Keewatin v. Minister of Natural Resources

Table of ContentsvSummary of Findings of Fact Part 1....................................................................................... 17711. POST-TREATY EVENTS ................................................................................................... 178Attempting Reserve Allocation Amidst Political Upheaval................................................... 179The Liberals are Elected ..................................................................................................... 179Events, 1878 - 1887 ................................................................................................................ 186The Boundary Dispute ........................................................................................................ 186The Conservatives are Elected............................................................................................ 187The St. Catherine's Milling Case ........................................................................................ 193Negative Fallout Affecting the Treaty 3 Ojibway after the Release of the St. Catherine'sMilling Decision/ Negative Repercussions of the Boundary Dispute on Treaty 3 Ojibway............................................................................................................................................. 193The 1894 Agreement: Ratification of the 1891 Legislation ................................................... 200The Annuities Case (heard 1903-1910) .............................................................................. 202Relations Between Ojibway and Euro-Canadians 1909-1912............................................ 202The Background to the Annexation of Keewatin to Ontario in 1912..................................... 203Confirmation of Reserves and Other Developments- 1915.................................................... 209The Evidence of Williams and Epp re Land Use in Ontario 1873-1930................................ 214Evidence re Development in Keewatin............................................................................... 216Evidence re Development in the Disputed Territory .......................................................... 2161920s-1950s: Developments in the Disputed Territory and the Keewatin Lands .................. 217The Present Day...................................................................................................................... 223The Evidence of William Fobister...................................................................................... 223Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples......................................................................... 22612. FINDINGS OF FACT, PART II........................................................................................... 227Findings re Identity of The Treaty Parties.............................................................................. 227Re Canada's and the Ojibway's Understanding of the Identity of Their Treaty Partner andtheir Duties to Each Other................................................................................................... 227Re Ontario's Understanding of the Identity of the Treaty Parties in the Late 19 th and Early20 th Centuries as Evidenced by its Post-Treaty Conduct.................................................... 230Findings re the Meaning of the Harvesting Clause................................................................. 231Re Post-Treaty Conduct Shedding Light on Mutual Understanding of the Meaning of theHarvesting Clause ............................................................................................................... 231Re Compatibility of Ojibway/Euro-Canadian Land Usage After 1873.............................. 233Re Ontario's Evidence of Euro-Canadian Development in Ontario 1873-1930................. 23413. ANSWER TO QUESTION ONE ......................................................................................... 236Step 1: The Law: Principles of Treaty Interpretation ............................................................. 237Step 2: The Application of the Principles of Treaty Interpretation ........................................ 2392 (a) The Wording of the Harvesting Clause...................................................................... 2392(a)(i) The Importance of the Written Word To the Ojibway and Canada .................... 2392(a)(ii) The Literal Meaning of the Words ..................................................................... 241Conclusion Re 2(a)(i) and 2(a)(ii)................................................................................... 2422(b) What were the Mutual Intentions of the Parties as to the Meaning of the HarvestingClause as of 1873 that best reconcile the interests of the parties at the time the Treaty wassigned? ................................................................................................................................ 2422011 ONSC 4801 (CanLII)