HEATHER LANDS MST Nations Membership Newsletter Summer 2021 WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE The Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation (MST Partnership) have come together in partnership to celebrate their cultural and family connections, and to reflect their tradition of working together collaboratively to benefit their people. The MST Partnership and Canada Lands Company (CLC) entered into an historic joint venture in 2014. Together, we are working on the redevelopment of two significant parcels of land in Vancouver to bring new opportunities to these lands. We are pleased to provide regular updates regarding the Heather Lands and ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands for Members of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Heather Lands rezoning plan CIP is the professional association for recognized for excellence planners in Canada, and PIBC is the ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/ professional association for planners in We are delighted that the rezoning plan Jericho Lands BC and the Yukon. for the Heather Lands has been selected ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands is for two prestigious awards! We express our appreciation to a 90-acre site located in Vancouver’s Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh West Point Grey neighbourhood and is The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) Nations’ community members who have bound by West 4th Avenue, Highbury selected Heather Lands for the 2021 Award shared their stories and knowledge with Street, West 8th Avenue, and West for Planning Excellence in the Planning us as we worked collectively to develop for Reconciliation category. The award Point Grey Park. the plan. We also extend our heartfelt recognizes extensive engagement with gratitude to Charleen Grant, Sxeláltenaat- Heather Lands MST community members and Cultural Adrienne Charlie and Whonoak-Dennis Liaisons resulting in an inspiring example Located on 21 acres in the Cambie Thomas, our project Cultural Liaisons, of co-creation between Indigenous Corridor, the Heather Lands is who provided valuable cultural guidance. and non-Indigenous governments, and designed to be χews tə n̓a xʷəlməxʷ Congratulations also to the talented team ̓ ̓ developers. The project was also selected ̓ a new of architects, landscape architects and /X̱aws̓ Uxwumixw/ for a gold award by the Planning Institute neighbourhood, with about 2,600 others at DIALOG, who offered top-notch of British Columbia (PIBC) in the category design expertise for the Heather Lands. homes, shops, parks, a daycare and of ‘Excellence in Planning Practice - City & an MST Cultural Centre. Urban Areas’! The detailed rezoning application for the Heather Lands was submitted to the City of Vancouver in October 2020. We anticipate that Vancouver City Council W 4th Ave ʔəy�alməxʷ/Iyálmexw/� will be asked to consider a rezoning Jericho Lands recommendation in late 2021. All things W 16th Ave moving smoothly, the rezoning process Vancouver for the first phase of the project should W 33rd Ave Heather be complete in mid-2023. Lands Artist renderings of what the Heather Lands could look like in the future. (Artist: Matthew Thomson) HEATHER LANDS TIMELINE WE ARE HERE May 2018 October 2020 Fall 2020–2021 Late 2021 Late 2022 2023–2027 Heather Lands Submission Technical review Public hearing and City Enactment of Phased build policy statement of rezoning of rezoning of Vancouver council new zoning out unanimously application application conditional approval approved Vancouver City Council endorses draft Guiding Principles and Emerging Ideas for ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands On June 23, 2021, Vancouver City leadership role that the Nations play as Council in June. It summarizes the Council endorsed the draft Guiding stewards of the lands and in setting a City’s engagement process (including a Principles and Emerging Ideas for global precedent for reconciliation and series of Interactive Design Workshops the development of ʔəy̓alməxʷ/ contemporary Indigenous development. in April 2021), what was heard, and Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands. These presents the draft Guiding Principles elements are important building blocks We are pleased that City staff and and Emerging Ideas. that contribute to the development those who participated in the of a Jericho Lands Policy Statement, engagement recognize the importance The draft Guiding Principles and which will guide future development of the ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Emerging Ideas start on page 10: of the site. It is anticipated that the Lands as a site of reconciliation and council.vancouver.ca/20210623/ Policy Statement will be presented to future prosperity for the Musqueam, documents/pspc1.pdf Vancouver City Council