‘Backdoor dealing’: B.C. farmer decries omission of private owners from Cowichan case

RICHMOND — The co-owner of an eight-hectare farm on the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title lands says he and fellow private landowners were unfairly left out of the court case that confirmed the title claim.

Gord Maichin says the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court not to inform landowners about the case that has set off a debate about its impact on private land ownership was “backdoor dealing” that left the owners unable to defend themselves.

Maichin, speaking at a news conference about the case called by Richmond City Coun. Alexa Loo, says he and his cousins and uncles have owned the farm for 20 years.

He says provincial and federal governments should have been more transparent and brought private owners to the table during the trial instead of leaving them in the dark.

The court decision in August says the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over about 300 hectares of land near the Fraser River, that Crown and city titles within it are defective and invalid, and that the granting of private titles by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title.

Loo says she will forward a motion to Richmond council on Monday to call on the provincial and the federal governments to support Richmond landowners during an appeal against the ruling.

She says she has heard from land and business owners worried about the Cowichan ruling’s effect on property values, saying the uncertainty is bound to create a financial impact that could “devastate homeowners and businesses.”

Loo’s motion will call on council to write to the provincial and federal governments to ask them to mitigate the effects of the ruling on private landowners during the appeal process.

The province says there are about 45 privately owned properties in the 300-hectare Aboriginal title area, and at least 100 more in areas claimed by the Cowichan but excluded from the title zone by the judge.

Private properties in the title area include farms, multimillion-dollar mansions, and the Country Meadows Golf Course where Friday’s news conference was held.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2025.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press