In a bid to get more people involved in the future of səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview Lands, the agency and First Nation overseeing the historical property in Coquitlam are calling for fresh photos.
BC Housing and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation recently started a picture contest for snappers to come onto the 244-acre grounds off Lougheed Highway — until Oct. 22 — to capture scenes and to help prioritize what’s most important for its redevelopment.
Participants will be asked to answer a series of prompts about their images to help guide with the site planning. The pictures should describe the following themes:
- This is what home looks like to me
- This is what heritage or culture looks like to me
- This is what wellness (mental/physical) looks like to me
- This is what truth and reconciliation looks like to me
Those four topics are part of the mandate of the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview Lands renewal; the other themes are landscape, sustainability, community, mobility and buildings.
After the contest entry deadline, the images will be studied by the project team to find common elements for future planning.
And the winners, who will be selected in a random draw, are eligible to win a $150 pre-paid Visa gift card, one of two $50 gift certificates to a Tri-City business or one of three 8x10” framed photos from the contest.
Photographers are asked to follow the site protocols via sumiqwuelu.com/about-sumiqwuelu/protocols when at səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview Lands.
The name səmiq̓ʷəʔelə pronounced (Suh-MEE-kwuh-EL-uh) — meaning Place of the Great Blue Heron — came into effect this spring after BC Housing announced the century-old parcel would stay in public hands, and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation would receive land transfers as a result of its new partnership with the provincial government.
As well, a master plan is underway to incorporate the stakeholder and community feedback; the final document will be presented to the City of Coquitlam, as it controls land use.
To submit photos of səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview Lands by Oct. 22, go to http://bchousing.typeform.com/bch-kfn-photo. Questions about the contest or the site redevelopment can also be emailed to renewingriverview@bchousing.org.
