The longest trial in Canadian history ended with the BC Supreme Court awarding rights to a 750-hectare parcel in Richmond to First Nations groups.
The British Columbia Supreme Court delivered a precedent-setting ruling on a case brought by four First Nations in the longest trial in Canadian history, report Amy Judd and Travis Prasad in Global News. “The piece of land in question is a 750-hectare parcel in Richmond, including city and port lands, farms, golf courses and commercial properties,” according to the authors. “The Cowichan Nation said it was not seeking to recover any privately-held lands in the court case but they wanted lands held by government returned to them.”
The suit also pitted some First Nations against two others who were named as defendants. “[Justice] Young’s ruling means that Quw’utsun’s right to fish that area of the Fraser River for food can be done without needing permission from the Musqueam Indian Band.”
The ruling tasks the provincial and federal governments with deciding how to settle ownership where legal titles overlap with the new ownership. “Federal Crown may have to transfer some of the land back, they may have to compensate them for the financial benefits that they’ve got from those lands,” said lawyer Peter Grant.
Read the full story: Canada’s longest trial ends in precedent-setting B.C. land claim ruling for 4 First Nations
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