‘A watershed moment’: Why an Indigenous land claim case could change Canadian property rights forever – The Hub
October 21, 2025
Dwight Newman, professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan, discusses a landmark B.C. Supreme Court decision that recognized the Cowichan Tribes’ Aboriginal title over urban land in Richmond, B.C.
He explains the legal implications for property owners who received letters warning the claim could affect their ownership rights and the tension between modern property ownership and Indigenous title rights. He also explores how this legal precedent could influence land ownership across Canada, and how cultural movements around land acknowledgments and “land back” campaigns have informed judicial decisions.
