A landmark Aboriginal title claim successfully established by Cowichan Nation last week appears to encompass land occupied by a stretch of multimillion-dollar homes and an 18-hole golf course in Richmond, B.C.
A map of the Cowichan title lands that was part of the B.C. Supreme Court ruling, combined with publicly available land documents, identify the mansions and other properties along Richmond’s No. 6 Road, south of Blundell Road.
Get daily National news
They include a 10,600 square-foot home with 11 bathrooms and an official valuation of $7.78 million, as well as other multimillion-dollar residences and the Country Meadows Golf Course.
The ruling says the Cowichan did not seek a declaration that private titles in the area were “defective and invalid,” unlike government-owned land that makes up much of the claim.
But Justice Barbara Young ruled the province has a duty to negotiate with the nation when it comes to the private land, whose titles were granted in an unjustifiable infringement of the Cowichan’s Aboriginal title.
The B.C. government says it will appeal the ruling, which Attorney General Niki Sharma said Monday could have “significant unintended consequences” over private property rights in the province.
Comments