Census numbers show 53 per cent of Squamish residents commute more than 15 minutes to get to work, suggesting many people in the community work out of town.
While the 15-minute mark isn’t definitive, Google Maps shows that it takes that amount of time to travel throughout the entire town via car, starting from the Sea to Sky Gondola all the way up to Alice Lake.
It’s a finding that will likely be of interest to many, as it’s become a common sentiment that Squamish is turning into a bedroom community.
Statistics Canada previously released numbers that indicated how many people in town are employed and what sectors they are employed in.
However, it didn’t detail how many of those jobs were in Squamish.
One possible way to measure this is by taking a look at how many people commute to work. People who have to commute for longer periods likely work out of town.
The survey found that 9,620 people in the District of Squamish commute to work. This includes people who go to a fixed destination every day and those who travel to a different worksite each time.
About 4,500 people travel less than 15 minutes to work. Due to the short travel time, It’s likely that these workers have jobs in town.
Roughly 1,420 people travel between 15 to 29 minutes to get to work, while 740 travel half an hour to 44 minutes.
It was reported that 1,475 people travel 45 to 59 minutes, and 1,485 travelled an hour or more. It’s plausible that these workers have jobs in either Whistler or Vancouver, as that’s roughly the time it takes to get to either of those places.
Roughly 1,330 people don’t commute to work, but reported working at home.
Sixty-five people said they work outside of Canada.
Squamish’s workforce consists of roughly more than 11,600 people.
The vast majority of Squamish’s workforce gets to work by driving or riding in a car, truck or van — about 8,200 of the 9,620 people who commute.
The census said 255 people take public transit.
Everyone else walks, bikes or uses an “other” method to arrive at the job.
