“It’s been a long fight, and we got this far,”: We’koqma’q to receive 125M from feds in land claim settlement

By Meghan Dewar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter  The federal government has announced a $125 million settlement to We’koqma’q First Nation for their land claim. They began the claim in 1982 and filed it in 2008 to settle a dispute that dates back to 1862. The land claim is in regards to approximately 400 acres of land that was absorbed by neighbouring community of Whycocomagh improperly. The $125 million settlement will be distributed to each We’koqma’q band member, amounting to $75,526 per resident and $30 million leftover for the community. For residents under the age of 19, their funds will be placed in a trust fund until they are the eligible age to access it. ‘WE WOULD HAVE BEEN EARNING THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY’ Chief John Leonard Bernard shared that the…

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