Robinson Treaties

Marie, Ontario, between Ojibwa Chiefs inhabiting the Northern Shore of Lake Superior from Pigeon River to Batchawana Bay, and The Crown, represented by a delegation headed by William Benjamin Robinson.

The Schedule of Reservations created as a result of the Robinson Huron Treaty and signed by the subscribing Chiefs and Principal Men are as follows: SECOND—Four miles square at Gros Cap, being a valley near the Honorable Hudson's Bay Company's post of Michipicoton, for Totominai and Tribe.

Marie, Ontario, between Ojibwa Chiefs inhabiting the Northern Shore of Lake Superior from Batchawana Bay to Sault Ste.

These principal men on behalf of their respective Tribes or Bands, voluntarily surrendered, ceded, granted, and convey unto Her Majesty, her heirs and successors for ever, all their right, title, and interest to, and in the whole of, the territory above described, together with the Islands in the said Lakes, opposite to the Shores thereof, and inland to the Height of land which separates the Territory covered by the charter of the Honorable Hudson Bay Company from Canada; as well as all unconceded lands within the limits of Canada West to which they have any just claim, of the other part, save and except for the reservations set forth in the schedule.

The potential damages owed to the First Nations for failure to honor the augmentation clause has been estimated to be in the billions of dollars (Canadian).

FOURTEENTH—For Shinguacouse and his Band, a tract of land extending from Maskinongé Bay, inclusive, to Partridge Point, above Garden River on the front, and inland ten miles, throughout the whole distance; and also Squirrel Island.

The court ruled that for the past 150 years, the governments of Ontario and Canada had made a "mockery" of their treaty obligations to the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes.

[3] The ruling focused on the ongoing failure to increase the annual per-head resource extraction revenues since 1875 for the residents of two First Nations groups.

Key points from the ruling include: The court emphasized the need for the parties to "return to the council fire and rekindle the perpetual relationship that the Robinson treaties envision," stating that this is necessary to demonstrate the Crown's commitment to reconciliation.

In the end the British government threatened that if the Ojibway did not agree the Crown would be unable to guarantee protection from the European settlers moving into the area.

After tense negotiations the Ojibway reluctantly agreed to surrender their reserve in exchange for "the interest on the principal sum arising out of the sale of the land".

Five smaller reserves were to be set aside in perpetuity: A historical plaque, erected by the Province of Ontario, provides the following summary of developments during that era.