Richmond landowners in Canada received an unsettling notice from the mayor that their land may not belong to them.
Landowners of Canada’s Richmond, BC, have received a bizarre notice that the piece of land they own may not actually belong to them as the land might belong to the Cowichan Tribes who have been granted Aboriginal title. The notice sent to the landowners has triggered a major outrage with people questioning how this could happen in a ‘serious’ country.Mayor Malcolm Brodie signed the letter citing a BC Supreme Court ruling granting Aboriginal title to the Cowichan Tribes over a portion of land in Richmond that could “negatively affect” the recipients/homeowners. “The court has declared Aboriginal title to your property which may compromise the status and validity of your ownership – this was mandated without any prior notice to the landowners,” the letter said, before inviting recipients to an information meeting to discuss the “serious implications” of the court ruling. “If you look at the draft map attached to the briefing, your property is located within the Claim Area outlined in green. For those whose property is n the area outlined in the black, the Court has declared Aboriginal title to your property which may compromise the status and validity of your ownershop — this was mandated without any prior notice to the landowners. The ente area outlined is claimed on appeal by the Cowichan First Nations,” the letter said. Questions are being raised as to why the mayor needed to send the letter when appeals against the court order are underway. “It will generate unnecessary stress when the matter is within the courts,” Counillor Kash Heed said in a statement.
Who are the Cowichan Tribes?
The Cowichan First Nation (often called the Cowichan Tribes) are an Indigenous Coast Salish people located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. They are one of the largest First Nations communities in British Columbia.In August, the court determined the Cowichan Tribes have the right to seven-and-a-half square kilometres of land in Richmond, ruling that land titles granted by the government were invalid, CTV News reported. The nation (Cowichan First Nations) had not sought to have the titles of privately held properties declared invalid. But the court said the Crown’s granting of private property ownership rights “unjustifiably infringe” on Cowichan Aboriginal title and needs to be resolved through negotiation, litigation, purchase or the properties would remain under Cowichan title lands.“This ruling could have significant unintended consequences for fee simple private property rights in B.C. that must be reconsidered by a higher court,” BC Attorney General Niki Sharma said in a statement issued soon after the court decision was handed down.
