Squamish, B.C., a magnet for newcomers, StatsCan report finds

The newest residents of Squamish, B.C., are full of energy and entrepreneurial spirit, but are creating demandsthat the municipality with a population of about18,000 is struggling to meet, says Mayor Patricia Heintzman.

Numbers inthe Statistics Canada report, released earlier this week,divulgea distinct pattern: People are leaving Metro Vancouver in the thousands to settle in surrounding regions, with the Fraser Valley and theOkanaganas top destinations.

Squamish-Lillooetwas loweron that list, with 274new residents settling there from elsewhere in the province in the 12 months preceding July 1,2017.

But given its compact size and mountainous borders plus the addition of hundreds more newcomers migrating from other provinces and countries Heintzmansaid thosenumbers amount to a significant challenge.

Infrastructure stressed by growth

Most of the intraprovincial pressure is coming from the big city to the south, Heintzmantold On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko,

As part of Canada's fourth fastest growing census metropolitan area,Squamishis seeing more demand for housing and amenities than it hasin years, and Heintzmansays the influx has strained the city's resources.

More than 2,000 newcomers have madeSquamishhome since the 2011 census.

"Our occupancy rate within the rental stock is close to zero most of the last couple of years," Heintzmansaid."It's created a big challenge on that front, in terms of the cost of living."

Paradoxically, Heintzman suspects the catalyst for the population boom is a desire to escape real estate prices in more urban areas.

A survey released Wednesday found Vancouver has nonew condosfor sale under the $500,000mark.

"They're moving out I think predominantly because of housing affordability," Heintzman said. Consequentially,Squamish'sreal estatemarket has heated up.

"That's certainly pushed up our housing prices here," she said.

Transportation routes are also feeling the burden, Heintzmanadded, with parking lots and main arteries becoming increasingly crowded.

"The highway is at capacity on busy weekends. We need to figure out a way to get a lot of these cars off the road and provide alternatives."

The mayor said she and other city officials along the Sea to Sky route have asked the province to roll out its Transit Future Plan earlier than its 2019 goal.

But she expressed doubt that the province was communicating effectively with Metro Vancouver'sTransLinksystem, which would play a vital role in making bus transportation between the two cities practical.

A seamless integration betweenVancouver's existing infrastructure and the intercity route toSquamishis a priority for Heintzman.

"The need is there now," she said.

In a written statement, theMinistry of Transportation and Infrastructure said municipal decisions arestill being made around governance,structure and fundingnew transit services and that "these local decisions need to be made before we can move forward with implementation."

The ministry saysTransLinkhas been working with the province and, "When the proposed service is ready to move ahead, TransLink will continue to play an important role."

Identity in flux

On a more abstract level, Heintzmansaid the community's changing demographics have residents grappling with their collective identity.

HeintzmansaidSquamishsees itself as a rural town connected to the natural areas that surround it, including theestuary, where kite-surfers and paddlers might glimpse one of the area's bald eagles.

Those attracted to bouldering, skiing, and hiking are drawn to the region's expansive wild playgrounds.

But the "fits and spurts" of growth in recent years has left city officials "cognizant of making sure we're not ruining what has made us who we are,and what we hold dear to ourselves," Heintzmansaid.

She hopes the province'sfuture planning for Metro Vancouver takes into consideration the ripple effect on nearby areas.

"What happens in the Lower Mainland drastically affects the communities around it," she said.