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The Britannia Heritage Shipyard in Steveston or south Richmond is home to some of the oldest shipyard buildings in B.C. The shipyard serves to remind visitors that the Steveston area was once a thriving fishing village where European, Japanese and Chinese fishermen and shoreworkers built a livelihood and a community by harvesting the richness of the sea and called this area home more than one hundred years ago.

Now, living quarters, houses, early stores and cannery shops were preserved to retain their authentic feel. Many of the buildings are open for visitors during the warmer months in the spring and summer. The Britannia Heritage Shipyard is also a park with a planked boardwalk where nearby residents often enjoy taking a stroll in the evening here. Guided tours are available but simply taking a leisurely walk by yourself down memory lane may prove to be just as enlightening and educational. Almost every interesting locale has a plaque or tourist signage that explains the significance of the place or building.

What makes Britannia Heritage Shipyard feels even more alive is the boat restoration that is constantly taking place in the park’s Boat Works. Right now, Iona and Mukai, two heritage boats are being refurbished. Iona, a 38-feet ocean-going fishing vessel, was originally a double ender but the stern was later converted into a blunt end in the 1930s. Mukai was a smaller boat built by Sejei Mukai in 1988 as a retirement project to replicate (at a 50% reduction) the type of ships he used to construct in his younger days. Jim McMillan who works on repairing the two boats said that once they are given a new life, they would be relaunched back to the waters at the Fraser River where they once traversed.

See also At Richmond’s Britannia Heritage Shipyard, Iona and Mukai are Given New Lives







































Britannia Heritage Shipyard at 5180 Westwater Dr, Richmond, BC


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Steveston BC has always been a fishing village. First, it provided a livelihood for the Musqueam First Nations people who lived here for centuries. Then came early-settlers of European and Japanese ancestries attracted by the vast resources at sea.

Ocean fishing is a dangerous profession. Capsizes or being washed overboard happened often in the choppy sea where salmons and shell-fish thrived. Every parting at the mouth of the Fraser River could be the last. When fishermen were out at sea for days and never returned, family members on shore could only imagine the worst and mourn their loved ones. Accept the fate was never easy but they did realize that you live by the sea, you could just die by it.

Years later, memories were passed on from generation to generation. On May 04, 1996, a monument was finally erected at Garry Point Park to honour those fishermen who were lost at sea. They not only gave their lives in supporting their families but also played a critical role in building the community that made Steveston what it is today. A large fishing-net needle used to repair nets were chosen as the design with the following words inscribed, “This memorial honours all the fishermen of our community who have lost their lives in the pursuit of their profession. Their courage, dedication and contribution to the development of our community will never be forgotten.”

Garry Point Park in Steveston is a large piece of grassland in the southern part of Richmond BC. This is also the place where the South Arm of the Fraser River meets the sea. The landscaping is flat with no obstructions and few large objects dotted the 44-acre parkland. Sea breeze is plentiful. Therefore, one of the most popular activities in the spring and summer is kite-flying or kite-gliding. Kite enthusiasts from all over the Vancouver area come to Garry Point Park to enjoy the sport.

A perfect day at Garry Point Park for them would be seeing their colorful kites rise up into the deep blue sky buoyed by winds that set their minds free.

The southern part of the city of Richmond is beaming with activities especially in the summer and warmer months. Here is also where Richmond’s past has been revitalized for the future.







Steveston, what used to be a fishing village and the former site of BC Packers and Gulf of Georgia Cannery, was transformed into a heritage site, residential area, a community centre and most-importantly, a tourist attraction. The Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf is a popular attraction in Richmond for locals and tourists alike.





When BC Packers left Steveston some years ago, there was real danger that the area could become a ghost town. Yet Steveston, this former sleepy little municipality was able to turn itself around into an attractive tourist destination in a few short years after undergoing a major metamorphosis. If you knew Steveston then and had been away for some time, you would not be able to recognize its present form. Nowadays, people from all over Vancouver and even tourists from around the world come to visit this part of the greater Vancouver area once known for its cannery shops and agricultural farms.





Come to Richmond these days and there are plenty of historical sites for old-time sakes, whether it is the Britiania Heritage Shipyard, Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf or the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.

As you heels click on the Steveston boardwalk on a sunny day, you will be reminded at every turn of the ‘good old days’ when salmons were meant to put into cans and local fruits and vegetables were sold in open air markets. But if you fancy some freshly-caught salmons off the ocean and pick-your-own farm strawberries, there are often local merchants that could suit your particular needs.

First Nations westcoast artist Bill Reid’s The Spirit of Haida Gwaii or The Jade Canoe is also featured in one of the Canadian twenty dollar bills.

Richmond’s northern part is where much of local economy takes place. There are larger shopping malls along the Skytrain Canada Line stations of Aberdeen, Lansdowne and Brighouse. Plenty of supermarkets, drug stores, auto dealerships, Asian restaurants and specialty shops as well. Also, hotels, furniture stores, a casino at nearby Canada Line station etc.

