As uncertainty continues to ripple through British Columbia following a court decision granting Aboriginal title over privately owned land in Richmond, concerns about the future of private property rights and economic stability continue to grow.

Following significant pushback against the decision and against the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), a UN-inspired framework unanimously legislated in 2019 and later its legal interpretation amended under then-Attorney General David Eby to require all laws to align with DRIPA, Eby, now premier, has reluctantly announced changes his party says it is willing to make.

During a recent “Standing Strong” press conference, Eby said his government will move ahead with amendments to DRIPA, arguing that recent court decisions have created confusion about who is responsible for reconciliation.

The premier has also stated he will backstop Richmond properties impacted by the title claim through $154 million in guaranteed loans. But will this be enough?

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To get answers to those questions and more, we sat down with Steve Kooner, who serves as Attorney General critic and Conservative Party of B.C. MLA for Richmond-Queensborough.

🚨FACTS MATTER

Premier Eby, as Attorney General, RAMMED Section 8.1 of the Interpretation Act through committee stage with just 14 MINUTES of debate in 2021.

AG Critic Michael De Jong KC was SILENCED from probing its TRUE INTENT.

Now a court decision has applied Section 8.1… pic.twitter.com/O6f9jRuXNM

— Steve Kooner MLA (@SteveKooner) January 7, 2026

“All of these solutions seem to be like band-aid solutions, they don’t address the real problems,” said Kooner, adding he regularly hears concerns from affected constituents.

“I’m hearing about the issue on a regular basis, and it came as a shock right away when they heard just like three months ago. They weren’t told about any sort of litigation by the provincial government over the last six years.”

According to Kooner, the uncertainty is no longer theoretical. He says constituents within the claim area are already experiencing real financial consequences.

“There’s some people that have had problems selling their places,” he said. “I’ve heard about three different incidents of financing issues … and I’ve also heard reports from realtors that there hasn’t been sales of properties in the area that’s affected in the last few months since the Cowichan decision.”

While the NDP has suggested the ruling was beyond its control, Kooner disputes that characterization, pointing to decisions made by Eby while he served as Attorney General.

“When he was the Attorney General, he put in a directive which essentially instructed the government lawyers not to argue Aboriginal title extinguishment when it came to private property rights,” Kooner said, noting that the argument was advanced by the City of Richmond, but not by the province.

Kooner also pointed to legislative changes introduced under Eby that were later referenced in the Cowichan decision itself.

“Section 8.1 of the Interpretation Act… was clearly brought forward by Premier Eby when he was the Attorney General,” he said, explaining that the provision was used to reason that protections under the Land Title Act did not apply in this case.

Kooner argues DRIPA has further widened legal uncertainty, citing a recent court decision that struck down B.C.’s mineral tenure system after the court interpreted the legislation as having enforcement capability.

During the interview above, MLA Kooner also discusses why the B.C. Conservatives want DRIPA repealed and the steps British Columbians can take to help push for property rights to be restored.