24th about flood damage caused by two dams in northern Saskatchewan.

The Island Falls dam is situated northwest of Sandy Bay, while the Whitesand dam is located near Southend.

The band has always claimed that construction of the dams in the 1930s caused damage that resulted in a lot of hardship and lost opportunities for band members.

The First Nation filed a lawsuit against the government and SaskPower five years ago.

However, McCallum says they are hoping to settle the issue out of court.

The government initially offered three PBCN communities a settlement of $16 million, but that was turned down.