Supreme Court to hear First Nations case pre-dating Confederation
OTTAWA — A British Columbia land-claims case that predates Confederation will be heard in the Supreme Court of Canada.
The court agreed Thursday to hear the case of the Williams Lake Indian Band, which claims the pre-Confederation colony of British Columbia and later the government of Canada failed in their legal obligations to prevent settlers from occupying village lands.
Williams Lake, with a population of about 11,000, is in central B.C., about 550 kilometres north of Vancouver.
The band is claiming village lands at the foot of Williams Lake, which includes the city’s downtown core and its stampede grounds, where a major rodeo has been held for more than 90 years.