First Nation land claims appear to be calling into question titles of up to 95% of privately owned land in BC. Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko says the B.C government needs to “come clean” about the number of Aboriginal title claims that could impact private land. I believe we are in the early stages of a transition away from old 20th century ideas about ownership and how we conceptualize physical things as stores of value. The potential dispute in BC is just one way for people to think about the uncertainty that comes with owning physical property and the danger of having that property be your primary financial asset. We used to till land and pour our lives into it and the state provided protection of our property rights as a service in return. Over the last 50 years real estate became less about living on and caring for land — and more about financial leverage, speculation, and debt. What people are mostly trying to do with property ownership today is get ahead. To find peace of mind and plan for the future with certainty. Bitcoin confers a type of ownership that is in many ways preferential to real estate. You can not live in your Bitcoin but it is much harder to have the rights that come with owning that Bitcoin taken away from you. If your goal is to protect the fruits of your labors, you are better off using something that is non-physical, can't be diluted, portable, ageless, and incredibly difficult to confiscate. As a form of property, Bitcoin is immune to most of the negatives that come with owning real estate. It's very possible we are in the early stages of a large scale transition that will end our current conception of property ownership and how we think about real estate as a financial tool. Bitcoin already today offers a life raft for those who are willing to let go of how we are used to things working. Growing cracks in the real estate system — both financial and regulatory — create an opportunity to broaden our understanding of why storing financial energy in the digital realm, though unfamiliar, makes sense. Bitcoin is much more than an investment. It's a zero to one improvement in property rights.

CityNews Vancouver

Independent MLA calls for transparency on Aboriginal title claims

Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko says the B.C government needs to “come clean” about the number of Aboriginal title claims.