The owner of Misty Lake Lodge has been paid $538,000 for housing First Nations flood evacuees since 2011 but says he is still owed more than $1 million.

The payment was made Friday by Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters but there was nothing included to explain why it was so much short of the total owed.

Many First Nations flood evacuees had been staying at the lodge, near Gimli, Man., since 2011 until April 2013 when officials from the Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters (MANFF) allegedly told people they were being moved to a different hotel, in Winnipeg.

The sudden move happened shortly after Misty Lake owner Michael Bruneau was quoted in the media saying he was owed nearly $2 million.

MANFF, the agency responsible for disbursing federal funds to cover flood evacuees accommodation expenses, claimed the evacuees chose to leave on their own.

Because of the dispute between MANFF and Bruneau, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) was brought in to help.

The cheque stub received Friday indicated the payment was for invoices 84 to 99, whcih total $1,177,904.80, according to Bruneau, who said there was nothing included with the cheque to explain why is was short by $639,672.00.

There are several more invoices that are overdue for Misty Lake and at a hotel Bruneau owns in Ashern, where evacuees were also staying.

In a statement sent to Misty Lake Lodge, AANDC explained that "our priority remains ensuring that eligible, and only eligible, expenses are reimbursed.

"To ensure that this happens we have decided to engage an independent investigator, who will examine the issues and report back to the department. Once we have received and reviewed the investigator's conclusions we will be in a position to discuss further."