Kelowna 
A recent B.C. Supreme Court decision granting the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title over parts of Richmond has sparked significant public concern, with most residents fearing it could strain reconciliation efforts in the province.
Credit: Frank Fujimoto/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The August 7, 2025, ruling, which includes recognition of title over some privately owned lands, has been described by B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma as potentially having “significant unintended consequences for fee simple private property rights.”
The provincial government announced an appeal in early September, a move supported by 61 per cent of British Columbians, according to an Angus Reid Institute survey conducted Oct. 23–25 among 1,044 B.C. adults. Only 12 per cent opposed the decision to appeal, while 27 per cent were unsure.
Three-in-five respondents (60%) believe the court decision will harm relations between Indigenous groups and other British Columbians. Property owners are particularly concerned, with 66 per cent saying it could damage reconciliation, compared with 48 per cent of non-owners. Supporters of the BC Conservative Party were the most skeptical, with nearly four-in-five expressing concern, while just over half of past BC NDP voters shared that view.
Credit: Angus Reid Institute
Two-thirds (67%) of residents describe the ruling as “serious,” and more than half (52%) say they have been following the case, including nearly six-in-ten property owners. Despite public unease, Lyackson First Nation Chief Shana Thomas defended the decision as “a step toward Reconciliation – not a threat to it.”
The survey also found 44 per cent of respondents feel Premier David Eby’s government is “too focused” on reconciliation, while 27 per cent believe the province is giving the issue the right level of attention. The Angus Reid Institute says the findings highlight deep divisions over how British Columbia should navigate Indigenous land rights and property ownership.
