Forced Displacement from Stanley Park

This area, now known as Stanley Park, was established in 1887, but its creation displaced many long-time residents. One of those residents was Squamish Chief August Jack Khahtsahlano, who grew up here. His family was forced to leave without compensation before the park officially opened in 1888.

Indigenous homes, like the one made of cedar slabs on the banks of what is now Lost Lagoon in 1868, show how people lived here before it became a park. An article from 1925 even shows plans for a faux "Indian village" to be created in Stanley Park, just as the last Indigenous residents were being forced out.

Before it was even Stanley Park, local investors tried to get this peninsula for residential development. A 1911 map of Stanley Park shows proposed redevelopment plans for the western part of Coal Harbour, which is now Lost Lagoon, and the surrounding area. These plans were ultimately unsuccessful.

The last people to be displaced from Stanley Park were those living in the community at Brockton Point around 1915. The city labeled them as "squatters." So, while this is one of Canada's largest urban parks, its establishment involved the forced removal of many people who had lived here for a long time.