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Opinion: Aboriginal title cases should take into account the taxpayer money paid to First Nations

The $1.3 billion paid to the Cowichan Tribes over the last quarter century should be considered compensation for any lost lands

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In August 2025, after one of the longest trials in Canadian history, Justice Barbara Young of the British Columbia Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling declaring that the Cowichan Tribes hold “Aboriginal title” to 800 acres of land in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond.

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The 800 acres includes government land and 150 “fee simple” properties, the most common form of residential land ownership in Canada. In other words, people’s homes and businesses.

Opinion: Aboriginal title cases should take into account the taxpayer money paid to First Nations Back to video

The Cowichan Tribes, which are located on Vancouver Island, argued that they have a historic claim to parts of modern-day Richmond because their ancestors once visited and lived there, though as a summer fishing village.

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