It’s time to decide what Squamish is, so we can make the dream come true together.
Squamish is one of the most stunning places on Earth, a rare location where the mountains meet the ocean, where a valley is so closely hugged by mountains that everyone in town has spectacular views. It’s one of the top 52 places on the planet this year, according to the New York Times, but it’s a secret we all are a little reluctant to share.
Recently, after a report painting Squamish as a bedroom community of Vancouver, I tweeted that Squamish is so much more. “Shhhhhh” came the reply from a Squamish resident, and I understood what she meant. Let’s keep our little secret.
Perhaps that’s also why Mayor Patricia Heintzman held back in her recent media interviews when asked to comment on Squamish being chosen as one of the top destinations in the world. Typically a municipal leader will gloat happily when being asked: Why is your community so great? However, she seemed reticent to promote Squamish as the dream place that everyone should visit. In other words: “Shhhhhh.”
Do most people in Squamish perceive the town as a dream destination that should be kept a little quiet, in case tourism overwhelms it and makes us its slave? Should the municipality be pursuing industry, inviting entrepreneurship or promoting paradise?
How we perceive Squamish, as a working town, haven for innovative growth or a hidden idyll, is vital to its future. Do we see tankers plying Howe Sound or paddle-boarders riding the soft waves, as seals splash nearby?
Our perception will become our new reality. If you see yourself as successful, beautiful and wealthy, others will more likely perceive you the same way – and you will more likely become what you envision for yourself.
This is a turning point in Squamish’s history, a time of rapid growth when decisions must be made on how to move forward from the heyday of logging to a more diverse future. How do we move forward? What do we really want? The mayor has asked for engagement, for public discourse. Interest in this town is piquing. If there is a vision, Squamish can be the place of our collective dreams.
What is that place?
– Christine Endicott