A little further north across the Fraser River North Arm is Sea Island where the YVR Vancouver International Airport is. The entire northern area of Richmond is well-served by three Canada Line stations: Templeton, Sea Island Centre and YVR. Along the Fraser River in the Middle Arm Greenway region is where the Richmond Oval, the speed-skating venue for the 2010 Olympics and the future site of the RiverGreen real-estate development call home.

So Richmond north is a concentration of commercial, sports and community facilities, leisure and entertainment venues and fitness and wellness centers for both the general public and elite athletes.

The southern part of Richmond is very different however. See At Steveston, The Past is The Present and Future.

Lady Luck smiled on Richmond, BC twice.

First, the city gained the favor of Vanoc to build of the $187 million superstructure that was used to host speed-skating events. Then good fortune came to Richmond again when ASPAC, the Hong Kong based developer purchased the land just west of the Oval for a cool $141 million in an all-cash transaction. That amount was more than three times the government of Richmond had expected and the money not only help clear any debt that Richmond had in finishing the Oval project, there was enough left over to allow Richmond to purchase a key piece of real estate in the heart of the city, the Garden City Lands.

Right now, ASPAC is working diligently to lay the preliminary foundation for what will be known as RiverGreen, a parcel of land just west of Dinsmore Bridge. ASPAC intends to build a cluster of 12 to 14 residential towers with 2,000 units to house 4,000 residents. RiverGreen will be the largest planned community housing project in Richmond.
The ASPAC housing will be restricted to 14 stories high as they will be in the direct flight path of the YVR Vancouver International Airport’s air traffic. But to compensate, if that is the right word, RiverGreen residents will have a spectacular view of the famous North Vancouver northshore mountains.

ASPAC is a real-estate developer of high-end residential living spaces that has plenty of experience with the city of Vancouver having developed the Waterfront Place and Harbour Green Place in downtown Vancouver and Wesbrock in UBC University Endowment Lands.

With the construction of the Richmond Olympic Oval and the subsequent good fortune that Richmond has gotten in just a few short years, the city is now well on its way to revive a part of the city that could as well turn into a riverside wasteland or an industrial slum and holds the promise to connect up the formerly disjointed north and south portions.

Will Richmond score a Golden Future with the Oval?


Jogger runs along Middle Arm Greenway and enters Richmond Oval Spirit Square.

The ASPAC RiverGreen development was on surplus land left over from the Richmond Olympic Oval development. The Richmond government sold the land to ASPAC Development in March 2007 for a cool $141 million in an all-cash transaction. That amount was three times what the government had previously expected ($43 million). At the time of the sale, the Richmond government was facing a shortfall of $43 million to complete the Olympic Oval project.

Some conditions of the land sale included the preservation of public “green spaces” with no net loss after development, maximizing the spectacular river views for all, increase public accessibility to the area, adherence to LEED Silver building designs etc. The development project is headed by well-known Vancouver architect James Cheng.

Although ASPAC is based in Hong Kong, it has completed a number of Vancouver real estate development projects, including Waterfront Place and Harbour Green Place in downtown Vancouver and the Wesbrock at UBC’s University Endowment Lands. Now, the company is working on RiverGreen at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Here, on this prime riverfront property at the mouth of the Fraser River, ASPAC will construct 2,000 housing units for 4,000 residents and the company may spend up to $1 Billion to develop it over the next 10-12 years.

The ASPAC housing units will consist of 12-14 residential towers in five parcels of land in an area that is 8.6 acres large.
The buildings will be restricted to 14 stories high as the area is in the direct flight path of the YVR Vancouver International Airport’s air traffic. Facing the north side, one can see planes arriving and leaving the YVR airport with the Vancouver’s spectacular snow-capped northshore mountains as the backdrop.

The city of Richmond has also retained a half-acre of land nearby for affordable housing development.

Middle Arm Greenway Inukshuk and Speed-skater artwork

Immediately after the 2010 Olympics, the Richmond Oval is undergoing a transformation of its own in renovating the former Olympic speed-skating venue into a heath and fitness centre for the community and a high-caliber training facility for rowing and boating athletes. Next door, preliminary work is being done by ASPAC to prepare the land for a real estate development that will become Richmond’s largest planned community site.

The health and wellness dyke trail built for resident fitness runs along the Middle Arm Greenway. And with this large-scale ASPAC real estate development, the city will truly be linked up from the north and south. Richmond and even Vancouver area residents can now ride their bikes and do their shopping at a wide variety of stores along the three Canada Line Skytrain stations—Brighouse, Lansdowne and Aberdeen, then take a trip down south to the Steveston Village and other historic sites of national interest.

Richmond’s traditional industries have been fishery and agriculture, a heritage that the city government wants to preserve. Also, 1.4 million birds migrate through as part of the Pacific Flyway. So with all these natural characteristics, the city hopes to
keep up with its pro-environment image and habitat.

With the green efforts that the Richmond government is spearheading, things are falling in place. Although the Middle Arm Greenway project is far from finish, citizens are already enjoying cycling and jogging there on the raised dyke trails along the Fraser River.

It’s a new vision for Richmond, one that would likely bear fruit in the post-2010 Olympics Games era.



Public art at the Spirit Square that reflects Richmond’s fishery heritage










Richmond BC Middle Arm Greenway is far from complete in April 2010.