Supreme Court to Rule on Douglas Ranch Access

[Mangosteen]

Monday will be interesting. They will consider. Not sure when the ruling will come down.
This may be precedent setting for many years in many provinces. Hunting and fishing!!
http://www.theprovince.com/news/loca...656/story.html

[CMichaud]

Anyone hear what happened?

[riden]

I thought I read this morning they were soon starting what was expected to be a lengthy trial

[Bushmaster]

Reading the story, it says the trial is expected to start today, and is scheduled for 20 days.

[Positrac]

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...las-lake-ranch

[Weedy1]

Anyone that would sport a hairpiece like this in public isn't going to back down easy. Plus the billions he's worth may help too.. God, spend some dough on a hair stylist buddy.....

[purgatory.sv]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=312039

More information.

[CaberTosser]

Geesh, I just checked his Wiki page and the guy is married to one of Stan Walton's (Wal-Mart) daughters. Cha-ching. That's a lot of lawyers! Here's hoping for a win for the common man.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Geesh, I just checked his Wiki page and the guy is married to one of Stan Walton's (Wal-Mart) daughters. Cha-ching. That's a lot of lawyers! Here's hoping for a win for the common man.

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

[DiabeticKripple]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

Courts grant public access to the high water mark of where the lake currently is. You cant own land under a lake

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

Owner probably has the fear like in most public access, it turns into a garbage dump. People have no one to blame but themselves. I know it is a few that ruin it for everyone, yet is still exists.

Look at the Homestead range for a good example of a bad example.

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/irresponsi...skis-1.2636278

Another example of people being pigs is the Dewitts Pond. As good as the Airdrie Hunting and Fishing Club (AHFC) is with placing and emptying garbage cans all over giving people no excuses to litter; they still do.

PS; A shout out to the AHFC for all the good work they do.

Just saying....

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

A win is the court maintaining at least foot access along the tributaries of the stream or river leading in and out of the lake as well as lake access. Any of the roads that were public should remain public. If the roads were never public then that should be maintained as well. Basically it's just keeping the rich from stepping on the average person of modest means, or setting precedent for any landowner/leaseholder (particularly leaseholder, and it was noted that part of the ranch are lease) from overstepping their bounds. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile.

Considering the owners Wiki page didn't even mention Douglas Lake Ranch because he owns a bigger one in Texas I don't think it will cause him hardship or suffering. If it's an annoyance to him then he can always opt to sell.


I can see graybeards perspective with litter, that's one detail with which I'd side with the owner. But really it applies to public lands too, if a person is an ignorant littering jerk then they should be held accountable. If the applicable sections are lease then they can't deny access.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

At the heart of the matter is the fact that the lake was public in the first place.

[32-40win]

As I remember it, there are public right of ways to access water in BC. I believe that was part of what they are trying to get shut down.

[Redfrog]

Years ago we used to field trial on the ranch. Beautiful place. The owners at the time were trailers as well. Very nice folks.
As some have said. Open it to the public and watch the decline.

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

Years ago we used to field trial on the ranch. Beautiful place. The owners at the time were trailers as well. Very nice folks.
As some have said. Open it to the public and watch the decline.

So keep it private? So some yank can have a personal paradise? All because a few rotten apples make a mess?
Let's privatize all outdoors then! This way they stay clean.

[Wolftrapper]

Originally Posted by ESOXangler

So keep it private? So some yank can have a personal paradise? All because a few rotten apples make a mess?
Let's privatize all outdoors then! This way they stay clean.

Private land is private land. If others want to use it to fish or hunt, get together and buy it yourselves then have it.

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by Wolftrapper

Private land is private land. If others want to use it to fish or hunt, get together and buy it yourselves then have it.

Yup then one day in the future all the lands tied up by people that don't hunt and we won't have any new hunters. It'll be just like Europe. Then the antis will have won and you can teach your grandkids how to golf.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Wolftrapper

Private land is private land. If others want to use it to fish or hunt, get together and buy it yourselves then have it.

