'Backdoor dealing': B.C. farmer decries omission of private owners from Cowichan case

RICHMOND - The co-owner of an eight-hectare farm on the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title lands says he and fellow private landowners were unfairly left out of the court case that confirmed the title claim.

Gord Maichin says the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court not to inform landowners about the case that has set off a debate about its impact on private land ownership was "backdoor dealing" that left the owners unable to defend themselves.