A Canadian resident is expressing frustration after a court decision threatens his home, which is to be transferred to a native tribe.

Bal Batth is one of 150 homeowners in Richmond affected by a recent ruling favoring the Cowichan tribe.

In August, the Supreme Court of British Columbia awarded land titles to four First Nations tribes for government-held lands near Richmond’s Fraser River. This decision concludes a lengthy legal dispute that began in 2019.

The court’s decision impacts private homeowners and businesses situated on the disputed land.

“We don’t want to move,” Batth told Global News. “We have no intention of giving up or selling this property.”

‘We don’t want to be giving up this property, and we have no intentions of selling this property.’ 

Much of the fallout from the controversy is aimed at the judge in the case, BC Justice Barbara Fisher, who reportedly declined to notify affected landowners of the ramifications as the case was being heard. 

Fisher acknowledged the impact on those affected, but justified it by saying: ‘Sometimes the hardship will be borne by Indigenous peoples and First Nations and sometimes it will be borne by non-Indigenous Canadians.’ 

British Columbia resident Bal Batth is among 150 homeowners who face losing their properties following a court ruling in favor of a native tribe

The City of Richmond in British Columbia, Canada stunned residents as it sent a letter to homeowners warning them they may lose the title to their properties after lands were handed to the Cowichan tribe

Much of the fallout from the controversy is aimed at the judge in the case, BC Justice Barbara Fisher, who said after her ruling: ‘Sometimes the hardship will be borne by Indigenous peoples and First Nations and sometimes it will be borne by non-Indigenous Canadians’ 

The August 2025 ruling, which followed what has been billed the ‘longest trial in Canada’s history’, awarded the Cowichan ownership of an area the tribe calls the Lands of Tl’uqtinus.

The Lands of Tl’uqtinus refers to the traditional village site located along the Fraser River shoreline that was historically used for trade and fishing.

The area currently consists of land and buildings valued at more than $1.3billion, according to property analysts at The Globe & Mail.

The so-called Lands of Tl’uqtinus is currently home to private residents, small farms, a golf course and several industrial operations. 

The case originally sought a declaration of an Aboriginal right to fish the south arm of the Fraser River for food and has become a touchstone issue in Canada over aboriginal rights. 

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie sent around 150 residents a letter warning them they may lose ownership of their own homes as a result, and invited them to a city information session to argue the move. 

Brodie said the city had appealed the case, along with the BC government and another aboriginal tribe, the Musqueam Indian Band. 

The August 2025 ruling awarded the Cowichan ownership of an area the tribe calls the Lands of Tl’uqtinus. Pictured is Cowichan Tribes Chief Sulsulxumaat Cindy Daniels

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie has now penned a letter warning residents that the ruling ‘could negatively affect title’ of their homes and ‘compromise the status and validity of your ownership’. Pictured is a home in Richmond that falls within the Aboriginal Title area

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad called on the federal government to refer the case to the Canadian Supreme Court, and said: ‘There isn’t an area in the province that isn’t going to be potentially impacted by the decision that is coming from this court case’ 

The mayor said residents are concerned that they may not only lose the title to their homes, but also struggle to sell their properties. 

‘So the question is … will anybody want to ever buy a property that is affected?’ he said. 

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad and BC Premier David Eby came together to jointly condemn the ruling, as Rustad called on the federal government to refer the case to the Canadian Supreme Court. 

‘There isn’t an area in the province that isn’t going to be potentially impacted by the decision that is coming from this court case,’ he said. 

Eby added: ‘Certainly around private property rights, your home, your business, is crucial.’ 

Attorney General Niki Sharma said her office was hoping to maintain the ownership rights of private properties and to limit its impact to government-held lands. 

‘Our government is committed to protecting and upholding private property rights, while advancing the critical work of reconciliation. This will always be our approach,’ she said. 

‘To resolve outstanding questions, this ruling must be considered by a higher court.’

Daily Mail has contacted Justice Fisher for comment.