Site Concept

Living With Nature

“How rich the land was is something we want celebrated and brought forward again in a bit more of a modern sense. Living in Vancouver, the world is at your front door. You’ve got the big city, YVR, everything is accessible through your front door. But you go out your back door and you look, and that’s mother nature, your roots where you were connected to. And that’s just something we want celebrated as MST in our cultural design elements.”

– Ts’kanchtn-Calvin Charlie-Dawson, Cultural Liaison, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)

The trees, water, and mountains have taken care of our people for thousands of years. Reciprocity and regenerative ecology—where the land is replenished after it is harvested or disturbed—is a part of our Indigenous laws. We are generational thinkers and we are connected to the land.

Nature has always been held in a place of honour, and will continue to be at ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/ Jericho Lands.

Our people lived with nature—at ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw, we used the sun and wind as part of our livelihoods, to dry fish and pelts. We prioritize being in nature as restorative to our bodies and minds.

• Approximately 20 acres of the 90-acre site is proposed as park space, with an additional approximately 10 acres of open space including sports fields, playgrounds, and natural and forested areas

• Spaces would be designed to enable people to be immersed in the natural world and the seasons, including seeing, hearing, smelling and touching water

• Water, forest, wetland, and meadow would be embedded throughout the neighbourhood

• Walking and bike paths through ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw would include places to pause and enjoy nature along the way

• The orientation of buildings would take advantage of the sun and wind for heating and cooling

• The buildings on the site would be low carbon, with 45-60% made out of wood

Water as Life Giver

“This development will make opportunities to reveal all of these waters, whether it’s ponds, or fountains, whether it’s just healing yourself or mindfulness. Water is central in all of our origin stories. All the stories that we tell, water is a central part of this. It’s where we come for welcome, and it’s where we arrive. It tells a lot of our history.”

– Hunas-William George Thomas, Cultural Liaison, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

Water is more than just water. It is sacred, giving life in many ways and forms. Our origin stories are carried through water, and it is part of our cultural ceremonies. We are taught to bathe, bless, and work with water. It heals, cleanses, and rejuvenates us.

Water is how we travelled and built kinship. It is home to orca, birds, and the sea creatures we eat. We must protect it.

The redevelopment of ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands provides an opportunity to highlight and honour the MST Nations’ connection to water as the source of life.

• Care has been taken to identify and revitalize the historic seasonal flow of water through the site from the high points of the Ridge, down to the edge of the site along West 4th Avenue

• The MST Nations’ relationship to water would be honoured through sights and sounds—seasonal ponds and streams

• Water would provide places of tranquility and celebrate MST’s maritime history, its traditions of canoe races, journeys, and kinship relationships through boat launches

• Water would be conserved through building design and capturing and recycling rainwater, and water quality protected through the use of native plant species

Stewards of the Trees and Canopies

“Many of the trees that still stand on ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw today and stand all over Vancouver have stood on ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw for many generations and have watched many of our generations go over the past several hundred years. Preservation of the trees and the canopy or the celebration of new life with new trees and new canopies is a big factor in what we want prioritized in the building of ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw.”

– Ts’kanchtn-Calvin Charlie-Dawson, Cultural Liaison, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)

Important parts of our culture are rooted in trees. We use cedar and other traditional trees for canoes, longhouses, welcome figures, clothing, baskets, medicines, artwork, and ceremony. Trees also provide homes to other creatures, our relations.

Significant trees and other plants will be protected and restored at ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands.

Cedar is the tree of life for the MST Nations. We look to be stewards of these lands, not just right now, but looking ahead to the next seven generations to come.

