Richmond Needs Leadership That Chooses Negotiation Over Litigation on the Cowichan Lands Case

Last night’s Cowichan Lands Information Session was standing-room-only — a few hundred Richmond residents filled the room, looking for answers, clarity, and reassurance about a legal case that has now upended their sense of security.

Unfortunately, they left with more frustration than confidence.

For many residents, the greatest shock wasn’t the complex legal details of the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title ruling — it was learning that the City of Richmond has known about this lawsuit for years and said nothing to those most affected. For a city that prides itself on openness and community engagement, that silence has broken trust.

The tone of the evening was tense and emotional. The city’s lawyer and mayor repeatedly emphasized an appeal and the legal goal of extinguishing Aboriginal title to restore the supremacy of the fee-simple land-title system. They deflected responsibility onto the provincial and federal governments for not making “extinguishment” their primary legal defense.

Yet when BC’s Attorney General — who was only allowed to speak after the audience demanded it — clearly stated that extinguishment has never succeeded in any Canadian court, it was obvious the City and Province are not aligned on strategy.

Meanwhile, homeowners and businesses in the affected area remain in limbo: banks are reluctant to issue mortgages, insurance is at risk, and the ability to sell or refinance properties has become uncertain.

Council’s job is to represent Richmond residents — not to fight a constitutional battle

As a candidate for City Council, I want to be clear: our role at the municipal level is to represent the people of Richmond — the families, property owners, and businesses whose lives and investments are being disrupted.

The complex constitutional questions of Aboriginal title and Crown sovereignty are not municipal responsibilities. Those are matters for the federal and provincial governments. Richmond’s job is to ensure residents’ well-being and to seek practical, timely, and fair outcomes for those directly affected.

That means stepping away from an adversarial, court-driven mindset — and toward negotiation.

Negotiation is the only path to clarity and certainty

A drawn-out legal appeal could take five to seven years and still leave residents without final certainty. A negotiated settlement, on the other hand, offers the opportunity for the Cowichan Tribes, the City, and senior governments to work together on a resolution that both honours Indigenous rights and provides compensation, protection, and clarity for current landowners.

Negotiation does not mean surrender. It means leadership. It means collaboration, transparency, and urgency — qualities our residents deserve right now.

Richmond says it values “cultural harmony.” Let’s live up to it.

The City of Richmond has a Cultural Harmony Plan (2019-2029) that speaks of inclusion, reconciliation, and respect among all cultural.

How does fighting First Nations in court — on grounds that have never succeeded — align with that vision?

If we are serious about cultural harmony, then we need to model it now: by engaging Cowichan Tribes directly, by involving affected residents transparently, and by demonstrating that reconciliation and protection of local homeowners can coexist.

Richmond needs a collaborative mindset — not an adversarial one

The mayor is a lawyer by training, and perhaps it’s no surprise that the City’s approach has been largely legalistic and adversarial. But the future of our community cannot be litigated into existence — it must be built through collaboration, communication, and care.

What we saw last night was a city government talking at people, not with them. Richmond residents deserve better. They deserve to be informed, included, and respected — not treated as spectators in a legal chess game that could redefine their lives.

This moment calls for humility, collaboration, and courage. Richmond’s residents — and its Indigenous neighbours — deserve leadership that listens, learns, and works toward shared solutions. Not another courtroom fight.

By Jerome Dickey, Candidate for Richmond City Council