Vancouver is built on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We acknowledge and recognize those whose voices were violently silenced, and continue to be silenced, and must be heard.
The Gastown Business Improvement Society encourages an open and inclusive conversation about the Gassy Jack Statue and its painful history, and fully supports the right to protest. Together with the City of Vancouver, we are starting to reach out to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh as an initial and priority first step. We are committed to working with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, matriarchs, Urban Indigenous knowledge holders, representatives of Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQQIA communities, the Gastown community, and the City of Vancouver, on a solution that tells the honest story of the history of Gastown.
