With the collapse of the potential partnership between the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation and residential developers Qualex the recriminations and second-guessing have gone into overdrive. As much as this has been an important learning process, the unfolding drama has been a distraction, diverting our attention from many of the real economic issues facing us.
One of the misconceptions perpetually bandied about in these parts is that a legion of migrant hikers, mountain bikers, climbers and backcountry skiers will somehow provide jobs and puff our tax coffers to levels not seen since the halcyon forestry industry days.
This delusion comes naturally to the outdoor recreation capital of the nation. In reality we need something considerable more substantial to lure those busloads of Whistler-bound visitors off the highway to heaven and compel them to stick around longer than it takes to wolf a burger and fries or gulp down a double-double and a donut.
While we wait patiently for someone to wave a magic wand and miraculously turn Squamish into a destination venue, we are rapidly morphing into the classic Canadian branch plant town.
Most of the new jobs, especially in the fast food corridor and the big box shopping Mecca along Highway 99, will be of the low wage, entry-level variety. The equally troubling flip side of this coin is that high-end management jobs, and research and development, will be located in distant multinational head offices. As well, decisions about closures, expansions or cut backs, will not necessarily be based on local circumstances but on political and economic factors far removed from retail outlets in town. Meanwhile runaway housing costs have placed home ownership beyond the reach of low-income earners and consigned this group to a state of perpetual rental dependency. At the same time Squamish is quickly becoming a commuter-bedroom community. Faced with limited local employment opportunities, many residents who aspire to home ownership in this inflationary real estate market will be compelled to work in the Lower Mainland.
Younger workers will be the hardest hit by these developments. Forget about generation X, Y or Z, this group will likely be in perpetual debt and may soon be referred to as generation D. They will be tethered to the bank for most of their working lives, paying off mortgages, car loans and a myriad of other financial obligations.
Ironically, while we trumpet the appeal of the great out-of-doors, too many people will end up spending less time on recreational pursuits and more hours on the road. In the final analysis, what's even more troubling is that many residents will be less likely to become involved in community activities in a town that prides itself on its high level of civic commitment and volunteerism.
