Skwxwú7mesh Nation still owns the New Brighton Dock on Gambier Island and does “not yet” have a mandate to get rid of it, according to Squamish Nation Coun. and spokesperson Chris Lewis, Syeta'xtn.
Lewis said in a written statement to Coast Reporter, the nation is “continuing to explore our available options for consideration by Squamish Nation Council in the near future.”
The statement comes after the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) received a letter from the Gambier Island Local Trust Committee claiming the nation is “now selling the facility,” and asking the district to “take active steps to support the community,” including providing “advice in dock management expertise, development of a service function that includes the New Brighton dock, and engagement with the Squamish Nation in support of maintaining the public dock.”
At the Sept. 10 SCRD planning committee where the letter was discussed, chair Lori Pratt said the nation had “indicated that they might be interested in letting [the dock] go.” However, in a statement to Coast Reporter, Lewis said: “Council has not yet provided a mandate to dispose of the dock.”
Transport Canada transferred ownership of the property to a subsidiary company of Skwxwú7mesh Nation in 2013. As part of the transfer, Transport Canada agreed to provide funding to the nation to operate and maintain the facility for five years. Transport Canada granted a request from the nation for an extension to May 2019.
In 2001 the federal government relinquished its water lot tenure for the facility to the province and Lewis said the nation is also in the process of “obtaining a provincial water lot tenure for the dock.”
At the Sept. 10 meeting Pratt acknowledged Gambier Islanders are experiencing “a high level of anxiety” about the future of the dock.
The SCRD will be meeting with the Gambier Island Local Trust Committee on Oct. 1 to discuss the matter further.
The SCRD maintains four other ports on Gambier Island and nine in total, with a total 2020 budget of $938,500.
The New Brighton dock serves as the main transportation hub for Gambier Islanders through a BC Ferries-contracted water taxi that conveys thousands of foot passengers a year between the island and the terminal at Langdale.
New Brighton is “by far the busiest of the island docks” in Howe Sound aside from Bowen Island’s Snug Cove BC Ferries terminal, according to a Gambier Island Community Association fact sheet. The publicly accessible dock also has boat births, is accessible to float planes, and serves as a primary access point for delivering construction materials.
