In the wake of the Cowichan Decision, a number of other aboriginal title cases making their way through British Columbia's court system have been brought to light.Among them is a claim filed by the Secwepemc Nation that seeks title over "the whole of Secwepemc Traditional Territory in the future," which includes the entire city of Kamloops as well as Sun Peaks Resort and the surrounding area..WATCH: Eby calls on landowners to provide evidence Cowichan Decision impacting ability to renew mortgages.According to court documents, the claim was filed in BC's Supreme Court on September 21, 2015. Along with title recognition, the plaintiffs seek "damages in respect of unjust infringements of those aboriginal rights and title, and interim and permanent injunctions preventing activities in relation to a project known as the Ajax Mine.The Crown argued that BC is "vested with the legal title to the lands in issue in this action" thanks to Section 109 of the Constitution Act of 1867, and thus "has legal title to the mines and minerals at issue.""This Claim appears to have been filed in response to a particular project, in this case, the proposed copper and gold mine, known as the Ajax Project," Crown lawyers wrote. "The Project Area is located largely on privately held fee simple lands, which were lawfully granted.".In the years since, the BC government decided not to grant the Ajax Mine an Environmental Assessment Certificate and the federal government eventually quashed the project altogether.It was projected to produce 53,000 tonnes of copper and 114,000 ounces of gold annually over an expected 19-year life span.Even though the mine was nixed, the case is still ongoing.Its existence was unearthed by Independent MLA Elenore Sturko, who noted that the claim "seeks a declaration of Aboriginal title to all or part of the Territory, which Territory includes the City of Kamloops, a number of other municipalities, Sun Peaks Resort, roads, railways, privately owned tenures of many types, including fee simple grants, mineral tenures, and many other Crown granted interests."She warned it's "just the tip of the iceberg" of aboriginal title claims in BC.
