'Our goal was to ensure fairness and accountability': Garden River Chief Karen Bell

An Ontario Court judge has ruled that the $510 million in legal fees charged by lawyers for the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund settlement was excessive.

Justice Fred Myers ruled that the legal fees charged by the lawyers who achieved the final deal should be reduced to $23 million, the remainder of the money to be held in a trust, pending any possible appeal, and eventually returned to the 21 First Nation communities.

Garden River First Nation and Atikameksheng Anishinabew First Nation challenged the legal fees paid to lawyers in the historical annuities case that resulted in a $10 billion settlement. The other 19 First Nation communities did not but will reap the benefits when the money is returned to the communities and their beneficiaries.

Garden River First Nation Karen Bell