May 21, 2026 by Pacific Coastal Publications LP

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THURSDAY, MAY21,2026

TWO MEN ARRESTED AFTER POLICE SEIZE WEAPONS, AMMUNITION AND DRUGS AT DOWNTOWN ENCAMPMENT

Sea to Sky RCMP say long-term investigation led to encampment search and two arrests

JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

Two men related to a downtown encampment were arrested in Squamish on May 14, according to Squamish RCMP

Thenews comes aftera dramatic day in the community, when the RCMP had posted to social media in the morning that it was conducting an investigation and asked the public to avoid an area of downtown.

Later, several law enforcement officers, some in tactical gear, were seen arresting a man as locals looked on.

An RCMP release says that search of a tent at the site off the 37000 block of Third Avenue and Main Street founda cache of prohibited weapons, imitation firearms, live ammunition, drugs, and evidence of drug trafficking.

Sea to Sky RCMP say thatat about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, officers with the RCMP’s General Duty, Crime Reduction Unit and Sea to Sky RCMP General Investigation Section executed the search warrant on a tent within the encampment behind the Under One Roof shelter and housing facility.

Local officers were accompanied by the Lower

POLICE: Continued on2

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

SPICY MEETINGON PIPELINE SAFETY LEAVES COUNCIL WITH SOME ANSWERS, MORE QUESTIONS

Representatives from the BC Energy Regulator and FortisBC appeared before a District of Squamish committee of the whole meeting on May 12 to discuss pipeline safety related to the Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project

JENNIFER THUNCHER jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

There were some answers, but questions remain after representatives from the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) and FortisBC appeared before a District of Squamish committee of the whole meeting on May 12. The often tense more than two-hour portionof the meeting resulted from council passing a motion on Dec. 16 to direct District staff to invite both FortisBC and the energy regulator to come back before elected officials to discuss pipeline safety related to the under-construction Eagle

POLICE: Continued from1

Mainland District (LMD) Emergency Response Teamand the LMD Tactical Support Group to ensure the safety of all those involved and in the area.

When a Squamish Chief reporter went by the area at 10:40 a.m. there were several police vehicles at or near the encampment.

According to a police news release, the Sea to Sky RCMP General Investigation Section has been working on a long-term investigation into drug trafficking in town, which led to the search warrant execution.

One man was arrested at or around the

Mountain Pipeline (EGP) Project. They had last appeared in 2022.

INFORMATION THAT SURFACED

The presentations and the answers to questions from elected officials surfaced some new or lesser-known information about the pipeline. FortisBC staff said that the EGP pipeline—which was described as having the surface area equal to 14 Squamish Walmarts will be complete in 2027. Thenew compressor station being built at Woodfibre LNG and the one being upgraded in Coquitlam will see construction finished this year. According to the presentation, FortisBC’s tunnel is approximately 85% complete The soft ground

encampment and, at approximately 11 a.m., a second man was arrested on Second Avenue.

The names of the men were not released.

A Squamish Chief staff member saw the second arrest on Second Ave. as it was happening. A man was seen being handcuffed on the ground, with two officers over him, and then he was led to a vehicle. There were at least seven law enforcement officers involved.

Both arrested men have since been released and charges will be determined “based on case facts and evidence analysis in the coming weeks and months,” RCMP say.

This news comes at a tense time in the community, where there has been a lot of talk

tunnel beneath the Squamish Estuary was completed in March. The hard rock tunnel starting from the Woodfibre LNG side is ongoing and expected to finish later this year.

The pipeline construction is approximately 60% complete.

The trenchless pipeline construction along Industrial Way was completed on May 12, the same day as the meeting.

Speaking about pipeline safety, FortisBC’s Paul Chernikhowsky, technical risk and governance director for the Eagle Mountain Pipeline (EGP) Project, said that the Eagle Mountain pipeline was designed as if Squamish hada bigger population than it does.

and fear about a proposed temporary supportive HEARTH housing project the province of B.C. is considering for a property on the waterfront in Squamish, to help address the number of folks who are unhoused and living in encampments.

“Public Safety is paramount to the Squamish RCMP team, and today is an example of that dedication to the community of Squamish,” stated Staff Sgt. Sascha Banks, Sea to Sky RCMP Squamish detachment operations commander, in the release. “In the past 18 months we have seen an increase in violent incidents and property crime, and we have heard the concerns from residents, specifically in the downtown core,” she added. “From this we have initiated

“Normally, based on the code guidelines, requirements would consider Squamish a Class 3 location based on the development, but we actually elected to design the pipeline through this area to the highest level, Class 4. And the wording in the code actually is, Class4 locations would be a prevalence of buildings intended for human occupancy with four or more stories above ground AndI think it’s fair to say that it’s probably a bit in the distant future for Squamish, but if it happens, the pipeline will already be ready for it.” He also said that FortisBC hireda third-party expert consultant to conduct a quantitative risk

FORTIS: Continued on3

multiple new approaches to the way we police, including focused proactiveneighbourhood patrols with thenew Crime Reduction Unit, intelligence gathering with analysts, expanding our work with partner agencies such as the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), and dedication to drug projects and targeted enforcement.”

Editor’s note: On May 19, as this paper was going to press, there was another incident at the encampment Police are asking for information followinga bear spray attack and reports of a shotgun going off. Anyone with dashcam footage or video footage can contact the detachment at 604-892-6100.

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FORTIS: Continued from2

assessment for the entire project, though this wasn’t required. “What we chose to do was a verification, and it confirmed that the EGP project will be accepted for individual and societal risk thresholds at all levels,”he said.

EXPANSION CAPACITY?

On if the Eagle Mountain Pipeline would be capable of supporting Woodfibre LNG should it want to expand to two or three times the size in the future, Chernikhowsky said.

The pipeline to Woodfibre LNG will not have the capacity to support the expansion without further upgrades.

“The limiting factor today on the EGP project, I think, is fairly well known, which is the fact that we’re not upgrading or twinning the pipeline section through the Coquitlam Watershed,” said Chernikhowsky.

“If that section was upgraded as well right now it’s a I’ll saya bottleneck essentially in the system, without any further changes—so the existing EGP project would remain exactly as it is, however if that section was also twinned—then, yes, there would be [possibly] more deliveries to Woodfibre LNG.”

The 24-inch pipe installed in Squamish will serve the Woodfibre LNG export facility, which is designed to produce 2.1 million tonnes of LNG per year.

Chernikhowsky said FortisBC doesn’t have pipelines of the same pressure as the one being put in Squamish, but, in the Lower Mainland, FortisBC has an extensive pipelinenetwork, which is a larger diameter than what it is in Squamish.

“The potential impact on the pipeline is not just from the pressure, it’s from the volume of gas contained,” he said. “So, it’s fair to say that there

may not be an identical pipeline to the one that’s running in Squamish, but there are pipelines that are very similar to it in terms of potential consequences in the Lower Mainland as well.”

SAFETY

Nicole Koosmann, vice president of safety, engineering for audit BCER leaned on the credentials and integrity of her team.

“My team, including myself, we are 16 engineers,” she said. “We have our ethics, and we report to our organization Our experience, the depth that we go into for oversight of the permit holders, I’m speaking specifically to safety and pipeline safety design andoperations, is extensive.”

She further stated that they are on top of practically every detail of a project.

Geoff Turner, executive director of energy transition and inter-governmental relations with BCER, added that BCER also has many other professionals working for it.

“And those experts all have a role in regulatory oversight,” he said.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING?

FortisBC staff told council that there is emergency response training related to the pipeline available for the District of Squamish, including Squamish Fire Rescue.

“We have a dedicated department within FortisBC,” said Chernikhowsky.

“We hold,I believe, it’s in the range of12 to 15 full-scale exercises every year. We go around the province in different locations,”he added. “So we work with fire departments, first responders, police departments throughout the province to provide training on what to do if there’s, for example, a gas line strike, and there’s gas escaping In the case of our LNG transport, that’s

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Email your news tip or story idea to: jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca ipace@lodestarmedia.ca

also another education service that we provide.”

Turner added that within the agency’s regulatory framework, there are firm requirements foroperators to have, maintain, and exercise their emergency response plans.

FLARING

In terms of flaring, Coun John French asked for “some assurance that learnings are coming out of LNG Canada that could potentially prevent Squamish from having a similar experience to what we’re seeing out north.”

Turner noted that Woodfibre LNG still has to apply for an environmental management act permit to flare.

“There will be theopportunity for community and interested parties’ input into that and ultimately the process will go to a statutory decision maker at BC Energy Regulator that will look at the public comments. They will look at what we hear from First Nations. They will look at the engineering assessments done by the qualified professionals that support the preparation of the application, and they will make a decision as to whether ornot to issue the waste discharge authorization and what conditions to put on it.”

Turner added that one of the key elements that will be looked at is the current state of the airshed in the Squamish area, the expected emissions from the flaring activity that Woodfibre LNG would be undertaking and whether or not the emissions would result in issues from anair quality perspective.

Referring to the situation in Kitimat with LNG Canada, Turner called it a “difficult situation.” He said BCER required LNG Canada to do further analysis.

“Which has shown that the additional flaring that’s going on isn’t meaningfully contributing to any air quality issues within the community. And

that is something that we are continuing to monitor and monitoring very very closely.”

Pressed by Coun Jenna Stoner for numbers of compliance and enforcement officers who could respond to issues on the Eagle Mountain pipeline, Dax Bourke, executive director responsible stewardship withthe BCER said there are 31 compliance and enforcement officers, mostly stationed up north.

“We do have our major projects team who leads oversight of the Eagle Mountain and Woodfibre LNG project. They are based out of our terrace office It’s a team of five CE officers who are available to deploy routinely through inspections to follow up on incidents and complaints, and then from there, depending on the situation at hand, we can adjust existing resources to further support inspection work, increase oversight on all aspects of the energy industry.”

Koosmann added that BCER has staff closer, including in Victoria that would jump in if need be. “We can get to the site relatively quickly,” she said.

Later, pressed on the issue of pipeline risk, Koosmann said the tolerance for incidents is zero.

“I can say that from the engineering staff, our risk tolerance are zero, like no incidents, no damage, no anything.I know reality is sometimesa little bit different, but that’s the standard that we and that’s what we hold the permanent holders accountable to.”

TENSIONS WERE HIGH THROUGHOUT THE MEETING

While the members of council were clearly, at times, frustrated with responses from the representatives, their exchanges remained respectful.

FORTIS: Continued on4

FORTIS: Continued from3

As well, most in the gallery sat quietly some holding “Stop FortisBC signs,” however, a few in the audience had stronger responses.

There were outbursts from executive director of My Sea to Sky, Tracey Saxby, and another audience member, which interrupted the proceedings.

Themost controversial portion of the meeting came following Coun. Chris Pettingill saying FortisBC had released 365 million litres more effluent into a Squamish creek than its permit allowed. He said the company’s non-compliance and the lack of enforcement around it, made it hard to trust the safety information being provided on the pipeline.

FortisBC’s Chernikhowsky said: “We’ve also been very transparent that executing the EGP project is technically challenging. And there’s many uncertainties, and one of those is water inflows during the tunnel.…I think it’s a bit improper to conflate the environmental compliance there of the tunnel with our overall pipeline integrity,”he said.

“The science underlying pipeline integrity is very well known. We have a perfect track record in our compliance,” he said.

Darrin Marshall, project director at FortisBC

added that “the conditions that we’ve encountered have been different than what we anticipated.”

Saxby exclaimed from the audience,“No they are not.”

Coun. Lauren Greenlaw, who was chair of the meeting, told the gallery members they would have to be quiet.

“Sorry, thisis bullshit,” Saxby responded. “We told you. You ignored us,” she said, toward the FortisBC employees.

Greenlaw then addressed Saxby directly, tellingher she would have to leave if she couldn’t controlher outbursts.

Marshall then continued to say that “the conditions have differed from what we anticipated, and as a result of that, we have sought [permit] amendments. Where we have had exceedances, we have self-reported those, and we have assessed them througha qualified professional.”

Saxby also yelled at the FortisBC representatives as they stood to leave at the end of the meeting.

“Shame on FortisBC. Shame! Shame on you FortisBC.I don’t know how you sleep at night.”

At another point, as Koosman was speaking about pipeline risk levels and said that there is 24/7 monitoring of the pipeline, another man in the audience interrupted the meeting when he

stood to say, in part,“If there’s zero spills, there’s no effluent coming out of the tunnels. That’s all there is to it. Look at Britannia.

He added: “And it cost us dearly Look at across the water. For Christ’s sake, stop it now instead of letting this insanity go ahead. Jesus Christ.”

Greenlaw interrupted him to say, “OK. Thank you.”

The man continued to yell as he stormed out of the chamber.

Asked after the meeting about the decorum of the audience during official council proceedings, a District spokesperson said the municipality “works to create a safe, civil and respectful environment at all council meetings in order to fairly support the local democratic process.”

“The chair of the meeting is responsible for ensuring the proper conduct is followed If the chair notes repeated contraventions of expected conduct under the bylaw, they can, after issuing a verbal warning, ‘expel or exclude from a council meeting a person who is acting improperly.’”

A peace officer may also be asked to enforce that order, if necessary, the spokesperson noted.

“It’s worth noting that council meetings are safe and respectful spaces, and these bylaws and regulations are rarely needed.”

CelebrationEvent CelebrationEvent

The spokesperson said the“District does not condone rude language, yelling or disrespectful behaviour during meetings, and it is our hope that we can continue to encourage treating everyone participating in or attending council meetings with kindness and respect.”

SAMPLE COUNCIL COMMENTS

There was quitea lot of talk about what elected officials see as a widespread lack of trust in the community toward FortisBC and the BCER.

Councillors, including Coun Andrew Hamilton, had trieda few times unsuccessfully in the meeting to geta data-driven answer on the practical risk the pipeline poses to the community.

FortisBC representatives, however, had said that they would not get granular on such information as it wasa security concern.

“For us to consider the low risks that do exist for the pipeline coming through this community, I would appreciate transparency on what that level of risk is numerically and quantitatively,” Hamilton said.

“On accountability,I think that for BCER, I think that we’re seeing as a community small challenges to the accountability of things like effluent in excess of permit. And if we look to communities further abroad, concerns about accountability with LNG Canada and their flaring. And so those are the concerns that I have in building trust that the execution of this project will meet the permit requirements and will do what everybody’s promised to do.”

Greenlaw spoke to the same theme, noting the infractions that FortisBC has had.

“My background is in the mining industry, and when I hear about unenforced infractions, what I think of is MountPolley mine, which had many known and non-enforced infractions before it devastatingly failed,” she said. ”I do hope that the BCER remains accessible to our community for their concerns and responsive to our community for their concerns, as there are quitea few. There’sa lot of discomfort in our community around this project, specifically and especially around the flaring piece, which hopefully we will talk about at a future date.”

Many on council also spoke to the work that has been done over decades to clean up industrial pollution and damage in Howe Sound.

“We’re particularly sensitive about the work that we’ve done and make sure that we uphold a strong standard in our community and expectation,” Coun Jenna Stoner said, adding that the District has donea lot of workto define natural hazards in its policies for residents.

“I still am trying to figure out where on this chart canI place the pipeline, and then where do we do that land-use planning to assess against that risk?”

She added that she hasa bit more confidence in the work that is going on in terms of the planning for pipeline emergency management and response.

She recommended that there be more transparency and presence in the community of the regulator.

“I would just leave you withthinking about how do we worktogether to help our community have these conversations. Something that I’ve heard from industry, it would be better if we all had more trust in this system, because then we would waste less time trying to fight each other. And so how we have those conversations in an open, transparent manner,I hope that we’re all focused on that.”

REDIRECTION OVER ‘PUBLIC’ FURRY CREEK MAINTENANCE FUNDS

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District approved $13,000 in March fora maintenance

INA PACE

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) agreed in March to provide funding for the maintenance of Furry Creek’s public open spaces, though it turns out those spaces were actually on private property.

So, the SLRD are now redirecting to anew funding agreement, in the interest of community safety and liability.

WHAT HAPPENED?

At the SLRD board meeting on March 25, $13,000 from the SLRD’s Electoral Area D amenity funds was granted unanimously for the beaches, trails, andopen spaces maintenance project at Furry Creek, but the board amended the wording of the project’s corresponding bylaw on passing the motion.

As noted in the SLRD’s staff report from April 22 - 23, the wording of the Furry Creek Public Open Space Maintenance Service Establishment Bylaw No. 977-2006—which defines the service as “for the purpose of

maintaining public open spaces identified within the service area”—was amended by the board to “public beaches, trails and open spaces.”

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

It turns out that despite funding requests from the Furry Creek Community Association (FCCA) to the SLRD since 2016, and the SLRD’s considerations for “due diligence” (in requesting mapping of the maintenance service area to the FCCA, following the meeting on March 25), the trails—used by the public—within that service area belong to private landowner Fine Peace, who own the Furry Creek Golf and Country Club.

The FCCA’s mapping, included within the report, drew three conclusions:

• The land is privately owned;

• The land is currently publicly accessible (and an important access path to the public beach);

• Staff are not aware of a current use and maintenance agreement between the private land owner (Fine Peace) and the FCCA.

In the SLRD’s board meeting on April 22, general manager of infrastructure and

environmental services Omar Butt, and general manager of planning and development services Claire Dewar, explained the terms of this current use and maintenance agreement: that the Local Government Act (LGA) generally restricts regional districts from assisting private businesses, in this case, Fine Peace.

“Fine Peace is meant to build and maintain trails to the satisfactionof the SLRD Some of the trails listed in the proposal may be transferred to the SLRD in the future, and some would likely remain with Fine Peace as private land,” Butt said.

According to the staff report, section 273 of the LGA contains “specific mechanisms” for grants that can involve private corporations, provided the expenditure serves a public purpose, or reachesa regional district’s objective.

However from a financial perspective, the report continues, “it is not recommended to invest public funds into the upkeep of privately owned land It could be recommended with proper policy, agreements, and/or partnership in place.”

The report states that the SLRD had four options:

• Do not provide the requested funding to the FCCA.

• Refer this matter to staff to bring back more information.

• Provide the requested funding to the FCCA.

• Other, as directed by the Board.

WHAT DID THE SLRD DISCUSS?

In the meeting on April 22, Electoral Area D director Tony Rainbow called the situation “incongruous,” given how the SLRD have funded the FCCA’s trails for at least the last 12 years, recalling thataccess to the beach (a legal requirement) had been “taken away,” and that the Furry Creek community “has taken up the slack and done some things.”

The FCCA,he said, had agreed for the SLRD to developa safe trail over the car path on the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) right-of-way, leading people to the dike from where they can access the beach.

Rainbow said the SLRD specifically contributed towards the (now paved) dike, which the

FURRY CREEK: Continued on6

public use “all the time.”

“It seems to me that if we’re just maintaining rights of way, we’re not contravening any kind of laws that say we can’thelp,” Rainbow said, in response to a query from District of Squamish director Chris Pettingill about whethera right of way could be considered a “legal mechanism.”

Butt said that, from his understanding, the dike has not been transferred to the SLRD for maintenance at this time, as part of the development agreement with Fine Peace to be transferred in the future.

Rainbow elaborated that the Furry Creek Public Open Space Maintenance Service Establishment Bylaw No 977-2006 was not sufficiently detailed, unlike more recent bylaws presented to the SLRD, and that this bylaw is thereby outdated.

REVIEWING OPTIONS

Rainbow suggested Option 3 noted in the staff report: to provide the requested funding to the FCCA.

Otherwise, he said, maintenance will fall on community volunteers, which would call the liability of the SLRD into question He also suggested that as part of the SLRD’s budgeting process fornext year, the SLRD should look towards amending the outdated bylaw to

incorporate the service area in question, and negotiate agreements with Fine Peace.

Option 2 (to redirect the matter to staff for legal review,) was also discussed. Capacity for this, according to Village of Pemberton mayor and director Mike Richman, would take 40 hours between senior management, and bump other SLRD priorities over the course of two to three months.

The staff report notes that the board may direct staff to research potential legal options that include FCCA entering into a use agreement with the private landowner, which would mean “deprioritizing current work in the queue,” since legal review does not fall under the SLRD’s 2026 work plan.

To not provide the funding, Richman said, would leave things “within the air,” but the SLRD may be liable and vulnerable if no agreement is put in place prior to providing the funding.

Both Dewar and District of Squamish director (and mayor) Armand Hurford agreed that such a prior agreement would be best.

“I don’t want to repeat past mistakes, so I’d really appreciate the time to go through legal and have a proper improvement before this funding is set,” Dewar said.

It was agreed the cost centre as a whole for the maintenance services, which covers the north

side of Furry Creek, would be analyzed in a separate motion to the beach access trails, else review of agreements would take far longer than anticipated.

OUTCOME

Rainbow’s motion to provide funding for trail maintenance failed, with no votes from other staff, and the motion to redirect senior board

staff to legal review and to work on new agreements carried, with opposition only from Rainbow.

Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter. This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED TEMPORARYUSE PERMIT

TemporaryUse PermitNo. 79 -River Rafting 12825Squamish ValleyRoad

PUBLICNOTICEisherebygiveninaccordancewithSection 494of the Local Government Act that the Regional Boardwill be consideringthe issuance of theabove-mentionedpermitat itsregular Boardmeetingon May27,2026.ThepurposeofTemporary Use PermitNo. 79 is to allow the followingtemporaryuse fora durationofthree years:

Theapplicationproposes to utilizeapproximately0.8 hectaresofthe subjectparcelfor arangeof temporaryrafting-relateduses, including:a check-in facility(107 m²), change rooms(340m²), anofﬁce (28m²), client tentanddeckareas (250 m²), astorage tent (215 m²), astorage shed (8m²), and adesignatedparkingarea (470 m²). Intotal, theassociated structuresoccupyapproximately1,418 m².

Acopyof TemporaryUse PermitNo. 79and relevant background documentsisavailablebyrequest. Pleaseemail planning@slrd.bc.ca for more informationonthisapplication,as well as foranyquestionsor concerns.

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Box 219,1350 AsterStreet,Pemberton, BC,V0N2L0 P:604-894-6371 TF: 1-800-298-7753

PHOTO VIA SLRDREPORT

Members of the Furry Creek community have worked on the local trails, says Tony Rainbow.

‘THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN IS YOU GET ELECTED’:

MAYOR’S FINAL ADDRESS

Outgoing Mayor Armand Hurford used his last Mayor’s Lunch speech to count four years of wins and nudge the next generation of leaders to step up

LIZ MCDONALD emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

Ona cool day above Squamish at the Sea to Sky Gondola, the town’s business community gathered May 13 for the annual Mayor’s Luncheon This year’s event was presented by the Joint Engagement Committee, a collaboration between Squamish Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Squamish BIA and Tourism Squamish For the last time, Mayor Armand Hurford gave his annual state of the town address.

“Last year I announcedI would not be seeking re-election during this fall’s municipal election,” Hurford said, adding he might be back in the future to enjoy the snacks.

What followed wasa sweep through four years of council work, questions and comments about the province’s HEARTH and HEART temporary supportive housing project, anda closing reflection on what kind of people Squamish should be sending to thenext council chambers.

WHAT GOT DONE

Hurfordopened with nods for his fellow councillors before detailing their accomplishments. Fire Hall 2 is completed, the Public Works facilities arenearly done, the town received $51.5 million in grant funding between 2022 and 2026, and 649 housing units were permitted in 2024–25 alone. The District also adopteda 10-year financial plan to address a long-standing facilities deficit and improve asset reserves that, Hurford said, had been sitting near zero when council took office.

“This is really the planting the tree you will not ever sit in the shade of, which isn’t something that humans are inclined to do, nor is it something that a four year election cycle is meant to support.”

He also cited a $7-million Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Housing Accelerator Fund grant and the completion of 31 of 32 actions under the Squamish Housing Action Plan.

WHAT’S LEFT

The facilities deficit remains unresolved

So does transportation Hurford quoted directly from the District’s Transportation Master Plan:“If the population grows as planned, and everybody continues to get around as they do today, the road network would be found overly congested and impact the livability of the community. It is not possible to increase the capacity of roadways to match, either from a constructability or financial perspective.”

He added anyone thinking of engaging in the upcoming election should make the transportation plan part of their required reading.

HEART& HEARTH DRAWS QUESTIONS

The room’s mood shifted when conversation turned to the provincial HEARTH temporarymodular housing initiative Hurford called it “not an easy conversation,” and acknowledged fielding multiple questions submitted in advance on the topic.

“This is what the cavalry coming over the hill to help us with a significant challenge in our community looks like,” he said of the province’s involvement.

He pushed back on one question that noted a suitable site must align withthe Official Community Plan (OCP), noting that supportive housing is an allowable use in all zones under current OCP and zoning policy, and deflected substantive discussion to an upcoming council meeting.

“We will be receivinga presentation at council early June from BC Housing, and we’ll have a wholesome conversation, and that conversation will happen in theopen You’re welcome to attend, watch online, watch it after, however that looks like for you. So I think that a lot of this discussion is likely best suited there, where we can all have the same information and then see what we all relate with,” he said. Whether the business community was convinced remained unclear. Faces in the room and the volume of questions submitted hinted that there were still more skeptics than satisfied attendees.

THE ELECTION, ANDWHAT COMES NEXT

Hurford reserved some of his most open remarks for the topic of who should run this

fall.

He touched on a statement that’s been bandied about his way on more than one occasion.

“People often will say, ‘Oh, you really must have thick skin for this business This business requires thick skin.’ And I actually fully disagree with that.I proudly wear my heart on my sleeve I’m deeply impacted by the feedback, by comments, how people conduct themselves,” he said passionately.

“If you expect your leaders to have a thick skin to achieve office, when you have a problem, and you need empathy from that leader, and youneed them to see your point of view, come to the table, put their political capital behind your problem, youneed someone that has access to their empathy.”

On the seemingly always on the horizon need for regional transit, he was blunt about the funding impasse: “Weneed a willing dance partner at the province.”

“We’ve been advocating for motor fuel tax to fund a portion of regional transit… I think the conversation [is] much simpler if we just go to property tax to deliver it But we have a lot of challenges… we’ve already stepped up and stood behind a substantive tax increase… but there’sa line somewhere, and at this point the line is more fuel tax to pay for some, and we need provincial funding to pay for [it].”

As for his ownnext chapter, Hurford had scant to say. Hisoptions are endless, though hisnext profession might be something related to his current job. What he did guarantee was that locals would see him on trails or back at one of his favourite hobbies, curling.

Anyone willing to throw their hat in the ring—orneck on the line—is welcome to ask him for advice.

“The worst that can happen is you get elected,”he said

Stage1Outdoor

Sprinklerand AutomatedIrrigation

Twodaysper week basedon street address.

•Oddside: Thursdays and Sundays

•Evenside: Wednesdays and Saturdays

Sprinkler

4–10 am and7–10 pm

AutomatedIrrigation 10 pm–4 am Trytolimit your watering to onehour!

Hand Watering and Drip Irrigation

Trees,flowers,shrubsor gardensisallowedanytime.

Formoreinformationand to see thefullwater restrictionshead to our website:

Business Opportunities

Requestsfor Proposals

•Environmental DevelopmentReview Consultant

•Brennan Park CricketPitch Construction squamish.ca/doing-business-with-the-district

DevelopmentReview

• 40174Bill’s Place –Temporary UsePermit

• 40179Garibaldi Way –Temporary UsePermit

• 41205Rockridge Place –Temporary UsePermit

• 38577High Creek Drive –TemporaryUse Permit

• 38607High Creek Drive –TemporaryUse Permit squamish.ca/review

InfrastructureUpgrades

•Wastewater SystemUpgrades continue in Dentville.

•AnnualWatermainUpgrades continue inBrackendale. squamish.ca/building-our-future

Sportball

Multisports (Ages5–7 and 7–9)

atBrennan ParkRecreation Centre

Getyour kidsmovingwithouraction-packed multi-sport programsthissummer.Fromsoccerandbasketball to hockeyandbeyond,they’lllove learningnewskillsand progressingin afun,supportive environment. Go to squamish.ca/rec to exploreourclassesandfindthe perfect fit foryourchild.

Drop-ins welcomesubjecttospaceavailable.

Squamish SwansBallet (55+)

at The55ActivityCentre

Silver Swansclassesoffer asafe and enjoyable wayforadults55+ to improve mobilityandfitnessthroughballet.

Designed forall experience levels, these sessionsfocusonbalance and wellness. Nopriordance trainingis required. Drop-insarewelcomeifspaceisavailable.

Saturday,May 23

BrennanParkRecreationCentre FacilityClosure

Thepool—includingshowers—willbe closed to thepublic allday forthe2026 Swim Meet.

It will reopenSunday,May 24 at 9a.m. forregularprogramming. Goodluck swimmers!

Check out thearena andpool schedules!

SQUAMISH FIRERESCUE GEARS UP FOR WILDFIRE SEASON WITH NEW GEAR

LIZ MCDONALD

emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

Shoulda wildfire strike Squamish this summer, Squamish Fire Rescue is ready and better equipped than ever.

The department is trained to provincial standards for wildland fire response, with a specific focus on the wildland-urban interface where homes and wilderness meet, and where the fire risk is greatest. Career firefighters include members with smokejumping (parachuting) experience and certifications as engine bosses, strike team ;leaders, and division supervisors.

“More members now have higher level training in wildland than ever before,” the

department notes, withthe vast majority of career staff trained beyond what most structural departments require.

SFR members have been deployed to wildfires elsewhere in the province, bringing experiential knowledge back to Squamish. Members also attend the largest wildfire symposium in Canada each year.

Locally, that readiness was put to the test during the Dryden Creek Fire, when crews deployed 2,500-gallon mobile water bladders for structural protection and used ATVs to reach steep, challenging terrain.

“In the case of the Dryden Creek Fire, we

use multiple bladders for structural protection We can set them up anywhere, and then use our apparatus as tenders to dump their water into the bladders, giving us the ability to set these up for structural protection,” said Jonathan Harper, acting captain with SFR.

On the equipment front, SFR has made significant investments. All career firefighters are now equipped with new lightweight wildland-specific personal protective equipment.

“It’s dual cert gear, but it’s designed specifically for providing protection from flame andheat and impact, but it doesn’t have all of the thermal protection that a normal

structure of firefighting gear would have So it’s lighter in the field, that allows us to operate for longer, extended periods in extremeheat, because we wouldn’t be able to do that with normal structural firefighting gear So it looks the same, but it’s much lighter,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jay Brownlee. The department also hasa fullyoperational Type 5 wildland truck, along with new forestry pumps, thousands of feet of new forestry hose, quads for rapid terrain access, a sprinkler protection trailer, and high-capacity industrial sprinklers SFR also shares a

Continued on 11

PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Squamish Fire Rescue members sport new lightweight wildland-speciﬁc personal protective equipment.

WILDFIRES:

View thisad online:

TemporaryUse PermitNoticeofBylawReadings

No.TU000086

NOTICEisherebygiveninaccordancewith Section494ofthe Local GovernmentAct thatthe District of Squamishhas received applicationand will be consideringissuance of aTemporaryUse Permitasindicatedherein. The DistrictofSquamishwill receiverepresentationsfrompersons whobelievethat theirinterestinproperty isaffectedbytheproposed temporaryuse.

AffectedLands

1940 Centenial Way(Stratalots109and110),Squamish, B.C.

Existing Zoning

ComprehensiveDevelopmentNo. 90 (CD-90).

ProposedTemporaryUse

To allowfor Retail Saleson aportionoftheproperty (less than400sq.moffloor area)shownonthelocationmap.

LOCATION MAP

AcopyoftheproposedTemporaryUse PermitNo.TU000086canbeemailed out by requestssenttoplanning@squamish.ca,fromMay 25,2026 to June5,2026. Thedocumentscanalsobereviewed ontheDistrict’sonline DevelopmentShowcase at www.squamish.ca/showcase.Enquiries regarding the proposed DevelopmentPermitmaybemade to the Planning Department at 604-815-5002.

If youdonothave access to theinternetor acomputer,please contactthe Planning Departmentat604-815-5002and we wouldbe happytoarrange to have thepermitanddrawingsmadeavailable to you.

Publicinputwillbe considered by theDistrictinreviewoftheapplication. Personswhobelievethattheirinterestinproperty isaffectedbytheproposed Temporary UsePermitmaysubmitwrittensubmissions to planning@ squamish.caor,inperson to theDirectorof CommunityDevelopment. Written submissionscanbeaddressed to the DirectorofCommunity Developmentand willbereceivedupuntil4:00 p.m.June5,2026.

Allsubmissionswill form partofthepublic record.

Datedthis21dayofMay,2026, at Squamish,British Columbia.

DistrictofSquamish ZoningBylaw 2200, 2011 Amendment Bylaw (37870 ClevelandAve Hoteland Height Amendments) No.3223,2026

Noticeisherebygiveninaccordancewith Section467ofthe Local Government Act, thatDistrictofSquamish Councilwillbe considering first,secondandthird readingsofDistrictofSquamish Zoning Bylaw2200,2011 AmendmentBylaw (37870Cleveland AveHotel andHeightAmendments)No.3223,2026.

Property

37870Cleveland Avenue,Squamish, B.C.,asshownon thelocationmap.

Proposed AmendmentBylaw

ThepurposeoftheproposedBylawistoamendthe existing Comprehensive DevelopmentZone37 (CD-37) to allowfor touristaccommodationuse(a66 unithotelisproposed), to increasetheheightofthenorthernmostbuilding from20.0 mto20.8m,and to remove thetandemparking prohibitionfromthe zone(toallow fortandemparking).

When June 2, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.

Where

CouncilChambers at Municipal Hall,37955 Second Avenue,Squamish,British Columbia,orelectronically at: squamish.ca/live-meetings

No PublicHearing Required

LOCATION MAP

In accordancewithProvincial legislation, Section464(3)ofthe Local GovernmentAct,alocal governmentmust nothold apublic hearingon aproposed zoning bylawifthesolepurposeofthe bylawisto permit adevelopmentthatis, inwholeorinpart, aresidentialdevelopment, andthe residential componentofthedevelopmentaccounts foratleasthalfof the gross floorareaofallbuildingsandotherstructuresproposedaspartofthe development. Thisproposed rezoningmeetsthose requirements.

How to View the ProposedBylaws

Acopyoftheproposed bylawand relatedinformationthathasbeenormaybe considered by the Councilcanbeinspectedonlineor at MunicipalHall. Online at: squamish.ca/showcase

Municipal Hall at 37955 Second Avenue,Squamish,British Columbia,fromMay 21toJune 2, 2026,between8:30a.m.and 4:30 p.m.,Mondaythrough Friday except forstatutoryholidays.

Enquiries regardingtheproposed amendmentbylawmay be made to the Planning Departmentat 604-815-5002 or by email to planning@squamish.ca Thisisthe firstof twonotices,datedthis 21 dayofMay,2026, at Squamish, British Columbia.

WILDFIRES: Continued from9

Therearen’t endless resources availablefromthe firedepartmentor even BC Wildfire, and some ofthe responsibility needs to be taken by homeowners.

TOBIASBETHGE

structural protection trailer with Whistler, a regional resource available when large-scale fires threaten homes.

The preparation comes as multiple wildfires have already been spotted across the Sea to Sky and South Coast region.

“For the last three weeks, the Coastal Fire Centre has been experiencing warm and dry conditions, and while things area little cooler right now, we’re not expecting any significant rain or precipitation in the short term

forecast,” said Jennifer Loymeher, Fire Information Officer with BC Wildfire Service.

Anopen fire ban took effect Thursday, May 7, at noon, directed by local governments and the province. The Coastal Fire Centre says the decision weighed weather, resource availability, and how much dry fuel is on the landscape.

But while firefighters stand ready, they’re also asking homeowners to do their part.

“There aren’t endless resources available from the fire department or even BC Wildfire, and some of the responsibility needs to be taken by homeowners,” said Tobias Bethge, FireSmart coordinator.

Bidka says the basics go a long way.

Clearing gutters, trimming grass, and moving combustibles at least 1.5 metres from your home help prepare properties should a wildfire encroach Free property assessments are available by emailing firesmart@ squamish.ca.

And if you spot a fire—report it. Call 1-800-663-5555, or *5555 from a cell

BritanniaMine Museum gratefullyacknowledges their communitysponsors:

PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF Squamish Fire Rescue truck.

PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS

PRIDE CROSSING RETURNS: The colourful Pride crosswalk is new and improved at Cleveland Avenue& Victoria Street.

CONTACTUS

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T: 604-892-9161

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EDITOR

JENNIFERTHUNCHER jthuncher@ lodestarmedia.ca follow @thuncher

REPORTER LIZMCDONALD emcdonald@ lodestarmedia.ca

REPORTER INAPACE ipace@ lodestarmedia.ca

SALESMANAGER

CATHIE GREENLEES cgreenlees@ squamishchief.com

MULTI- MEDIASALES REPRESENTATIVE KIMBOATMAN kboatman@ squamishchief.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER DENISE CONWAY dconway@ squamishchief.com

PUBLISHER SARAHSTROTHER sstrother@lodestarmedia.ca

TheSquamishChief is amemberof theNationalNewsmedia Council, whichisanindependentorganization establishedtodealwithacceptable journalistic practicesand ethical behaviour. If youhaveconcerns abouteditorial content, please contactEditorJenniferThuncherat jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca.Ifyou arenot satisfiedwiththe response andwishtofilea formal complaint, visitthe websiteatmediacouncil.ca or call toll-free1-844-877-1163for additional information.

Reproduction of anymaterial containedinthispublicationis expresslyforbiddenwithouttheprior written consentofthe publisher.

EDITORIAL

LOOKING FORWARDTO MORE PLACES TO GOANDTHROW

More places to poop andthrow trashwould go alongway to making Squamish amorepleasant placetobeinthe summer.

Just before thelongweekend,the unofficial starttoour busy touristseason, councilpasseda motion,put forwardbyCoun. JennaStoner, that additionalwaste binsand porta-pottiesinkey public community spaces,withconsideration of high tourismdemandareas,bereferredtothe budgetfor 2027-2036deliberations.

This wasunanimously supported.

Thecatchisthatprogressisslowin government, so nothingwillactuallychangefor this summer—therefore, visitors andlocalswillhave toholditand pack itoutfor abit longer.

Themovetoadd jiffyjohns andgarbage cans came after representativesfromTourism Squamishpresented to council at theMay 12 meeting on recent reportsthe organization generated. Theorganization’s representatives strongly suggestedthe Districtpairwith Tourism Squamish fora TourismMasterPlan.

Stats show Squamishseesapproximately two million annual touristvisits, whilesporting roughly 500hotel rooms,about athird of which are currentlytaken up by workersonthe Woodfibre LNGproject.(Councildid reject FortisBC’s proposaltobuild alodge forits workers,but we digress.)

In comparison,Whistler sees approximately threemillionyearlyvisitswithmorethan10,000 placesfor folkstostay.

TheTourism Squamish studyalsoshowed only 43% of survey respondents agreed that tourismenhancestheir qualityoflifein Squamish.

Clearly, more is neededthan porta-pottiesand garbage cans before Squamish canaccommodate allthe tourists we aredrawing.However, given ourcurrent economic situationand capacitywithinthe municipality,an increase in necessities like washroom facilitiesand trash cans will be an improvement.

“ThisisactuallysomethingthatI waspushing

EDITORIAL: Continuedon13

‘SOURGRAPES’ABOUT CBCINSQUAMISH

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

JENNIFER THUNCHER

Whenitwas announcedinJanuary 2025 that CBCwassetting up in twodozen “underserved”communities,and hiring 30reporters,I celebrated.

IevenpostedtoXabout it.

AccordingtoOnThe Record,between 2008 and 2025,603 localnewsoutlets in 388Canadian communitiesclosed. Of those, 440or73% were communitynewspapers.

Howfantastic foratownwithnonewspaper to get CBC,Ithought.

Istronglysupport Canada having apublic broadcasterfor just that reason.

Soon afterthough, Iwas gobsmacked when it was announcedthatCBC wascomingtoSquamish. Say what?

Withall theplaceswithnonewsoutlet, Icannot wrap my head around whythe federalgovernment— whichgives CBC$1.4billion peryearintaxpayer funds—wouldallow that.

In January2026,CBC announcedadding33local journalists andcreating11new bureaus. By thenI groanedratherthancelebrated.

Now, this is notaknock on thetalentedjournalists whoworkfor CBC.

Many areformercolleaguesand severalIconsider friends. They do qualitywork.

AccordingtoMacdonald-LaurierInstitute (MLI), CBCnow employsone in threejournalists in Canada.

Last month, CBCleadershipappearedbeforethe Canadian Heritage parliamentarycommittee during ahearing on thestate of journalism andfaced allegationsofpurposely poaching community journalists. An allegation CBCpresident MariePhilippeBoucharddenies.

Shealsosaidthe CBCseeks to work with local mediawhere it sets up.Thathasn’tbeenthe casein Squamish or anyofthe newlocations we know of so far.

Full disclosure, TheSquamishChief gratefully receives some federalgovernmentfunding.An exampleisthrough theLocal Journalism Initiative, whichprovidesusabout $37,000towarda reporter for 14 months.Stories that result from that granthaveto be focusedonSquamishNation, FurryCreek,and Squamish Valley.The beat is tightlyrestricted, which is fair.These areareas that deserve news attention. What restrictions areimposed on theCBC?

Thepublicbroadcaster haslostits wayifitthinks Squamish andRichmond, whereitisalsosetting upa

EDITOR’S: Continuedon13

Ha7lh skwálwen cht kwis emút cht iy sts’its’áp’ cht iy kw’shétsut cht na7tkwa temíxw tl’a Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw

(We have good feelings that we live,wework and we play on the lands of the Squamish Nation)

EDITORIAL: Continued from12

on a lota couple years ago, but from a different perspective of having young children and taking them to parks and not having places to go,” Coun. Lauren Greenlaw said during the meeting May 12. “And ideally we have permanent

EDITOR’S: Continued from 12

new bureau, are “underserved” communities.

Squamish and Richmond aren’t a two-off either It is a CBC strategy, it seems,to go where other media outlets are already set up.

It feels like they are going where they see our stories doing well, and come to compete for our audiences, our sources,

infrastructure in place that arenot porta-potties because porta-potties plus toddler is terrifying, but still better than nothing,” she said, adding that vehicle residents have also said more trash cans wouldhelp solve the litter issues they face.

Fair enough.

our advertising dollars and our stories.

Whatever business you are in, imagine that a massive corporation that does the same thing, only with $1.4-plus billion in taxpayer funding, sets up shop beside you, lures your employees withthat money, advertises directly to your customers and vendors, and crowds out your smaller private business online.

It is not fair and is a duplication of service where it isn’t needed, using

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CLOSURE OF CAFÉGARIBALDI

Café Garibaldi at the Adventure Centre is closing on May 24. Thisis most unfortunate. The café and its location are unique Elements that contribute to its popularity include plentiful parking, a largeopen area for accommodating groups especially attractive to senior citizens, expansive windows overseeing a pleasant vista of grounds and highway, an outdoor patio with bike racks, a way station for bus rides to Whistler and Vancouver, immediate access to pleasant trails includinga paved version to the Brennan Park Recreation Centre, short walk to the Smoke Bluffs climbers’ parking lot and Mamquam Blind Channel path, excellent coffee with an array of sandwiches and baked goods for brunch or lunch, anda likable staff with whom to interact Frankly, there is no comparable place in Squamish offering such amenities; neither downtown, in

LETTERS POLICY

Garibaldi Village, nor in Brackendale. I recently learned that the café is a private enterprise undera lease for the space. I wonder if the District would consider supportinga café at the Adventure Centre once the lease expires. Oh, andI confess self-interest; my wife andI are regulars who will sorely miss the café.

John Hughes Squamish

RE: NOTA FAN OF THE FIRE BAN

Iwould really like to lend my support to Mr Kazimirski’s letter to The Squamish Chief regarding the fire ban, [“Nota fan of the fire ban,” published May 14]. This has become anannual tradition by the District regardless of the analysis of the actual risk in our area In previous bans, Squamish would be under an extreme fire hazard, while Britannia Beach was not, nor Lions Bay or even Alice Lake, all the while, it was pouring rain It made no

Whether or not catering specifically to tourists more than residents and actively trying to attract more tourism is something we collectively want our municipality to be doing is a question perhaps for the upcoming election. For now, planning for more places to go and throwour garbage is a good start.

residents’ tax dollars.

As Tim Shoults, former Squamish Chief editor and publisher, and current vice-president of Great West Media, has written in a national column, what CBC is doing makes it harder for long-established communitynews outlets to survive. So, yes, you could accuse me of having sour grapes over that.

And so should you, if you value local journalism and where your tax dollars go.