• 45-60% of the buildings would be made from wood

• Cedar and other trees will be used for building, carving, weaving, and other traditional practices that introduce and restore the relationship to MST culture

• About 75% of an existing 4-acre forest in the middle of the site would be retained, enhanced and managed with native species

• Generous and connected soil volumes will allow for healthy and large trees on the site

• Knowledge about traditional foods and medicines, including plants to feed and heal people, would be shared

• Access to traditional foods and medicines would be provided through shared gardens 

Honouring the Ridge

“When my father told me the story of the mountain—the mountain, it’s a princess. She’s sleeping. You can see her. You can see the mane of her hair. You can see her breast. You can see her hands laid upon her stomach. She was out there, and she was looking for her son when the great flood had come upon. She was out there looking for her son, and she got tired. She got weary. She became weakened and hungry. Our spiritual guide turned her into stone. He thought, ‘She’s too tired now. Let’s let her rest.’ Behind her is her son. Her son lies behind her. He went to go look for her when the great flood had taken place, but he could not find her. He got weary, he got weak, he got tired, he got sick. He finally found his mother. And when he found his mother, our god said he put him to rest. He also lays there beside his mother, turned to stone. Now when you go to the ridge and you look towards the North Shore, you’re going to see her sleeping.”

– Charleen Grant, Cultural Liaison, xʷməθkʷəy҆əm (Musqueam)

The ridge is where we would look for friends and foes. It’s how we welcomed and safeguarded, where our watchmen, messengers, and warriors watched, ran, and protected. The ridge was also rich with resources, a place where we hunted elk, harvested crab apples, and dried fish in the warm summer wind.

This will be a place that honours the stories that the land tells, and that connects us with other sacred places beyond ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands.

The ridge serves as a backbone across the city, linking ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands to adjacent neighbourhoods, and to the Heather Lands in the Cambie corridor, another project owned by the MST-CLC Partnership.

• The top of the ridge would feature a gathering place called Watchmen’s Hill, honouring the history of the ridge as a lookout

• Important views to the mountains would be preserved, including towards the Sisters and the Sleeping Princess

• The oval gathering space would take advantage of the slope to create a natural amphitheatre and protect views across the Salish Sea

• With a change in elevation of about 60 metres from the top of the ridge down to the bottom of ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands, pathways throughout the site would be designed with switchbacks of no more than 5% grade

• People of all ages and abilities would be able to access all parts of the site, whether they arrive by foot, bicycle, transit or mobility aid  

Spirit of the Longhouse

An artists’ rendering of the proposed future neighbourhood at ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands – final design of buildings, parks and open spaces to be determined in future phases of the planning process following the Policy Statement.

“When we’re talking about Spirit of the Longhouse, I’m not talking about our buildings that we lived in. I’m talking about the feeling that you get from being in the longhouse, the feeling that I receive of sitting in our winter home in our ceremonies, which comes from the teachers that we have. And a lot of the time, it will reflect the cultural views of each of our three Nations. That’s where our learning happens.”

– Sxeláltenaat-Adrienne Charlie, Cultural Liaison, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)

Longhouses are places where multiple families and generations came together to live under one roof. Capturing the spirit of the longhouse means spaces where you get to know your relations, your neighbours, and the sense of welcoming and belonging that comes with feeling at home.

• ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands is an opportunity for the MST Nations to share these feeling with a broader public and be part of the solution to the housing shortage in the region. This development would open up a large parcel of land that was previously blocked off to most and make it welcome to all.

• ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands would provide 13,000 new homes for different household types, with an emphasis on inclusivity and attainability

• A minimum of 30% of total residential floor area would be affordable housing, including 20% social housing (approximately 2,600 homes) and 10% moderate income rental housing (approximately 1,300 homes)

• As the Nations will own the land forever, homeownership opportunities will be limited to leasehold tenure (owning the home but not the land); this would make home ownership more affordable than freehold (owning both the home and the land)

• Community amenities to be provided within ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands would include:

  • MST cultural spaces and facilities

  • Approximately 20 acres of the 90-acre site is proposed as park space, with an additional approximately 10 acres of open space, including sports fields, playgrounds, and natural and forested areas

  • Approximately 499 daycare spaces at five locations near greenspaces, residences and seniors spaces, to encourage intergenerational living and learning

  • A community centre

  • A public elementary school

  • A non-traditional library - House of Learning

  • A renewal and expansion of Firehall #19 (near the Jericho Lands at West 12th Avenue and Trimble Street)

• A diversity of welcoming spaces for storytelling, sharing, and cultural and language exchange would be found throughout ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands

