We’ve covered land ownership, now let’s move on to land rights. What rights do modern treaty holders have to their land?

When Canadians purchase land, they have certain rights to that land. For example, on a suburban lot in a city, the property owner can build a home and “improve” the grounds around it. In rural areas landowners have rights to farm their properties, harvest forest products, hunt, fish and do many other things. The general expectation is that with land ownership comes the ability to use and change the land as we see fit, provided we comply with zoning and other laws, bylaws and regulations.

Modern treaty holders have rights to their land too. Most negotiate the following rights: