Homeowners in Pacific Northwest city are warned their land has now been given to NATIVE TRIBE… and that eviction could soon follow

The mayor of a picturesque city has warned homeowners they could soon lose their properties after a Canadian court ruled the land belongs to a native tribe.

The British Columbia Supreme Court awarded the Cowichan Tribes an Aboriginal title over roughly 800 acres of land in the city of Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver.

The tribe was also given an Aboriginal right to fish for food, according to the court’s August 2025 ruling which was reviewed by the Daily Mail.

The ruling further declared that private ownership by the federal government and city of Richmond would be ‘defective and invalid.’

The declaration was suspended for 18 months so that the tribe, federal government and city would have the ‘opportunity to make the necessary arrangements.’

But Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie has now penned a letter warning residents that the ruling ‘could negatively affect title’ of their homes and ‘compromise the status and validity of your ownership.’

He urged residents to attend an upcoming information session being held by the city where they can learn more about this ‘important situation,’ according to the letter obtained by the Daily Mail.

The Cowichan Tribe has also filed an appeal claiming ownership of further land in the region, Brodie’s letter revealed.

The British Columbia Supreme Court awarded the Cowichan Tribes an Aboriginal title over roughly 800 acres of land in the city of Richmond (pictured), a suburb of Vancouver, in August

The August 2025 ruling awarded the Cowichan ownership of an area the tribe calls the Lands of Tl’uqtinus. Pictured is Cowichan Tribes Chief Sulsulxumaat Cindy Daniels

The August 2025 ruling, which followed what has been billed the ‘longest trial in Canada’s history, awarded the Cowichan ownership of an area the tribe calls the Lands of Tl’uqtinus.

The Lands of Tl’uqtinus refers to the traditional village site located along the Fraser River shoreline that was historically used for trade and fishing.

The area currently consists of land and buildings valued at more than $1.3billion, according to property analysts at The Globe & Mail.

The so-called Lands of Tl’uqtinus is currently home to private residents, small farms, a golf course and several industrial operations.

The Cowichan tribes were displaced from the area in the mid-1800s when the British colonized the area.

British Columbia (BC) ultimately became a Canadian province and land in the historical Cowichen territory was sold over the years.

The tribe wanted to have ownership of the land returned to them, but did not seek that titles of privately held properties be declared invalid.

The court, however, ruled that granting private property ownership rights would ‘unjustifiably infringe’ on Cowichan Aboriginal title, the August 2025 decision stated.

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie has now penned a letter warning residents that the ruling ‘could negatively affect title’ of their homes and ‘compromise the status and validity of your ownership’. Pictured is a home in Richmond that falls within the Aboriginal Title area

The so-called Lands of Tl’uqtinus is currently home to private residents, small farms, a golf course and several industrial operations. Pictured is the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond, BC

The court further ruled that issues surrounding titles would need to be resolved through negotiation, litigation or purchase, otherwise the properties would remain under Cowichan title lands.

The BC government and city of Richmond have filed a notice of appeal in the case.

Brodie and BC attorney general Nike Sharma have urged a ‘higher court’ to reconsider the ruling.

The mayor believes property owners were not fairly represented during the legal process, which is understood to have stretched over five years.

‘If you’re going to talk about someone’s land, surely they have the right to be there, to have representation, to speak about it,’ Brodie told CTV News. ‘And so, they’re just starting to wake up to what is going on.’

He warned the court’s ruling could ‘dismantle the land title system’ and could have significant ramifications nationwide.

Brodie called on the federal and provincial governments to ‘do your job’ and ‘take the position that needs to be taken to protect people and businesses, and investments.’

Sharma, in a statement, warned the ruling could have ‘significant unintended consequences for fee simple private property rights.’

The BC Supreme Court ruled that issues surrounding titles would need to be resolved through negotiation, litigation or purchase, otherwise the properties would remain under Cowichan title lands. Pictured is a Richmond home that could be affected by the ruling

Mayor Brodie urged residents to attend an upcoming information session being held by the city where they can learn more about this ‘important situation,’

Robert Morales, chief negotiator for tribes, reiterated on Sunday that the Cowichan people do not want to invalidate fee simple interests of private landowners.

‘The nations have always stated that they are not interested in, and not wanting to, displace the ordinary British Columbian from their land, understanding that that’s a pretty serious position to take,’ he told the Globe & Mail.

Morales did, however, note there are ‘corporate interests’ that they are disputing.

‘Corporations, or the governments who have privately held land as a corporation or as a government, I think that’s a different issue,’ he added.