Senakw

Sen̓áḵw or sən̓aʔqʷ, rendered in English as Snawk, Snawq, Sneawq, or Snawkw, is a village site of the Indigenous Squamish people, located near what is now known as the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In 1869 the Colonial Government set aside land around the village, and in 1877 the Joint Reserve Commission established by the Provincial and Federal Governments to deal with land allotments to indigenous people in B.C., expanded the area set aside to approximately 80 acre as False Creek Indian Reserve No. 6 or more popularly the Kitsilano Indian Reserve. The village site was home for many Squamish, but after further settlement began in the Vancouver area, the inhabitants were forced to relocate to other nearby villages. A 11.7 acre slice was returned to Squamish control in 2001 in a court settlement. The Squamish are building a highrise housing development on the land.

This village was also the home of August Jack Khatsahlano, a prominent chief (or siy̓ám̓ ) of the Squamish and a notable Vancouver historian on local Indigenous history.

History


After the Indian Act was passed in 1876, and with the Joint Indian Reserve Commission, a reserve was plotted out for the native peoples living at this location. Both in 1886 and 1902, portions of the reserve were expropriated by the federal government for railway purposes. In 1913 the B.C. Provincial Government induced the residents to relocate by coercing them to sell, an action which was later found to be illegal. Many families were placed on a barge and towed to other communities in the Burrard Inlet area.

In 2001, a settlement was agreed between the courts and the Squamish Nation for the return of 11.7 acre of land, coming from the land possessed by the CPR, located near Vanier Park, underneath Burrard Street Bridge.

Housing development
In 2019, the Squamish Nation announced plans to build a housing development on this land. Initially planned for 3,000 units, it was later increased to 6,000 units. The tallest buildings in the development will be 56 stories and are exempt from local height restrictions. The development will also include 886 vehicle parking spaces, 4,477 bicycle parking spots, parkspace, and a transit hub on the south end of the Burrard Bridge. At the project's groundbreaking ceremony on September 6, 2022, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1.4 billion federal government loan to the Squamish First Nation for the development.

As of March 2024, the official website of the Senakw development indicates that the project will be built in four phases of similar sizes, with occupancy projected between 2025 and 2030. At completion, the project will offer at least 6000 rental homes, at least 1200 of which are affordable. The total floor space will be 4000000 sqft, 45000 of which would be made out of mass timber.