Hopetown is a traditional village of the Gwawa’enuxw First Nation, located on a 5-hectare reserve on Watson Island in the Queen Charlotte Straight region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, on the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest preserve. Archaeological stratification shows habitation and use at Hopetown over 4000 years and prior to colonization there were reportedly over a thousand people living on Watson Island. Currently, only three First Nation members live permanently there. Irvin Speck, one of the First Nation resident members and the son of Henry Speck, a traditional carver and a Hereditary Chief, is leading a plan to redevelop the community as a centre for First Nation economic development, including seaweed cultivation, tourism, and guardians – a new beginning.
The community retains several critical infrastructure assets in good working condition, including a well and water distribution system, electrical generators, a propane storage facility, a barge landing facility, and a wharf. It has also been identified as a landing site for the Connected Coast subsea fiber line, offering the potential for a high-speed internet connection. The community recently built a new smokehouse and there are several other buildings at the site, some of which could be viable with modest upgrades.
The community has incorporated a new Indigenous-controlled society, Hopetown Community Development Society (HCDS), the primary corporate entity overseeing the redevelopment. Irvin Speck, a community member of the Gwawa’enuxw First Nation, is the Chairman and CEO of the Society, supported by a Board of Directors, a majority of whom will have indigenous ancestry.
Several members who left the community recently have voiced a desire to return and help support the economic development program. The village is in an area attracting increased visitations to local wilderness resorts and from cruising vacationers, many of whom are very interested in First Nation culture. The HCDS is also partnering with the Regional District of Mount Waddington to develop a seaweed industry development plan that will feature Hopetown as a centre for seaweed cultivation.
HCDS expects to partner with local resorts, several of which are located within a short boat ride from the community, to develop marine and indigenous tourism. These commercial partners could be actively involved with the management of the tourism businesses and are a potential source of jobs for returning first nations members and a source of customers to support a viable business catering to tourists. They would assist with operating several tourist-centric businesses, including waterfront cabins, first nations art retail sales, a traditional salmon meal feast, etc. They could purchase other services such as staff accommodation and marine transportation from the community.
The new Society is seeking funding for a preliminary feasibility study that would include a review of existing infrastructure and recommendations for new and upgraded components, a summary description and assessment of the business case for a destination tourism enterprise, an examination of existing community structures and recommendations for upgrades, and a preliminary conceptual design for a Big House, a key focus for the development project. The prefeasibility study will also include recommendations for a phased development timeline with an order of magnitude cost estimates for the various phases.