The Kwiḵ wa̱ sut’inux̱ w Haxwa’mis First Nation (KHFN), located on Gilford Island in the world-renowned Broughton Archipelago, is achieving another milestone in its strategic plan with the construction of a campsite in Buddy Bay.
The plan contains a number of strategic tourism initiatives designed to respond to increased demand for Indigenous cultural and ecotourism opportunities, including the restoration of the Gwa’yas’dums Bighouse in 2014, the acquisition of the Echo Bay Marina and Lodge in 2020, and the completion of an interpretive eco-tourism trail in Echo Bay in 2022.
The Buddy Bay Campground will offer accommodation to visitors to the area arriving through group kayak tours, self-organized tours, and other marine excursions. Amenities will include tent pads and a covered meeting area, outdoor shower and outhouse, and potable water, safety and cultural interpretive signage, and trail improvements to existing trails to facilitate easy access to the Village.
Future offerings may include traditional experiences such as meals, marine tours, and cultural excursions led by KHFN community members, and our outlined in KHFN’s 2019 ‘Revitalizing the Shore of Gwa’yas’dums’ report.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2023 through the Capital and Innovation program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
