Fort Resolution (Sep 25/06) - An agreement to compensate Fort Resolution for hosting a captive bison herd for a decade is a signature away from being ratified.

The final hold out to the territorial government's $400,000 offer - the Fort Resolution Metis Council - is now willing to accept it.

The last of the captive bison in Fort Resolution were shipped to Alberta for slaughter in March. The community will receive $400,000 in return for hosting the animals for almost a decade. - NNSL file photo

"We've reluctantly agreed to it," said Metis council president Lloyd Cardinal.

The offer, which was made in the spring, was accepted by Deninu Ku'e First Nation (DKFN) earlier in the summer.

Robert Sayine, Chief of the DFKN, said $400,000 is the best the community can get.

"We agreed to it because we knew they weren't going to give us any more money," Sayine said.

The captive herd was established in 1996 with founder animals from the Hook Lake area in an effort to keep a South Slave herd free of tuberculosis and brucellosis.

The herd of about 130 bison was held in a corral on the edge of Fort Resolution.

The last of the bison were shipped to Alberta for slaughter in March, after tuberculosis was discovered in the herd last year. Over the years, the territorial government spent $3 million on the project.

Cardinal believes the community should have received more in compensation from the GNWT. "If we had the money, we would take them to court," he said.

The Metis had first suggested compensation as high as $3.6 million for the community's help in feeding and monitoring the herd and providing equipment.

The $400,000 will be divided between the Metis and DKFN based on population. That means the Metis will get $160,000 and the DKFN $240,000. As soon as the agreement is finalized, the GNWT will begin cleaning up the buffalo ranch.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger said a deal is very close. "It's just a matter of getting the sides to sign off," he noted. "All the elements are there."

Miltenberger said the $400,000 offer is fair. It is based on the sale of healthy meat from the herd, the possible sale of ranch infrastructure and the use of community equipment over the years.

"We looked at all those factors and came up with a figure to try to bring closure to this issue," Miltenberger said.

The remediation of the 40-hectare site will cost approximately $50,000 to $60,000, which will be picked up by the government.

The clean-up will involve removing the infrastructure, such as fences and buildings, and treating the soil after its years of accumulating, what Miltenberger called, "bison fertilizer."

The GNWT has committed to returning the land, which it owns, to residential standards so it can be used by the community, the minister added.