Gibsons resident Margo Grant presented Gibsons council with a proposal to have the town declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“World Heritage Sites can qualify for money from UNESCO and could get management support,” Grant said in her presentation on July 7. “But the biggest benefit for Gibsons would be increased tourism. People from all over the world make a point of visiting World Heritage Sites, and this one is close to Vancouver.”
Canada has 17 UNESCO sites, which are mostly national parks, although Old Montreal, the Rideau Canal and a whaling station in Newfoundland are included on that list.
But B.C. only has one: SGang Gwaay, a small island off the west coast of Haida Gwaii. SGang Gwaay received World Heritage Site status because of the remains of cedar longhouses, a carved mortuary and memorial poles that illustrate the Haida people’s art and way of life.
UNESCO has a list of 10 criteria that qualify a place as a World Heritage Site, but only one criterion needs to be met. Grant’s presentation identified several that allow Gibsons to qualify.
“This part of the territory of the Squamish Nation plays a vital role in their history and mythology,” Grant said. “The Gibsons Museum and Archives has a collection of First Nations stone tools dating back 10,000 years.”
In addition to the historical relevance of Gibsons to the Squamish Nation, the town also has a rich history of early pioneers on the West Coast. St. Bart’s is a 120-year-old chapel, the Heritage Playhouse was once the Women’s Institute Hall, and the heritage school building is another example of surviving architecture from early pioneering days.
Grant also highlighted the Gibsons Aquifer as a unique facet of the town that qualifies it as a World Heritage Site, among other town treasures.
The next step would be for the Town to apply for World Heritage Site status from the federal government. If Ottawa approves the request, the application will be sent on to UNESCO.
