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Ron Giesbrecht, the chief of an 85-member First Nation who ranked as Canada’s highest-paid politician last year, collected most of his nearly $1-million income by abandoning a land claim in exchange for an $8-million payment from the Province of B.C.

Rough details of the arrangement were revealed to the National Post by the B.C. Ministry of Finance, which said the Kwikwetlem First Nation was paid to “extinguish” future claims on a plot of Crown land that was being sold off by the province.

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Mr. Giesbrecht collected a 10% bonus amounting to $800,000 thanks to his dual role as the economic development officer for the band.

Despite Mr. Giesbrecht’s prior claims that the deal could not be publicized because of a non-disclosure agreement, the Ministry said the province “could release the details of the agreement if the First Nation agree”— provided the document checks out with the Freedom of Information Act.