Cowichan Tribes

The agreement sets up a framework for regular communication and cooperation between the two governments.

Both sides agree to look for ways to work together and to help people better understand Cowichan Tribes' teachings and the nation's ties to its traditional territory.

Chief Cindy Daniels said good relationships with neighbors matter to Cowichan Tribes.

She said the agreement gives them a firmer base for sharing teachings and building understanding of Quw'utsun Mustimow and their connection to the land.

Outgoing Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples described it as a commitment meant to outlast the people who wrote it.

And when I say You know, there's obviously lawsuits going on all over the place.

I mean, Pender Harbour, obviously Cowichan.

There's challenges everywhere.

And honestly, in so many ways, I feel like it's driven us further apart.

The day I drive down the island is a bright, warm September morning.

Everett's mom, Myra Charlie, lives in a one-story rancher on a quiet street not far from the longhouse and the Cowichan Tribe's office.

Outside, there are planters still blooming with bright flowers.

I park my car and check my gear.

Uh, we're in treaty negotiations.

We're, we're on the cusp of negotiations in relation to the Tla'amin/Cowichan Nation decision.

We're having high-level conversations about the implementation on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

So all of that has now come to a grinding halt as a result, uh, of the election call.

But, you know, it plays a different role in our system.

Let me turn now to my news headline, which is basically an update about a case that our listeners are probably familiar with, the Cowichan Tribes case.

If you're not familiar with it, here's a little very quick amount of background.

The decision came out of August of last year, and it was a landmark decision about a claim by Cowichan Nation and several other, Cowichan essentially, about some land in Richmond, British Columbia.

So something's afoot.

I don't know what, but, but people should look into that because in, especially in BC, a lot of people are blaming DRIPA legislation, which is the provincial version of UNDRIP on issues like the Cowichan land issue for Lulu Island and the city of Richmond.

giving the Aboriginal title over to the Cowichan.

But UNDRIP is also part of that, and UNDRIP is the umbrella legislation now over Canada.

So it's going to have a big impact, and people don't even know what it is.

The hesitation and the opposition to that is a relatively new development.

Yes, it coincided with the unfortunate preliminary findings of the Cowichan Tribes case.

I say preliminary because, sure, the trial judge made one decision, but there's still a B.C. Court of Appeal and there's still a Supreme Court of Canada, neither of which have made findings on the substantive matters of that case

yet.

my feet or my back.

But it took a couple elders of different nations, like the Alcache Nation, I've had the Cowichan Nation, all kind of just tell me different things of like, hey, like you're holding on to a lot of pain.

And it was the stories I was hearing from the youth.

But I think it's giving them that hug and letting them cry or letting them just tell you their story because maybe they've never shared it with anybody yet.

Enough of this engorging First Nations with taxpayers' money.

How about we all work and we all pay taxes and we're all equal in this country? David Eby is destabilizing the entire province with this land grab nonsense started with the Cowichan Nation.

This should all be put to bed immediately.

This makes us better able to stand up to Trump.