Event Details

Aboriginal Title and Private Property at the New Brunswick Court of Appeal

We're pleased to be welcoming Professor Robert Hamilton (University of Calgary, Faculty of Law) for a lecture on the New Brunswick Court of Appeal's 2025 Wolastoqey Nation decision and its implications for Aboriginal title. This is the first in our two-part lecture series on Aboriginal title.

Abstract: The New Brunswick Court of Appeal recently held that a declaration of Aboriginal title is not available where lands are held by private parties. That is, even where title might otherwise be established, the existence of private interests prevents courts from recognizing Aboriginal title and limit available remedies to compensation. This presentation considers the NBCA's decision and what it may mean for groups claiming aboriginal title.

Speakers

Robert Hamilton

Associate Professor, University of Calgary Faculty of Law

Robert holds a JD from the University of New Brunswick, an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a PhD from the University of Victoria. His research focuses on Aboriginal law, constitutional law, legal history, legal theory, and the relationship between Indigenous and state legal orders. He has published widely on Aboriginal rights and title, treaty rights, federalism, and the legal history of Crown-Indigenous relations. Robert has also worked directly with Indigenous nations on treaty rights, Aboriginal title, and self-government. He teaches courses in Indigenous Peoples and the Law, Property Law, Legal Research and Writing, Modern Treaties, and Federalism.

Event Date(s):

February 17, 2026, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

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Centre for Constitutional Studies
448D Law Centre
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2H5

Event Details

Aboriginal Title and Private Property at the New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Speakers

Robert Hamilton

Event Date(s):

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