The recent ruling by the B.C. Supreme Court, which stated that the Cowichan Nation had “established Aboriginal title” to more than 5.7 square kilometres of land in Richmond, has captured the attention of some British Columbians. More than two in five of the province’s residents (44 per cent) have followed news related to this decision “very closely” or “moderately closely” over the past month.

The court’s assertion that Aboriginal title is a “prior and senior right” to other property interests, regardless of whether the land in question is public or private, has spawned plenty of apprehension. Two-thirds of British Columbians (68 per cent) think property owners in the province should be concerned about the consequences of the decision.

Just what this all means is complex. We tested four statements and the only one that finds the agreement of more than half of British Columbians (52 per cent) is the one issued by current BC Conservative Leader John Rustad: All negotiations related to Aboriginal title agreements in British Columbia should be paused until the Cowichan Nation case is settled. Similar proportions of BC Conservative (59 per cent) and BC NDP voters (58 per cent) think this is a good idea.

Pluralities of British Columbians believe the decision erases private property ownership (45 per cent, and climbing to 50 per cent among property owners) and suggest that fee-simple........

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