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Known
in the Haida Language as Haida Gwaii,…the Queen
Charlotte Islands is comprised of two large land
masses- Graham Island and Moresby Island- plus
more than 150 smaller, surrounding islands. It
boasts a surprisingly temperate climate,
world-class sport fishing, miles of pristine
sandy beaches and a rich cultural heritage. Some
5,000 people scattered throughout several
communities call this natural wonderland home.
According to Rudy Nielsen, president of
NIHO Land & Cattle and a well-known
recreational expert, the Queen Charlotte Islands
also represent some of the best investment
potential to be found anywhere in British
Columbia.
“People simply have not discovered the area yet.
Where else on the North American coast- anywhere
from Mexico to Alaska- can you buy a four to
five acre property with 400 to 700 feet of ocean
frontage for $250,000?” Nielsen said.
That’s the price tag for one of NIHO’s
soon-to-be-released lots in Naikoon Park on
North Graham Island. Purchased more than two
decades ago, these acreages have never been
logged and are legally protected against all
future logging. Nielsen predicts they will be
worth at least triple the quarter-million dollar
investment within five to eight years due, in
large part, to pent up demand and the fact that
available recreational land inventory is drying
up.
“The
Crown owns 95 per cent of all land in this
province,” Nielsen notes. “The remaining five
percent is made up of approximately 1,700,000
titles. Of those, 1,200,000 are residential
properties. When you take commercial properties
out of the mix, there are only a couple of
hundred thousand titles available for
recreational properties.” Last year, he adds, it
took fewer than 14 days to sell out six lots
similar to Naikoon- every one at full asking
price.
Although he acknowledges the past decade has
taken its toll on the Charlottes in general,
Andrew Merilees, Masset-based director of
the Queen Charlotte Islands Chamber of
Commerce and president of the tourism
association, believes the next five to 10 years
will usher in a new era of prosperity here.
“When
the military downsized their base at Masset from
230 to eight personnel in 1995, we lost a huge
part of our population base,” he said. “All
their assets, including over 200 houses were
turned over to the Village of Masset and Old
Massett.” Known as PMQs- private military
quarters- the two towns soon released these
homes onto the private market drastically
lowering the cost of housing.
Natives Building
“In
1997, you could buy a duplex for $32,000 or a
solidly-built four bedroom home for around $50,
000,” Merilees said. “It was great for the local
population, but it destroyed the market for
anyone who owned anything other than a PMQ.
After all, why would anyone spend $120,000 when
they could buy a PMQ for $40,000, put in $40,000
worth of renovations, and still only have spent
two-thirds the price of a non-PMQ house? It’s
taken almost 10 years to find equilibrium, but
we are now emerging as a solid, stable market.”
Like
many other Islanders, Merilees said the almost
completed Qay’llnagaay Heritage Centre on
Skidegate on the south island will be a
significant catalyst for further growth,
generating both positive local economic
spin-offs and enhanced awareness of the
Charlottes in the lucrative global tourism
market. With a projected final price tag of $26
million, the 53,000 square foot facility will
double the size of the existing Haida Gwaii
museum and will be comprised of six buildings
that will house a performing arts centre, work
spaces for local artists, an administration
centre for the Archipelago Management Board (a
branch of Parks Canada), a lecture hall and a
glass-and-beam longhouse to be known as the
Welcome Centre. It will also be a showcase for
generations of repatriated native art reclaimed
worldwide.
“This
will be the culmination of a 30 to 40 year
vision,” said Robert DuDoward, CEO of
capital development for the Skidegate Band.
Funding, he adds, came primarily from federal
and municipal governments with the balance
provided by the Gwaii Trust, a fund designed to
preserve and enhance the unique Haida culture of
the Islands.
DuDoward admits, however, that ensuring the
centre receives enough visitors every year will
be “tougher than actually building it. We must
be absolutely truthful about the tourism
experience we are providing. Many people are
looking for five-star pampering. The likelihood
of that happening here is virtually nil. But
there aren’t many places in the world where you
can walk out on the beach and find sustenance or
where you can watch totems being created by a
master. You can here.”
Masset
Trevor Jarvis, chief administrative officer
for the Village of Masset, notes he is seeing a
steadily increased demand for tour-oriented
businesses. “People often want someone to show
them the sights rather than explore on their
own- especially because there are so many unique
aspects to the Charlottes. For example, even I
didn’t realize we have surfing beaches here
until my brother took it up.” Additionally,
Jarvis suggests there are still plenty of
opportunities for rentals of outdoor equipment
like kayaks, boats, or campers or trailers.
One
unusual aspect of development in the Queen
Charlotte Islands is the spirit of cooperation
that apparently permeates every phase. One such
capital project is a joint waste treatment
centre on schedule to be operational by the end
of the year. “Masset built the water treatment
facility, Old Massett will do the second stage
sewer treatment facility. Both will benefit,”
said Merilees.
Even
more ambitious is the collaboration between the
Village of Masset, Old Massett, and the Village
of Port Clements to build a much-needed regional
hospital. The projected budget is $9 million
with construction likely to begin this summer.
“The
provincial government has a 99 year rental
agreement, so they are happy because they aren’t
putting out the funds to build it,” Merilees
notes, adding the project will allow all public
health facilities to be consolidated in a single
location.
Yet
another change with positive implications
occurred on December 6, 2005, when the Islands’
main centre, Queen Charlotte City, gained the
status of official municipality named the
Village of Queen Charlotte. “We are so new we
haven’t even had a chance to redo out OCP,” said
an obviously delighted Mayor Carol Kulesha.
She’s
quick to add that funding is already in place
for an updated community plan and that the new
municipality will remain committed to an
Island-wide viability study examining the impact
of tourism, industry, and growth. The more
pressing question is how to develop the
Charlottes in a manner that is respectful to
tradition and local interests.
“This
is a very exciting time in our history,” Kulesha
said. “There’s no doubt the Queen Charlotte
Islands are beautiful, but we will never be the
same kind of tourist destination as Banff. We
must first decide what our own people want. If
we build a trail, it must be because we want to
walk on it. If other people like it, then it is
good for both.” |
