Williams Treaties

The land that the Couchiching Conservancy operates on and the land that we protect is on the territory of the Anishinaabeg people. The Anishinaabeg include the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. This territory is also home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Specifically, our area falls within the Williams Treaties territory. The Williams Treaties were signed on October 31 and November 15, 1923, by seven Anishinaabe First Nations and representatives of the Crown. They included a land purchase and the erasure of all First Nations Signatories right, title, interest, claim, demand and privileges to over 20,000 square km of land.

They were renegotiated and settled in 2018 which includes: Recognition of pre-existing treaty harvesting rights for First Nations members in certain treaty areas; Federal and provincial apologies for negative impacts of the Williams Treaties on First Nations; Financial compensation: $666 million from Canada and $444 million from Ontario; Additional reserve lands: each First Nation can acquire and apply to add up to 11,000 acres to their reserve land base.

The seven Williams Treaties First Nations are:

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    Local History and Resources


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