Management plan implementation

Management plans identify the long-term strategic direction and vision for sites and provide a framework for how they will be managed, consistent with Parks Canada’s mandate, vision and strategic outcomes. Management plans are guiding documents for decision-making and planning.

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site is operated by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society on behalf of Parks Canada. The following updates serve as a progress report from Parks Canada to partners, interest-holders, and the public.

2023

• Renewed financial and collaborative agreements to support the continued collaboration between Parks Canada and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society.
• Completed Management planning Phase I consultation with key interest-holders and prepared the approved draft management plan for a 2024 public consultation launch.
• Launched two new exhibits: Fish Tales, a celebration of the ways seafood connects diverse communities to Canada’s West Coast fishing industry and The Water We Call Home: Re-presencing Indigenous women’s connections to fish, water and family around the Salish Sea.
• Delivered education focused on ocean pollution (Parks Canada) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Salmonids in the Classroom program (Cannery Society).
• Started collections and artifact review, and permanent exhibit renewal planning.

2022

• Continued management planning Phase I consultation with partners, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities.
• Resumed on-site school programming and events such as Easter at the Cannery, and Welcoming the Sun, celebrating Indigenous culture and fishing history.
• Developed and launched Cannery People, a new summer tour focused on the stories of the diverse people and communities who shaped the fishing industry.
• Continued collaborating on the Fish Tales exhibit with the University of British Columbia’s Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies. This involved collecting stories that celebrate the ways seafood connects diverse communities to west coast fishing history.
• Delivered Parks Canada education programming focused on what actions people can take to help protect Southern Resident Killer Whales.

2021

• Returned to full visitor access and services, with COVID-19 pandemic precautions in place during the operational season.
• Resumed the management planning process and initiated Phase I consultation with Indigenous communities, partners and interest-holders.
• Completed the multi-year fire suppression system upgrades, under the Federal Infrastructure Investment Program.

2020

• Due to the global pandemic, COVID-19, Parks Canada suspended all public consultations and formal engagement on management plans.
• Re-opened on July 13, 2020, with limited access to visitor services and facilities focusing on self-guided visits.

2019

• Completed the replacement of the sanitary system, as part of the Federal Infrastructure Investment Program.
• Completed a multi-year project to improve the overall condition of the site with repairs to the building envelope, as part of the Federal Infrastructure Investment Program. This included updated HVAC, exterior siding, seismic upgrades, and updated lighting to improve energy efficiency.
• Initiated the development of a new interpretation plan for the site.