Shaping Vancouver Series 2018: Contested Places | The Complexity of Places: The Heather Street Lands

Heritage sites very often are much more intricate places than we may realize. In order for them to be appreciated, educational, positively experienced, and inspirational we need to effectively plan for and manage the multiple ways a place is significant to different groups of people.The Heather Street Lands is a 21-acre parcel of land, located between 33rd Ave and 37th Ave, intersecting with Heather Street. It is co-owned by the MST Partnership, made up of the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and the Canada Lands Company, a federal corporation that aims to incorporate former Government of Canada sites into the community. This site has different meanings to various groups and organizations around the city. There are many differing values present — cultural, social, historical, architectural, natural, economic — which span the physical and the intangible. There is also a painful history embedded here for First Nations people, with some representatives having requested the removal of a building on this site as a form of reconciliation.