If the only option for the province’s temporary supportive housing is at Xwúneḵw Park, does that change your mind on it? (Top 3 answers) LAST WEEK’S QUESTION

sense and insults the intelligence of the members of the public.

I have also questioned the logic to banning the residential campfires. We are the responsible ones that pull a permit, construct the fire pit as per regulations and manage the fire closely as it is in our own backyard after all!

I also doubt very much that there is statistical evidence to support that many forest fires are started from backyard campfires.

Ban public fires most certainly, more importantly enforce that ban religiously on the offenders— just send bylaw officers out to walk the river dikes on a weekend. Backyard campfires are about as Canadian as it gets and remains one of the few low-cost activities one can enjoy with your families and should not be taken away. Squamish is not Vancouver and nor do we want to be.

Glenn Stainton Squamish

The Squamish Chief welcomes letters to the editor of up to 400 words. Letters should be exclusive to this publication and are meant to respond to a local story in The Squamish Chief or raise an issue happening in town Please include your name, neighbourhood and daytime phone number The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for Thursday’s edition. Full names and neighbourhood will be published withthe letter The publisher reserves the right to refuse and edit letters for length and clarity or to address legal concerns Email letters to: editor@squamishchief.com.

TOP TIKTOKOF THE WEEK

This week, check out reporter Liz McDonald’s video featuring Squamish Fire Rescue Find this and many otherrelevant local videos on our TikTok channel @squamishchief.

Land Act:

Notice of Application foraDisposition of CrownLand

Vancouver,BChaveapplied to theBritish Columbia Ministry ofWater,Landand Resource Stewardship (WLRS), South CoastRegion foranIndustrial LeasesituatedonProvincial highlightedinyellow).

WLRSinvites commentsonthisapplication. TheLands Fileis 2413119. Written comments concerningthisapplication shouldbedirectedtothe CrownLandSpecialist, South Coast Region,WLRS, at 200-10428 153Street,Surrey, BC V3R 1E1. Commentswillbe received by WLRSuptoJune19,2026. WLRSmaynotbeable to considercomments receivedafter this date.Pleasevisitthe Applications,Commentsand Reasons forDecisionDatabasewebsite at http://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ formoreinformation.

Be advisedthatany response to thisadvertisementwillbe consideredpartofthepublic record.Access to these records requiresthesubmissionofaFreedomof Information(FOI) request.Visit to learnmoreaboutFOIsubmissions.

TREE BYLAW UPDATE 2026: COUNCIL PASSES THREE READINGS, WHAT CHANGES FOR HOMEOWNERS

Council has moved an updated tree management bylaw closer to becoming law, unanimously passing first, second and third readings on May 5

JENNIFER THUNCHER Jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

Who doesn’t love trees? Being surrounded by them is at least a part of why many of us love living here.

Seeing their value, the District is working to protect more trees in Squamish.

To that end, at its meeting on May 5, council unanimously passed the first three readings of the District’s updated tree management bylaw.

BACKGROUND

“The District adopted and implemented its first tree bylaw in 2018 in recognition of the numerous benefits that trees offer the community for residents,” said the District’s environmental specialist Erin Urton, who presented the bylaw updates to council.

District staff proposed the updates in order “to strengthen the regulations, align with best management practices, and improve the efficiency of permit application and review,” the report to council reads.

The changes staff proposed were also informed by community engagement survey results and industry professional recommendations, according to the staff report.

“In addition to providing better tree management guidance, staff consider this updated bylawa strong step toward better supporting ahealthy, vibrant, and safe community. In doing so, it becomes more closely aligned withthe policy and visions solidified in the District’s official community plan,” Urton said.

THEMOST IMPACTFUL PROPOSED CHANGES

As it stands, there is a gap in the regulations that means all trees can be removed without any permitting oversight, on a residential parcel of 0.4hectares (or about one acre) where a house exists, Urton told council members.

“There is no requirement to maintain or supplya tree density target,” she added.

Because of this, staff proposed to apply the bylaw equally to all parcels, and use the calculated tree density target to “more simply guide the permitting process.”

The tree density target is 50 trees per hectare.

“This will achieve more consistent tree protection outcomes, gives oversight to mature trees, and promotes planting replacement trees where none would have been previously planted,” Urton said.

She later explained that 50 trees perhectare is a general density target established through the urban forest discipline as something that would maintain ahealthy tree canopy within a community.

To put it in perspective, Coun Andrew Hamilton noted that on a typical lot in the Highlands, Brackendale, Valleycliffe, where lots are 10,000 square feet, the density would be calculated at five trees per lot. Meaning that is the number of trees that would have to be maintained on the lot, with the rest being able to be cut withouta permit.

Staff also proposed updating the definition of “significant” trees to 60 centimetres in diameter or greater as opposed to 80 cm.

“Staff also propose including wildlife habitat trees anda selection of rare and native tree species within this definition,” Urton said.

Arbutus, pacific dogwood, Pacific yew, western white pine, and yellow cedar were also added to the definition.

The definition matters because significant trees are more protected within the bylaw.

During its engagement, District staffheard that residents “value large trees, wildlife habitat trees, as well as trees that are rare native species. The results further indicated a desire for trees of this size and character to receive more regulatory oversight,” the staff report states.

Staff also proposed that tree removal permits not be required for tree removal work specifically related to FireSmart.

“Trees subject to this exemption must be fire-prone trees and must be within the immediate home ignition zone,” Urton said.

The trees must be within 1.5 metres of a residential dwelling to qualify.

FireSmart assessments are offered to residents by the District at no cost.

Staff also proposed a doubling of the tree replacement fee from $250 to $500.

This is cash-in-lieu for trees, when new trees can’t be planted.

The $250 fee for affordable housing developments doesn’t change, however.

The funds go into a reserve fund.

“The reserve fund exists to support internal

environmental initiatives, including but not limited to vegetation and habitat restoration and includes tree planting,” Urton said.

SAMPLE COUNCIL COMMENTS

“I think it makes a lot of sense to be managing trees generally, and I know that’s a very broad statement, but I don’t think it’s actually obvious within a community that it actually is…an important piece that local governments play in ensuring the whole community is vibrant and treed,” said Coun. Andrew Hamilton.

In voicing her support for the staff recommendations, Coun. Jenna Stoner spoke to the increased fees for cash-in-lieu of replacement trees.

“What we really want is people to replace those trees and not provide cash-in-lieu. It’s important that we have trees on site for a variety of reasons, and so I think wherever we can support that, first and foremost is the

intent—retain, replace and then cash-in-lieu if necessary,” she said, adding that with her outreach through Squamish Youth Council, tree cutting often comes up in classrooms.

“This is one of the first things that kids always ask about is why are we not protecting more trees in our community,” she said.

“Every time that there’s a development that happens, they just cut them all down, and so it’s very visible, and I think this [bylaw update] helps get us a step in the right direction and making sure that there’smore urban forest canopy for our community today and in the future.”

Now that three readings passed, the bylaw updates will come before council for final adoption at a future meeting.

Urton noted that a grant-funded urban forest management strategy project is expected to start this year and further tree bylaw review and updating will be done when recommendations come forward from this strategy.

SQUAMISH DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH PUBLIC LAND FOR THE AFFORDABLEHOUSING IT NEEDS, RESEARCHER FINDS

A Housing Squamish event last week centred on SFU master’s research that found the District faced a 20-acre shortfall in developable public land

LIZ MCDONALD emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

Acommunity housing organization brought residents to the Squamish Public Library last week to discuss whether Squamish has enough public land to achieve its affordable housing targets.

Held at the Squamish Public Library on Tuesday, May 12, the evening included a presentation by researcher RebeccaPousette, housing manager at Housing Squamish and authorof a recently completed master’s thesis at SFU. Pousette devotedher master’s thesis

to understanding whether Squamish has enough public land to develop affordable housing.

Her research did not have a happy ending.

‘NOT ENOUGH PUBLIC LAND’

Using the District’s 2023 housingneeds report, 43% of new supply should be affordable to households earning $70,000 or less That equates to roughly $1,750 a month in rent.

To meet demand growth,Pousette calculated roughly 2,619 non-market units will be needed by 2031 Put in another way, Squamishneeds 35 U.S. football fields to meet

Proposed Land UseObjectives Relatingto theHoweSound/Sea-to-SkyAreaofB.C.

Notice isherebygiventhat,pursuanttoSection93.4ofthe Land Act,theMinistryof Water,LandandResourceStewardshipisproposingtoestablish landuseobjectives bylegalorderinthe SeatoSky NaturalResource Districtand Sunshine CoastNatural Resource District. Theseobjectiveswillbebindingforthepurposesofthe Forestand Range Practices Act

Theproposedlanduseobjectives wouldimprove foreststewardshipintheareasset outin Schedules AandBoftheproposedorder to helpprotectIndigenous cultural values,forestbiodiversityandold-growth forests.Theobjectivesdealwith stewardship topicssuchasculturalheritageareas,old forests,matureforests,largecedartrees, riparianand wetlandareas,andculturallymodifiedtrees.Theproposedlanduse objectivesarebasedonthe forestmanagement direction containedwithinthe 2025 SquamishNationLand Use Planning Agreement(Phase2)

Thedraft order containingtheproposedlanduseobjectives, includingthe Schedule A and Bmapsanddigitalspatialfiles,canbeviewedordownloaded at: engage.gov.bc.ca/squamish-nation-land-use Hardcopiesandassociatedmapsarealso available forviewing at the SeatoSky Natural Resource DistrictofficeinSquamish(Suite101,42000 Loggers Lane)andthe Sunshine CoastNatural Resource DistrictofficeinPowellRiver(7077DuncanStreet).

