Benefits of YVR’s revenue-sharing agreement with Musqueam extend beyond economic
First of its kind agreement a testament to the airport’s commitment to community
When the Musqueam Indian Band and Vancouver International Airport Sustainability and Friendship Agreement was signed a year ago, it included everything from a program to eradicate invasive plant species on Sea Island to a scholarship and job training program that will help propel Musqueam members into their careers.
Now one year into the deal, both sides are reaping the benefits and celebrating the agreement’s success, sending a message that winwin relationships are still possible in a world where reconciliation and cooperation are frequently sought but seldom realized.
The 30-year Sustainability and Friendship Agreement is one of many concrete examples of YVR’s commitment to nurturing the communities it serves, a commitment that is built into the mandate of the Vancouver Airport Authority, the company that operates YVR.
Last year, the Musqueam, whose traditional territory includes Sea Island, where YVR is located, received the first annual revenuesharing installment from YVR, valued at $5.3 million, a figure based on one per cent of YVR’s 2017 revenue.
But Mary Point, YVR’s manager of Indigenous relations, says the benefits extend far beyond revenue sharing. “This is the first known agreement of its kind,” says Point, who is of Musqueam heritage and works to bridge the space between the two cultures.
“It contains a range of benefits for both parties, including Musqueam support for YVR’s longterm development, and YVRfunded scholarships and jobs for Musqueam people, as well as revenue sharing.”
So far, some 25 positions at the airport have been filled by members of the Musqueam community, with more to come. Those positions range from maintenance and customer care to jobs in the airport authority’s purchasing and communications departments and even a temporary job for a summer co-op student.
An apprenticeship program was also designed to prepare Musqueam members for careers in skilled trades. “We currently have four opportunities for a heavy-duty equipment technician and an electrician apprenticeship program in maintenance services, baggage operations and fleet department operations,” she said.
The opportunities for Musqueam members include more than just jobs. Over the past year, YVR funded scholarships for eight Musqueam students to pursue their academic goals, from studies in sociology, education and sociocultural anthropology to medicine, fine arts and science, Point said.
Meanwhile, YVR and the Musqueam community are continuing to explore new ways to integrate the First Nation’s cultural heritage into the airport itself through stories, music and dance, as well as through working with retailers to sell authentic Musqueam art and Salish Seas seafood products throughout the airport, said Point.
These social initiatives are in addition to the two partners’ commitment to protect the land and waters around Sea Island, which includes a proactive plan to eradicate invasive plant species on the island and a plan to target areas for restoration and enhancement.
Now celebrating its first year, the agreement not only serves as a successful example of reconciliation in action, but of the success of Canadian airport authorities’ not-for-profit operating models, a model of airport governance that places a premium on community investment.
Not widely known to most British Columbians, airport authorities like the Vancouver Airport Authority receive no government funding, but rather are privately owned and overseen by a community-based board of directors tasked with ensuring that the airport provides social and economic benefit to the larger region.
And in the case of YVR, economic benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. As Craig Richmond, YVR’s president and CEO, put it: “We sought to strike a balance between the needs of the airport and the needs of Musqueam and what we got, incredibly, was a new way forward that will change us both.”