https://globalnews.ca/news/11502751/cowichan-land-title-case-bc-richmond-explainer/
https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/584219/Leader-of-upstart-provincial-party-visits-Kamloops-calls-for-end-to-Aboriginal-title-rights
A friend in kamloops was telling me that he's not sure he has a valid title on his property in the near future and this was the first I've heard about this. Did a little reading and I'm confused what to believe.
Would this actually change property rights in canada or is this just alarmist? Hear a lot of opinions claiming that messing with property rights is a slippery slope with unintended consequences even though this case is well intentioned.
Are owners right in thinking that their properties would be rendered unsellable? Why are owners saying they should stop paying property taxes now?
While it doesn't appear that the cowichan tribe is interested in booting people out of their homes, could they, if they wanted to? Who would be responsible for paying out those owners if anyone?
Why is cowichan band entitled to land in richmond, because they fished there 150 years ago? What about the band who lives there presently? My understanding is that the richmond location was the cowichan "summer village" and that they went back to the island during the colder months.
It feels like climate crisis in a way, where people are wanting change only until it personally affects them, and I can't help but see it with reconciliation too. I also wonder that if this could have the effect of undoing any progress so far on reconciliation. The average tim hortons canadian isn't going to fully grasp the situation and it's just going to result in racism I'm thinking, the more traction this gets.
This reads like it was a one time thing... no sure if intended. People have been living on this continent for more than 10,000 years, the descendants of those people are now colloquially known as First Nations. Canada is a new thing in comparison and during it's initial development as a nation, many treaties were created with the people already living on the land to allow European settlers to live there as well/instead. My understanding is that those treaties weren't honoured, and land that was included in the treaties was sold to settlers anyway, that is, it never should have been sold in the first place. IMO the government, with it's historic, contemporary and systemic racism towards Indigenous people is finally having to pay the bill that has come due, so to speak. The question is, how much will 150 years of ignorance and racism cost the Government of Canada?
Of course people will be scared and lash out, their homes are being threatened; however, they only live there because the Indigenous people that used to call it home were kicked out. Basically all of Canada is like this, and it's a huge issue that basically only has racism to back it up.
At least that's my understanding of it, am also really tired right now.
While what you are saying is true, there are legal ramifications to an indiginous claim on land you occupy. Regardless of the systemic racism that created this, there are tons of questions that may lock this up in near perpetuity: