Discover Narcity
Get the latest and greatest stories every day in your inbox.
TFN charts a bold path forward with updated Land Use Plan
The plan projects Tsawwassen Lands will reach 12,000 residents by 2050.
When the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) adopted British Columbia’s first urban modern treaty in 2009, it began a remarkable revitalization.
Seventeen years later, that foundational vision is evolving.
With its member vote approving the 2025 Land Use Plan Update, Tsawwassen is aiming to balance explosive growth with a deep commitment to cultural roots, ecological stewardship, and community wellness.
The numbers tell a story of steady transformation.
In 2009, about 660 people lived on Tsawwassen Lands.
By late 2025, that population climbed to roughly 5,400 residents, including 4,900 leasehold residents and 500 members living in the Village.
Projections estimate the population will reach 10,000 by 2040 and 12,000 by 2050.
Economic development has mirrored this population boom.
In 2025, more than 250 licensed businesses operated across industrial and commercial sectors on Tsawwassen Lands.
Together with government employment, these enterprises support about 4,000 on-land jobs and act as a significant economic engine for the region.
While the 2009 plan focused primarily on unlocking economic opportunities and building essential infrastructure like the $27 million sewage treatment plant and Tsawwassen Mills, the 2025 update takes a more well-rounded approach.
“Now we are prepared to carry it forward more holistically in 2025, rooted in Tsawwassen culture,” said Chief Laura Cassidy.
The updated plan is grounded in three core principles: syə́θəs (culture), šxʷkʷecxənəm (care), and məsteyəxʷ (community), and guided by the spirit of nəc̓aʔmát – working in unity.
As stated in the plan, this project’s community engagement process ran from September 2023 to June 2025 and included 24 sessions and over 350 member participations.
It divides Tsawwassen Lands into several key zones and designations to manage this future growth carefully:
The Community Area: Spanning about 177 hectares, this includes the Village, Tidal Marsh, and Bluff. It serves as the heart of the community, where plans include a new Cultural Centre, a Village Centre, a civic plaza near the legislature, a new cemetery, and an assisted living facility for elders. Ecological management zones will protect sensitive marsh and bluff habitats, archaeological sites, and the Pacific Great Blue Heron rookery.
“The objective of the Community Area is to maintain community character and continue building the community near the water for Members to live, work and play. Protect cultural roots, ecological environment, and traditional activities such as hunting and medicinal plants.”
Neighbourhood and Mixed-Use Areas: Covering about 134 hectares for leasehold residential and commercial enterprises, alongside 69 hectares at Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons, ensuring walkable, transit-friendly spaces that meet regional needs. It will help build out remaining vacant spaces, create long-term housing and market needs, and root new developments in Tsawwassen culture.
Industrial and Employment Lands: Encompassing roughly 135 hectares, these lands are designated as a long-term logistics and distribution hub, which aspires to create a national gateway that balances wealth generation with strict environmental standards.
Agricultural Areas: Increased to approximately 217 hectares with the inclusion of Brunswick Point lands, dedicated to food security, farming, and land-based economic activity.
Parks, Open Spaces & Blueways: Building on parks added since 2009, the updated plan focuses on creating safe, welcoming spaces for recreation, cultural expression, and community events. It advances the Great Blue Heron Way trail network, integrates gathering spots into neighbourhoods, and protects biodiversity. Alongside conserving the Tidal Marsh and Bluff, the plan prioritizes restoring blueway systems, shorelines, and waterways to support ecological health and cultural revitalization for future generations.
Transportation & Infrastructure: The plan prioritizes active transportation, integrated regional transit, and safe road networks through partnerships with provincial agencies. To support ongoing growth, new developments must dedicate land for trails and road rights-of-way while funding essential municipal infrastructure like water, sewage, drainage, and lighting. These systems will be managed for climate resilience and paired with third-party utilities to ensure modern standards across the community.
Action and Study Areas: The digital plan uses specific markers, such as eagle feathers for bold, near-term action Areas (like the Village Centre and beachfront planning) and heron feathers for long-term study areas (like the Port Adjacent Use Area and 13-acre parcel), to ensure growth happens thoughtfully as more information becomes available.
Implementation will roll out through updated zoning rules and other relevant regulations to align with the new Land Use Plan.
“By planning how we use and protect our lands, we are creating space for cultural revitalization, community wellness, and the healing of our People. We are honouring our ancestors by continuing the work they began, and we are preparing a strong foundation for our generations to come,” said Cassidy.
Copyright 2026, Delta Optimist. All rights reserved.
Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Delta Optimist.
Keep reading
Show less
Calgary Opera replaces performer who unfurled Palestinian flag during 'Tosca' bow
Calgary Opera replaces singer over Palestine flag
The Calgary Opera has replaced a performer who unfurled a Palestinian flag during the curtain call of the political opera “Tosca.”
On Friday, the bass singer Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega held up the flag at the end of Giacomo Puccini’s drama about love and betrayal during political upheaval in Napoleonic Rome.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Calgary Opera called the action “unexpected and unauthorized,” adding that individual political protest violated company policy.
