This town is busting out in every direction.
Squamish is becoming one of the fastest growing communities in the province. New commercial and residential developments are sprouting up from one end of the valley to the other. More are in the works. Celebratory events of every description are drawing record crowds. Now in its fifth year, the Squamish Valley Music Festival has been recognized as Western Canada’s premier outdoor summer bash. In four short months, the Sea to Sky Gondola has already become a tourist magnet, garnering international attention. After a decade of indecision and waffling, the long-awaited Oceanfront Development is closer than ever to the spades-in-the-ground stage.
So what triggered this sudden eruption of activity?
Better marketing of our assets and a more proactive business environment have certainly accelerated change. As well, one of the best educated and talented demographics in the province is leading the local economy into uncharted territory.
But the major factor has been the Sea to Sky Highway upgrade.
Between 1998 and 2004 a stretch of road that some drivers referred to as “the Sea to Cemetery Highway” averaged 574 accidents annually. In 2011, a year after the project was completed, there were 124 mishaps. In addition to enhanced safety, the upgrade has made the Sea to Sky Corridor far more accessible by significantly shortening the drive time from the Lower Mainland. The biggest single highway improvement contract in B.C. history turned a thoroughfare that was initially considered a deal breaker by members of the International Olympic Committee into a deal clincher. Never has the adage “build it and they will come” been truer.
Before and even during the Games many local residents wondered why the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee was not offering the self-proclaimed “heart of 2010” the opportunity to fully cash in on this once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza. At the time, all those frustrated Squamish boosters who figured we were getting an Olympic-sized kick in the pants did not foresee the long-term benefits of the transportation enhancements about to be dropped into our lap. These days, Sidney Crosby’s golden goal and Canada’s 14 gold medal haul are fleeting memories. And all those Inukshuk installations are fading reminders of a once glorious sporting experience. Some venues, like the Richmond Olympic Oval, have been converted into community recreation facilities. Others, including the Whistler Sliding Centre, have morphed into tourist attractions.
For Squamish, the revamped Sea to Sky Highway is an Olympic legacy that continues to be a real game changer.
