VICTORIA — It was billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own prime ranch land” when 12 B.C. ranches totalling 182 square kilometres were put up for sale late last year.

Yet when the deadline for initial offers to Monette Farms passed in January, there were no takers.

The lack of sales was blamed on growing uncertainty about the impact of Aboriginal rights and title on private property and tenures in ranching country and elsewhere in B.C.

Details were reported in this month’s issue of Country Life in B.C., the longtime news source of the agriculture sector.

“Title concerns add uncertainty to land deals,” was the headline on the story by Riley Donovan. But the sub-head noted “strong interest reported as auction deadline extends.”

The latter prospect was attributed to overseer Ritchie Bros., suggesting better prospects   in a second, “tender-by-auction” round closing this month.

“Ritchie Bros. does not typically comment on specific bid activity or negotiations during an active sales process,” company representative Clare Furman told Country Life. “That said, we’ve had a lot of interest in the properties thus far.”

The story went on to note how one ranch deal had already fallen through.

“Local Indigenous groups told the prospective buyer, whose offer on the property had been accepted, that they would not endorse the transfer of the Crown licences” — such as grazing leases on provincial land — “needed to support the ranching operation.”

The faltering ranchland sales spilled over into question period in the legislature on Tuesday, with Conservative MLA Lorne Doerkson pressuring the New Democrats over the report in Country Life.

Read the full article at the Vancouver Sun: B.C. farm sales hurt by Aboriginal title questions, MLA charges