Today marks the fourth anniversary of a devastating fire that destroyed a section of Westminster Pier Park.
On the evening of Sept. 13, 2020, a fire began burning on the eastern side of the waterfront park – ultimately destroying beach volleyball courts, hammocks, an urban beach and the Wow Westminster public art installation.
Because this part of the park was built on the pier’s original wooden pilings, it spread quickly – and continued to burn for days. The fire, which destroyed the entire 1957 timber wharf section of the park, was extinguished on Sept. 24.
Seven months after the fire, the surviving section of Pier Park reopened to the public in April 2021. Prior to the opening, all of the pilings and decks had to be removed from the fire-damaged site, sunken debris had to be hauled away, a new secondary emergency services access point from Front Street has to be created, and a final cleanup of the site had to be done.
When the City of New Westminster developed the $25.1-million park, it built the western section of the park (the part that still remains) on new pilings. Because the eastern part of the site (the part that was destroyed by the fire) was built on the original aging infrastructure, the city had always known that older section was temporary and would eventually have to be rebuilt.
The last public update about the status of the Westminster Pier Park site occurred in October 2023. In an Oct. 16 report to council, city staff provided information on the settlement of the insurance claim for the park site, the next steps for advancing relationships with First Nations related to the future of this site, and the city’s commitment to community engagement and communication regarding the future of the site.
According to the report, the insurers provided a final settlement offer of $30 million in June 2023. The city accepted that offer and took steps to create a reserve fund for the settlement moneys.
The report stated the city is committed to partnering/collaborating with First Nations leaders (government to government) to ensure Indigenous rights, land title, history, values and priorities are understood and established as a first step before any work on a future riverfront project begins.
“Recognizing and considering the history of the river and that it was a key resource for the Indigenous peoples who were active in this area before colonists arrived, the aim is to foster a co-development model as a way to rebalance how the city works with the Nations, and co-create the riverfront holistically,” said the report.
At that point in time, the city had contacted six First Nations regarding the fire site and expressed the city’s desire for potential partnerships.
“It is an exciting process that will advance the city’s truth and reconciliation goals in a genuine and meaningful way,” said the report.
In a statement to the Record, Mayor Patrick Johnstone provided an update on the process for the Westminster Pier Park fire site.
“We are engaging with First Nations who are Rights and Title Holders about their vision for the future of the two-acre area where the wooden pier was lost and have some work to do before we are ready to start public engagement on future site use,” he said in a statement to the Record.
The October 2023 report stated that broader community engagement would be incorporated into the process the city intends to co-create with the First Nations. It noted the timeline of that community engagement was to be determined with project partners once discussions with First Nations had occurred and the further scope of partnership/co-development model was known.
“Staff understand the importance of giving community members a voice and a role to play in helping shape the future of this starched of the riverfront; however, it is important that any potential options or opportunities not be presupposed prior to initiating collaboration with interested Nations,” said the report.
A massive fire broke out at the Pier Park of New Westminster, B.C., destroying section of the boardwalk along the waterfront. pic.twitter.com/6WSzR2YIuJ
— CTV News (@CTVNews) September 14, 2020
The Record has also contacted the parks and recreation department for an update on the status of the Westminster Pier Park fire site – and the plans for a park expansion on the western side of the site that’s closer to River Market and Fraser River Discovery Centre.
As part of Bosa Development’s Pier West development, the City of New Westminster will acquire park space on the western side of the side.
“We are almost ready to receive ownership of the new two acres of public park space to the west of Pier Park, to finally reconnect the Quayside to Pier Park along the waterfront,” Johnstone told the Record. “Once that site is turned over to us, we can start building the public amenities that make the space a public park.”
