Squamish, British Columbia

The Squamish people are an indigenous people whose homeland includes the present day area of Squamish, British Columbia. They have inhabited an area of southwestern British Columbia that includes North and West Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler, the areas surrounding the tributaries entering Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. The word Squamish derives from the name of the people which in their language is Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. The people reside primarily on a number of Indian Reserves owned and managed by the Squamish Nation in the Squamish Valley area. A few places and names in the Squamish area derive from Squamish language words and names. Ch’iyáḵmesh is the name of an old village that was located on the Cheakamus River. St’á7mes is a community located near the south entrance to the town of Squamish, which lies below the Stawamus Chief, which gets its name from that village. Mámx̱wem is where the Mamquam River name comes from as well.

Squamish territory comprises 6,732 km², though lands controlled by the Squamish Nation band government are relatively scarce, and on Indian reserves only, though the Squamish Nation must be, like other native governments, consulted on developments within their people's territory. Residents of Indian Reserves are not governed by the District of Squamish but by the Squamish Nation. The Squamish Nation's population and Indian Reserves also include villages in North Vancouver and a number of other reserves at Gibsons and elsewhere in the general region.

The name Keh Kait was the traditional name for the site of downtown Squamish.[6]

The Stawamus Chief

Squamish and the Squamish Valley from the summit of the Chief

Attractions include the Stawamus Chief, a huge cliff-faced granite massif favoured by rock climbers. As well as over 300 climbing routes on the Chief proper, a majority of which require traditional climbing protection, there are steep hiking trails around the back to access the three peaks that make up the massif, all giving views of Howe Sound and the surrounding Coast Mountains. In all, between Shannon Falls, Murrin Park, The Malamute, and the Little Smoke Bluffs, there are over 1200 rock-climbing routes in the Squamish area (and another 300 or so climbs north of Squamish on the road to Whistler). In recent years, Squamish has also become a major destination for bouldering, with over 2500 problems described in the local guidebook.[7]

Kiteboarding and windsurfing are popular water sports in Squamish during the summer. Predictable wind on warm sunny days makes the Squamish Spit a top kiteboarding location in western Canada.[8]

Squamish's extensive quality trail system is a key feature of an annual 50-mile ultra trail run, the Squamish 50. Solo runners and relay teams run on many of the same trails as the Test of Metal, and pass through Alice Lake Provincial Park and the campus of Quest University. "The Double" is an award offered annually to the participant with the fastest combined time for both the Test of Metal and Arc'teryx Squamish 50.[9][10]

Other tourist attractions in Squamish include Shannon Falls waterfall; river-rafting on the Elaho and Squamish rivers; snowmobiling on nearby Brohm Ridge; and bald eagle viewing in the community of Brackendale, which has one of North America's largest populations of bald eagles.[11] Squamish is also a popular destination among Greater Vancouver hikers, mountaineers and backcountry skiers, who visit the large provincial parks in the surrounding Coast Mountains.

The current mayor of Squamish is Karen Elliott, who won the 2018 election after having served as a council member. Previous mayors have included Patricia Heintzman(2014-2018); Rob Kirkham (2011-2014); Greg Gardner (2008-2011); Ian Sutherland (2002–2008) among others. Current council members are Eric Andersen, John French, Doug Race, Armand Hurford, Chris Pettingill, and Jenna Stoner.[12] The municipality is part of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

On the provincial level, Squamish is in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky electoral district. The MLA is Jordan Sturdy (BC Liberal). He was elected in the 2013 provincial election after his predecessor, Joan McIntyre, also of the British Columbia Liberal Party, retired from politics. Sturdy was the sitting mayor of the town of Pemberton at the time of his election to the British Columbia Legislature. He was re-elected in the 2017 provincial election and appointed the critic for Transportation and Infrastructure.[13]

Federally, Squamish is a part of the West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country electoral district. It is represented by Pamela Goldsmith-Jones of the Liberal Party, who took office after Canada's 2015 federal election.

Squamish has five English public elementary schools: Brackendale Elementary, Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, Mamquam Elementary, Squamish Elementary, and Valleycliffe Elementary. Under the Sea to Sky Learning Connections, the public schools district also manages Sea to Sky Online, Sea to Sky Alternative, Cultural Journeys, and Learning Expeditions. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone primary school in that city: the école Les Aiglons.[14] There are two public secondary schools – Howe Sound Secondary School and Don Ross Secondary School – as well as the board office for School District 48 Howe Sound.

Squamish hosts three private schools: Squamish Montessori Elementary School, Cedar Valley Waldorf School, and Coast Mountain Academy for grades 7 through 12. Coast Mountain Academy is located in the campus of Quest University.

Capilano University offers post-secondary education through its Squamish campus, including diploma programs and university transfer courses. Quest University, which opened in September 2007, is Canada's first private, non-profit, secular university.[15]

A panorama from the summit of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish

Squamish is home to a variety of faiths. There are eleven churches and religious organizations, including several Christian denominations, as well as the Bahá'í Faith, and a Sikh temple.

The Squamish Public Library is located in the downtown area on Second Avenue. The library houses a collection of books, CDs,DVDs, and magazines. It has an Art for Loan collection and an online historical archive of various photographs, periodicals, and other items. Nearby museums include the Britannia Mine Museum and the West Coast Railway Association.

In 1998, Squamish was briefly the home of the world's first unionized McDonald's franchise, although the union was decertified by the summer of 1999.[16]

Every year, Squamish hosts the popular Squamish Valley Music Festival, though they did not proceed with the festival in 2016.[17] Usually taking place in August, the festival has hosted artists such as Eminem, Bruno Mars, Macklemore and Arcade Fire.

Squamish has been a filming location for a number of media works. Examples include the films Insomnia (2002 film), Walking Tall (2004 film), Chaos Theory (2008), Star Trek Beyond (2016), the television series Men In Trees, The Guard, A&E's U.S. adaptation of The Returned, the Hallmark Channel's Aurora Teagarden mysteries, and Netflix's Lost in Space reboot.

Squamish is one of the wettest inhabited locations in Canada, with over 2,200 millimetres (87 in) of rainfall per year, often falling in long stretches through the winter.

Carbon Engineering, a company focusing on the commercialization of direct air capture technology, is headquartered in Squamish.[22][23]

Public transportation is provided by the Squamish Transit System; this service is free over the summer to students at school age (elementary and secondary).

Daily bus service to Vancouver and YVR Vancouver Airport is provided by YVR Skylynx with multiple departures every day.

Neighbourhoods of Squamish include:

• Brackendale
• Valleycliffe
• Downtown Squamish
• Dentville
• Northyards
• Garibaldi Highlands
• Garibaldi Estates

• Sarah Burke, freestyle skier; resided in Squamish
• Mike Carney, realtor; a former ski racer who had been a member of the Canadian Olympic downhill ski team;[24]
• Daniel Cudmore, actor
• Joe Eppele, football player; drafted by Toronto Argonauts in 2010 as an offensive linesman
• Grimes, musician; lived in Squamish while recording her fourth studio album, Art Angels.[25]
• Maëlle Ricker, Olympian; Canadian Olympic gold medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games in the Snowboard Cross
• Mike Sweeney, soccer player; competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics with Team Canada
• Toby Levins, actor; resides in Squamish, starred in The 100, Get Shorty (season 2), multiple Hallmark productions

Squamish has a sister city arrangement with the following city:

• Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan[26]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Squamish, British Columbia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Squamish.

• District of Squamish
• Tourism Squamish