Squamish council has agreed to enter a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Capilano University.
By a 6-0 vote on Oct. 24, council members supported the MOU between the District of Squamish and Capilano University. Coun. Andrew Hamilton declared a conflict of interest and excused himself from the meeting as an employee of CapU.
“This is really an exciting step forward,” said Mayor Armand Hurford. “Having such an investment in post-secondary education will move our community forward.”
Coun. Jenna Stoner described the MOU as “broad but really in depth” and was hopeful that it would be a mutually beneficial start to a partnership between CapU and the District.
There are many goals and initiatives outlined in the MOU, which is available in full on the District’s website. Some of the initiatives include collaboration on early learning and childcare access, establishing a chapter of City Studio in Squamish in 2024, and exploring opportunities to share community recreation, arts and culture infrastructure and amenities.
City Studio has previously been used between CapU and North Vancouver, in which students and city staff “co-create projects that make the city more vibrant, sustainable and healthy.”
Additionally, there were questions from several councillors about recreational use of fields at the university. Municipal economic development officer, Kate Mulligan, said they were aware of the importance of the recreation amenities on the campus.
“It will be one of the points of discussion between the new committee that has struck,” said Mulligan.
The timing of those discussions, said Mulligan, is still up in the air as CapU is “very busy” setting up other aspects on campus.
Other collaborations to be explored included developmental support for the Sea to Sky Outdoor Recreation Enterprise (SOARE), a new non-profit that aims to build a network of businesses in the outdoor industry. As well, collaborations on climate action, labour market, food and farming were mentioned in the MOU.
With the endorsement from council, an official signing ceremony between the District and CapU will be scheduled.
Capilano University’s purchase of the Quest University land and buildings was announced just about two months ago on Aug. 16. CapU announced it had reached a deal with Primacorp Ventures worth $63.2 million, of which $48 million was provided by the province.
CapU said it was aiming to have 100 students on the Squamish Campus in 2024, hoping to reach about 380 later down the line.
The four student residence buildings that contain over 400 units were not a part of the sale and are still listed for sale on naibc.ca. Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Selina Robinson, said at the time that CapU was “exploring housing options,” but prospective students who already lived in Squamish could be among some of the first to attend the new campus.
