Squamish win case

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The Squamish people are buoyed by a recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision returning land that was expropriated from them at least a century ago.

The five-judge court was unanimous in upholding a lower court decision to restore 10.7 acres to the former Kitsilano Indian Reserve to the Squamish Nation's reserve lands. The parcel is located next to the Molson Brewery underneath and beside the Burrard Street Bridge.

The Aug. 28 decision returns land taken by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1886 and 1902, which it tried to sell in the late 1980s.

Originally three First Nations made a claim to the land, but in 2001 the Federal Court ruled the reserve at Kitsilano Point is Squamish. As a result, the Court of Appeal ruling restores the land to them.

Chief Jacob, the Squamish Nation's lands claims co-ordinator, noted "this court decision represents the strength, wisdom and foresight of our ancestors and will help our chiefs and council of today secure a future for our children and our children's children." His remarks made reference to former chief Joe Mathias, a long-time defender of Squamish land rights, who died March 10, 2000.