Aboriginal title can’t apply to private land, High Court rules

Golfers walk on the first hole at Country Meadows Golf Course, which falls within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim, in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, August 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a ruling that Aboriginal title cannot be declared over private land, in a decision the federal government says will have an impact on the Cowichan Tribes case in British Columbia.

The refusal by Canada’s High Court to hear a First Nation’s appeal against the decision in New Brunswick is in contrast to the landmark Cowichan ruling by B.C.’s Supreme Court that has cast doubt on the primacy of private property rights.

The Crown-Indigenous Relations Department says the ruling will inform arguments in other cases, including Cowichan, adding that “private property rights are fundamental.”

More coming.

The Canadian Press