Laying the Foundation for a Stronger Future

Lubicon Lake Band | Lubicon Lake, AB

Lubicon Lake Band Chief Billy Joe Laboucan

In 2018, after a 119-year wait, members of the Lubicon Lake Band and dignitaries of the Alberta government met in Little Buffalo to celebrate a historic land claim and treaty benefits settlement. This land claim acknowledges Lubicon Lake as an Indian Reserve.

According to the Government of Canada, “the settlement includes $18 million from Alberta, and $95 million in financial compensation from Canada, as well as the development of community infrastructure.”

“We’ve been working on becoming a reserve since 1933,” said Chief Billy Joe Laboucan. “People here are happy and hopeful. We went through a referendum and 88% of people were in favour and supportive of this decision.”

The last 126 years have not been easy for the Lubicon people. According to the Government of Canada, “Treaty 8 was signed in 1899; however, because of their remote location, the Lubicon were missed by Treaty Commissioners and were never allocated a reserve and many of the Treaty 8 benefits were never provided.”

“The community is ecstatic to finally settle this long-standing land settlement, and we’re now in the process of building sorely needed infrastructure in our communities,” said Chief Laboucan.

The journey to becoming a reserve involved negotiating a 246 km2 land base across five traditional locations—Lubicon Lake is the largest area, and the other areas surround Weasel Lake, Marten River, Haig Lake and Bison Lake.

For reference, driving from Peace River, the border of the Lubicon Lake Reserve can be accessed by travelling approximately 100 km northeast, close to the community of Little Buffalo. Much of the reserve’s landmass extends north and east from that location.

The land settlement was signed on October 24, 2018, and includes the development of community infrastructure such as housing, all-season roads, telephone and internet cabling, water and wastewater services, solid waste management, public works and administration building and yard, a school and a multi-purpose community building.

Lubicon Lake Band Council

Construction of new homes and supporting infrastructure began in 2019. Today, they are in the process of building a new school, which will kickstart the many new projects.

“The biggest projects coming into the Lubicon Lake Band in Little Buffalo will be the school, a multiplex with an indoor skating rink, an administration building and a health centre,” said Chief Laboucan. “Other buildings will include a firehall, an Elder’s lodge, Child and Family Services buildings, and a main structure for land-based learning.”

In addition to supporting the health, safety and well-being of Lubicon Lake Band members, construction in the community will provide opportunities for ongoing employment, training and capacity building.

“We are employing as many people as we can and providing jobs for locals and those from surrounding areas,” said Chief Laboucan. “We have also started a program we call the 4Pillars, which will grant journeyman certification and help in other careers such as surveying, engineering, education and healthcare.”

Chief Laboucan is excited to see growth in the area because, he says, it represents a chance to preserve and strengthen their culture and traditions.

“These developments will ensure the future and give hope for our youth,” said Chief Laboucan. “For example, our new school will teach the Cree language and culture, which we believe is incredibly important.”

Community involvement has been a priority from the beginning and has shaped how plans are made.

“The community works together here in the same way as ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ Our people are the ones who make decisions as to what happens within our nation,” said Chief Laboucan.

Chief Laboucan says hosting informational sessions and compiling input from locals allows the community to have their say regarding how the new facilities and homes will look, which makes the planning process exciting and easier in the long run.

“Way before bricks and mortar, we need two-to-three years of planning,” said Chief Laboucan. “We first had to select the project manager, the construction outfit and then prepare the ground.”

Chief Laboucan says the plan is to complete one building at a time to ensure Lubicon Lake is set for a long future of excellent education, great careers and healthy families raised in the community.

“Our timeline involves looking seven generations ahead and making sure we leave behind a healthy environment, not only for us but for the animals and plant life here as well,” said Chief Laboucan.

Chief Laboucan’s priority is to fully utilize the welcomed opportunities, especially the new school, so proper programming is put in place to teach language, history and culture to younger generations.

Chief Billy Joe Laboucan [Paul Lavoie Images]

“We want students to know about our history and understand what Treaty 8 is,” said Chief Laboucan. “We’ll have Elders within the school. Many will be the ones involved in the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council Education Authority.”

As the long list of major projects move forward, Lubicon Lake members are planning to commemorate this monumental time in their community.

“We’ll be having a celebration this summer where we will be inviting different dignitaries from the county, province and federal government,” said Chief Laboucan.

Chief Laboucan looks forward to the sense of stability and opportunity the completed developments will bring.

“It’s about more than just the buildings. It’s about creating a strong foundation for future generations,” said Chief Laboucan. “Having our facilities and homes complete will provide us with a grounding situation. We will finally have our land, proper education, adequate housing, health facilities and hope for the future.”

Brief Background (1920s to 1980s)

The Lubicon Cree occupied the area prior to first contact with Europeans. During the 1920s and 1930s, Lubicon members contacted the government to become part of Treaty 8.

In 1933, they formally petitioned Ottawa to recognize their rights. In 1939, they became recognized as a band, but no treaty was made. By 1942, a government official had removed the names of many people belonging to the interior bands to “cut down expenses.”

In the years to come, several attempts were made to gain acknowledgement and sovereignty rights with limited success. In the 1970s, oil and gas was discovered on Lubicon land. Its extraction was in full swing by 1979, affecting the Lubicon people’s self-sufficient lifestyle.

Over the decade that followed, the number of Lubicon people on welfare rose from 10 percent to 90 percent.

In 1983, “the World Council of Churches investigated the situation at Little Buffalo and in a personal letter to the prime minister, warned of impending ‘genocidal consequences.’”

Source: The South Peace Regional Archives, an arm of the Grande Prairie Museum

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By Dani Wearden | Photography Submitted