UBC Campus: A Clearcut on Musqueam Land

The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus, a global center for teaching, learning, and research since 1915, is located on the Point Grey peninsula and covers 994 acres of academic and neighborhood lands. For over a hundred years, this has been where the university has established itself, consistently ranking among the top 20 public universities worldwide.

But these lands are also Musqueam territory, and have been for millennia. The main Musqueam village has been situated at the mouth of what is now known as the Fraser River for 4,000 years, with settlements moving downriver as the delta grew. This territory, described by waterways rather than cardinal directions, is a place of cultural and spiritual learning, where the Musqueam people learned about local plants and animals for their well-being.

The Province of BC chose Point Grey for UBC more than a century ago, granting the university land starting in 1925. Musqueam representatives have stated these decisions were made without their knowledge or involvement.

Today, UBC and the Musqueam Indian Band are working to transform this relationship through a Relationship Agreement. This agreement is part of UBC’s commitment to deepening its connection with Musqueam and to reconciliation. They are co-developing a framework to incorporate Musqueam values, needs, and interests into planning for land use initiatives.

You can see examples of this work across campus. At the main entrance, the design for the Gateway Health Building has been developed with Musqueam representatives, embodying values like welcoming, learning, wellbeing, and enduring stewardship. There’s also an initiative called Connected Landscape, which includes projects like Fairview Grove near the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. This project will use indigenous planting and create spaces for outdoor gathering and learning, shifting from manicured to indigenous landscapes and enhancing east-west corridors. Even the naming of student housing residences has involved collaboration since 2011, with names like tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ, which means "The Houses of the Ones Belonging to the Saltwater."