The town of Fort Frances is reserving comment on the court ruling impacting Point Park.
The town took to social media to respond to the decision that dismissed its attempts to secure ownership of Point Park.
The town calls it a complex matter. that is being reviewed.
The issue is expected to come to council Monday night, but the town says more information would be shared at a later date.
Meantime, the Four First Nations representing the Agency One lands say the decision reaffirms their claims that the land was never sold.
In a statement, Couchiching, Mitaanjigamiing, Naicatchewenin and Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nations call the decision “not a moment for triumph, it is a moment for clarity.”
“This decision brings closure to a long and difficult chapter that spans more than a century of legal uncertainty and contested occupation of lands we know as part of the Agency One Reserve,” the statement reads.
“The Court’s findings affirm that the claims by the Town of Fort Frances to own or control these lands are without legal basis.”
The First Nations also acknowledge the longstanding relationship people have with the park and call on all levels of government to work with them in moving forward.
An offer put forward in 2018 proposed continued use of the area as a park with management and costs to be shared if the town ended its lawsuit.
“It’s so much better than spending millions of dollars on lawyers to fight this out in court,” read the proposal.
It is not certain if the offer remains.
The matter has been tied up in court since 1998, when the Agency One First Nations initiated court action, reaching agreements with Ontario and Canada in 2018.
The town filed a separate suit in 2009 as a 100-year lease came to an end.
