April 2026 Forum - Lions Bay
Summary of the Howe Sound Community Forum co-hosted by the Village of Lions Bay and Metro Area A
On April 17, 2026, elected officials, staff and observers from across the region travelled by ferry, water taxi and carpool to the Village of Lions Bay’s Broughton Hall. In all, 63 people attended the event co-hosted by the Village of Lions Bay and Metro Area A.
Lions Bay Councillor Michael Broughton welcomed everyone to the Village of Lions Bay - Ch’ich’iyuy Elxwikn, and provided an overview of the Municipality, which was incorporated in 1971, has a population of 1,390, and 557 dwellings. Metro Area A Director Jen McCutcheon shared slides about Metro’s services and the communities within the Howe Sound area between Lions Bay and West Vancouver, serving 104 permanent residents. This includes Passage and Bowyer Islands.
M/C Ruth Simons welcomed Dave Southam, Lead Negotiator and District Manager for Sea to Sky Natural Resource District and Aaron Bruce, of Aaron Bruce Law, Legal Counsel for the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, to share their presentation on the 2025 Land Use Planning Agreement. Together, they shared the history over the past 20 years leading up to this historic agreement, which began with the Nation’s X̱ayTemíxw (Sacred Land Use Plan) in 2001. The key outcomes of the agreement include improved forest stewardship practices to protect Indigenous cultural values. Maps are available, and the next steps are to implement the administrative and legal tasks.
We welcomed Squamish Nation Council member Jonny Williams, elected last fall. Council member Williams and representatives from the municipalities of Whistler, Squamish, West Vancouver, Gibsons, Bowen Island, and Lions Bay, as well as the regional areas of the Sunshine Coast Regional District, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, and the Gambier Island Local Trust Area, gave updates on actions and issues in their communities.
The catered lunch by Fierce Fuel was a time for networking and group photos at the gathering of this Council term. Typical for Lions Bay, volunteers supported the event with the Lions Bay Bird Friendly and Native Plant Garden, which generously provided support with coffee service and lunch clean-up.
After lunch, MLA for West Vancouver/Sea-to-Sky Jeremy Valeriote and MP Patrick Weiler shared current issues and updates, including Sea-to-Sky transportation and housing. We then welcomed Brant Arnold-Smith, Director of Protective Services and Emergency Management for Metro Vancouver, who gave a presentation on Metro Vancouver Emergency Management. After providing the regional context, Brant provided examples of situations within the Metro area they have responded to, including the Battani Creek landslide tragedy in Lions Bay. He explained the many agencies involved at any one event and emphasized the value of mutual aid agreements between regions. With climate change and increasing populations in the Sea to Sky corridor, effective communications is key and relationships built in advance of emergencies are valuable.
Ruth provided the update from the last quarter’s Ocean Watch Action Committee meetings. Marie Rupisan and Mikaela Bacon, Fisheries Management staff with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, gave an update on the alignment of the Rockfish Conservation Areas and Glass Sponge Reefs project in Howe Sound. This project is continuing with the next update expected in the fall. Ruth also shared highlights of the Howe Sound Biosphere Initiative Society’s projects, funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, including contributions from municipalities towards Canada’s 30 X 30 targets.
With this being the last of Howe Sound Community Forums for this Council term, Ruth provided a brief retrospective of the six forums that were hosted by communities with a request to encourage ongoing commitment to these forums for the next term and incoming Council members.
The forum ended just before 3:00, leaving more time for informal conversations.