The institution apologized for the “discomfort and distress” some may have felt and said Sanchez-Ortega’s role will be performed by another artist for the remainder of the shows.
Sanchez-Ortega played a character named Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner.
In an Instagram story, Sanchez-Ortega wrote that he had “no regrets” and that “this is the state of cultural institutions in Canada.”
The Calgary Opera and Sanchez-Ortega did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In its statement about the Oct. 16 performance, the Opera said individual political protest contravenes its "responsibility to create a more connected, caring and civil society through shared artistic experiences.”
Sanchez-Ortega said he holds no resentment.
“After the theatre, (political or otherwise) we all have to go home, and look at ourselves in the mirror,” Sanchez-Ortega continued in his statement.
“It was my honour to play the role of Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
By Alex Nino Gheciu | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Canadian Coast Guard’s only large drone is testing Arctic capability in Nunavut
The drone will fly as far north as 72 degrees North during testing through spring 2027.
A Hermes 900 Starliner surveillance drone was disassembled and shipped from Greenwood, N.S., to Iqaluit in early October, and its capacity for flying in Arctic conditions will be tested until spring 2027, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.
The drone is currently being housed in Iqaluit’s Transport Canada hangar and is the Canadian Coast Guard’s only large remotely-operated piloted aircraft, but micro drones are also in the fleet.
Monitoring ships in Canada’s waters, pollution detection, ice reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the Arctic are all part of its functionality.
“These test flights help Canadian Coast Guard personnel familiarize themselves with drone operations and procedures so we can expand our use of this system for future surveillance operations in the North,” said Craig Macartney, a communications advisor at federal agency National Defence.
Macartney said the surveillance drone will go as far as 72 degrees North, which is on the same parallel as Pond Inlet.
The Canadian government purchased the Hermes 900 Starliner from Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems for $36 million in 2020.
Since then, the surveillance drone has conducted 80 hours of testing.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is leveraging drone technology to enhance data collection for research, inform vessel deployment decisions, map response areas, monitor hazardous vessels and potential spills, and to expand our surveillance operations in the North,” Macartney said.
Copyright 2026, Nunavut News. All rights reserved.
William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunavut News.
Keep reading
Show less
L'amour est dans le pré confirme le retrait d'un prétendant avant le début de la saison
L'homme a été dénoncé par des dizaines de personnes sur les réseaux sociaux.
À quelques jours de la première de cette nouvelle saison de L'amour est dans le pré, l'un des prétendants de l'agricultrice Anne-Sophie fait face à des dénonciations concernant certains comportements qu'il aurait eu dans le passé. Après avoir reçu plusieurs commentaires à l'égard du prénommé Maxime, la production a fait une première intervention sur la page Facebook de l'émission.
C'est au début du mois de janvier que l'équipe derrière la téléréalité a mentionné avoir pris connaissance des propos partagés par les téléspectateur.trices :
« Sachez que tous les candidat.e.s et prétendant.e.s de la série sont assujettis à un processus rigoureux d’enquêtes. Depuis notre première saison, L’amour est dans le pré porte une attention particulière au bien-être de tous ses participants. La majorité des tournages sont complétés et tout s'est déroulé de manière respectueuse. En aucun cas, des comportements déplacés n’auraient été tolérés par la production. »
Lesdits commentaires qui ont été partagés par certaines personnes du public mentionnaient que l'aspirant prétendant aurait « harcelé » différentes femmes au cours des dernières années :
« Regarde qui se trouve en haut à droite! Celui dont je t'ai parlé à la job qui me harcelait...Tu t'en souviens? Lis les commentaires... Je n'étais pas la seule finalement », avait commenté une internaute, parmi tant d'autres.
C'est finalement le 6 janvier que la production de l'émission a partagé un message officiel concernant l'avenir de Maxime dans le cadre de l'émission :
« Suite à de troublantes allégations faites au cours des derniers jours concernant les comportements d'un prétendant, la production de L'amour est dans le pré a décidé de le retirer de l'aventure. L'amour est dans le pré a toujours prôné la bienveillance, le respect, la sincérité et l'authenticité. La nature et la gravité des gestes reprochés, qui vont clairement à l'encontre de ces valeurs, nous ont poussés à prendre cette décision. »
Les membres de l'équipe ont ensuite confirmé que les personnes concernées auront accès à un soutien professionnel pour traverser tout ça :
« Cette 11e saison est remplie d'amour, de magnifiques rencontres, de décisions déchirantes et de coups de foudre. Il aurait été dommage que la situation actuelle porte ombrage aux agriculteur.trices et leurs prétendant.es qui ont plongé dans l'aventure avec tout leur coeur dans le but de trouver l'amour. »
La production conclut ensuite cette intervention en mentionnant qu'elle ne commettra pas d'autres commentaires à ce sujet. La première intervention ainsi que la publication révélant le portrait des prétendants d'Anne-Sophie ont été retirées de la page Facebook de l'émission.
Il faudra maintenant patienter au jeudi 12 janvier à 20 h sur les ondes de Noovo pour lancer cette aventure à la ferme avec les cinq agriculteur.trices.