Negotiation & Claim

Current Claims

McLean’s Lake Land Claim

Band members still fish and hunt in the area around McLean’s Lake. Historically, McLean’s Lake was a traditional higher elevation escape from the summer heat for the Band. The land was officially granted to the Ashcroft Indian Band, but sometime during the 1920s, the government arbitrarily retracted the gift and awarded half of McLean’s Lake to a neighbouring First Nations band resulting in a protracted ownership struggle.

The Ashcroft Band is now in the very final stages of resolving the McLean’s Lake land dispute that dates back almost a century. The Chief and Council, over the last several years, have intensified the efforts to bring this to close. The Band has proven its case and carried the issue forward to the negotiation and offer stage with the federal government. Members of the reserve have voted in favour twice of the current proposal. INAC approval of those votes is anticipated.

The Band plans to use the restitution funds to continue economic development and improvements to infrastructure on the reserve.