Sea Island (British Columbia)
Fraser River Estuary | |
| Coordinates | 49°12′N 123°10′W / 49.200°N 123.167°W |
|---|---|
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | British Columbia |
Sea Island (
History
The island was traditionally home to the Musqueam First Nation, and they retain ownership over a tract of land on the island's north-west under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3". Construction of residential neighbourhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, the
A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighbourhood remains.[2]
Vancouver International Airport
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The airport first opened for service on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicing commercial flights in 1937.[
The airport is the second largest in Canada, with over 25 million passengers passing through each year. It has grown to three passenger terminals and three main runways servicing over fifty airlines.[citation needed]
Ground transportation
Sea Island Conservation Area
The Sea Island Conservation Area (SICA) is located adjacent to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and consists of approximately 140.1 hectares (1.4 square kilometres) of land on the north side of Sea Island dedicated for conservation of wildlife and habitat. SICA was transferred to Environment Canada as a compensation package funded by Transport Canada to replace wildlife habitat lost as a result of runway expansion at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).[citation needed] The main goal for management of SICA is to maintain existing populations of wildlife that do not compromise aviation safety.
Habitats on SICA consist of woodland, wetland sloughs, and old agricultural field habitat which support a diversity of birds, land mammals, and terrestrial plants. SICA habitat management discourages populations of flocking birds that may pose hazards to aviation safety, as well as discourages populations of beavers that can cause prevalent, severe and costly damage to habitat.
Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area
Over 50 square kilometres in area, Sturgeon Bank is a marine preserve located off the west side of the island and is made up of
Beaches and parks
Sea Island boasts two public beaches, McDonald Beach Park and Iona Beach Regional Park.
McDonald Beach is operated by the city of Richmond. It is a recreational facility, with a dogs off-leash area, picnic areas and boat docking available.
Iona Beach is operated by the
Other services
The island's south shore features a Canadian Coast Guard station, as well as floatplane docks, a business jet terminal and Vancouver Airport's South Terminal. Sea Island is also home to the Aerospace and Aviation Technology faculty of the British Columbia Institute of Technology as well as two hotels run by the Fairmont and Delta chains. There is a luxury designer outlet mall that opened in July 2015, as a joint venture between Vancouver International Airport and the McArthurGlen Group[3][needs update]
The Burkeville neighbourhood is served by the Sea Island School, built in 1891, serving grades Kindergarten to Grade Three, after which point students must commute to Lulu Island in Richmond.[needs update]
See also
Island portal
- 98 B-Line (no longer in operation)
- Airport Station
- Mitchell Island
References
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2017-02-08). "Census Profile, 2016 Census - 59153602 [Dissemination area], British Columbia and Canada [Country]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- ^ "cora". homestead.com. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ "McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport's opening day draws thousands of shoppers". straight.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2016.