The issues

Each topic in plain words: what council is doing about it now, the background, and where each member stands. Tap a topic to open it.

• Growth and the pace of development

  Squamish is one of the fastest-growing communities in B.C., and how fast and where it should grow is a long-running debate.

  What we’re following:

  • Is the town's growth plan being rewritten, and where will new homes go?Step 2 of 6: Garibaldi Estates zoned for more homes ahead of time›

• Housing affordability and non-market housing

  Squamish is one of the most expensive places to live in B.C.: home prices rival Metro Vancouver's and the local 'living wage' is the second highest in the province.

  What we’re following:

  • When will the Government Road supportive housing be built?Step 4 of 6: Development and building permits›

• Homelessness, encampments and supportive housing

  The number of people without housing in Squamish has grown, and a visible encampment downtown (near Main Street and Third Avenue, close to the Under One Roof shelter) has become a flashpoint for both compassion and safety concerns.

  What we’re following:

  • What's happening with the encampment behind Under One Roof and the promised temporary housing?Step 5 of 7: Choosing a site for temporary housing›

• Policing and community safety

  Squamish is policed by the RCMP under a contract, and the municipality pays most of the bill.

• Property taxes, spending and big capital projects

  Property taxes are, with recreation facilities, the top issue for readers surveyed by the Squamish Chief.

  What we’re following:

  • What happens now that council rejected the Woodfibre LNG tax deal?Step 3 of 5: Court cases continue›
  • How much will property taxes go up in 2027?Step 3 of 6: Public input and budget information night›

• Climate and the environment

  Squamish declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has a plan to cut the town’s emissions at least 45% below 2010 levels by 2030.

• The Woodfibre LNG plant

  Woodfibre LNG is building a liquefied natural gas export plant on Howe Sound about 7 km from downtown, fed by a new FortisBC pipeline; it was approved by senior governments and the Squamish Nation, not by council, and remains divisive locally.

  What we’re following:

  • What's the status of the floating worker camps at Woodfibre LNG?Step 4 of 5: Permit term runs›

• Transportation, regional transit and Highway 99

  Inside town, Squamish's BC Transit bus system has been expanding, partly paid for by local property taxes.

  What we’re following:

  • Will there ever be a public bus from Squamish to Vancouver or Whistler?Step 3 of 5: Agree who governs and who pays›

• Parking

  How much parking new buildings must include, whether to charge for it, and whether to build more.

  What we’re following:

  • Is paid parking coming to downtown Squamish?Step 4 of 6: Pilot runs›

• Local economy, employment lands, downtown and tourism

  Many Squamish residents commute out of town for work, so creating local jobs is a recurring goal.

• Recreation facilities and Brennan Park

  Recreation amenities were ranked the single most important issue more often than any other in the Squamish Chief's reader survey.

  What we’re following:

  • Is Brennan Park getting a new pool or second ice rink?Step 3 of 6: Working out what to build, what it costs and how to pay›

• Flood protection, natural hazards and aging infrastructure

  Much of Squamish, including downtown, sits on a floodplain at the mouth of five rivers and on the sea, and the Cheekeye Fan faces rare but very large debris flows from Mount Garibaldi.

  What we’re following:

  • What is being done to protect Squamish from floods and debris flows?Step 4 of 5: Elector approval for borrowing›

• Also in the conversation: childcare, short-term rentals, vanlife, Indigenous relations

  Several smaller topics recur in 2026 coverage.

• The Woodfibre LNG tax deal

  Council said no to a 10 year tax agreement in September 2026. What it would have meant, and where each member stands.

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