Winnipeggers who were forced to walk away from their Lake of the Woods cottages in December are on the verge getting their property back.
Last December, they closed their cottages at Devil's Gap believing they would not be returning. But negotiations over the last several months have resulted in a new financial offer that band members are considering this week.
"In the end, it all comes down to money," said Reg Wightman, president of the association that represents 33 former cottage owners.
The cottagers were forced to leave their summer homes in December when the Rat Portage First Nation refused to renew the expiring lease.
Devil's Gap is located on reserve land about five kilometres southeast of Kenora, opposite Treaty Island. The site used to be a CP Rail tourist camp.
Many of the cottagers had been at Devils Gap since the 1970s. The buildings range in size from 400 square feet to 3,000 square feet. The cottagers, all but one are from Winnipeg, had to buy into the group, paid yearly rent and invested tens of thousands of dollars improving the units.
On the open market, cottages like these in the Lake of the Woods area are worth several hundred thousand dollars but the decision by the band not to renew the lease put a chill on cottage sales on all Indian land in the area.
Wightman said the cottagers association has agreed to more than double its annual lease payment, from $46,500 to $100,000 for each of the first five years of an eight-year lease plus pay $222,000 the band believed it was owed in back rent.
Wightman said the association has agreed to pay the band the first five years rent in advance, along with the back rent, for a total of $722,000.
Wightman said the band is considering the proposal this week. If accepted, the association members expect to move back this fall and resume use of the cottages next summer.
The association members will be assessed higher annual fees based on the size of the cottage and its proximity to the water front, Wightman said, adding the typical annual rent will range between $15,000 and $22,000.
Chief Ken Skead refused to comment on the situation and referred questions to the band's legal counsel, Geoff Roberts. Roberts said negotiations are at a critical stage and he would not make any comments for another day or two.
Wightman said that if the band members ratify the new deal, the cottagers will have to examine their relationship with the First Nation and determine how it had soured over the years.
"If they didn't want us there, we have to figure out why," Wightman said.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
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