Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR), the RCMP, and Squamish Search and Rescue are asking the District of Squamish to begin designing a Water Safety Facility for the municipal water lot in Blind Channel. The request was made in a formal letter addressed to Squamish council ahead of its council meeting on Tuesday, December 2, at 6:00 PM.
According to the letter, Squamish currently has no dedicated water-safety infrastructure along its oceanfront, limiting emergency readiness in northern Howe Sound. The agencies say an appropriately located facility is urgently needed to improve marine response times, enhance training capacity, and strengthen public safety.
RCM-SAR reports that it has spent the past five years fundraising for a boatshed and training facility but has been unable to proceed due to the lack of a long-term, secure location. The organization has since partnered with the RCMP and Squamish Search and Rescue, which also requires secure moorage for its swiftwater jet boat. After evaluating multiple options, the groups identified the water lot fronting X̱wún̓eḵw Park and the east end of Main Street as the most feasible site.
The letter outlines several challenges currently facing responders. According to the agencies, there is no water-based safety facility serving northern Howe Sound, and an exhaustive search found no available marina space that could accommodate the combined need for a boat shed, training space, and secure moorage. They note that this gap limits coordinated patrol capacity and delays the ability to respond to maritime emergencies.
The proposed facility would include a boat shed and training space for two RCM-SAR Dedicated Response Vessels, equipment storage, and secure moorage for a new RCMP patrol vessel and the Squamish Search and Rescue swiftwater jet boat. The partners also propose integrating a public non-motorized access dock to preserve recreational access while separating paddlers from motorized rescue operations.
RCM-SAR says it will have the capital funding required to construct the boat shed and training facility. The agencies say the site would serve as a shared operational base for RCM-SAR, the RCMP, and Squamish Search and Rescue, and would support joint training with Squamish Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance. They add that the Squamish Paddling Club has endorsed the concept on behalf of the non-motorized recreation community.
The groups are asking council to direct staff to work with RCM-SAR and the RCMP to develop a conceptual water-lot design for the Blind Channel site, and to authorize staff to hire technical consultants and begin necessary provincial and federal permitting reviews.
The proposal outlines several community benefits, including faster emergency response, improved public-safety education, and efficient use of municipal water-lot space without displacing marina users. The partners say the project would also strengthen collaboration between municipal, federal, and volunteer emergency agencies. Council is expected to consider the request during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.
