Frequently Asked Questions
Jump to questions on:
Our Vision
-
We think False Creek can be so much more than it is today. For us, the most compelling path forward is by way of a National Urban Marine Park, because there is precedent and there are evolving models. BC has marine parks, which are exquisite, distant, and expensive. The world has one other national urban marine park – Plymouth Sound National Urban Marine Park in the UK.
-
False Creek from a geographic perspective is a “tidal slough” - a shallow bay that has a limited amount of fresh water flowing in. In times immemorial, this shallow, marshy area was an ideal incubator for marine life, and its original inhabitants were nourished by its clams, fish, seaweeds and other marine life. Its protected waters were ideal to land fishing canoes. It is reckoned that the first human inhabitants arrived at least 8,000 years ago.
Today, there is little to no food produced from its waters, and swimming is not permitted. But that can change, and over time False Creek can become a locus for public celebrations, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and an effective response to promoting awareness of climate change and the vital importance of our oceans.
-
False Creek Friends Society fully subscribes to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and seeks to be allies with the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations, supporting their quest for their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations. A parklike status for False Creek must include Indigenous co-governance of the new entity.
-
False Creek is well positioned as a highly visible demonstration project for socio-ecological transformation. In the 2024 Global Liveability Index, Vancouver is listed among the Top Ten, making it North America's most livable city. False Creek, as an “inland waterway”, is well-suited to become an international showcase for urban renewal. Protected from wave action, it is suitable for swimming (provided its waters are sufficiently cleansed) and appropriate for all other aquatic activities. Since industry has been mostly eliminated, there are no longer cargo ships moving in and out. And every day, almost 250,000 people see False Creek from its three bridges, walk or bike along its seawall, or cross underneath it on the Canada Line rapid transit system. Its tremendous visibility and Vancouver’s international reputation for livability make it a natural candidate to become a parklike setting.
Urban Marine Parks
-
There are no urban marine parks in Canada at the present time. The Gorge Waterway in Victoria comes very close to that designation and has the support of the Capital Regional District, but it has not been officially designated as an urban marine park.
Worldwide, the Plymouth Sound National Park comes closest. Its founding was inspired by the work of Oxford professor Simon Pittman, whose influential paper, Marine parks for coastal cities, is the blueprint for our work in Vancouver. Prof. Pittman was our first advisor; our gratitude for his assistance is boundless. -
In 2021, the federal government launched a project to inspire the creation of six National Urban Parks. Many Canadian cities applied for recognition, but so far all are for terrestrial parks. False Creek Friends has met with Parks Canada officials and has proposed to the City of Vancouver that it apply for such a designation. Provincially, the BC Government is in a good position to further the rehabilitation of the marine environment since by virtue of the Canadian constitution, British Columbia “owns” the seabed and has rights to issue water licenses for structures that float above it.
-
The gazetted area of False Creek does not need to be changed. At higher-high water (tidal datum), the eastern boundary is Main Street, and the western boundary extends to a marked line between the Inukshuk at the junction of Sunset Beach and English Bay Beach, to the navigation light at Kitsilano Point. And no, boats will not have to leave False Creek if a park is established. Over the years we anticipate that propulsion systems will gravitate towards electric motors, the same evolution the car industry is experiencing.
-
A revitalized, swimmable False Creek would energize a stagnant urban ecotourism sector, resulting in new jobs and creating demand for post-secondary educational opportunities for marine stewardship careers. As France did with making the Seine River swimmable for the Summer Olympics, Vancouver would boost its international reputation not only as a green city, but a blue one as well.
-
A Living Lab is a space for participatory scientific research, community engagement, and knowledge sharing.
False Creek Friends has established numerous partnerships with many universities and colleges in the Lower Mainland. Several faculties at UBC have assigned research projects focused on False Creek, and many grants supporting academic work in “The Creek” have been awarded. (Some of these can be found in our Knowledge Hub). One great example is Eric Lee’s “Ecology of False Creek” which provides a vivid example of how students and instructors are benefitting from the adjacency to a marine waterbody minutes from campus!
