Squamish Marine Access Review

The District of Squamish is conducting a Downtown Marine Access Review to assess community ocean access needs, coordinate marine access areas and infrastructure, and improve ocean access for all marine users.

Advancing actions in the 2018 Marine Action Strategy, the review aims to:

• Create a unified map of marine access points in Squamish, as well as marine areas of cultural, ecological, social, and economic importance
• Assess ocean access needs, challenges, and opportunities in Squamish for all marine users
• Examine boat launching needs and options within the community
• Develop recommendations for Council to improve ocean access, funding, and management

Working with the community, we want to ensure an inclusive, accessible, safe, healthy, vibrant and working waterfront for all.

Let us know what is important to you:

• Take the Marine Access Survey(s) (Surveys now closed. They were open February 17-March 13, 2022)
• Mark the Marine Access Map below to indicate the marine areas that are most important to you (Map now closed. It was open from February 17-March 27, 2022)
• Join us at a Waterfront Pop Up and Community Open House (March-April 2022)
• Comment on draft priorities and marine access recommendations (April-May 2022)

Click here for a map of the core downtown area included in this review. The downtown core marine access review area includes community water access points and infrastructure (existing, interim, planned future) within the Mamquam Blind Channel (upper, mid and lower reaches), and Cattermole Slough (East of Third Avenue).

As part of this process, we have engaged to hear from:

• Community members and visitors to the marine environment
• Outdoor recreationalists
• Community organizations
• Businesses
• Land owners and marine tenure holders
• Commercial and industrial operators
• Government agencies, regulators, and public safety staff
• Marine researchers, educators and citizen scientists

In Spring 2022, staff reviewed and considered the responses from the surveys, marine access mapping tool, and conversations at the community pop-ups. A summary of what we heard and initial directions and recommendations were presented to Council on April 12, 2022. View the Staff Report and Engagement Summary here.

The community insights and priorities identified during this process will inform the recommendations for Council for both short-term and long-term marine access planning. This work will be continuing through the winter and staff expect to bring back an update and recommendations to the District's new Council in early 2023.