Thepublicisinvitedtocommentinwritingonthedraftorderduringthe60-day reviewperiodfrom May22,2026,to4:00p.m.onJuly20,2026

Commentscanbesentto:

Regional Initiatives,LandUsePlanningand CumulativeEffectsDivision, Ministry of Water, LandandResourceStewardship,South Coast Region, 200 -10428153rdStreet,Surrey,B.C.V3R1E1

Email: SouthCoastLandUse@gov.bc.ca

the affordable housing target.

The public land she found could yield around 154,000 square metres Theneed is 187,000.

“The biggest barrier to using public land is just that there is not enough public land,” she said.

She looked at everything, from local government parcels, Crown land, school district sites, parks, even a rock quarry.

Crown land looked significant, with seven hectares (17.5 acres) However, under B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) wouldneed to consent to any transfer of provincial land for municipal use.

“In 2019, the B.C. government passed DRIPA into law… What this means in practice is that the Squamish Nation wouldneed to consent to granting the land to the District of Squamish for the purpose ofnon-market housing. And while the Squamish Nation may consent to this, they may very well request the land for themselves,” Pousette said.

She later clarified that she was trying to point out that reconciliation efforts mean “we just won’t have access to Crown land the way we did in the past,” something she is not opposed to.

School district land was another avenue that is a non-traditional exploration. Squamish has several schools on large lots, including downtown parcels. However, she said provincial legislation limits school land to housing for students or employees only.

Thenext big building barrier is the propensity for flooding in Squamish Ground

floors aren’t usable for residential units because of the town’s flood risk, which reduces the number of units available in new buildings, she said.

Then, there’s the cost of finding trades to build in Squamish.

“There’s something called the Squamish premium, whichI learned about, which is the fact that trades all live elsewhere. They live in the valley where it’s cheaper, and so it costs more to bring them up to Squamish. So there’s just always assumed to be a bit of a premium on trades,” she said.

LAND PURCHASE?

After learning these facts, attendees gathered into six different groups and brainstormed creative solutions.

Creative these solutions were Some focused on partnerships with groups like Habitat for Humanity There was also a suggestion that concrete strip malls could have housing stacked on top–think Save-On, with housing savings stacked on top.

Raising taxes, expropriating land, and acknowledging the fact that vehicle-dwelling is already a solution (policed though they are) were just a few of the many novel suggestions from the crowd.

One attendee noted municipalities shouldn’t have to deal with housing being downloaded from the province or the federal government, because they don’t have the funding sources to actually deal with the problem.

And if there isn’t enough public land, it will have to be purchased, somehow, from private landowners.

PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONDALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF Representatives from Housing Squamish, who ran theevent at Squamish Public Library, from left to right: Carol Coffey, Sarah Ellis, Rebecca Pousette and Alanna Gillis.

COUNCILDIGSINTOBRENNAN PARK FEEHIKES

District councilistakingacloserlookatwhy

JENNIFER THUNCHER

Jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

Asacommunity,howdowebalance keeping shared recreation facilities accessible forall whileatthe same time,contributingtotheir cost?

That wasattheheartofa discussion at the committeeofthe wholemeeting on Tuesday, May12.

District staffand councilmembers discussedthe reasonsbehindhaving to incrementallyincreaseBrennan Park Recreation Centre fees.

For2026, themunicipalityimplemented an increase to fees andcharges forrelevant recreation fees.

ThediscussiononMay 12 arosebecause, at aspecial business meetingon Oct. 7, councilasked stafftobring back adiscussion on thefeesand charges, afterthe adoptionofthe budget.

Therewasn’tadecisiononraisingthe fees tobe made at theMay 12 meeting,thathas been done,but rather it wasa deeper dive into theissue.

Fees increasedbetween 5% and 7% for 2026toaccount forinflation.

Priortothis, fees hadnot increasedsince 2018.

AccordingtoDistrictstaff,Squamish recreation fees andcharges remain “well below” theregionalaveragesthatother municipalities.

Regionally,the District is estimatedtobe 40 to 200% (orfourtimes)below regional averages forcomparablefeesand charges.

TheDistrictis400%below regional averageinits artificial turf fieldfor youth forprime time fee, compared with the combinationofthe regional average, which includes Whistler,North Vancouverand West Vancouver, staffsaid.

TheDistrictstaff reportto council notes that youthlocal non-profit ratesare setat 50%below theadult localnon-profitrate“to supportaccessand participation,”while fees forthe generalpublic/residentrates are setat75% premium“to reflectresident usage.”

Ratesfor non-resident members of the generalpublicand commercial ratesare establishedat100%above thebaserate.

“This structured approachis intended to

balanceaffordability andaccesswhile supporting theDistrict’soperational needs,”thereportreads.

Staff recommend that fees andcharges continue to be increasedincrementally over years to bringthemuptoregional averages, “while managing theimpactto recreation usersand thecommunity annually.”

In thestaff report to council, it alsostates that fees andcharges that aretoo lowcan increasetheriskofunusedamenities,such as fielduse.

“Based on theDistrict’scurrent field allocation policy,there is ariskofgroups bookingfieldsand notusing them as low costs canbeeasilyabsorbed, resultinginan inefficientuse of finite resourceslikefields. Updating fees andcharges helpsensure responsible useofamenities.Efficient field utilizationwillalsobereviewedasapartof thefield allocation policy update,” the reportreads.

Thestaff presentation to councilalso notedthatSquamishsummercampfees were reducedfor 2026 to keep them affordable.

Staff also said it isn’tpossibletoknowfor sure if usersofprogramsatthe recreation centreare localornot,asthatisn’t notedin thesoftware.

“Ifthiswas required,itwould significantly increase administrative requirements as residencydocumentation wouldneedtobereviewedand confirmed. A negative consequencemay increase customer frustration, whichmay be taken out on frontlinestaff,” MandyFoster, managerofrecreationservices, said,adding that it is estimatedthat5%of thecurrent customer data on file represents non-resident users.

Forgroup rentals, theDistrictcan more easily differentiate, staffsaid.

COST RECOVERY?

JayDeo,directorofrecreationand culture,saidthe District is at roughly25% cost recovery currently, in termsof recreation fees.The municipality is looking to increase that percentage to up to 30%, within itsfinancial plan over thenext10 years.

“The proposed updatedfeeswillcome back throughthe bylawupdates,and then

theframework andphilosophypiecesand cost recovery targetswould be future work basedoncapacityand priority,” Deosaid.

SAMPLE COUNCILCOMMENTS

Coun.EricAndersenspoke to what he said some perceive as alackofvalue forthe moneywhenitcomestoSquamish recreation facilities.

“‘Squamish fees areamong thelowest.’. When this commentcomes up notonlyfor District facilities,but otherfacilitiesin town,likeschooldistrictfacilities, the commentthatcomesbackfromusergroups is,‘Yes, butwhat arewegetting?,”hesaid.

“Wehavegeneral issues regarding facilitiesaccessibility.Wehavea deficitnot only in recreation butalsoonthe cultural side. User groups that arefacingthese fees areconcerned aboutstability fortheir nonprofit organizations’programming, both in theculturaland therecreational side.There’s lots of frustrations.Wehear

aboutitall thetime,”headded.

“Weshouldbeconcerned aboutmaking plansfor expandingour recreational cultural infrastructure,and even to assess ourfutureneeds.And so when we discuss with thecommunity raisingthese fees,we should keep this in mind.It’sgoing to be part of theconversationinevitably. We have been delaying making thoseplans,andI think, Isuggest,weshouldkeepthisin mind as we look to have some balancein thefeesthatwe’re charging user groups whoare challenged in many respects concerning facility accessibility.”

Coun.AndrewHamiltonsaidapossible wayofgivinglocalsafurther breakonfees wouldbetoreducethe annual passes to BrennanPark.

“A family of four,depending on theage mixofthe family,would be rangingfrom $1,200 to $1,600 peryearfor BrennanPark

FEEHIKES: Continuedon19

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INSIDE ‘SPIRITOFTHE GREATBEAR,’A PHOTOJOURNEY THROUGH ONEOFB.C.’SMOSTPROTECTED WILD PLACES

‘The more people that know about it,the higher chance thereisoffurther protecting it’

JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

After waitingquietly forseven or eight hours, imaginethe reward of seeinga spiritbear, with itsstunning whitefur bright againstthe lush greenforestlandscape.

Thatwas anot uncommon realityfor Squamish’s Jack Plant, aBritish wildlifeand culturephotographer, conservationist,and author whospent adecadeinB.C.’sGreat Bear Rainforest.

Themostlyprotected rainforest encompasses 6.4millionhectaresofancient forestsand critical wildlife habitatonB.C.’snorth andcentral coast.