While there have been many complaints about pollution in False Creek (the first in 1929, in the Bartholomew Report, pg 149), investigations covering False Creek’s marine environment over the years have been episodic and not designed to produce a holistic understanding of the complex ecosystem and what it requires to thrive. At the same time, our universities and independent scientific organizations have developed significant marine research capabilities and have produced highly regarded investigators (many of whom have joined False Creek Friends as advisors). The benefits of having a sliver of the magnificent Salish Sea at the doorsteps of Langara College, UBC and SFU means that students have access to important fieldwork right at home. Projects such as Hakai Institute’s Light Trap Project, the Integrated Coastal Observatory's eDNA project, Dr. Kevin Rey’s Research Plan - all important investigations that will produce benefits at home and abroad.
Governance
-
Currently there are upwards of 21 government agencies that have statutory responsibilities for the 190 surface acres of False Creek’s marine waters. There is little coordination among them, except when there has been some environmental crisis (such as the oil spill of December, 2023). This fracturing of responsibilities makes future planning difficult if not impossible. Governments have long been concerned about pollution in False Creek, going back to the Vancouver Planning Commission of 1929:
“It might be noted in passing that whereas there is considerable objection at the present time to the emptying of untreated sewage into False Creek, this will be removed by plans which have been made by the Vancouver and Districts Joint Sewerage and Drainage Board for an interceptor that will eliminate such discharge and prevent any possible contamination of the bathing beaches.”The City of Vancouver and Metro promised to make good on that promise by 2070 — a delay of only 141 years!
A single administrative agency is required to begin planning for the rehabilitation of False Creek. No amount of cooperation among the 22 agencies can accomplish this important task. -
The following are the Government Agencies with responsibilities for False Creek's marine and foreshore areas:
Federal Agencies
Transport Canada
Canadian Coast Guard
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Granville Island Council / Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Provincial Agencies
British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Parks
BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
BC Ministry of Health
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Ministry of Health (in coordination with Vancouver Coastal Health)
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
City of Vancouver
Engineering Services Department
Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability Department
Real Estate and Facilities Management
Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
Vancouver Police Department – Marine Unit
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services – Marine Operations
Sustainability and Climate Action Office
Office of the Chief Resilience Officer
See here for a outline of the responsibilities for each of these agencies
-
Canadian legislation - especially Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution - recognizes and affirms the existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada. The Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation is an agreement between the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC), the Canadian government and the British Columbian government. “The Framework Agreement will advance ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation through a cooperative approach that respects and integrates the rights and stewardship roles of First Nations”. Canadian organizations such as the Conservation Through Reconciliation Partnership are establishing protocols to facilitate a range of co-governance agreements. And internationally, the UN’s Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) emphasizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions, and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.
-
An Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) is a conservation effort where Indigenous Peoples lead the protection and management of lands and waters, often incorporating traditional knowledge and governance systems. IPCAs are characterized by Indigenous leadership, a long-term commitment to conservation, and the elevation of Indigenous rights and responsibilities. And yes, there are proposals for Urban IPCAs. False Creek may indeed become the first urban IPCA in Canada.
-
There are currently many models for a more rational governance structure to protect and enhance a waterbody such as False Creek. Parks Canada has created an opportunity for Canadian cities to apply to have specific urban areas with significant environmental and cultural importance granted the status of a National Urban Park. Six cities have started the process to have urban areas recognized as such. Only one National Urban Park currently exists - the Rouge Point National Park in Toronto. False Creek Friends has met with Parks Canada officials, and have encouraged local elected officials to consider an application for False Creek.
Community Engagement
&
Environmental Impact
-
Many people do not fully understand how much human survival depends on the health of our oceans. Starting from the fact that the world’s oceans produce half of all oxygen production, that our climate is almost entirely regulated by the oceans, and that nearly 20% of our food supply derives from marine sources. Our community science activities in False Creek provide intimate experiences with these realities. As more people are introduced to the urgency of protecting our oceans, the message is transmitted to governments that stewardship is everyone’s responsibility.
-
Many organizations allied with False Creek Friends have been working on habitat restoration, conducting scientific investigations into the health of its marine ecosystem, and promoting public awareness. No one has put more effort into the cause than Celia Brauer (1952 - 2024), a brilliant and tireless environmentalist, artist, anthropologist, and the founder of Friends of False Creek (in 1995!).