• Over 13 kilometres of foot and bike paths, carefully aligned with the natural topography of the site, would provide access for people of all abilities

• Parks, public spaces, and buildings would be designed and placed to be respectful of the broader neighbourhood and natural context, and to maximize the enjoyment and use of green and public spaces

• Natural materials, such as wood, would be prioritized

A Place of Arrival

“When we think about welcoming, we want to be able to see it in the buildings, we want to be able to see it in welcome posts. We want to be able to see it in the ground. And any way that you’re coming, you’re going to know that you’re there. That’s going to be a standpoint that will actually bring you to the original site of ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw. And that’s going to connect to Jericho Beach. It’s going to connect the corridor along 4th Avenue. We want to be able to have that shared system come through, adjoining the different cornering communities already alongside our property.”

– Sxeláltenaat-Adrienne Charlie, Cultural Liaison, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)

ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands has always been a place of arrival and kinship. Before colonization, we welcomed people here for trade, bartering, and gathering. Welcome figures stood at places of arrival, while house posts at the entrances of homes told visitors which families lived here.

Even though our ancestors were forced to leave, ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands will be a place that welcomes all. We are resilient. The neighbourhood will let people know that this is our land, and we are here to share it with others.

The MST Nations have a tradition of welcoming everyone to our lands. We will open up these lands by removing fences and barriers—reconnecting the land on and above the ridge down to the water. The perimeter of ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw will be opened up and stitched together with the surrounding neighbourhoods. We will welcome everyone, whether they live at ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw, are visiting, or are passing through.

• xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) symbols, patterns, artwork, and language in every element of the neighbourhood

• ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands is being designed to facilitate direct walking, rolling and cycling access to a potential Jericho Lands SkyTrain station, and another potential station near Alma Street

• Walking, rolling and cycling, would be prioritized in everyday life at ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands with pedestrians and bikes kept separate from cars as much as possible

• There would be a limited number of streets on the site to enable people and deliveries using vehicles to access homes and businesses, and over 13 kilometres of foot and bike paths

• Greenways would connect both east-west and north-south, following the natural topography of the steep site and providing pathways from West 10th (Point Grey Village), down to West 4th and Jericho Beach Park 

Celebrating the MST Partnership

“We talk about all of us being together. We’ve always shared these lands together and our families work very well together when it comes to our traditional longhouse. And you know, we’re building different collaborations of artwork. We want to be able to build the buildings to represent who we are as well. We want to be able to see it and know that when you’re entering the Heather Lands, when you’re entering ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw, that you know you’re entering an MST community.”

– Sxeláltenaat-Adrienne Charlie, Cultural Liaison, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish)

The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations paddle together. We are each different, but we are united in our shared history. We have a collective and collaborative culture, with strong kinship ties. Together, we cannot be stopped.

ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands will honour our distinct yet blended cultures, and will show the world how we are a people of one heart. At ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands, we will take our rightful place in our traditional territories.

The redevelopment of ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands is an Indigenous-led process. When this neighbourhood comes to life, it will be a homecoming for the MST Nations’ to lands that they once owned and which were taken from them. The process of seeking input from the MST Nations’ Community Members to inform the MST Cultural Whorl and revised site concept has reinforced the kinship ties between the Nations. The process has been multi-generational—from Elders to youth representing all three Nations.

• MST will own and steward these lands in perpetuity, never letting them go

• The development of the lands will provide long-term economic and cultural sustainability for the Nations, including 30 years of employment, contracting, education and skills training as the Nations build out the new neighbourhood

• hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh languages will be featured alongside English in place naming and signage

• The Three Sentinels—representing each of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations—would be the tallest and most iconic buildings on ʔəy҆alməxʷ/Iy҆álmexw/Jericho Lands

• At 49 storeys tall, the Sentinels would evoke the traditional watchmen and runners of the Ridge, and would be visible from important sites across the region, including from the Salish Sea and downtown Vancouver

• Commercial cultural spaces would provide opportunities for traditional practices such as carving

• There would be shared spaces where the three Nations and others can come together to play, trade, sell, feast and celebrate