VANCOUVER — The chief of the Musqueam Indian Band says the nation is ready to go to the Supreme Court of Canada as it fights the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title ruling — but he also see another way out of the dispute that he says has triggered an outpouring of racism.
Asked if he’s open to negotiations with the provincial government, private land owners and the Cowichan tribes, Chief Wayne Sparrow says the band is “willing to sit down and have discussions.”
Sparrow says that since the Aug. 7 ruling, the Musqueam have had no communications with the Cowichan, whose claim over the 300-hectare title area on the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., was disputed by his First Nation, as well as the province and the City of Richmond.
The ruling, which says Crown grants of private titles on the land “unjustifiably” infringed on the Cowichan title, has raised concerns about the impact on private title in the claim area and beyond.
Sparrow says that the Musqueam are appealing the decision to defend their traditional territory and fishing rights, and will not be “coming for anyone’s private property” if it wins.
He says the nation would rather negotiate “settlement and relationship agreements that benefit all parties.”
“I don’t have a crystal ball (to) see how we move in the future and in the new year, but we’re willing to sit down and have those discussions, if that’s what it takes,” Sparrow said Thursday in an interview.
The Cowichan Tribes, which did not seek to have private titles invalidated in their case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sparrow said there had been a racist response to the Cowichan ruling that was upsetting.
“Some of those individuals have never come to our community and talk to us individually, but they’ll go on social media and make comments about our community or about our First Nations, our relatives, without even getting any of the facts,” said Sparrow. “I don’t think that’s the proper thing to do.”
He said some people were using fearmongering about the ruling as a strategy to “separate us.”
Sparrow cited a historic agreement to share revenue from the ground lease for Vancouver International Airport between the federal government and the Musqueam that was signed in February, as showing how negotiations could be a way forward.
The failure of some sales and development deals involving Richmond properties have already been blamed on the Cowichan decision, in which the judge said sections of the Land Title Act that establish fee-simple private land ownership title as “indefeasible” do not apply to Aboriginal title.
Premier David Eby said last week that his government would commit $150 million to guarantee financing for private land owners in the title area.
But he said on Wednesday that none of the major banks had changed lending or mortgage renewal policies in the title area after the ruling.
“The good news is that every single bank that we’ve checked with, they’ve confirmed they haven’t changed their lending policies in the area. They continue to provide mortgages in the area,” said Eby. “They continue to provide renewals.”
Eby also said last week that he would “go to the wall” to defend private property rights. The province is also appealing the ruling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
