At an information session on the recent Cowichan Decision, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie was grilled over his failure to inform landowners at any point during the legal proceedings that their property rights could be in jeopardy.He maintained it was the Cowichan Tribes' responsibility to give residents a heads up that their land was implicated in the case.."We've been working very hard on this case," Brodie told the media after being grilled on the issue by residents for over an hour. "We've gone through over 500 days of court hearings ... an application was made to have the plaintiff give notice to the landowners — the court said it wasn't necessary, and so here we are."He added that Richmonders are "entitled to feel the way they feel," noting that "I'd be pretty angry if I was one of those landowners who woke up one morning and found that there was this aboriginal title that impacted my property.""You’re quite entitled to be angry," Brodie declared. "If that’s what you want, sure.".WATCH: Tensions erupt at packed Cowichan Decision info session in Richmond.Among those who spoke up during the event was Tanveer, who has owned his property since 1975 but was recently told by his lender that they will not be renewing his mortgage as a result of the court's decision.After repeatedly being told what the city had heard from the court, he asked those on stage to ditch the legalese and come clean to residents. Eventually, his microphone was cut, but he persisted, continuing to question the mayor even as staff ushered him back to his seat..GIESBRECHT: Richmond mayor warns property owners that the Cowichan case puts their titles at risk.Brodie first notified residents earlier this month, weeks after the ruling was handed down.The initial claim was filed by a coalition of First Nations in 2019 in an attempt to regain control over ancestral territory along the Fraser River that is currently owned by the federal Crown, BC government, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Richmond, and private entities.In the Supreme Court ruling, Justice Barbara Young granted title to a 80 hectare portion of the land in question."In my view, aboriginal title currently lies beyond the land title system in British Columbia and the Land Titles Act does not apply to it," Young wrote. "It therefore cannot be said that a registered owner's title under the LTA is conclusive evidence that the registered owner is indefeasibly entitled to that land as against aboriginal title holders and claimants."