Other organizations have followed Celia’s lead. Squamish Stream Keepers has been hard at work since 2000 engaged in Pacific Herring restoration, and has been remarkably successful with its installation of herring spawning panels in False Creek. Swim Drink Fish spent many years doing weekly water quality testing with volunteers in order to publish a Swim Guide. And in 2020, False Creek Friends began intense Community Science, including the proposal for a Bioblitz that was held in 2022 under the direction of Hakai Institute. Since then, FCF and Hakai have continued an investigation of the Dungeness Crab, a “sentinel species” that can reveal even the faintest signals of impending, potentially dangerous environmental changes.
But more still needs to be done. False Creek Friends is proposing to governments the necessity of conducting “benthic” studies, to determine what is on the bottom of False Creek - potentially hazardous materials left behind from over a hundred years of industrialization. A number of similar investigations require support by government agencies and academic institutions. How can the artificial shoreline - concrete and steel - be softened to promote the growth of oysters, mussels, and kelps? Restoration projects are required, especially in the inevitability of Sea Level Rise and other sequelae to Climate Change!To keep updated on volunteer opportunities in False Creek, please subscribe to our Newsletter!
-
False Creek Friends and its partner, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, have proposed a significant collaboration with the City of Vancouver, and Metro Vancouver, to conduct the first ever investigation of the impact of sewage contamination of False Creek.
In addition, Water Rangers is providing water testing kits and instructions on their use for community groups.
-
Here is a partial list of restoration opportunities that are easily turned into community science activities, providing there are resources and volunteers available:
A) Create artificial reefs and substrates to promote growth of “filter feeders” - bivalves such as oysters and mussels that are natural water cleaners!
B) Create demonstration projects to enhance the shoreline, for example at Sutcliffe/Granville Island Parks;
C) Collaborate on foreshore development in collaboration with the City of Vancouver’s Cambie Street Bridge upgrade;
D) Foster growth of eelgrass as directed by the SeaChange Society;
E) Install an oxygenator fountain in the vicinity of Science World to reverse what is called hypoxia, which creates stress and high mortality rates for many marine organisms.
-
Stabilizing Climate Change is, as we all know, a challenge with unknown outcomes. However dealing with sea level rise has a number of realizable possibilities. These were explored in Vancouver’s Sea2City Design Challenge. Launched in 2021, it sought a vision to guide urban development and ecological revitalization in False Creek and along the Fraser River Foreshore. Its recommendations require significant commitments from government agencies and civil society:
Review and update 2018 False Creek Coastal Adaptation Plan to include the new adaptation approach, Vision, principles, and to centre Host Nation knowledge
Create specific False Creek design strategies for flood adaptive waterfronts and buildings
Consider a Shoreline Resilience Land Use Zone or special planning area.
Coordinate planning with Broadway Plan around potential movement of density from False Creek as sea levels rise.
Continue targeted studies to improve system understanding around False Creek (and larger watershed) on hydrology, water quality and infrastructure
Develop a co-design and co-management process with the Host Nations to address management, maintenance, and monitoring considerations of pilot projects (forest berm, habitat bench) including when, who and how harvest may occur in these landscapes; balancing human impacts and presence with ecosystem function.
-
No one knows, and perhaps the best we can do is to encourage governments to commit to a program of rehabilitation, backed up by community engagement through citizen science activities and political pressure. There are a number of serious issues:
The City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver are dealing with the Combined Sewer Overflow issue - when interconnections between the storm sewers and domestic sewer lines cause human excrement to flow into neighbouring marine waters during intense atmospheric rivers - by separating the two systems. But disconnecting the two systems is expensive, and not expected to be completed until 2070, with a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. False Creek Friends is actively engaged with both the City of Vancouver and Metro to address this issue.Sea Level Rise poses significant environmental and human livability / cost issues in False Creek. The unknown of course is whether the world can keep atmospheric temperatures low enough to prevent widespread flooding. And it is expected that the costs to “dyke” False Creek to keep it from flooding (especially during “King Tides”) will be enormous - both financially and environmentally expensive. Other options - such as simply “retreating” from the waters by moving communities to higher ground - would involve billions of dollars in lost property values.