Squamish Nation embarks on ambitious plan to become one of largest developers in Canada
The Squamish Nation announced Wednesday it intends to undertake comprehensive developments on 350-acres of land spread on several parcels in North and West Vancouver, Squamish and on the Sunshine Coast.
Over the next 12 months the nation and Nch’ḵay̓, its development corporation, will complete a comprehensive evaluation of the various sites to come up with plans for the best possible use at each specific location.
Those uses could include residential, commercial and industrial and some sites could be mixed-use.
“For a long time, the fight was to get a seat at the table but where we are going now is that we’re actually going to be the ones creating the table and inviting others to sit at our table,” said Khelsilem, elected chairperson of the Squamish Nation.
“All of these things require partnerships. We won’t be able to do it alone. They all require municipal service agreements, they require financing, they require all kinds of business partnerships for procurement and contracting and other things.”
The announcement comes as excavation and early phases of construction continue at Sen̓áḵw, the development on Squamish reserve land at the south end of the Burrard Bridge.
Eventually Sen̓áḵw, which is billed as the largest First Nations economic development project in Canadian history, will feature more than 6,000 rental homes in 11 towers.
Mindy Wight, CEO of Nch’ḵay̓ says the process undertaken over the next year will provide insight into how dense development could be at some of the future projects.
“We are keenly aware of the housing shortage and the crisis that’s facing the Lower Mainland and this forms part of the solution,” Wight said. “It will be addressed as part of the work that we are going to undertake.”
For projects on reserve lands, the Squamish are not obligated to conform to the local land use planning process of municipal governments.
Those lands fall outside of municipal jurisdiction and their use is at the sole discretion of the Squamish Nation and its development corporation – although it will need to develop service agreements with adjacent municipalities as it did with Vancouver as part of the Sen̓áḵw development.
Municipalities, corporations and individuals have long profited off the development of lands that fall within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Squamish Nation.
CTV News asked Khelsilem if the developments to be undertaken are part of a process of reclaiming power for the Squamish Nation.
“There’s a history of where we’ve been and the things that have happened that really denied or delayed the success of our community. The challenges, the roadblocks that were put up, the injustices that happened that really set our people back,” he said.
“We’re actually going to be in the driver’s seat to shape the future of our cities and what they look like, and what they feel like and who lives there. It’s exciting for us to be able to do that kind of work.”
The Squamish Nation and Nch’ḵay̓ say in approximately 12 months time they will publically present more comprehensive plans for the sites along with an approximate timetable for when various developments could begin and be completed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.