Dear Squamish People,
Re: Announcing the Attainable Housing Initiative with British Columbia
We’re excited to share some important news with you before it’s made public tomorrow. We want you to hear this directly from us before everyone else in Vancouver and British Columbia learns about it.
As you know, the Squamish Nation have been working together with Canada Lands Company (CLC) and Musqueam Indian Band and Tsleil-Waututh Nation to redevelop the Heather Lands—a 21-acre area in Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor. In 2014, we bought 50% of the land from the federal government, and since then, we’ve been planning the redevelopment with CLC and the City of Vancouver. In 2020, we signed agreements to ensure that the MST Nations will fully own this land forever.
Tomorrow, we will announce a new and exciting partnership with the Province of British Columbia, called the Attainable Housing Initiative. This partnership will help us get funding to develop the land and contribute to addressing the housing crisis for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples. What makes this special is that the idea for this partnership came from us, and the Province was eager to work with us.
The redevelopment of the Heather Lands will bring many opportunities to our people. It will create affordable homes for MST community members, and the construction process will provide jobs, skills training, career development, and revenue to support the continued growth of our community.
The Heather Lands will reflect our culture through the buildings, plants, artwork, water features, and the use of our languages. Once the development is finished, there will also be career opportunities, such as managing the property and running the MST Cultural Centre, which will be a key feature of the site. The income from rents and leases will help our Nations for generations.
Thanks to the Attainable Housing Initiative, we will also invite others to join this community by offering homes at affordable prices.
Look out for more information to be sent to you tomorrow. We look forward to sharing more details about how this initiative will benefit our communities in the coming months.
chet kw’enmantúmi (we thank you),
Nexwsxwníw̓ntm ta Úxwumixw
Squamish Nation Council
