What Can Be Expected if the First Nations Water Class Lawsuit Isn’t Handled Out of Court?

Todayville Content Team

Published

2 years ago

5 minute read

The First Nations water class lawsuit is a legal case in which two First Nations, Tataskweyak and Neskantaga, sued the federal government of Canada.

The two First Nations argued that they had not received equitable treatment with respect to their right to clean, potable water. They also alleged that the federal government did not live up to its fiduciary duty concerning the rights of the indigenous people.

The lawsuit was filed in November 2016, but it wasn’t until July 2021 that the Canadian federal court in Ottawa approved an agreement reached between the complainants and the federal government agreed to pay $8 billion towards settling the case.

Understanding a Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit is a combination of lawsuits where the parties involved (class members) unite against a defendant for common harm suffered due to the defendant’s negligence.

However, the harm doesn’t have to have an equal measure for all the class members.

The only requirement is that the circumstances surrounding the resulting harm be the same. In other words, different class members can suffer different harmful outcomes for the same actions.

For example, consuming contaminated water could cause cancer in one group and gut-related illnesses in another. Under such circumstances, the two groups can belong to the same class against the defendant, but the value of their compensation could differ.

What the Ruling Means to Class Members

Following the ruling, the federal government agreed to pay $8 billion to the communities and individuals who suffered harm due to the federal government’s negligence. Persons that originally registered in the class may not have to register again.

But other people that want to be part of the class but were not original members have until March 2023 to register and December 22, 2022, for communities.

The largest chunk of the settlement funds will go into developing infrastructure that will ensure that the communities have access to clean drinking water.

Also, eligibility is limited to persons that lived in the first nation area from November 20, 1995, to June 20, 2021. Also, a claimant must be a member of any First Nation. By agreeing to take the offer, the members of the class lawsuit give up their right to hold the federal government liable for any damages suffered during the period, but they can still retain the right to sue for harm caused by drinking water after June 2021.

What If the Case Didn’t Settle Out of Court

When the court had to approve the agreement between the federal government and the members of the first nation’s lawsuits, the agreement was reached out of court, which is the case for most tort cases. Had the government chosen not to offer compensation, the case would have had to go through a trial.

By agreeing to go to trial, both the claimant and the defendant would have to trust the strength of their case to produce the results they hope to get. Often most parties will agree to cede some ground to avoid the unpredictability of a trial outcome that the court determines.

Learning From Other Class Action Lawsuits around the World

The First Nation water class lawsuit is not the first in the world. Similar cases have been filed in other parts of the world, for example, Camp Lejeune in the USA.

For years, Camp Lejeune water contamination victims had been locked out of compensation through a legal technicality until congress passed laws allowing leeway to recover damages for damages from exposure to cancer-causing contaminants.

Several studies on the water linked bladder cancer to Camp Lejeune water contamination, with the main contaminant in the water being PCE, a chemical used in detergents and a known carcinogen.

Some First Nations Not Part of the Class

Not all first nations were included in the settlement because their approach to the case differed slightly from the others.

These nations reserve the right to pursue their compensation even as other groups recover damages from their settlement. These first nations are Tsuu T’ina, Sucker Creek, Ermineskin Cree, Blood Tribe (Kainai ), and the Okanagan Indian Band.

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The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

the draft dragged on for hours;
there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

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60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on March 26, 2025

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When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.