Supreme Court decision has ruled that the public should be able to access fishing lakes near Merritt, B.C., after years of what has been described as a "David and Goliath" legal battle. Groves ruled that Stoney Lake Road is a public road, because there have been public expenditures on the road and because it was previously a historic trail from a traditional Indigenous village. The court also rejected the DLCC argument that Stoney Lake is not a public lake, but an "ephemeral pond, which comes and goes on occasion." The DLCC had also claimed ownership of fish in both Minnie and Stoney lakes, saying it had stocked both lakes after closing off public access to them. The decision also criticized the province for failing to "prohibit what was an illegal obstruction of a public road by a corporate entity, for its own benefit."

Source: CBC News December 07, 2018 22:42 UTC