The 'Kitsilano Scandal' and Legislative Inquiry

The destruction of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh village of Sen̓áḵw in 1913, located on the Kitsilano Reserve of the Squamish Tribe, was once widely known across British Columbia. This event, sometimes called the Kitsilano Scandal, involved an illegal land sale and the forced move of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people, followed by the burning of their village.

Newspapers in the province reported on the details of the illegal sale when the acting premier decided to bypass legal formalities in what was essentially a land theft. The forced displacement and village burning became a public spectacle, leading to months of debate among settlers about their ethical obligations toward Indigenous Peoples.

This controversy eventually led to a legislative inquiry in 1916. While the destruction of Sen̓áḵw has been rediscovered by non-Indigenous people recently, it was a significant event at the time. The scandalized reaction from settlers was not because of the harm done to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, but rather because it threatened the idea of settler benevolence. This reaction, along with the moral indignation, actually worked to maintain and strengthen settler colonial power.