THE CHALLENGE

Riverview Hospital officially closed in 2012. For decades Riverview provided critical care to people with severe mental illnesses. The 240-acre site is also an arboretum and houses one of the largest tree collections in the Province. In 2013 BC Housing was given the mandate to redevelop Riverview and in 2015 published a vision for the future of the site (Renewing Riverview).

THE RESPONSE

Subsequently, BC hired a large team of consultants led by P+W Architects. Modus is part of that team and is the lead land use planner and public and stakeholder engagement specialist for the project. In 2021 BC Housing and kFN honoured the kwikwəƛ̓ əm’s (Kwikwetlem First Nation’s) historical and cultural ties to the Riverview Lands by renaming the site to the hənq̓ ̓əmin̓əm name of s ̓əmiqw̓ əʔelə (pronounced Suh-mEE-kwuh EL-uh) meaning “Place of the Great Blue Heron”.