According to a report filed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the provincial government of Quebec in Canada is paying an additional US$549,570 to the James Bay Cree, an aboriginal group, as part of an agreement that allows Quebec to proceed with new hydro projects.
The amount includes contracts and jobs linked to construction, job training and other compensation, and is in addition to a US$2.2B deal reached between the Cree and Quebec in October.
The US$2.2B compensation package was reached after the Cree dropped a lawsuit with the government.
The agreement is in the process of being ratified by the nine Cree communities in the northern Quebec region, and the two agreements are to be signed by the Cree, the provincial government and hydro-quebec in February 2002.