FIRST NATION WINS KEY RULING FOR FLOODING REDRESS

The Lac Seul First Nation of northern Ontario has won a key round in its fight to be properly compensated for the flooding of its lands caused by construction of a dam. In an 8-1 ruling Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada set aside a $30-million award and returned the matter to the Federal Court for reassessment, saying the initial analysis was flawed. The case stretches back nearly a century to the 1929 creation of a hydroelectric dam to supply power to Winnipeg under an agreement between Canada, Ontario and Manitoba. The project involved raising the water level of Lac Seul by about three metres to create a reservoir. It proceeded despite warnings about damage the flooding would cause to the reserve. Almost one-fifth of the best land on the reserve — more than 4,500 hectares — was permanently flooded.