Metepenagiag First Nation Minors are eligible to receive their entitlements under the land claim as of their 19th birthday.
Each entitlement will be in the amount of $25,000.00 plus the interest accumulated on this amount from October of 2014, when the Trust was established, up to the time that the claim is processed.
The Trustees confidentially hold the names of all minor entitlement recipients. Eligible minor entitlement recipients include all minor community members born on or before October 17, 2013, the date of the settlement ratification. The Trustees or the Trust’s Community Liaison normally will attempt to make contact with each recipient just prior to his/her 19th birthday to explain the entitlement claiming process.
IN ORDER TO RELEASE ENTITLEMENT FUNDS, EACH RECIPIENT MUST PRESENT The following required identification:
Certificate of Indian Status Card
Another form of government picture ID (e.g. Drivers Licence, Passport, etc.)
Please Note: All ID must be valid (unexpired) as of the date the recipient presents the ID for verification. Temporary forms of identification, or alternative forms of Identification are not acceptable. It is the responsibility of each recipient to ensure that they acquire and present the required identification in order to access their entitlement funds.
These pieces of government-issued identification must be presented by the recipient in person either:
To the Trust’s Community Liaison at the Metepenagiag Administrative Offices; or if he or she is unable to travel to Metepenagiag
To a Trustee; or
To a Commissioner of Oaths in the community where the recipient is living (this would need to be arranged in consultation with the Trustees).
Depending on the recipient’s situation, he or she may also be asked to provide banking information for an account solely in the name of the recipient, so that the funds can be directly deposited to his or her account.
After the recipient’s identification is verified (which will be done immediately by the person with whom the recipient meets), photocopies of the identification will be made for Trust records. After receiving this information, the Trustees will prepare a request to have the funds transferred to the recipient by CIBC Wood Gundy, where the Trust funds are held. The Trustees submit request(s) for payments to CIBC Wood Gundy once per month; the funds usually arrive within10 business days of the monthly submission.
Please note that the Trustees cannot process any part of any recipient’s request prior to the date of his or her 19th birthday.
The Trustees are able to answer general questions about the claims process with parents of recipients, but cannot answer questions relating specifically to a claim with anyone other than the claim’s recipient.