Richmond, B.C., Mayor Malcolm Brodie is putting pressure on the Cowichan Nation to put its intentions in writing following the controversial land title court ruling.
B.C.’s Supreme Court decided last year that the Cowichan Nation has title over a portion of southeast Richmond.
The federal and provincial governments are appealing the B.C. Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of the Quw’utsun Nation, or Cowichan Nation, that found it had “established Aboriginal title” to more than 5.7 square kilometres of land on the Fraser River in Richmond, south of Vancouver.
The City of Richmond has also joined the appeal.
The ruling declared Crown and city titles on the land are “defective and invalid,” and the granting of private titles on it by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title.
That has created confusion and anger among homeowners in the affected area, despite the Cowichan Tribes insisting it has no intention of stripping private title holders of their property.
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Brodie says that while statements by the nation are appreciated, they don’t go far enough to ease the growing uncertainty.
In a letter to four Cowichan chiefs, cc’d to the provincial government, Brodie asks the Cowichan Nation to “renounce in a form that is legally binding any claim to private property in Richmond arising out of the recent Court ruling regarding Aboriginal title.”
“Why can’t we have it in a form that’s legally binding, because we know that things change, and what’s good today may not be good tomorrow or next year or five years from now, so why not give the people of Richmond the satisfaction and the confidence that they are not gonna lose their homes,” Brodie told Global News.
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said in question period on Thursday that they are working through the issue.
“Not only with the City of Richmond,” she said, “in the courts, with the Cowichan and for, on behalf of protecting property rights here in British Columbia, and we’ll keep doing that work.”
Global News reached out to the Cowichan First Nation but did not receive a response.
“Supreme Court decided last year that the Cowichan Nation has title over a portion of southeast Richmond.”
Look into the judge. The Judge in this case had spent her entire career presiding over auto accident injury claims. This was her first Indigenous Land Claims case. Many lawyers I know have commented that she never should have been assigned to this case and her ruling is solely based on her want of setting some sort ground breaking precedent for the records for her personal legacy. Quote “There are so many red flags in the trial and her ruling that it will be overturned with no question .
And of course the whole 7 year trial was done under cover out of the public eyes .
Yes exactly. Get them to put in writing that they want zero title claim to any private or public land and more importantly that they want zero claim to any restitution or compensation payments for any private or public land. They may not want the land itself but they do want compensation for it. You can bet money on that .
That restitution in the end is paid by the rest of society as some form of retro-active collective guilt and a punishment. So beware all.
for just being born here and buying a home.
The court ruling is very dangerous. I agree with the Mayor of Richmond and Eby. Need to put limitations on DRIPA and make sure Cowichan puts their intentions in writing. I would not trust anyone’s word. Give someone an inch and they will take it all.
This will result in a civil war. Mark my words.
This will be interesting. But while F’nNs may say they don’t want any claim over private property, that doesn’t cover public property nor the FNs ability to still ask for restitution compensation in relation to the private properties from the various governments.
Either way the taxpayers could still be on the hook for payouts in relation to any of this land. Enough.
How about simply telling the squatters that they cannot have the land.
We have to protect our property rights, both private citizens and municipalities.