 Sea Island (in red) within the rest of Richmond (pink, which occupies much ofLulu Island) andMetro Vancouver (green) | |
 Interactive map of Sea Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Fraser River Estuary |
| Coordinates | 49°12′N123°10′W / 49.200°N 123.167°W /49.200; -123.167 |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | British Columbia |
Sea Island (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓:sqʷsaθən) is an island in theFraser Riverestuary in the city ofRichmond,British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the city ofVancouver and northwest ofLulu Island.
Sea Island is home toVancouver International Airport (YVR), a natureconservation area, and a permanent resident population of 814,[1] most of which live in the neighbourhood ofBurkeville.
The island was traditionally home to theMusqueam First Nation, and they retain ownership over a parcel of land on the island's northwest corner under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3".[2]
The name Sea Island has been credited toColonel Moody, who surveyed the geography of the Lower Mainland and noticed that at high tide, the island was partially hidden by the sea.[3] It had previously been referred to as McRoberts' Island, after the first European settler on the island, Hugh McRoberts.[4]
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Construction of residential neighbourhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, a 328 home subdivision was built in 1943 to house the employees of the nearby Boeing facility.[4] This village on the island's east side became known as Burkeville, after then-President ofBoeing Canada, Stanley Burke.[4]
A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighbourhood remains.[citation needed]
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The Vancouver International Airport first opened on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicingTrans-Canada Airlines flights in 1937.[5] The airport received relatively light traffic for the next fifty years until extensive growth in international traffic, primarily between theUnited States andAsia, necessitated expansion of service. With investments from the airlines and theCanadian government, and asurcharge on tickets to cover costs, the airport began a significant overhaul in the 1990s.[6]
As of 2024, the airport is the second largest inCanada, with over 20 million passengers travelling through each year.[7] It has grown to three passenger terminals and two main runways servicing over fifty airlines.[citation needed]
The YVR Airport South Terminal is located on the south shore of Sea Island.
Grant McConachie Way is the primary east–west artery leading to the main airport terminal, while a significant amount of commuter traffic from Vancouver to Richmond crosses Sea Island north-south via Russ Baker Way. Sea Island is connected to Vancouver to the north via theArthur Laing Bridge, and to Richmond via theNo. 2 Road Bridge,Dinsmore Bridge,Moray Bridge and theSea Island Connector.
Sea Island is served by three stations on theCanada Line branch of theSkyTrain rapid transit network, namely,Templeton,Sea Island Centre, andYVR-Airport. The SkyTrain connects Sea Island to central Richmond and downtown Vancouver.
TransLink also operates one bus on Sea Island, route 412, which connects the YVR South Terminal toBridgeport Station.[8]
The Sea Island Conservation Area (SICA) is located adjacent to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and consists of approximately 140.1 hectares (1.4 square kilometres) of land on the north side of Sea Island dedicated for conservation of wildlife and habitat. SICA was transferred to Environment Canada as a compensation package funded by Transport Canada to replace wildlife habitat lost as a result of runway expansion at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).[citation needed] The main goal for management of SICA is to maintain existing populations of wildlife that do not compromise aviation safety.
Habitats on SICA consist of woodland, wetland sloughs, and old agricultural field habitat which support a diversity of birds, land mammals, and terrestrial plants. SICA habitat management discourages populations of flocking birds that may pose hazards to aviation safety, as well as discourages populations of beavers that can cause prevalent, severe and costly damage to habitat.
Sturgeon Bank is a designated wildlife management area located off the west side of the island at thedelta front of theFraser Riverestuary. The area consists primarily ofnearshore,foreshore, andsubtidal waters. Boating is prohibited in the area in order to protect the habitats of numerous bird and fish populations.[9]
Sea Island has two public beaches, McDonald Beach Park and Iona Beach Regional Park.
McDonald Beach is operated by the city ofRichmond. It is a recreational space, with an off-leash area for dogs, picnic tables, and boat docking available.
Iona Beach is operated by theGreater Vancouver Regional District, with a focus the protection and study of the native flora and fauna. It is located onIona Island, the peninsula on the northwest corner of Sea Island, and houses twojetties that extend into theStrait of Georgia.
Sea Island's south shore features aCanadian Coast Guard station, as well asfloatplane docks and abusiness jet terminal. The island is home to Richmond Fire Hall No. 4, which was built in 2007 to replace the 60-year old hall that was formerly located within Burkeville.[10][11]
The island is also home to the Aerospace and Aviation Technology campus of theBritish Columbia Institute of Technology, as well as two hotels run byFairmont andRadisson. In 2015, theMcArthurGlen Designer Outlet opened on the island as a joint venture between theVancouver International Airport and theMcArthurGlen Group[12]
Burkeville was previously served by the Sea Island School, which taught children from kindergarten to grade 3, after which they would commute to schools onLulu Island, primarily Samuel Brighouse Elementary. However, in 2019 the school was closed by theRichmond School District, despite protest from members of the community,[13][14] due to low enrolment and highseismic risk.[15]
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