Shaughnessy’s Backstory - September 19th
Michael Kluckner explores the early development and history of Shaughnessy and what elements contribute to its historic value. Innovative zoning changes in the 1980s allowed some of the mansions to convert to strata and infill their grounds in return for heritage conservation, but a wave of wealthy buyers in the 21st century wanted new, single-family homes prompting the City to establish its first Heritage Conservation Area in 2016.
What a Mess: False Creek, the Industrial Waterway - October 24th
This talk with John Atkin will explore the history of industrial development and False Creek’s more recent transformation. It’s hard to imagine from today’s perspective that False Creek was once the centre of industrial activity for the city. From the beginning of non-native settlement, the waterway became the home to sawmills, shipyards and other heavy industry. This emerging industry destroyed the fishery and displaced the seasonal and permanent settlements along the shoreline that had sustained local First Nations for centuries.
Kitsilano Indian Reserve: Contact to Today - November 7th
This talk by Douglas Harris explores the history of the Kitsilano Indian Reserve and the changing legal framework that surrounds what might come next on this important parcel of land. Allotted by the colony of British Columbia in the 1860s and expanded in 1876 after the colony joined Canada, the Squamish Indian Reserve Kitsilano No. 6 amounted to 80 acres at the mouth of False Creek. In 2002, a unanimous five-judge panel of the British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld a trial court decision that approximately 10.5 acres of the former Kitsilano reserve, which had since disappeared from the maps of the region, should again be Indian reserve. With the decision, the reserve reappeared in the heart of Vancouver. What happened to it between 1876 and 2002? How did it disappear? And what about the other 70 acres, most of which are now parks or buildings.
