Robinson-Huron treaty money lawsuit gets another nod from Superior Court judge

First Nations across the North have won another round in their fight for equitable annuities of more than $4 a year.
On June 26th Justice Patricia Hennessy issued her ruling in Sudbury court on the second of
three phases in the lawsuit.
The original treaty contains a provision that states annual payments should be increased as the value of
materials extracted from the land increases, a provision that has been ignored over the decades.
In phase two, the province and Crown argued that there is a statute of limitations and the Crown is immune from being sued.
However, Justice Hennessey did not agree and the trial will now advance to the third, final stage set for
January 2021 to see how Ontario and Canada will share the obligations and decide how much is owed.
Every year, First Nations members receive an annuity of $4 each as part of the Robinson-Huron Treaty.
The payments began in 1850 starting at $2 and were doubled in 1874, that’s 126 years ago.