in spring 2022 Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. for their consideration. The development of the site will also support opportunities for education, Natural systems and inclusive Input from MST Nations’ community training and employment for Nations’ neighbourhoods are two key themes members received by the Jericho community members. that will guide the planning and design Lands planning team was instrumental of the future neighbourhood. in developing the Guiding Principles You can read the City of Vancouver and Emerging Ideas and reflects the staff report that was presented to JERICHO LANDS TIMELINE WE ARE HERE March 2019 2019–2021 Spring 2022 2022 2025 20–30 years Policy statement Policy statement City of Vancouver Rezoning process Rezoning decision Phased build launch development council consideration begins out of policy statement JERICHO MASTER PLANNING TEAM SPOTLIGHT: ALFRED V. WAUGH We are fortunate to have strong leadership from MST, CLC and consultants working hard to turn the aspirations for the Heather Lands and Jericho Lands into reality. In the fall 2020 issue, we introduced the Heather Lands design team led by DIALOG and the Jericho Lands team led by Urban Strategies Inc. In this issue, we’re featuring Alfred V. Waugh, the principal of Formline Architecture, an award-winning Indigenous design firm specializing in environmentally responsible and culturally sensitive projects. Formline is part of the master planning team for the Jericho Lands. Alfred’s mother was part of the Fond- architects in Canada, he recognizes that du-Lac tribe in Northern Saskatchewan. this site can be a game changer. His desire to combine his Indigenous roots with architecture pushes him to create projects that pay great attention The Jericho Lands project to environmental sustainability and is a tremendous opportunity to Indigenous culture. He focuses on bring two worlds together. The MST elements such as the direction and flow and Canada Lands is a very unique of light and the significance of certain partnership, very innovative and building materials. Alfred and his team challenging. I think that if we can place great emphasis on engagement work together and come up with with local Indigenous communities, some guiding principles, this can and regularly seek out local traditional be a model for other large-scale artists whose various art forms can be developments across Canada. And included within their designs. Growing up as a young Indigenous that’s my dream. My aspiration is boy near Yellowknife River, Alfred “My ultimate goal is to try to do to shift the paradigm of how we Waugh never thought he would become something that resonates with people approach development and bring an architect. and gives meaning and soul”, said different worlds together.” It was his professors at the University Alfred. “If people connect to that space, In addition to the Jericho Lands, Alfred of Lethbridge, where Alfred was in a subconsciously, they feel comfortable, is currently working on the Saskatoon pre-engineering program, who noticed they feel safe. It gives them a sense of library, as well as a cultural center in his eye for design and urged him to pride. So, I do whatever I can to provide Nova Scotia for the Mi’kmaq people. follow the path of architecture instead. environments that make people feel Recently, Alfred was featured on Alfred took their suggestion to heart, grounded, feel safe, feel like someone’s Maclean's magazine's Power List, which and enrolled in University of British paying attention to who they are.” celebrates 50 notable Canadians. Columbia’s School of Architecture, where Alfred is a design consultant for the he became the first Indigenous student Continued on the next page Jericho Lands master planning team. As to complete the program, graduating one of the few registered First Nations with honours. His notable past projects include the First Peoples House at University of Victoria, the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, and the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Center at the University of British Columbia. The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, designed by Formline Architecture. ENGAGING WITH YOU Over the past few months, we have May 12 – Musqueam Knowledge Keeper June 24 – Two Squamish Youth held some fantastic engagement Session #1 Engagement Sessions (K, grades 1-2) events and gathered knowledge May 27 – Tsleil-Waututh Elder July 6 – Squamish Nation General and input from Nations’ community Engagement Session #1 Community Engagement members through the following June 9 sessions: – Squamish tel tel numutcht Thank you to all who have participated Presentation March 3 – Squamish Knowledge Keeper in our engagement events to date. Session #1 June 17 – Knowledge Keeper and Additional sessions are being planned Cultural Liaison Site Visit for later