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Letter: Squamish much more than a 'hip place to be'

Helmut Manzal’s recent editorial piece wherein he sought the opinion of the developer Doug Day regarding the over-heated Squamish housing market left me dumbfounded. Mr.
Squamish has always been a community sought out by outdoor enthusiasts, says writer

Helmut Manzal’s recent editorial piece wherein he sought the opinion of the developer Doug Day regarding the over-heated Squamish housing market left me dumbfounded.

Mr. Day describes Squamish as once having the reputation as the “armpit of the earth.” He modifies that outlandish and offensive statement by stating that “it is now the hip place to be and you no longer have to make apologies for living in Squamish.” 

Mr. Day is wrong on both accounts. Before Squamish was discovered by the outdoor recreation crowd and before the decline of the industrial employers, this was an idyllic community. It was a tight knit, community-centered and independent place that everyone who lived here was proud to call home. With the ascendancy of Whistler and the decline of forestry and railway, Squamish indeed went through some difficult days where it had a reputation as not much more than a “pit stop on the way to Whistler,” but that was only amongst those who knew nothing about the place. 

For rock climbers, Squamish has been the Canadian epicentre of their sport for over 40 years. For bikers, paddlers, wind-sport aficionados, trail runners, hikers, in fact anybody with an interest in the outdoors, Squamish has been the place to be for the past 20 years. When I visit other outdoor-oriented communities and say I’m from Squamish, the typical response is one of envy. Apologizing for where I live has never remotely crossed my mind.

To call Squamish the “hip place to be” also demonstrates an ignorance of what draws people to this area unless nature, recreation and quality of life somehow equate with being “hip.” I don’t think so. 

Jim Harvey

Squamish