2026 Full Conference Schedule

Walking Tour of Brackendale Farmers Institute Park
Brackendale Farmers Institute Park (BFI)

This guided walking tour through BFI Park explores the long relationship between people, community, and place in Brackendale. Hosted by the Brackendale Farmers Institute, the tour traces more than 110 years of local stewardship, reflecting on the land's histories before and after colonial settlement. Participants will explore how the Institute has served as a gathering place for agriculture, education, recreation, and community traditions. The tour also looks ahead to current stewardship challenges such as: relationships with the District of Squamish and the Squamish Nation, climate change, development pressures, and biodiversity protection; and how local organizations continue to care for shared spaces and traditions. Limited parking is available at the park entrance just north of the train tracks.

Registration and Information Table Open
Squamish Adventure Centre

5:00 - 7:00 PM
(Remarks at 5:30 PM)

Welcome Event
Squamish Adventure Centre
Sponsored by Woodfibre LNG

Kick off the 2026 conference at a special Welcome Event at the Squamish Adventure Centre. Join fellow delegates for an engaging evening of conversation and connection with participants from across the province. Local leaders, Indigenous representatives, and members of the tourism, culture, and heritage sectors will also be in attendance. The gathering will feature live dance performance and light food, refreshments, and cash bar as we come together to celebrate and launch the conference.

During this event, participants will also be able to take in two exhibitions:

The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Story

Read about the exhibit

This exhibition outlines the learnings throughout the development of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Story exhibit inside the Squamish Adventure Centre. Keely Kidner (District of Squamish), Diane Mitchell (Panther Creative), and Sisolia and Tsawaysia Spukwus (Squamish Nation knowledge keepers) came together in the spirit of collaboration. Over a period of two years, the team met and created exhibit content. The team built genuine relationships through meaningful conversations, teachings and connections to the land. Doing so, helped them redevelop the exhibit to ensure that Sḵwx̱wú7mesh culture and knowledge, as expressed through Sisolia and Tsawaysia's storytelling, sits at its heart of the exhibits. In this presentation, the team will share what they have learned working together and how this project laid a path for moving forward together in a good way.

Rails to Trails: Railway Logging Legacies in the Squamish Valley

Read about the exhibit

Presented by Eric Andersen, this exhibition explores the history and lasting legacies of the Merrill & Ring Lumber Company's railway logging operations in the Squamish Valley from 1927 to 1940. Through interpretive panels, photographs, and maps, it traces the rail and road networks that once moved timber to tidewater through landscapes now transformed into neighbourhoods, parks, and recreation areas. The exhibit highlights the people connected to this history, including Squamish Nation community members whose families still reside in the valley, and features the records and photographs of locomotive engineer J.E. "Ed" Aldridge. It invites reflection on the complex legacies of forestry, land use, and community.

Registration and Information Table Open
Britannia Village Community Hall

Breakfast and Coffee
Britannia Village Community Hall

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Britannia Village Community Hall

Join us for opening remarks, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Opening Prayer and Welcome, and important conference related information.

Break with Coffee and Tea
Britannia Village Community Hall

Keynote by Christy Smith: Indigenous Perspectives on Stewardship, Reconciliation, and Place
Britannia Village Community Hall
Sponsored by Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

Christy Smith is a K'ómoks First Nation member and co-author of Weaving Two Worlds: Economic Reconciliation Between Indigenous Peoples and the Resource Sector. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience bridging Indigenous communities and industry, Christy brings a relationship-centered perspective to questions of stewardship, reconciliation, and how we care for land and culture. Her keynote invites us to consider how trust, shared authorship, and decolonized practice can shape a more equitable and sustainable future.

Catered Lunch
Britannia Village Community Hall
Sponsored by Luxton

Registration and Information Table Open
Britannia Mine Museum

Concurrent Session 1: Talk
Britannia Village Community Hall

COMPANY TOWN: The Transformation of Britannia Village from Environmental Liability to a New Heritage Community
Presenters: Donal O’Callaghan, Donald Luxton, Kim Needham
Sponsored by Heritage Masonry and Conservation

The project revitalized a historic company town by integrating commercial and residential uses, employee housing, and community amenities, guided by community input and a complex rezoning process. The heritage value lies in preserving a collection of original historic buildings, maintaining key alignments and relationships while relocating some structures to new foundations, for example the church steeple on Main Street and the adjacency of the Theatre and Community Hall. Constructed at a time when there was no road access to Britannia, these buildings display good proportions, innovative structural systems, and graceful utilitarianism. They’ve been authentically revitalized as an assembly of heritage buildings that complement the Britannia Mine Museum, enhancing the potential of destination tourism.

