According to the Canadian Press, Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey will introduce a motion on March 8 that will see Ipperwash Provincial Park converted to Crown land.
Should this motion be approved, it could allow for the 40 hectares along the shores of Lake Huron to be transferred to federal government hands as a formality prior to adding it to the existing reserve.
According to the Toronto Sun, Jeffrey said the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, whose traditional lands were expropriated during World War II, will now use the property to benefit from economic development opportunities and to generate revenue.
“The deregulation of a park is not a decision that we take lightly. The case of Ipperwash is extraordinary. We are doing our part to help right a historic wrong,” said Jeffrey.
The hand-over of the land has been long since promised by Ontario as this recommendation was a key point of the public inquiry into the death of Aboriginal protester Dudley George. The unarmed George was shot by police during a confrontation over the disputed land in 1995.
