While efforts to remove derelict vessels from the Mamquam Blind Channel have been ongoing for years, people living on intact boats in the waterway are now also being asked to leave, they say.

Boaters have been living in the Blind Channel for years, but in December red and green navigational channel markers were installed from the Pemberton Rail Bridge to Howe Sound.

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The channel designation gives Transport Canada greater authority to order vessels out of the channel and was a joint project between the government body and the District, with funding provided by four private development companies.

Mayor Patricia Heintzman said the the federally-regulated part of the channel is not the District’s jurisdiction, but they “obviously want to have a waterfront that is healthy and safe. That’s fundamental.”

She said there are health and environmental reasons for not encouraging boaters to anchor in the middle of the channel including waste disposal and safety.

In December, trespass notices signed by the District of Squamish were left on vessels in the northern part of the channel. In February similar notices were given out by Cornerstone Developers in the southern part of the channel.

The notices promoted boater Evan Porter-Lockhart to speak at a crowded Marine Strategy meeting last month.

Jake Belzil moved from Ontario to BC in July. His sailboat was seized in February after he remained anchored in the Mamquam Blind Channel past an eviction date. - Haley Ritchie

“The boats out there are homes, and they are very homey, they’re not derelict or leaky. It’s just the way we’re trying to live in this community and beat the system in a small way,” said Porter-Lockhart.

Backed at the meeting by a handful of other "liveaboards," he called on the government to work with developers to find an affordable solution to keep their homes in local waters.

Some living in the Blind Channel are long-time Squamish residents, preferring to risk the dangers of isolation and weather on the water rather than struggle with rising costs of rent or live in a shelter.

Other boaters evicted from the channel include a group of sailors planning adventures on the coast and anchoring in the channel while they pay off or repair sailboats.

“I don’t want to be homeless anymore, that’s why I have a boat,” said current channel-resident Patrick Gallant. “We are living on the water, but this is our house.”

Gallant bought his boat recently and currently lives in the channel with his girlfriend. He said after he receives the notice to clear out of the channel, he plans to relocate to Saltspring Island.

Patricia Blanchard, owner of the Far Horizons II, said she was unaware she was trespassing when she purchased the boat moored in the channel last year.

Blanchard has been living aboard the blue-and-white sailboat, along with her partner and two dogs, while paying for the vessel.

She estimates she’s put $12,000 into the purchase – fortunately, her final payments have been completed in time for the 30-day eviction notice, which she received on Feb. 8.

“I’ve been looking for this precise type of boat for two years. My goal is to travel with my sailboat and leave Canada in the next two years. It’s just unfortunate that this is happening. It’s not really going to affect my life long term, but it does affect other people's lives. I’m lucky I still have a home,” she said.

Liveaboarder Jake Belzil lost his home after his boat was impounded on Feb. 6 following his failure to obey an eviction deadline.

Belzil said he moved to Squamish over the summer and quickly made friends with the owner of the Saguenay, who was anchoring in the Blind Channel.

“He inspired me. I thought it was amazing to live on a boat and be free like this. I was working a lot, I met a guy who had a boat for sale, so I bought the boat,” said Belzil.

Julie Thiffault (left) and Patrick Gallant (right) live on a white sailboat currently moored in the Mamquam Blind Channel. The couple has been given 30 days to relocate out of the waterway. - Haley Ritchie

The boat required extensive repairs, but Belzil said he was determined to work on his sailing skills and fix the vessel. After his spot expired in a local marina, Belzil decided to anchor in the Blind Channel before returning to Ontario for a month over Christmas.

Laminated eviction notices for the boats in the northern part of the channel were handed out by the District of Squamish in December.

Belzil said he still needed time to repair his boat, so he moved it twice to different areas of the channel before being given a final eviction warning. Belzil said he was arrested and his boat seized on Feb. 6.

The Chief was not able to confirm the trespassing charge with the Squamish RCMP.

Belzil said they have since been dropped, although Transport Canada is still asking for him to pay a fee to retrieve his boat.

“I don’t think I did anything wrong in the first place,” said Belzil, adding that in his opinion, the government should have allowed for a community discussion on the status of the liveaboards.

“Let’s get together and talk about it, and come up with a safe solution,” he said. “I feel very affected by this whole thing. I’m not from Squamish, this isn’t my home, but for everyone else here, look at how your government is treating people.”

Other boaters who were moored in the channel over the summer have since cleared out.

Heintzman said the navigational channel is under the jurisdiction of Transport Canada, but landowners can still negotiate anchoring on their private property.

“In Howe Sound, it’s tough because we don’t have a lot of shallow waters, but in theory, if you’re on private property, you’re on private property. You just need the owner's permission,” she said.

The Blind Channel is set to eventually have some approved nautical homes.

The Sirocco development, by Squamish Cornerstone Developments, includes space for a float home community, made up of 27 small homes and four commercial floating units.

Heintzman said as far as the municipal property is concerned, outside of the navigational channel, the District isn’t opposed to the occasional boat anchoring for a night or two.

“If someone wants to moor for a day or two and go climbing, we’re not to kick them off. But if someone comes and sits there for weeks or months, that’s diminishing the public’s use of that piece of land,” she said.

“As soon as you have one boat, you have many boats. The intention is not to have permanent residents there. It’s for everybody’s use, not just for one person’s use.”

Transport Canada did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press deadline.

The Saguenay, one of the ships anchored in the Mamquam Blind Channel since the summer, prepares to depart on Feb. 7, 2018. - Haley Ritchie



