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Federal judge reserves decision on First Nations land dispute involving former Alberta chief

CALGARY — A federal judge has reserved his decision on a land claim dispute between two families on Canada’s largest First Nations reserve.
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CALGARY — A federal judge has reserved his decision on a land claim dispute between two families on Canada’s largest First Nations reserve.

But Justice Michael Manson has made it clear that he will not be overturning a decision that transferred land from former Blood Tribe chief Harley Frank to another family.

Manson says he will decide if the process was procedurally fair, and if it wasn’t, will send the case back to the bodies that made the original decision to look at the case again.

The dispute involves 600 hectares of prime agricultural land that was allocated to the Frank family in 1960, but earlier this year was awarded to another family instead.

Band members can’t own property outright, but they can have it allocated to them with the approval of the chief and council.

The judge didn’t give a date for releasing his decision.