Squamish Nation Billboards

In mid-October 2009, two news stories connected Squamish Nation planning for digital billboards with their potential to impact Olympic advertising. According to the first report by Bob Mackin, VANOC was “negotiating to buy ad space” (Oct. 16). VANOC had previously committed $40 million to achieve Olympics-period control of all such advertising space. Located on Native land, the new billboards would fall outside of the deal that VANOC had already established as part of its mandate. Although “offered the first right to buy the space on the new billboards,” VANOC was seen to be trapped in “an embarrassing corner” (Cernetig, Oct. 19). After well over two months, no further news on these negotiations has emerged …

On 22 September 2009 the Squamish Nation announced that Canada’s Department of Indian and Northern Affairs had “no legal concerns or environmental concerns” (Mackin, Sept. 22) about their proposal for billboards on Squamish Nation land.

Nine digital billboards are being mounted on six structures. An earlier plan, put on hold in 2007, had anticipated as many as 28 signs. LED (light-emitting diode) screens 30 feet wide by 10 feet high will display one static advertisement every ten seconds. A thirty-year deal with Astral Media Outdoor is expected to produce millions in royalties for the Squamish Nation.

Much of the news reporting and opinion on the anticipated Squamish Nation billboards expressed negative suppositions of damage to views and danger to traffic safety. Those reactions seem even uglier when set beside the lack of furor that met Vancouver City Council’s March 2009 decision to continue profiting Pattison and other billboard advertisers. At that time, Council went against a staff recommendation to phase out a set of nonconforming billboards that exploit a now-closed loophole (Fuller-Evans, Roberts).

The following location descriptions for billboards in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Squamish are based on comparisons of many different news reports:

• At the south end (west side) of Burrard Bridge in Vancouver
• On the south side of Marine Drive, between Capilano Road and the Lions Gate Bridge off-ramp in West Vancouver
• On the west side of Highway 1 at the north end of the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver District
• North of the Main Street off-ramp in North Vancouver District
• On the south side of Main Street, east of Mountain Highway in North Vancouver District
• On the west side of Highway 99 across from Stawamus Chief in Squamish

The Squamish Nation is one of the Olympics Four Host First Nations, and Chief Gibby Jacob sits on the VANOC board (Mackin, Sept. 22).

Postscript 21 January 2010

One newspaper has reported that VANOC is filling the billboards with its own messages – and thus far has managed to resell none of the space to 2010 sponsors. What did spokesperson Renée Smith-Valade say?

This is billboard space we were required to buy.

Kristen Thompson. “VANOC controls signs,” Metro Vancouver (20 Jan 2010) 3

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Four reports on “Installation of Advertising Billboards” can be found at http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/index_e.cfm (the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency web site) by searching for keyword billboards and province British Columbia.

Earlier background documents can be found posted on the web site of Citizens for Responsible Outdoor Advertising.

 
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(In chronological order)

Janaya Fuller-Evans. “Billboard battle resumes,” Vancouver Courier (11 March 2009) 1

Janaya Fuller-Evans. “Olympics prompt billboard crackdown,” Vancouver Courier (18 March 2009) 11

Janaya Fuller-Evans. “Residents target billboards, council,” Vancouver Courier (20 March 2009) 12

Anne Roberts. “Letter of the week,” Vancouver Courier (20 March 2009) 9

Bob Mackin. “Digital billboards to be erected in Vancouver?” 24 Hours Vancouver (22 Sept 2009) [online only?]

Fernando Carneiro. “Squamish Nation billboards get OK,” Metro Vancouver (23 Sept 2009) 1

Mary Frances Hill / Jane Seyd. “Squamish Nation to put up 6 billboards before Christmas,” Vancouver Sun (23 Sept 2009) A10

Bob Mackin. “Opposition to natives’ digital billboard proposal,” 24 Hours Vancouver (23 Sept 2009) [online only?]

Sam Cooper / Jack Keating. “Squamish Nation to erect 6 billboards,” Province (23 Sept 2009) A3

Miro Cernetig. “Giant billboards a blight on region’s landscape,” Vancouver Sun (25 Sept 2009) A3

Sylvie Paillard. “Feds OK billboard,” Squamish Chief (25 Sept 2009)

“Advertising in Eden: Squamish First Nation’s Vancouver billboard plan raises readers’ ire [7 letters],” Vancouver Sun (5 Oct 2009) A10

Ian Austin. “Criticized Squamish billboards set to go,” Province (16 Oct 2009) A15

Bob Mackin. “VANOC aims to buy billboards,” 24 Hours Vancouver (16 Oct 2009) 1

Jane Seyd. “Squamish greenlight billboards,” North Shore News (16 Oct 2009) 1

Graeme Wood. “Place your ad here, Squamish band says,” Vancouver Sun (16 Oct 2009) A7

Pete McMartin. “Paradise desecrated,” Vancouver Sun (17 Oct 2009) A4

Miro Cernetig. “Squamish First Nation puts Olympic pooh-bahs on the spot,” Vancouver Sun (19 Oct 2009) A1

Chief Gibby Jacob. “Chief clarifies billboard plans [letter],” Vancouver Sun (28 Oct 2009) A12

Gary M. Jackson. “The glare of a flashing billboard [letter],” Vancouver Sun (31 Oct 2009) C3

“Separating the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’ while looking at billboards [2 letters],” Vancouver Sun (2 Nov 2009) A12

“Squamish Nation’s billboards [2 letters],” Vancouver Sun (23 Nov 2009) A11

Nancy Macdonald. “Gold in them hills,” Macleans (2 Dec 2009)

Andy Ivens. “Squamish First Nation installs billboard near Burrard Bridge,” Province (3 Dec 2009)

Paul Sullivan. “Will billboards speak for anyone?” Metro Vancouver (4 Dec 2009) 12

Rebecca Aldous. “Squamish Nation billboards go through testing period,” North Shore Outlook (14 Dec 2009)

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