B.C. to appeal decision giving Indigenous title over Richmond, federal lands

B.C.’s Attorney General says it will appeal a Supreme Court decision granting Aboriginal title over several waterfront lots in Richmond.

In a ruling last week, the a B.C. Supreme Court judge granted title to a portion of the original 7.5-kilometre land claim — land used by Cowichan tribes as a seasonal fishing village, before colonial administrators evicted the people who lived there.

The decision returns land title back to descendants of the Cowichan Nation. It also overlaps with lots occupied by several port terminals and warehouses operated by Amazon, UPS, Canadian Tire and Amazon, among others.

In a statement Monday, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said unopposed, the ruling could have “significant unintended consequences” for fee simple private property rights in B.C.

“We disa