Planthas turned what he sawand learnedin therainforestintoahardcover coffee tablebook, titled“Spirit of theGreat Bear,” publishedby Figure 1.

It features 90 of themostimpactful images he captured of thespirit, or Kermodebear, as well as grizzlyand blackbears,wolves, orcas, and humpback whales.

TheSquamishChief satdownwithPlant fora wide-ranging discussion abouthis book,ethical photographyand more.

Whatfollows is an edited versionofthat conversation.

Q: With your interest in photography, wasthat something wherethiswas always an interest andyou were carrying around your parents’ camera?

A: No,not at all. IgrewupinEngland,soBBC, DavidAttenboroughdocumentaries werea huge partofmylife.

My dad’sCanadian, so Ialwayshad alittle draw to Canada.

When Iwas in England, Iwas studying animalsatcollege,and Iwatched aNational Geographic documentaryabout spirit bears. That wasby Paul Nicklen, [renownedCanadian photographer,filmmaker andmarinebiologist], whodid aforewordtomy book,and so Ijust manifested it,Ithink.Iwas so drawntoit, and then Ieventuallyended up travelling to the rainforest in Canadaand spentthe next decade there.

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Andthat’swhere Ipickedupa camera. Iwas only therefor thewildernessand nature,and then my friend droppeda camera in my hand oneday,and he said,“Just give it ashot.”I never looked back—and spentlotsofmoney on camera gear sincethen.

Q: Andhow full circle youhavecometohave Nicklenwrite theforward to your book. What is that like?

A: Yeah,it’sabig deal.It’ssomething that I’ve neverstopped thanking himfor. Andnot just forthe forward. We met by chance in themiddleofnowhere,inthe rainforest,inabay whereIdon’t usuallysee anyone.So, bumpingintosomeone whowas oneofmyidols wasstrange andfun. Buthereallybrought me into hisworld and took me underhis wing alittlebit.And Imet lotsofreallygood friendsthrough him. He definitely changedmyperspective on photographyand storytelling andart.

Q: Howso?

A: With photography, forme, [atfirst]itwas just takingphotosand gettinggoodshots:just enjoying even gettinga photoofabearand gettingclose up to them. But he made me realizehow artistic youcan beinpulling back andlooking forsymmetry andpatternsand drawingemotion through that.Hecalls himselfanartistand Inever reallyconsideredmyself, in termsofphotography, anartist untilhebrought me in.He thinks Ihavewhateveryou have that makes photography more art. He kind of opened my eyes to that.

Q: Canyou tell me abit more abouthow you were able to capturespiritbears?There are onlyabout 100ofthem, right?

treesandinthe trails andthingslikethat. Most of ourtimewas spentlooking forthem.

Q: Oneofthe issues that Squamish hasreally seen is sort of theInstagramificationof wildlife andnatureand more concern. Can youspeak to theethical side of wildlife photographythatyou used andlearned?

A: Idon’t really take photos outsideofthe rainforest,atleast wildlife-wise. Habituating animalsissomething that youdon’t particularlywanttodo, especially wherebears are more pronetobeing hunted or finding food in townsand then gettingshotbecause they becomeaproblem bear.Soout there, in the GreatBearRainforest, Ihavelessconcernof habituatingbears becausethey’re protected. There’salsonot really many otherpeople there, andthere’s no onewho really knows howtoget to whereIam. My book doesn’ttell anyone exactlywhere Iwas.

With eco-tourism, sometimesyou push abear offthe riverorsomething,and that’s whereit couldeat,oryou just spooka bear or whatever, andit’snever agoodthing.However,the big argument is that tourismisbringinginmore dollarsthanhunting.

Becauseeveryonewants to thinkmonetarily when it comestothiskindofthing,bears are worthmorealive than they aredead. And that’s howtheyput an endtothe grizzlyhunt in B.C.

So it’s kind of like that wholething—you have to make an impact to make an impact.Soit’s notall amazingand incredible.I’m notgoing to preach that I’mnot causinganimpactin some waybytakingthe photos,but Ithink we didaprettygoodjob of minimizing it.

A: Ithink even 100isconservative, butit’snot like they’reendangered. There’snever that many of them.Interms of capturingthem, it was spendingalot of time outthere andlearning from thepeoplewho live there—the Indigenous people—where to go.Andthen, alsothrough tourismaswell. Part of my job wastotakepeopleout andlookfor spirit bears. So,mostofmytimewas either spentbyrivers whereweknewthatwe mightsee oneor lookingfor newareas in whichwemight find them.And that included things like looking fortracksand signs—if it’s awhite bear by lookingfor whitehairs in theforestandthe

Habituationisa bigdeal, andI don’tparticularlyliketogolooking forbears,and Idon’t advise anyone else does either,especially around Squamish.Wewanttoco-existwith them.

Q: What do youhopefolks take away from your book?

A: Iwanttoinspire thepeople. That wouldbe amazing, even if it wasjustone kidwho reads it andtakes acameraand goes andtakesa similaradventure—inarainforestor somewhereelse. Butthe biggestdealfor me is howmanypeopleyou cantalktoinB.C.who have neverevenheard of theGreat Bear

BOOK: Continuedon19

BOOK: Continued from 18

Rainforest. Canadians.

I hada U.S. publisher turn me down because they had neverheard of Spirit Bears. It’s 6.4 millionhectares of insane wilderness sitting up at the tophere, and you guys have neverheard of it? So there’s not that many books, if any, like this on the Great Bear Rainforest, so I would love for more people to know about it, because the more people that know about it, the higher chance there is of further protecting it.

Q: What did you learn about yourself through your time in the Great Bear Rainforest?

A:I spent my whole 20s there, so I’m sure it changed me in a lot of ways.I think I’m really patient. You haven’t gota choice if you’re out there and you’re trying to see grizzlies, bears, whales Sometimes, you sit there for seven or eight hours, and you’ve got nothing but a coffee and the river and maybe salmon, and you just learn to be very grateful for where you are. You realize you’re in one of the coolest places on Earth. I’ve also made incredible friends and mentors through this, andI think I have a lot more passion for the natural world—concern.

Q: Younote your concern for the environment.

I’ve talked to some conservationists who are very anxious, and then others who are more hopeful. Where do you fall on that continuum?

A: Depends on which dayI wake up Talking about the rainforest, being surrounded with people who care that much, like Paul and Cristina Mittermeier, his wife, who’s also an incredible photographer, and all the people who you meet through this, people who visit

the rainforest or people who you meet elsewhere who are all in that same mindset. They’re using their tools whether it’s photography or journalism, or art—my friend from Spain is anartist—everyone’s using their tools, and you’re just surrounded by more like-minded people. So, I’m hopeful, really. But if we don’t do something soon, not just about the rainforest, but about our planet, then—we’ve got to figure this out.

There will be a free exhibition “Spirit of the Great Bear Exhibition & Book Signing with photographer” on June 3, at 7 p.m. at the Brackendale Art Gallery: Café & Culture Centre. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

“Spirit of the Great Bear,” is available for purchase at Smoke Bluff Coffee House. It will also be available at the event at The BAG and online from his publisher and other retailers.

the ability to access the facilities year-round.”

Coun John French voiced support for the move to take cost recovery to 30%.

“I think that figure of 30% is reasonable and justifiable, andobviously, 5% better budget scenario for the District of Squamish,” he said

Mayor Armand Hurford spoke to the challenge of comparing Squamish to other communities.

“WhenI think about conversations I’ve heard out of Metro Vancouver and just how that sort of ecosystem works… the turf fields in West Vancouver are… supported by paid parking as well, on top of the user fees,” he said.

“I’m sure there’s other layers to this to really understand the comparables. ButI do think it’s an important discussion and 25-30% sort of zone that we live in for how much the folks using our rec services are contributing to the delivery of that,I think is something that we need to keep in mind as an organization.”

Coun. Jenna Stoner noted that the issue goes deeper than just fees.

“I think this is an interesting piece of the work that we do and one that really pulls at the values of our community because recreation really is the core of what connects our community, makes us healthy and supports so many community organizations,” she said.

“We’ve already made the decision to increase our fees over thenext few years to get to that 30% cost recovery, which I think is fair and reasonable ButI think really going anything above thatat this time would be difficult to do.I think given the quality of the facilities that we have, the challenges that people have with accessibility of the facilities and the demand So I think as we continue to invest in our facilities and they get better over time, then we can probably justify increasing those fees more,” she added.

“But I think it’s also important for our community to recognize that even though our facilities are aging, it still costsa lot of money to operate them, and those costs aren’t going down anytime soon.”

Whetheryouarelookingtoadopt anewfurry friendintoyourfamilyorwouldliketoknowmore about how youcanmakedifferenceforanimalsin ourcommunity, weareheretohelp.TheBCSPCAis anot-forprofitorganizationwhichreliesprimarily on communitydonationsto helpanimalsinneed. Pleasejoinusinthefightagainstanimal cruelty!

To view moreofour adorablepetsup foradoption, please visit petfinder.com Squamish SPCA •604.898.9890

PHOTO BY JACK PLANT

Jack Plant’s photos more than capturea moment, as the photographer puts an artistic lens on his images.

FEE HIKES: Continued from 17

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