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The Bigstone Cree participate in the signing of Treaty 8. The Canadian promised land, medicare, and food to Nations who signed. -
After multiple surveys counting the number of people living on the Bigstone Cree reserves, a land claim was submitted in 1981 as the Cree testified to the government that the current land size was too small. The negotiations started in 1999 between the Cree, Alberta, and Canada.
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Starting in 2002 elected representatives from the Calling Lake, Chipewyan Lake, Peerless Lake, and Trout Lake communities would participate in the negotiation -
Almost three decades after the submission of the land claim, the Bigstone Cree and government have finally come to an agreement. Included is more land for the Bigstone Cree alongside a creation of a new band between the Peerless Lake and Trout Lake Nations. It was signed by the Bigstone Cree on April 1st, Alberta on July 13, and approved on December 13. -
Despite the signing of the claim settlement in 2010, Alberta delayed the transfer of entitled land for years. To make matters worse for the Bigstone Cree, the federal government was also farming oil and clearing out land for future development. Out of fear that the environment around them would be degraded, the Bigstone Cree nation set up checkpoints and threatened to install gates in order to protect their land.
