The Mississaugas of the New Credit were the First Nation people who lived in the area we now call Toronto before European settlement.

In 1787 negotiations took place between the British and the Mississaugas for the sale of the land that was called “the Toronto Purchase.” This is a block of land stretching along the Lake Ontario waterfront from Ashbridges Bay in the east, to Etobicoke Creek in the west, and 28 miles north, about half way to Lake Simcoe.

For 250,880 acres of land, now the most valuable property in Canada, the Mississaugas were given presents worth £1,700. Later, in 1805, they were given an additional 10 shillings to confirm the boundaries.

Even in that day there were disputes about the land. The Mississaugas who negotiated the Toronto Purchase, said they never sold Toronto Island. This was sacred ground their people used for healing, and there is evidence that they never intended to sell it. The British, however, included the island in their maps. Soon the island was occupied and the claims of the Mississaugas ignored.

The main village of the Mississaugas was at the mouth of the Credit River in what we call Port Credit. In the early part of the 19th century, the way of life of the Mississaugas was destroyed. Encroaching European settlement prevented them from supporting themselves by hunting and fishing. In 1847 they were offered land adjacent to the Six Nations Reserve near Hagersville and most of the band moved to this reserve. Today there are about 1,200 members of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, and about 600 continue to live on the reserve.

The Mississaugas have long believed that they were swindled out of their land. Beginning as early as 1986, they made representations to the Indian Claims Commission to redress this grievance. At first their claim was rejected, but finally, in 2003, the government agreed that they had a valid claim and negotiations began. To date the claim has not been resolved, but discussions are continuing.

There are two parts to the Mississauga claim. First, they say that the amount paid for the land was less than it was worth, even according to land values in 1787. They are asking for financial compensation for this loss. Second, they say they never gave up Toronto Island, and they want the land, or at least part of the land the airport now occupies, for a First Nations Cultural Centre.

Will the island airport, or part of the airport lands, be transferred to the Mississaugas as partial payment to resolve this 220-year-old dispute? We have no idea, but it seems fitting. The land used by the airport is on the water, in a beautiful natural setting that abounds in wildlife, and is connected to the elements. It could well become, once again, a spiritual place of healing.

You can learn more by going to their website.