Concurrent Session 2: Talk
Britannia Mine Museum (Multipurpose Room)
Sponsored by Iredale Architecture

Heritage and Community Stewardship: Perspectives from Three Museums

What does stewardship look like in practice, and who defines it? This session brings together perspectives from the Brackendale Art Gallery, the Pemberton and District Museum and Archives, and MONOVA to explore how heritage spaces can evolve with and serve their communities. Through three case studies, speakers will share approaches to sustaining historic places, activating museums through community use, and rethinking stewardship through relationship building and repatriation, highlighting how museums can move beyond preservation to become more inclusive, responsive, and future focused.

1. Stewarding the Brackendale Art Gallery: Built Heritage and Intangible Cultural Value in Squamish
Presenters: Jessica Rigg, Desiree Valadares

Read summary

This case study explores the Brackendale Art Gallery's 50-year history as a centre for arts, culture, and environmental activism in Squamish. Tracing its founding by Thor Froslev in 1969 through to its 2024 relaunch, the presentation focuses on building stewardship, heritage planning, and the BAG's enduring community value.

2. How Community Use Can Sustain Small Museums
Presenter: Charmaine Carpenter

Read summary

The Pemberton and District Museum and Archives has grown from a grassroots history project into a living community hub. This presentation explores how opening heritage spaces to concerts, workshops, and public programming can foster belonging, deepen stewardship, and support the long-term sustainability of small museums.

3. Repatriation Out, Returning In: Building Relational Pathways for the Return of Belongings at MONOVA
Presenter: Andrea Terrón G.

Read summary

The Museum & Archives of North Vancouver’s (MONOVA) new Returning Belongings policy moves away from colonial frameworks to centre relational accountability, respect, and Indigenous community agency. This presentation traces the policy's collaborative development, examines case studies, and explores how returning belongings can renew relationships, redefine stewardship, and reimagine museological ethics.

Break
Britannia Village Community Hall

Concurrent Session 1: Talk
Britannia Mine Museum (Multipurpose Room)

Mill No. 3: Risk, Resilience, and Reinvention at Britannia Beach
Presenters: Deron Johnston, Diane Mitchell, Heather Flynn, and Kirstin Clausen

Mill No. 3 remains an industrial landmark that has evolved from an economic engine into a derelict relic into a treasured National Historic Site and dynamic platform for storytelling. Its rehabilitation and conservation, involving complicated coordination of window and siding replacement, climate action commitments, scoping setbacks, and hard-won compromises, has been anything but ordinary. In this session, speakers will share their personal involvement in the bold decisions and real-world challenges behind the transformation of Mill No. 3 since 2005 when its rehabilitation began. Candid and practical, they’ll share lessons learned to help inform and inspire today’s heritage conservation projects.

Concurrent Session 2: Talk
Britannia Village Community Hall

Cultural Tourism: Stewardship, Storytelling, and Shared Responsibility
Presenters: Cheryl Hendrickson, Kirby Brown and Mixalhítsa7 Alison Pascal

Cultural tourism connects people with heritage, history, and living cultures — but raises important questions about responsibility, representation, and impact. This panel brings together leaders from Indigenous tourism, heritage attractions, and commercial tourism to explore how cultural tourism can support economic sustainability, meaningful visitor experiences, and the stewardship of place and culture. Panelists will share perspectives on collaboration, interpretation, and the practical realities of operating at the intersection of culture, commerce, and conservation. The discussion invites reflection on whose stories are being shared, who benefits, and how cultural tourism can move toward approaches grounded in respect, relationship-building, and long-term community benefit.

Concurrent Tours at the Britannia Mine Museum
Meet at entrance to the Multipurpose Room. Each tour will be offered two twice. Please sign up for each of the two time slots.

The Underground Tour
The Underground offers a glimpse into life at one of British Columbia's largest historical copper mines. Board the mine train, just like miners did in 1914, and travel into an early haulage tunnel. Inside, interpreters demonstrate mining equipment and share insights about Britannia's copper mining history.

Experience BOOM!
This award-winning, multi-sensory attraction introduces audiences to the story, sights and sounds behind the architectural marvel, Mill No. 3. This experience offers multiple screens, over thirty speakers, and leading-edge special effects — bringing all 20-storeys back to life!

