NEW CALDWELL RESERVE WINS APPROVAL
201-acre parcel of land in Leamington part of settlement
More than two centuries after their land was taken from them, the Caldwell First Nation finally has a home.
The band announced Monday that the first parcel of land in a new reserve — 201 acres at Seacliff Drive and Bevel Line Road in Leamington — has been approved by the federal government.
The historic, one-paragraph ministerial order conferring reserve status was signed Nov. 10 by Minister of Crown-indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett.
“This has been a very long process,” acting band chief and councillor Robyn Perkins said after applause for the announcement at the band's office in Leamington. “It's been an emotional journey. This has been a lot of work. This truly is a historic moment. The promise made to our warriors and ancestors has finally been fulfilled.”
The announcement followed the $105-million land claim settlement approved in 2010.
The federal government acquired the parcel of land, surrounded by the Town of Leamington, from a farmer and held it for the Caldwells.
“This is a huge testament to the importance of truth and reconciliation,” said band councillor James Peters. “Rebuilding our home can finally begin.”
Said councillor Steve Simpson, “Our goal is to provide a home for our nation that our ancestors fought to preserve.”
The ministerial order marks “200 years of resiliency and determination,” said councillor Stan Scott.
The Caldwells, also known at the Chippewas of Point Pelee, lived in the Point Pelee area before 1763.
On May 19, 1790, Alexander Mckee, deputy agent of the British Indian Department, signed a treaty with the chiefs of the Chippewa, Ottawa, Pottawatomie and Huron people. The Mckee Treaty gave the British title to land south of the Thames River — a large swath of Southwestern Ontario including most of Essex, Kent and Elgin counties and part of Middlesex — in exchange for 1,200 pounds in goods and certain lands reserved for each band.
The British acquired the land to provide homes for the United Empire Loyalists.
But the Caldwells, under Chief Quenesis Caldwell, were not present at the signing and never signed it.
The British then promised the Caldwells land when they fought with the Crown in the War of 1812. But the Caldwells never got the land.
The Caldwells pressed their claim to the land but were forced to leave in the late 1850s.
The Department of Indian Affairs, at various times until the 1920s, took “some preliminary steps” to provide a reserve for the Caldwells.
The band, which had registered complaints since at least 1939, submitted a formal claim to Point Pelee and Pelee Island in 1973. The federal government rejected the claim in 1974.
The government finally undertook a historical review of the claim in 1993, and two years later recognized “an outstanding lawful obligation (to Caldwells) from the non-fulfillment of the 1790 treaty.”
The band's claim was accepted for negotiation in 1996.
The government offered the Caldwells $7 million, including a provision to acquire up to 1,100 acres for a reserve, in 1997. Band leaders rejected the offer, calling it an “insult.”
Then-indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart intervened in 1998, and there was a tentative deal for $23.4 million to create a 4,500acre reserve in the Rondeau Bay area south of Chatham-kent. But band members voted it down.
There are 360 band members today. Most live in Leamington, but others are scattered between Leamington and London, with some as far away as British Columbia, Florida and Texas.
“The hope is that members will move home, and we'll have jobs for them,” said Perkins.
The band's staff has grown from six employees to 30 as it plans the development of the new reserve.
“The real work is about to begin,” said Scott.
The band has set aside land for housing, economic development, educational and cultural use and green space. A new restaurant called Three Fires is to open in the spring. The band is also working on a medicinal cannabis operation and a winery.
An education and culture department will teach band members their language and culture.
“Because we were displaced for so long, a lot of our history, culture and language has been lost,” said Perkins.
The band also wants to teach its non-indigenous neighbours about the Caldwells.
The council has already passed its first bylaws, including one that deals with trespassing. The reserve is outside municipal and provincial jurisdiction. The federal government is responsible for Indigenous affairs.
But the band has met with the Town of Leamington for planning advice and ways that the two communities can integrate services like public works.
“To me it's a good spot for a community to build,” said Leamington Mayor Hilda Macdonald, noting that a subdivision had been planned for the area.
She sees the announcement as good news for the town, too.
“If they build houses, and there's growth, that's good for us,” she said.
The reserve is expected to encompass a total of 1,700 acres eventually. The band has about 30 other parcels around Leamington that still must get reserve status. Not all the land is connected, but, said Perkins, “our hope is to connect it eventually.”
Land is acquired as it comes up for sale, she said. If the price is considered fair market value, the band will look at it.
“We don't push people to sell land,” she said.
Long known as a “landless” band, “the most important thing for us is we have a home,” said Perkins.
Band chef Billy Alexander called it a “defining moment.”
For 230 years, he said, “we found a way to not lose who we are.”
Because we were displaced for so long, a lot of our history, culture and language has been lost