Houses along No. 6 Road and Country Meadows Golf Course, back centre, which fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, are seen in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, August 22, 2025. A ruling in B.C. Supreme Court confirmed Cowichan Aboriginal title and fishing rights over a stretch of land on Lulu Island next to the south arm of the Fraser River where the nation had a summer village where members fished for salmon. According to the Cowichan Nation the village was first observed by Hudson's Bay Company officials in 1824 as containing over 108 longhouses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Industrial lands that include ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Tire and Coca-Cola Canada distribution centres, which fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, are seen in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, August 22, 2025. A ruling in B.C. Supreme Court confirmed Cowichan Aboriginal title and fishing rights over a stretch of land on Lulu Island next to the south arm of the Fraser River where the nation had a summer village where members fished for salmon. According to the Cowichan Nation the village was first observed by Hudson's Bay Company officials in 1824 as containing over 108 longhouses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, speaks during a news conference at Justice for Girls in Vancouver on Monday, May 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Houses along No. 6 Road and Country Meadows Golf Course, back centre, which fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, are seen in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, August 22, 2025. A ruling in B.C. Supreme Court confirmed Cowichan Aboriginal title and fishing rights over a stretch of land on Lulu Island next to the south arm of the Fraser River where the nation had a summer village where members fished for salmon. According to the Cowichan Nation the village was first observed by Hudson's Bay Company officials in 1824 as containing over 108 longhouses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Industrial lands that include ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Tire and Coca-Cola Canada distribution centres, which fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, are seen in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, August 22, 2025. A ruling in B.C. Supreme Court confirmed Cowichan Aboriginal title and fishing rights over a stretch of land on Lulu Island next to the south arm of the Fraser River where the nation had a summer village where members fished for salmon. According to the Cowichan Nation the village was first observed by Hudson's Bay Company officials in 1824 as containing over 108 longhouses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER - The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs is calling a recent court decision on Aboriginal title on land along the Fraser River a "monumental" development, but says the case isn't about threatening private home ownership.
The organization says this month's decision confirming the Cowichan Tribes' Aboriginal title over land and fishing rights in Richmond, B.C., "reaffirms and strengthens" the recognition of such title in the province.
But vice-president Chief Don Tom says in a statement the case is "not about seizing private homes or threatening homeowners," and framing the court decision that way is unfair scapegoating of First Nations.
The B.C. Supreme Court decision says the Cowichan established title to a portion of land and river foreshore, with titles held by Canada and the City of Richmond deemed "defective and invalid."
The case was opposed by parties including the Musqueam First Nation and the B.C. provincial government, which has said it will appeal the ruling that could have "significant unintended consequences" over private property rights.
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs president Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in Friday's statement that the province should avoid delaying or denying reconciliation by not "respecting what the courts have already confirmed."
"The Crown has seen this coming for decades yet continues to delay and deflect," Phillips said. "By failing to negotiate in good faith, and by choosing litigation over reconciliation, the Crown creates confusion, fuels public fear, and deepens divisions.â€
The ruling said the province had a duty to negotiate the reconciliation of private ownership with the Cowichan's Aboriginal title. The Aboriginal title area includes a stretch of semi-rural land on No. 6 Road in Richmond that is home to blueberry farms, multimillion-dollar mansions and an 18-hole golf course.
"Cowichan is not seeking to invalidate interests held by private landowners," Tom said on Friday.Â
"First Nations have long warned that if governments refused to recognize and implement Aboriginal title in a principled manner through negotiations, these questions would inevitably end up in the courts.
"Framing this decision as a threat to private property stokes fear and unfairly scapegoats First Nations … We all know that when negotiations break down with the Crown, Nations are left with few pathways to pursue justice."
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published Aug. 22, 2025.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. All rights reserved.
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