Permanent residents of Mosquito Creek Marina to be safe from eviction
![Marina in North Van Sunset at the Mosquito Creek Marina captured by Weather Watch by CTV Vancouver app user Dkenz Yap in North Vancouver in May 2020.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2020/5/22/marina-in-north-van-1-4950879-1702403434996.jpg)
Permanent liveaboards at North Vancouver's Mosquito Creek Marina are breathing a sigh of relief following the news the boatyard will be keeping them safe from its impending mass eviction.
On Tuesday Dec. 5 Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation, run by the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), announced it would be closing a number of the marina's docks for repairs, with 459 houseboat, boat and boatshed owners told to vacate their slips or moorage by May 31, 2024.
The announcement incited backlash from marina tenants, with long-term residents fearing the loss of their homes, workspaces, and local community.
Residents had been in floods of tears on Wednesday as they grappled with the news, said Sasha Selby, who has lived on a boat in a boatshed with her husband and two children for nine years.
“This is not only ripping a home away from me, this is ripping away my studio space, my income, and all of our savings,” Selby told the North Shore News Wednesday.
“What am I going to tell my children? That we're homeless? It's horrific.”
In a meeting with residents Thursday evening and in a release issued on Friday, Nch’ḵay̓“ said it had reconsidered its decision following the public outcry from residents.
“We understand that this news is having a significant impact on the community at Mosquito Creek Marina,” the release said.
“We now have a more fulsome understanding of the reliance many community members have on the docks for their primary housing, and the full impact of this notice on those residing on boats and in boat sheds at Mosquito Creek.”
Nch’ḵay̓ said it will “repair and reorganize” some of the marina's docks in a way that will ensure permanent tenants can stay, alongside those living in float homes.
“In response to new information about people currently living on their boats or in boat sheds as a primary residence, we will be working directly with these residents to explore viable options for their homes,” it read.
“While we are currently unsure of what those options may entail, we can assure these residents that they will not find themselves without a place to live come May 31st, 2024.”
In the lengthy, multi-page Q&A, the development company also addressed rumours that the evictions were to make way for further development at the marina, adding how there is no plan for the marina beyond “ensuring the safety of people and the environment.”
For the part time residents and boat owners who only moor their vessels at Mosquito Creek the future looks less rosy, with them still having to vacate by the May deadline.
“MCM and the Squamish Nation face an urgent situation and emergency repairs will be made immediately to endeavour to stabilize several MCM docks for the winter,” the release read.
“However, it is apparent that additional major repairs and replacement of many components of the MCM docks and facilities is simply not financially feasible for MCM or the Squamish Nation.”
Planning work will begin in January to develop “extensive” rehabilitation or redevelopment plans the statement read, with the May 31 departure date for the affected MCM tenants remaining an “unfortunate necessity.”
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News' Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6947086.1719783953!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests that feeling is dwindling
A new poll suggests the vast majority of Canadians are proud of their home and native land, but our sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.
More WestJet flight cancellations as strike hits tens of thousands of travellers
WesJet flight cancellations grew to over 800 Sunday afternoon, upending plans for close to 100,000 passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day on the busiest travel weekend of the season.
Neighbour on the hook for $3,675 in damages due to ‘nuisance cedar’: B.C. tribunal
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
Multiple people injured in RV police chase in Lloydminster: RCMP
Several people were injured Saturday night after a man allegedly stole an occupied RV during a police chase at a campground in Lloydminster.
A study identified 6 types of depression. Here’s why that matters
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.
B.C.'s Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury Festival
A crowd of around 100,000 people were treated to a surprise appearance from a B.C. star during Coldplay’s set at Glastonbury Festival in England this weekend.
Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Canada Day is forecast to be rainy for many this year. Here's a look at weather and fireworks celebrations
Canada turns 157 years old this year, and several fireworks shows across the country are expected to paint the night skies in celebration. Here's a look at the forecast and fireworks celebrations across the country for Canada Day in 2024.
Police seek suspect, probe suspected hate crimes after two Toronto synagogues vandalized
Toronto police say they're investigating a pair of suspected hate-motivated offences after two city synagogues were damaged early Sunday morning.