Snuneymuxw First Nation is moving forward on reaching a financial settlement with Canada over the loss of its reserve in the City of Nanaimo.

Chief and council will be holding several community information meetings around the agreement in late April and early May. The settlement is set to go before a ratification vote of about 1,200 eligible members in June. A statement from the nation’s leadership promises that, if the settlement passes, a “significant portion” of an expected $49-million will be distributed to members.

The settlement is over a 79-acre Snuneymuxw reservation in the heart of Nanaimo, across from Newcastle Island, that was taken from the nation in the 1880s. People from Snuneymuxw have been fighting for a resolution for decades.

The nation’s leadership is also pushing Canada on finding replacement lands to make up for the lost reserve.

The first meeting will take place on April 30th at Suquamish Clearwater Casino in Suquamish, WA, followed by a meeting on May 1st in Vancouver at the Native Education Centre. A third meeting is set to take place in Snuneymuxw on May 7th.