Supreme Court Of Canada Releases Landmark Aboriginal Title Case

Today the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) released its unanimous decision in the Tsilhqot'in Nation v. British Columbia case (generally known as the Roger William case), upholding the First Nation's claim to aboriginal title and rights over a portion of its traditional territory. This is the first case in which the SCC has confirmed aboriginal title over specific areas of land. The SCC also clarified the test for aboriginal title and addressed the interaction between aboriginal rights and title, and governments' ability to determine and regulate the use of lands subject to asserted and proven aboriginal title. The court's decision will have significant and long-lasting implications for land and resource users, developers, financiers and others throughout Canada.