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Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin (RHW) does not support the purchase of 320 acres of private land west of Iron Bridge by the Huron-Superior Regional Métis Community (HSRMC), a regional body of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO). The property, the subject of a recent HSRMC announcement, runs along the Mississagi River, within the Robinson Huron Treaty territory.
RHW’s concern is with the broader implications of this purchase in the context of ongoing assertions regarding Métis rights and community presence within the Robinson Huron Treaty territory. HSRMC representatives have publicly described the property as a place where their citizens will gather, harvest, and care for the lands and waters. Harvesting within the Robinson Huron Treaty territory is a right held by the First Nations whose ancestors entered into the Treaty of 1850. RHW maintains that there is no historical evidence demonstrating the existence of a distinct historic Métis community in this area that would support contemporary claims to Indigenous rights or jurisdiction.
“The Chiefs of RHW continue to reject the Métis Nation of Ontario’s assertions of historic Métis communities, traditional territories, or harvesting rights within our Treaty territory. It is our position, supported by research, that there was no distinct historic Métis community within our Treaty territory capable of establishing the territorial and harvesting claims now being asserted by the Métis Nation of Ontario,” said Lake Huron Regional Chief Scott McLeod, a member of RHW’s Political Working Group.
RHW’s opposition to assertions of Métis rights within the Treaty territory is mandated by the Chiefs of the 21 First Nations party to the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850.
RHW is concerned that the acquisition and public promotion of lands within the territory may be used to create the appearance of a longstanding Métis connection where one has not been historically established, contributing to narratives that conflict with the history, rights, and responsibilities of the First Nations who have occupied, governed, and maintained relationships with these lands since time immemorial.
“The purchase of 320 acres of private property in 2026 cannot manufacture a historical presence that did not exist. Land ownership is not Aboriginal title; private property is not traditional territory; and a modern land purchase does not create an ancestral relationship. Repeatedly asserting a territorial narrative does not make it historically true,” said Chief Brent Niganobe of Mississauga First Nation, whose community’s territory includes the Mississagi River.
“The Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850 did not extinguish our relationship with these lands and waters, and our inherent and Treaty rights continue to be exercised throughout our traditional and Treaty territory,” Chief Niganobe added.
RHW remains committed to protecting the integrity of Robinson Huron Treaty lands and rights, and to ensuring that decisions affecting the territory are grounded in credible Anishinaabe and academic historical evidence, respect for Anishinaabe law, and recognition of the rights of the First Nations whose ancestors entered into the Robinson Huron Treaty.
RHW calls on governments, industry, and the public to carefully examine the historical record and to engage directly with First Nations rights holders when considering matters related to land, harvesting, consultation, and Indigenous rights within the Robinson Huron Treaty territory.
RHW will continue to advocate for the protection of First Nations rights and interests, and for processes that uphold truth, accountability, and respect for the historical record.
About Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin
Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin is the coordinating secretariat for the 21 First Nations party to the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. RHW supports the Chiefs of those First Nations in advancing and protecting Treaty rights and the Treaty relationship.
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