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The S\u1e35wx\u0331w\u00fa7mesh \u00daxwumixw (Squamish Nation) is condemning a fake letter that\u2019s circulating among Britannia Beach residents, which claims the nation was asserting Indigenous title over their property and ordering them to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes as questions about Aboriginal title and private property have become a major political issue in B.C., following a B.C. Supreme Court ruling last year involving the Quw\u2019utsun (Cowichan) Nation and land in Richmond.<\/p>\n
The two-page letter addressing the residents at Britannia Beach, a community about 50 kilometres north of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway, is titled \u201cFormal notice of asserted Aboriginal title, reclamation of jurisdiction, and directive to vacate.\u201d<\/p>\n
It’s dated May 15, 2026, and appears to use the First Nation\u2019s letterhead and the name of chairperson Sxw\u00edxwtn Wilson Williams.<\/p>\n
The letter states the Squamish Nation is asserting ownership of their property, and orders the recipient to vacate their home and \u201cremove all personal property, structures, and improvements\u201d within the next six months.<\/p>\n
Williams says the letter is fake and the claims in it are \u201c100 per cent false.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very shocked by this,\u201d said Williams. \u201cThe fact that someone would do this is reprehensible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779694690_503_default.jpg\")
Page one of a two-page letter addressed to a resident of Britannia Beach, which appears to be signed by Squamish Nation chairperson Sxw\u00edxwtn Wilson Williams. Williams is warning the public the letter is fake. (Squamish Nation)![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779694690_649_default.jpg\")
Page two of a two-page letter addressed to a resident of Britannia Beach, which appears to be signed by Squamish Nation chairperson Sxw\u00edxwtn Wilson Williams. Williams is warning the public the letter is fake. (Squamish Nation)<\/p>\n
He said the recipient, whose name and address are blacked out for their privacy, reported the letter to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District last week.<\/p>\n
The chairperson says he has spoken with the recipients directly and assured them the letter was fake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were extremely shaken by this,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only damaging to the nation but to the family who received this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said he has also reported the letter to local police.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | First Nations title rulings lead to uncertainty:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779694690_431_default.jpg\")
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How B.C.\u2019s Aboriginal title turmoil could ripple beyond the West Coast<\/p>\n
A series of Indigenous rights court rulings in British Columbia have thrown the governing NDP into crisis and could have consequences for the rest of Canada. For The National, CBC\u2019s Lyndsay Duncombe breaks down how it got to this point and the potential fallout beyond the West Coast.<\/p>\n
Last year in October, a similar warning<\/a> was issued from the City of North Vancouver, which said that a fraudulent letter was circulating online about Indigenous land and title. It also appeared to use the city\u2019s logo as a letterhead.\u00a0<\/p>\n The latest letter arrives as concerns grow over the impact on private property following the Cowichan ruling last year.<\/p>\n The landmark court decision ruled the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over a large swath of Richmond, B.C., that Crown and city titles within it are defective and invalid. It said the granting of private titles by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title.<\/p>\n The Quw\u2019utsun (Cowichan) Nation has repeatedly said private property owners will not be affected but the issue continues to spark political debate around how Aboriginal title and private property can coexist.<\/p>\n Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was in the Lower Mainland this weekend to promote a motion, which he says, is aimed at protecting property rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n The motion, which goes to vote on Monday, calls on the Liberal government to require federal lawyers to argue that private property rights come first above all other forms of title.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want this again to be a country where hard work earns you a great life, where you can buy and own a home that stays yours as long as you have it,\u201d he said during a townhall in Vancouver on Saturday.<\/p>\n First Nations leaders, however, are pushing back against that rhetoric, calling it a \u201cred herring.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cContrary to the Conservatives\u2019 misinformation on private property rights, the court did not order the seizure of homes, did not invalidate the ownership of any private property anywhere in B.C.,\u201d the First Nations Summit said in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n The Squamish Nation says the fraudulent letter is a deliberate provocation designed to \u201cdivide, and it truly hurts us all.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams said only one letter has been officially reported thus far, but is asking anyone else who receives a similar letter to contact the Squamish Nation via their website.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779694691_488_default.jpg\")
Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is hosting a town hall in Vancouver on Saturday following a court ruling on a land title last year. (CBC)<\/p>\n