The joint group’s terms of reference says “land back” does not mean removing people from privately owned property.

Against a backdrop of increased public anxiety and legal uncertainty over Aboriginal land title, the District of Squamish and the Squamish Nation have created a “land back” task force to explore the return or co-management of government-owned lands to the First Nation.

It is part of a years-long reconciliation effort of the district and the Squamish Nation meant to recognize and respond to the historical alienation of the Squamish people from their lands because of colonial policies.

But the creation of the task force, which may be a first in Canada, comes at a time when there has been a shift in mood surrounding reconciliation following a 2025 landmark B.C. Supreme Court decision that found the Cowichan Tribes held Aboriginal title to land in the City of Richmond, including privately held homes, farms and commercial lands. It was the first time a court had included private land as a remedy.

The District of Squamish approved terms of reference for the task force earlier this month and appointed three council members, including Mayor Armand Hurford. The Squamish Nation’s council has done the same.

“The legal landscape, the political landscape has been, I would say, in flux the whole time. If anything, it highlights the importance of the work,” Hurford said in an interview on Friday about the creation of the task force and the local government’s reconciliation efforts with the Squamish Nation.

Hurford said the feedback has been mixed, and acknowledged that many people are concerned about private land over which, he stressed, the district has no jurisdiction.

The district has been clear to state that the scope of the task force’s work does not involve privately owned property — just government-owned land — and residents with private holdings will not be affected.

At a council meeting earlier this month when the terms of reference was approved, councillors noted they were getting attention from across B.C. and Canada.

Read the full article at the Vancouver Sun: District of Squamish and Squamish Nation create ‘land back’ task force