Let's Talk səmiq̓ʷəʔelə / Riverview
The Site
səmiq̓ʷəʔelə / Rivervew is a 244-acre site within the core and traditional territory of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation). It sits next to Lougheed Highway in southeast Coquitlam. This site is going through a multi-phase redevelopment journey. In partnership, BC Housing and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm have launched Phase Two: Comprehensive Community Planning.
The Name
As a step toward reconciliation, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm and the Province (through BC Housing) have renamed the site from Riverview to səmiq̓ʷəʔelə (pronounced suh-MEE-kwah EL-uh). This is a hənq̓əmin̓əm̓ term, meaning "Place of the Great Blue Heron."
The Project
In Phase One, the Province (through BC Housing) heard from thousands of people who care deeply about the future of the site. This public feedback was summarized in a document called A Vision for Renewing Riverview, which was released in 2015. The project's vision was aspirational in nature; BC Housing is now ready to plan for the site in a detailed and actionable way. For a list of the kind of decisions made during Comprehensive Community Planning, click here.
Since 2015, the current government has reviewed public feedback from the Visioning phase and made the following changes to the project's mandate:
The site will remain in public hands, excepting land transfers to kʷikʷəƛ̓əm.
While the redevelopment must be financially responsible, BC Housing will no longer be working within a break-even cost mandate.
Thank-you for taking the time to add your voice to this project. BC Housing and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm look forward to hearing from you. For more information about the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə site, please visit www.sumiqwuelu.com.
Who's Listening
Videos
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kʷikʷəƛ̓əm and BC Housing are excited to return "Riverview" to a hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ name: səmiq̓ʷəʔelə, meaning Land of the Great Blue Heron. Comprehensive Community Planning for this 244-acre site on the traditional and core territories of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (in southeast Coquitlam). We look forward to hearing from the public and from kʷikʷəƛ̓əm members; the feedback from these communities will inform the Comprehensive Community Plan.
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On March 30, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation and BC Housing hosted Community Info Session #1, the first of three public information sessions scheduled for səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview's Comprehensive Community Planning session. In this video, Chief Ed Hall of kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation describes the relationship between the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people and səmiq̓ʷəʔelə. BC Housing's Director of Land Development at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə revisited core themes from the Visioning process, delivered project updates and described how community members can have their voices heard. Both answer questions from the public, moderated by Rob Barrs at Modus.
