COUCHICHING – A media statement from the Town of Fort Frances on Point Park litigation was appreciated, says the chief of the municipality’s First Nation neighbour.
“I appreciated them putting that out,” Couchiching Chief Richard Bruyere said Wednesday in a phone interview with Newswatch. “No problems with it at all.”
The town’s written statement on Tuesday came one week after a Superior Court judge rejected its bid to establish legal title to land along Highway 11 that Fort Frances residents know as Point Park.
The judge’s decision ended more than 25 years of legal wrangling between the municipality and the Agency One group of four First Nations including Couchiching.
The First Nations claimed ownership of the land while the town claimed it had legal title through a 1908 Ontario cabinet order. Justice John Fregeau determined the town’s claim had no merit.
This week’s statement from Fort Frances says the town’s council “respectfully acknowledges the decision of the court and believe it is justified.”
“We understand and acknowledge that this litigation has weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of the Indigenous community,” the town’s statement continues.
“We also acknowledge the financial burden this matter has caused on our communities. We understand the public’s interest in the cost of this litigation, and will release the total amount in the coming days, once we’ve ensured financial accuracy.”
The statement also says the town regrets “unintentional harm” the legal dispute has caused to the municipality’s relationship with Agency One’s member First Nations, to Fort Frances residents and staff, and to “the members of all First Nation communities whose members our municipality serves.”
“We are committed to listening and understanding the history of the Indigenous people in this country, and how best we might move towards reconciliation,” the statement says.
Couchiching’s Bruyere said Agency One members will meet and then “we will contact (the town). We just have to iron out a few of the wrinkles, and then I think we'll move forward with them.
“We've got a relationship with them for a number of years and things have changed. Now that I guess the ball's in our court, we have to make some decisions. But, you know, we do appreciate the statement that they put out.”
Bruyere said he expects Point Park will continue to be a park for Fort Frances residents’ benefit for the foreseeable future.
“I can only speak for myself on this point because there are three other First Nations involved, but we want to maintain a friendly relationship with the Town of Fort Frances.
“We support the economy of Fort Frances and have friends in the town, as they do out here.
“We're working together on other things, and we certainly don't want to jeopardize any of those things because it's going to be of benefit to the whole community.”
