Cowichan Tribes and Private Property: Separating Fact from Fiction – JFK Law LLP

November 6th, 2025

Since the BC Supreme Court released Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 BCSC 1490, in August 2025 declaring that the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Nation holds Aboriginal title to lands at Tl’uqtinus on the Fraser River in Richmond, public discourse has been dominated by concern about private property rights, and misconceptions and misinformation have run rampant. The gap between what the decision says and how it’s being portrayed in the media and by some politicians is significant, creating unnecessary fear and confusion, and concerningly, a rise in anti-Indigenous racism.

This blog post aims to clarify what the Court’s decision says about private property and to correct some of the misinformation that has been spreading. Our firm has been following this case closely and wrote about it when the decision was first released. Our firm continues to comment on this decision in newspapers, on the radio (on CBC when the decision was released and this week as well as on CKNW) and at conferences on developments on Aboriginal and Indigenous Law.

Read More: https://jfklaw.ca/cowichan-tribes-and-private-property-separating-fact-from-fiction/