Robinson Superior Treaty

Robinson Superior Treaty is a treaty area in Ontario.

In Anishinabek News

• April 2013: Elderly patients from communities in this area sometimes require translation assistance when receiving medical diagnoses.
• June 2013: Annuities for this agreement were managed by the Hudson's Bay Company before the Department of Indian Affairs took over administration.
• November 2013: Members of the Robinson Superior Treaty area participated in an economic summit in 2013 to discuss regional resource projects.
• July 2014: Biigtigong Nishnaabeg did not participate in or sign this treaty in 1850. The fact that the community is not a party to this treaty forms the basis of its Aboriginal title claim.
• July 2014: Duncan Michano stated that Biigtigong Nishnaabeg did not sign this treaty and continues to assert Aboriginal title to its traditional lands.
• July 2014: In 1917, the people at Long Lac gathered to receive their 67th year of annuity payments under the Robinson Treaty. The treaty day was a time for solemnizing the relationship with the Crown as well as community celebration.
• July 2014: Communities within this region, including Fort William and Pic River, participated in a series of mining engagement workshops in July 2014.
• January 2015: Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek is identified as a community within the Robinson Superior Treaty area.
• February 2015: A 2015 conference in Thunder Bay examined how recent legal decisions regarding Aboriginal title affect First Nation communities within this treaty area.
• September 2015: Red Rock Indian Band is identified as a Robinson Superior community.
• September 2015: Fort William First Nation celebrated the 165th anniversary of the signing of this treaty in September 2015. Peter Collins described the treaty as being about sharing the land and resources.
• October 2015: Roy Michano encouraged all eligible voters within this area to cast ballots in the 2015 federal election.
• December 2015: The region extends from Thunder Bay in the west to Armstrong in the north and White River in the east.
• January 2016: Namaygoosisagagun First Nation is affiliated with this 1850 treaty.
• March 2016: One youth amplifier involved in the March 2016 discussions with Andrea Horwath was from this treaty area.
• November 2016: First Nations within this treaty area are among those participating in the vote for the Anishinabek Education System.
• November 2016: The treaty is based on all of the water flowing into Lake Superior.
• November 2016: Gilbert Deschamps returned to this territory in 2013 to practice law in Thunder Bay.
• December 2017: This agreement is one of only two Canadian treaties to contain an escalator clause for annuities. First Nations from this treaty area have launched a lawsuit that is being prosecuted at the same time as the Robinson Huron Treaty case.
• January 2018: A court case involving this treaty is being heard alongside the Robinson Huron Treaty litigation. The treaty territory encompasses approximately 16,700 square miles. The trial for this treaty's interpretation began in Thunder Bay in September 2017.
• May 2018: The Biidaaban Healing Lodge provides services to Aboriginal people living in this area.
• May 2018: A court case regarding this treaty is being heard alongside the Robinson Huron Treaty annuity litigation. The treaty area encompasses roughly 16,700 square miles of territory. The interpretation of an augmentation clause common to both 1850 treaties is a central issue in the legal proceedings.
• June 2018: A court case regarding this agreement has been heard in court since September 2017. The litigation involves 21 First Nations who argue the federal and provincial governments have not upheld the agreement.
• November 2018: The Building Our Bundles Art Installation specifically focused on the stories of Anishinaabe women from this region.
• December 2018: Ed Wawia represents the Northern Superior Chiefs located within this treaty territory.
• December 2018: This agreement includes a promise that annuities would rise as resource revenue increased. A 2018 Ontario Superior Court ruling found that a four-dollar cap mentioned in the text was not intended to be a fixed limit on payments. The treaty was the subject of a major court case regarding the Crown's failure to honour its terms.
• August 2019: The book Ojibwe: History and Culture mentions this treaty but does not clarify that many Lake Superior bands did not sign it.
• August 2019: Namaygoosisagagun First Nation is located within the geographic boundaries of this treaty area.
• October 2019: Plaintiffs from this treaty area won a decisive victory in the first phase of a major legal challenge against the Crown in 2018. The trial determines if the Canada and Ontario failed to honour annuity terms linked to land revenues. The legal proceedings involve communities from the Northwestern Ontario region.
• June 2020: The court found that breaches of promises in this treaty and the Robinson Huron Treaty involve unique fiduciary obligations. The treaty was established with the long-term goal of respectful co-existence in a shared territory.
• April 2021: The territory of this treaty includes the home community of Alana Morrison.
• May 2021: The Ontario government appealed court verdicts related to this treaty alongside the Robinson Huron Treaty. Communities under this treaty requested to return to the negotiation table rather than continue with litigation.
• June 2021: The government of Ontario appealed court findings from the first two stages of a legal trial regarding the Robinson Superior Treaty. The trial involves claims that the Crown failed to increase annuities as resource revenues grew in the treaty territory. A Crown witness argued that land within the Robinson Superior Treaty area was considered of little value in 1850 because it was not suitable for farming.
• December 2021: The Thunder Bay Art Gallery scheduled a Treaty Night to discuss the Anishinabe perspective of this 1850 agreement.
• April 2022: Communities under this treaty are seeking a fair sharing of resource revenues from their territories. The government of Ontario agreed to negotiate with these communities as of April 2022. The treaty is a central component of the Restoule v Canada court case.
• April 2022: The treaty relationship was the subject of a 2022 presentation at Lakehead University by Michele Solomon. The 1859 Neebing Surrender occurred only nine years after the signing of this treaty.
• November 2022: Veterans from this treaty area were featured in an exhibit of photos and artifacts at Lakehead University in 2022.
• January 2023: Communities under this treaty can pursue their own claims through a negotiation process. A successful mediation for the Robinson Huron Treaty would likely set a precedent for these communities. Scott McLeod affirmed that these communities and those in the Huron region should work together.
• June 2023: Communities within this treaty area are served by the Anishinabek Police Service.
• May 2024: Chief Michele Solomon stated that Fort William First Nation stands with other nations in this treaty territory against the transport of nuclear waste.
• July 2024: The treaty includes an augmentation clause requiring the Crown to increase annuity payments as profits from the territory increase. Annuity payments under this treaty have been frozen at four dollars per person since 1875. The Supreme Court of Canada has ordered Ontario and Canada to return to negotiations with the treaty's beneficiaries to settle historical debts.
• November 2024: The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association advocates for Indigenous businesses located within this treaty territory.
• November 2024: Communities within this treaty region have been primary locations for cultural workshops led by Kelvin Redsky.
• December 2024: The Anishinabek Nation requested that Ontario engage in negotiations with the Robinson Superior region to fulfill treaty obligations. The Crown is expected to ensure the spirit and intent of the treaty are lived up to regarding its obligations.
• December 2024: The Christmas Spirit Contest was open to members of all 13 First Nations located within the Robinson Superior Treaty area.
• January 2025: The 1850 agreement promised that annuity payments to First Nations would increase as the Crown profited from resource extraction on the land. Annuity payments under the agreement have remained at four dollars per person since 1875, which the Supreme Court of Canada described as a breach of treaty obligations. The treaty opened vast areas of Northern Ontario for resource development based on a promise to share the wealth of the territory.
• February 2025: The Anishinabek Nation stated that any increase in resource prices within this territory must be paid directly to the collective. The leadership vowed to hold mining companies and the Crown accountable for revenues owed in this territory.
• March 2025: The Thunder Bay Museum included information about this 1850 treaty as part of its expanded educational display.
• March 2025: This agreement is one of several treaties that the Anishinabek Nation identifies as a living document recognizing its sovereignty. The Robinson Treaties include an escalator provision intended to increase annual payments when resource revenues from the territory grow.
• May 2025: As of May 2025, First Nations in the Northern Superior Region are negotiating court-ordered aspects regarding annuities from this 1850 agreement. The Anishinabek Nation stated that Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 interferes with a court order related to this treaty.
• July 2025: The Anishinabek Nation identified this agreement as part of the constitutional fabric protecting their traditional way of life. The treaty is considered a living agreement that guarantees rights to hunt, fish, and gather on traditional territories.
• August 2025: Annuity settlement payments from this treaty provided the personal investment capital for Cindy Crowe to build new tourism infrastructure. The funding allowed for the construction of cabins at Niibing Tribal Tours during the summer of 2025.
• September 2025: The 175th anniversary of the treaty signing occurred one day before the flag-raising at Confederation College. Fort William First Nation is part of the land of this treaty.
• October 2025: The treaty area includes communities where Terrance May has served as an emergency physician.