This project helped enhance an existing gathering space in Port Hardy’s downtown area with the addition of an Indigenous welcome figure showcasing the history of the Kwakiutl / Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw peoples, a seating area and an interactive digital visitor information kiosk designed to increased discoverability of the wide range of North Island events and activities.
This greeting and gathering space adds integral elements to the visitor experience due to its location at the gateway to the downtown core and alongside the iconic waterfront walkway. This initiative was part of a larger effort to update an under-utilized gathering space in the town’s waterfront park by increasing green space and safety through parking relocation, and building a new washroom facility adjacent to the Visitor Centre/Chamber of Commerce Building.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2021 through the Community Placemaking 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.