Heritage BC Awards and 45th Anniversary Celebration
Britannia Mine Museum (Mill No. 3)
Sponsored by Nickel Bros

Join us for an evening celebrating Heritage BC's 45th anniversary and the presentation of this year's Heritage Awards. Held in the dramatic setting of Mill No. 3 at the Britannia Mine Museum, this special evening honours the people, projects, and places making a difference in heritage conservation across British Columbia. Reconnect with colleagues, raise a glass to 45 years of heritage work, and help us recognize the outstanding contributions of this year's award recipients. Light food and refreshments (cash bar) will be served. Note: Please dress warmly, Mill No. 3 can be cool in the evening.

Registration and Information Table Open
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing

Breakfast and Coffee
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)

Keynote Address by Professor Rudy Reimer (Yumks): An Archaeological, Cultural and Environmental History of the Squamish Valley
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)
Sponsored by Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

Professor Reimer brings an Indigenous perspective to the archaeological and environmental history of the Squamish Valley and its connections to the broader Salish Sea. A Coast Salish sense of time is used to span the past 12,000 years of sea level fluctuations, glacial shifts, and evolving ecosystems. His presentation will explore how people have adapted to and managed marine and terrestrial environments over millennia, providing examples from archaeological sites ranging from sea level to high alpine regions. He will also examine how archaeological science and Indigenous knowledge can be woven together for a more holistic understanding of the past.

Break with Coffee and Tea
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)

Concurrent Session 1: Talk
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)

Squamish Connections: Heritage on the Edge of Howe Sound
Presenters: Carl Halvorson, Denise Cook, Eric Andersen, Greg Morrissey, Hilary Bloom, Jessie Abraham, Lillian Rivers, Matt Parker, and Nick Weber

This conversation and storytelling session showcases Squamish-based perspectives on heritage, place, and community stewardship. An ultra-local panel will share diverse experiences of what it means to make Squamish home, and how that shapes conservation of built and natural environments. The session highlights the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw's deep connections to the lands and waters of Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound, the evolution of beloved trails and outdoor spaces, and the Squamish Public Library's work establishing a local archive. The session concludes with a look at Squamish's new heritage strategy and how these intensely local perspectives can guide its ongoing implementation.

Concurrent Session 2: Tour
Bus departs from Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Meet in the lobby at 10:50 AM)

Walking Tour: Sp'akw'us Feather Park: Renewal, Reconciliation, and Return to the Water
Presenter: Jess Herman

After decades of remediation and planning, Sp'akw'us Feather Park opened to the public in May 2024. What was once a contaminated industrial brownfield site, has now been transformed into a vibrant award-winning oceanfront gathering place. This guided walking tour explores the history of transformation and unique combination of Indigenous and local community collaboration, recreation, public art and habitat creation. A highlight is the Aynexqi7 ("revival") Playground, designed by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh youth from St'a7mes School, whose voices and stories of the land are accessible through QR codes throughout the park. Join Jess Herman for an on-the-ground look at how stewardship, reconciliation, and community vision shaped this remarkable space.

Catered Lunch
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)
Sponsored by the British Columbia Museums Association

IBPOC Talk and Tea
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Garibaldi Room)

Grab lunch and then join us for a Tea and Talk, in partnership with the British Columbia Museums Association’s IBPOC Cultural Professionals Network. This is an opportunity to connect with museum, gallery, and heritage IBPOC professionals from across British Columbia. This session is about building a peer support network, co-navigating challenges together and sharing experiences in a safe space. Note: This session is specifically for cultural professionals and volunteers who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a Person of Colour. Thank you for respecting this affinity space.

Concurrent Session 1: Talk
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Garibaldi Room)

From Extraction to Restoration in Átl'ka7tsem / Howe Sound

From extraction to restoration, Átl'ka7tsem / Howe Sound tells a powerful story of change, resilience, and collective responsibility. This two-part session features two distinct case studies that explore how a region once heavily impacted by industry is being reshaped through long-term stewardship, collaboration, and Indigenous leadership.

1. A UNESCO Designation for Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound – A Story of Uniting People, Place and Stewardship
Presenter: Ruth Simons

Read Summary

This case study traces how decades of advocacy and shared values transformed Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound, once heavily altered by resource extraction, into a model for sustainable stewardship, culminating in its designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The presentation covers the region's environmental recovery since the 1990s, the collaborative leadership across governments and communities that made designation possible, and ongoing reconciliation initiatives with the Squamish Nation. Participants will gain practical learnings and narratives that reframe regional history beyond the built environment, illustrating how committed stewardship — across generations and communities — shapes the future we want.

