City ready to oust False Creek squatters
Last updated May 2 2005 10:36 AM PDT
CBC News

VANCOUVER – The City of Vancouver says it's preparing to crack down on the more than 100 people who live aboard anchored boats in False Creek without paying moorage fees and taxes.

Transport Canada currently has jurisdiction, but hasn't removed the squatters.

Now, the city is about to finalize an agreement with the federal department to take over responsibility for False Creek.

Complaints about improper sewage disposal from squatters' boats have surfaced recently.

City planners also say the squatters have made the waterway dangerous for recreational users. And they note that the squatters take advantage of utilities without paying for them.

The city plans to enforce a two-week summer limit and three-week winter limit for boats anchored in False Creek. And it will impose a $100-fine or tow away boats whose owners ignore the limits.

"I think that it is improper that they can continue to stay there, ignore our standards around pollution and sewage treatment, get in the way of the use of it for other people, for the Dragon Boat races, kayaks, other recreational uses," says city councillor Anne Roberts.

"False Creek's not a parking lot. It's not right for them to be there."

In the meantime, Transport Canada will work with the city to remove squatters from navigational lanes to clear the way for the annual Dragon Boat Festival this summer.

Good. Pay your share or move to somewhere that provides everything for free.

Hmmm. People arent allowed to live on boats in false creek, yet people are allowed to live on the city streets in extreme poverty.

Something is fucked up here.

They should build a shantty town for all the street people like the one Portland has near their airport.

Are they talking about these houseboats off Granville Island?

http://www.globalphotos.org/vancouver/20040904/DSCN1698.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/vancouver/20040904/DSCN1702.jpg

No, they were actual boats, and sail boats that people would live in False Creek.

those houseboats in the pictures ^^ look really cool

would it be cheaper in the long run to live in a houseboat than renting or owning in the city? are there rental houseboats?

I think it would be about the same as any house or condo in the area. Im sure you could rent a house boat.

would it be cheaper in the long run to live in a houseboat than renting or owning in the city? are there rental houseboats?

Actually, it maybe cheaper since you don't have to pay those ridiculously high Vancouver property taxes that don't exactly pay for things needed. The only problem with liveaboard is the boats themselves don't appreciate so you may end up loosing in the long run in terms of equity. Better than rent though and given Vancouver's extremely inflated prices, it MAY make sense. Bottom line is its a lifestyle choice and some people like boats so much they don't care about appreciation or real property as long as they can live out the seafarers lifestyle.

Hmmm. People arent allowed to live on boats in false creek, yet people are allowed to live on the city streets in extreme poverty.

Something is fucked up here.

I agree.

Hmmm. People arent allowed to live on boats in false creek, yet people are allowed to live on the city streets in extreme poverty.

Something is fucked up here.

You have to understand that the problem is not so much the fact that they're moored in False Creek, the problem is that they dump all their excrement into the water. The tide, which helps cleanse the inlet, does not affect the eastern most parts, hence leaving the water a danger for human health.

Natelox, all Vancouverites dump their excrement into the water. Where does Vancouver's sewage go?

Natelox, all Vancouverites dump their excrement into the water. Where does Vancouver's sewage go?

Most Vancouverites exrement is treated. When going across the Lions Gate Bridge, on the West Vancouver side, there is a waste treatment plant, and some days it just smells really bad.

GVRD Waste treatment plants:

http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/sewerage/treatment.htm

http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/sewerage/gifs/wwtpmap.gif


Sewage, Hidden Killer:

http://www.bucksuzuki.org/publications/Hidden_Killer.pdf

The only untreated sewage that goes into local waters is from "combined sewer outfalls".

Combined sewers are sewers that mix both sanitary sewage and storm runoff sewage. In the GVRD, these older systems only exist in the City of Vancouver and the City of New Westminster. Separating the sanitary sewers from the storm sewers is very expensive - it basically entails digging up all of the pipes and replacing them with two separate pipes (one for sanitary sewage, one for storm sewage). The Cities and GVRD plan to complete replacement over the next 50 years (i.e. political decision - spreading out of costs rather than hiking property taxes). Environmentalists would like that timeline accelerated.

Combined sewer outfalls are relief valves for the combined sewage system. Since the pipes handle storm sewage (surface drainage runoff from storms, etc.) the system can overflow during and after heavy storms. The outfalls prevent the sewers from backing up (ie into homes and buildings) by releasing the combined sewage (mixed untreated sanitary and storm sewage) into various water bodies - mostly Burrard Inlet.

I think all of the outfalls into False Creek have been removed (PS- the paper says otherwise - I'm not sure though). There used to be one east of the Plaza of Nations, but I haven't seen it bubbling for a few years (we always used to see it bubbling during Dragon Boat practice in the late 1990s).

The main problem with the east basin of False Creek is that it is so far inland that there is little tidal flushing (no pun intended!).

Post-script: That paper linked above sets it out nicely (from the environmentalist perspective), and does acknowldge that households are the source and can be part of the solution).

Well maybe what the city should do is insist that any boat moored in the harbour for more two weeks should have a permit, and to get a permit would be to prove that your onboard toilet be a composting one. Victoria had to pass this law a few years ago among the houseboaters.

The problem with false creek is that it's so narrow and the population of boats moored there have increased through out the years. This makes it very difficult to manuver around this area even on the slowest days in the summer.

Yes but these boats arent really going anywhere except west to the ocean. False creek isnt a throuroughfare so boat traffic isnt going through it unless they are docking or mooring. And a boat can be easily manouvered at 1 knot per hour. Trust me I have spent alot of time on boats moored in the harbour and I know what its like. I would be more concerned with traffic on georgia street during rush hour than boats anchored in false creek.

I disagree. Yeah, the boats aren't moving and that is what's causing the bottleneck of traffic. I, as with others who own or rent boats in Vancouver, really enjoy traveling along the seawall from the water, and false creek is a perfect location, it's like Vancouver's version ,albeit poor, of the canals in Amsterdam. But in the summer with a lot of people coming in and out of the creek it causes serious congestion. What doesn't help it is all these boats that aren't docked taking up a lot of room.
I think it's kind of romantic living on a boat in the city but they should choose a place that is a little less cramped.

The Alcan Dragon Boat Festival in June needs a clear 500 m long straight section of waterway with 10 lanes across east of he cambie Bridge. That's not possible with the squatters in place.
There will also be a new festival this year in July with the SeaVancouver Festival.
The problem boats are the ones towards the centre of the creek in front of Science World in the Global Air Photo below. It would be OK if they were closer to the north shore of the creek. The finish line is at Creekside Park just north of Science World so the area in front of the park needs to be clear.
The pic below is from the Spring Regatta 2004 - with only 6 lanes and the blue boat was in the way. The bottom pic is from the Alcan Festival 2004 - you can see the squatter boats that weren't moved in the background (they only moved the ones that were in the way).

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/529/1632b_final.jpg

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/vancouver/2005/vch2005_305.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/529/1632imgp0327.jpg

how much does it cost, after the initial investment of the boat, to permanently dock at a marina or government wharf