The District of Squamish is developing an ecosystem-based channel maintenance, dredging and funding strategy to support ongoing navigational safety, accessibility, habitat and coastal protection and restoration, and community, cultural and regional economic vitality of the marine/gateway area of the Mamquam Blind Channel (MBC).

For background information, please see the project page.

Community Engagement - Call for public comment on Discussion Draft Fall 2023

Early stages of the project engaged governmental agencies, as well as a focused community Working Group, including representatives from the community to review technical information and provide perspectives and knowledge as well as initial comment on local challenges, priorities for navigation access and channel maintenance. Early findings and input on channel maintenance have been presented in a draft strategy document below:

View the Draft Strategy Discussion Draft document (July 2023)

Public comment is being sought on channel maintenance activities and community-based funding considerations going forward. Specifically, 

Study Area: The MBC is a designated navigable waterway regulated under the Canadian Navigable Waters Protection Act (CNWA). The study area for the  strategy was established with the objective of prioritizing and focusing on navigational safety within the most actively used reaches of the channel. The study area spans from the CN Rail and Highway 99 bridge crossings in the north (beyond the rail bridge the channel is a non-scheduled waterway under the CNWA) to the southern tip of the Oceanfront where the channel opens up to the Howe Sound.

A Community Working