2. Restore the Shore: Re-Naturing the Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary
Presenter: Edith Tobe

Read Summary

The Restore the Shore project is re-naturalizing over 144 hectares of estuarine habitat in the Skwelwil'em Squamish estuary. This presentation focuses on the story of the multi-phase Central Estuary Restoration Project: a partnership with the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to reconnect the Squamish River with its estuary, restore endangered Chinook salmon habitat, and support the ecosystems that depend on it. As much an act of reconciliation as of ecology, this is a story of patience, trust-building, and what it takes to restore a place for future generations.

Concurrent Session 2: Tour
Bus departs from Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Meet in the lobby at 1:20 PM)

Walking Tour: Sp'akw'us Feather Park: Renewal, Reconciliation, and Return to the Water
Presenter: Jess Herman

After decades of remediation and planning, Sp'akw'us Feather Park opened to the public in May 2024. What was once a contaminated industrial brownfield site, has now been transformed into a vibrant award-winning oceanfront gathering place. This guided walking tour explores the history of transformation and unique combination of Indigenous and local community collaboration, recreation, public art and habitat creation. A highlight is the Aynexqi7 ("revival") Playground, designed by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh youth from St'a7mes School, whose voices and stories of the land are accessible through QR codes throughout the park. Join Jess Herman for an on-the-ground look at how stewardship, reconciliation, and community vision shaped this remarkable space.

Break with Coffee and Tea
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)

Concurrent Session 1: Talk
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Garibaldi Room)

Building for the Next Seven Generations

This session brings together two perspectives on designing with long-term responsibility. The first explores Coast Salish approaches to living heritage, where culture, land, and design are deeply connected through collaboration, storytelling, and shared authorship. The second examines how architecture can endure across centuries, highlighting strategies for repair, stewardship, and responsiveness to place. Together, these talks offer insight into creating resilient, meaningful spaces that support continuity across generations.

1. Land Becoming Form: Coast Salish Cultural Identity in the Contemporary Built World
Presenters: Alex Buss, David Goyne, James Harry, and Soroush Ghadi

Read Summary

For Coast Salish peoples, heritage is a living system sustained through stewardship of knowledge, relationships, and responsibility to the land. In Sḵwx̱wú7mesh teachings, meaningful change means thinking seven generations ahead — a perspective that calls for architecture and landscapes inseparable from the land itself. This session explores Coast Salish cultural resurgence through contemporary architecture and public space as a collaborative, trust-based process grounded in shared authorship. Coast Salish artist James Harry and designers from Perkins&Will and PFS Studio share how their partnership shapes spaces that honour Indigenous culture, highlighting storytelling, materiality, and strategies for embedding living heritage into inclusive public environments.

2. Building for Forever: Architecture, Stewardship and Cultural Continuity across Millennia
Presenter: Allison Ward

Read Summary

What would it mean to design a building with a lifespan of one thousand years? This presentation investigates how long-lived systems have survived both physically and culturally over such long expanses of time, and what they can teach us about creating a more resilient and meaningful built environment today. Frameworks of architectural thinking will be presented, examining strategies such as designing for repair, embedding stewardship into building lifecycles, adapting to local climate and geology, and aligning architecture with cultural practices. The presentation offers practical guidance for integrating deep-time perspectives into current design and heritage work.

Concurrent Session 2: Tour
Bus leaves from Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Meet in the lobby at 3:20 PM)

Walking Tour: A Plant Walk with Senaqwila Wyss
Presenter: Senaqwila Wyss

Join Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ethnobotanist Senaqwila Wyss for a guided plant walk rooted in generations of Indigenous knowledge. Raised learning ancestral plant teachings alongside her mother, T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss, Senaqwila brings a living, land-based perspective to the plants around us; including their uses as medicines, teas, and ceremonial gifts, and their role in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh culture and identity. This walk invites participants to slow down, pay attention, and see the landscape through the lens of plant kinship and Indigenous stewardship.

Closing Circle: Reflections and Connections
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing (Firebread Room)
Leaders: Eric Andersen and Tsawaysia Spukwus

As the conference comes to a close, join Eric Andersen and Tsawaysia Spukwus (Alice Guss) for a final gathering to reflect on what we have heard, shared, and learned together. This session will highlight key ideas, themes, and questions that emerged over the course of the conference. Part reflection and part closing circle, this session will also create space to acknowledge the relationships formed over the past few days and consider how they might continue beyond the conference. Participants will be invited to pause, reconnect with one another, and carry forward the conversations, collaborations, and commitments sparked here.