The long-disputed lands of Ipperwash Provincial Park are now officially back in the hands of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and Chief Jason Henry says his people are “home again.”

The federal government took over land in the area from the First Nation turning some of it into a military training base. While the government vowed to return it, by the 1990s, the people of the community were still fighting to reclaim it.

On Sept. 6, 1995 – 25 years ago – Dudley George was shot by OPP officer Ken Deane during a standoff at former military base next to the provincial park. He was taken by friends to Strathroy hospital where he died.

He remains the only Indigenous person to die during a land claim dispute in Canada.

There was a public inquiry in 2007 into George’s death and one of the 100 recommendations is the land of Kettle and Stony Point be returned. The Ontario government turned the park over to the federal government earlier this year.

On Aug. 25, the federal government signed an order adding the 113.629 acres of land which was the park to the reserve. The feds announced the turnover the day after the 25th anniversary of George’s death.

“The return of the former Provincial Park lands is an important legal indicator for our Ancestors and our future generations that we’re home again and the land is legally ours,” says Chief Jason Henry in a news release.

“The return of this portion of the lands is but a small portion of what was lost and although the process is not perfect, it gives hope that in the future we may see the full return of Aazhoodena.”

The actual military base is still under federal control as the government decommissions any unexploded ordinances on the property.

“It is also important that we honour the memory of Dudley George today, who made the supreme sacrifice in respect of the Ancestors and all of those who have dedicated their l ives to the return of our lands.”