The sections of it that are grazing lease are not private land, they're crown land. Here's a quote from the Wikipedia page on Douglas Lake Ranch "The ranch includes leased grazing land as well as directly leased or titled lands"

I have no idea which parts are Crown lease and which are private, but if they're making like some European Baron by denying access to Crown Land they have another thing coming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla...Cattle_Company

[Wolftrapper]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

The sections of it that are grazing lease are not private land, they're crown land. Here's a quote from the Wikipedia page on Douglas Lake Ranch "The ranch includes leased grazing land as well as directly leased or titled lands"

I have no idea which parts are Crown lease and which are private, but if they're making like some European Baron by denying access to Crown Land they have another thing coming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla...Cattle_Company

I agree. I'm not referring to lease land. That is different for sure.
I apologize if I misunderstood the lawsuit.

[chasingtail]

It's a shame that non-Canadians are even allowed to own land in Canada let alone this amount.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

Absolutely Not.

The case is not about that.


This one is complicated.

Those that are interested can take an hour and read this thread from HBC.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showth...s+access+court


Best wishes to those fighting hard to keep public resources available to the Public regardless of Private and Political desires.

[Jayhad]

I'll be surprised if DLR looses this case. I wish they would but I think the deep pockets of the the land baron and the idiot judges we have making law in this Country, they'll be able to erect a Texas flag once this is done.

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by Wolftrapper

Private land is private land. If others want to use it to fish or hunt, get together and buy it yourselves then have it.

The roads were govt roads and the lakes were govt stocked, and people had access until the ranch blocked the road.

The DL ranch manager even swamped a boat on one of the lakes with his helicopter one time....there is a lot of history with this set up.

[Tfng]

I'm surprised the locals haven't made his life very difficult.

[Riverbc]

https://www.q101.ca/news/12937-gates...to-be-unlocked

A decision has been rendered in the contentious civil trial over access to lakes in the Merritt area.

Delivering his decision orally this morning, the BC Supreme Court judge in Kamloops ruled that catch and release public fishing will be allowed on both Minnie Lake and Stoney Lake.

The ruling means the Douglas Lake Cattle Company will need to take down gates blocking access to both Minnie and Stoney Lake.

The Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club was suing the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, alleging the company blocked off public access to Minnie and Stoney lake..

The Douglas Lake Cattle company were claiming the lakes to be theirs, arguing they were man-made over many years.

Today's ruling has the potential to set precedent for roughly 30 lakes in the area, as well a numerous others throughout BC.

[bonedogg]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

heck ya!!!

[Riverbc]

Originally Posted by CanuckShooter

The roads were govt roads and the lakes were govt stocked, and people had access until the ranch blocked the road.

The DL ranch manager even swamped a boat on one of the lakes with his helicopter one time....there is a lot of history with this set up.

The lakes use to be stocked by the province, but Minnie and Stoney Lakes kept getting winter-killed, so the province quit stocking them. Enter Peter McVey of the Corbett Lake Lodge. He asked the Douglas Lake Ranch if he could improve the Lakes, and stock them. They agreed, so Peter took a bulldozer to the channel between the 2 lakes, as well as the inlet on Minnie, and the outlet on Stoney. He then stocked the lakes himself, and offered fishing on the lakes, for people staying at the Corbett Lake Lodge. Years later, Douglas Lake Ranch gave Peter the boot, and started offering their own trophy rainbow trout fishing experience. Douglas Lake Ranch, then continued to stock the lakes, and built the Stoney Lake Lodge. I doubt Douglas Lake Ranch will continue to stock the lakes.

[does it ALL outdoors]

Originally Posted by Riverbc

https://www.q101.ca/news/12937-gates...to-be-unlocked

A decision has been rendered in the contentious civil trial over access to lakes in the Merritt area.

Delivering his decision orally this morning, the BC Supreme Court judge in Kamloops ruled that catch and release public fishing will be allowed on both Minnie Lake and Stoney Lake.

The ruling means the Douglas Lake Cattle Company will need to take down gates blocking access to both Minnie and Stoney Lake.

The Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club was suing the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, alleging the company blocked off public access to Minnie and Stoney lake..

The Douglas Lake Cattle company were claiming the lakes to be theirs, arguing they were man-made over many years.

Today's ruling has the potential to set precedent for roughly 30 lakes in the area, as well a numerous others throughout BC.

Absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

Score one for the little guys

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

So what is a win? Court grants public access rights to private property?

No, the court grants access to public property.