B.C. First Nation decries fake letter being distributed to property owners

Squamish Nation chairperson Wilson Williams speaks during a news conference about a 2030 Olympic bid in Vancouver, then as elected councillor. (Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

A letter being circulated to property owners on a B.C. First Nation’s letterhead contains false and damaging claims about Aboriginal title, according to one of its leaders.

The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) posted a warning on its website and social media channels Friday, saying the letter has been distributed to properties in Britannia Beach, a community located on the nation’s traditional territory.

The letter, according to the nation, says the property is subject to “formal notice of asserted Aboriginal title, reclamation of jurisdiction, and directive to vacate.”

Sxwíxwtn Wilson Williams, chairperson of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, condemned the letter as completely false and deeply harmful.

“That someone would go to the lengths to produce something so blatantly damaging, is shocking and reprehensible,” he wrote, in the online statement.

“Not only is it damaging to Squamish Nation and all Indigenous People, it is also damaging to the homeowners to whom it was directed and negatively impacts the work communities have been doing to build relationships towards reconciliation. That someone would go to the lengths to produce something so blatantly damaging, is shocking and reprehensible.”

It is being distributed in the wake of a B.C. Supreme Court decision that recognized the Cowichan Tribes’ Aboriginal title over a portion of land in Richmond that includes public and private property.

The Cowichan Tribes have repeatedly said private property owners will not be impacted by the ruling.

Still, the decision—which is under appeal by all parties involved—has created a political firestorm over how Aboriginal title may impact private property owners.