With apologies to the authors, here is a slightly tweaked version of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' classic slogan: "A spectre is haunting Squamish - the spectre of gentrification." And inevitably there will be winners and losers.
The customary gentrification markers are easy to spot, starting with unprecedented price spikes in the real estate and rental accommodation marketplace. Online pundits have lit up social media with heated discussions about buccaneer land developers, house flipping carpet baggers and opportunistic landlords who boot out their tenants for a quick infusion of Airbnb lucre.
In a recent e-mail exchange, former Squamish mayor and long-serving municipal councillor Corinne Lonsdale said what she finds most discouraging is the large number of seniors who are leaving town.
“Our community, the one they helped build, has not only become unaffordable to many of them but fails to provide choices in housing,” she said.
One of the hallmarks of gentrification in Squamish is the leveraging of the natural environment and outdoor recreation lifestyle by large-scale commercial operations, abetted by the “Hardwired for Adventure” branding tagline.
The Sea to Sky Gondola, which is now the top private sector employer in town, is leading the way and the long awaited Granville Island-themed Newport Beach development is finally at the spades in the ground stage. Other ventures are on the drawing board, including the Klahanie five-star hotel, restaurant and spa complex, the Garibaldi at Squamish four season destination resort and the Great Wolf Lodge water theme park.
Where Quest University fits into this gentrification rubric is open for debate. Since its inception nine years ago, despite a sticker-shock inducing annual tuition fee in the vicinity of $30,000 per student, enrollment at that avant-garde institution increased from 73 to 700 students. With over 100 staff on its payroll, Quest has also become a significant employment engine.
By way of contrast, over the past three years, Capilano University officials have axed a host of programs in Squamish, including adult basic education classes.
So far this year nearly 300 new business licences have been issued by the District of Squamish. Small-scale manufacturers, craft breweries, trendy eateries, yoga/fitness studios and knowledge-based industries are multiplying in what has become fertile start-up soil. And at least half a dozen new canine service providers have set up shop, including doggie daycare and adventure hiking operations.
Last year nearly two-thirds of business owners interviewed by the District indicated they were ready to hire more full-time workers in the next three years. The downside is that many employers said recruiting staff was the biggest challenge they faced.
Whatever spin we put on the situation, gentrification in its various permutations has arrived in Squamish and, with each passing day, it is gaining more traction.
