Sea Island ( hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓: ''sqʷsaθən'') is an island in the

Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

in the city of Richmond,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. It is located south of the city of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and northwest of

Lulu Island Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River, located south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the List of Canadian islands by population, second-most populous island in British Columbia, after Vancou ...

. Sea Island is home to

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island (British Columbia), Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is lo ...

(''YVR''), a nature

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

, and a permanent resident population of 814, most of which live in the neighbourhood of Burkeville.

History

The island was traditionally home to the Musqueam First Nation, and they retain ownership over a parcel of land on the island's northwest corner under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3". The name Sea Island has been credited to Colonel Moody, who surveyed the geography of the Lower Mainland and noticed that at high tide, the island was partially hidden by the sea. It had previously been referred to as McRoberts' Island, after the first European settler on the island, Hugh McRoberts. Construction of residential neighbourhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, a 328 home subdivision was built in 1943 to house the employees of the nearby Boeing facility. This village on the island's east side became known as Burkeville, after then-President of

Boeing Canada Boeing Canada is the Canadian subsidiary of Boeing, with operations in Winnipeg, MB, Richmond, BC, Montreal, QC and Ottawa, ON. Boeing employs more than 1600 people in Canada. Boeing Aircraft of Canada Limited was formed in 1929 by the America ...

, Stanley Burke. A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighbourhood remains.

Vancouver International Airport

The Vancouver International Airport first opened on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicing

Trans-Canada Airlines Trans-Canada Air Lines (also known as TCA in English, and Trans-Canada in French) was a Canadian airline that operated as the country's flag carrier, with corporate headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. Its first president was Gordon McGregor (busin ...

flights in 1937. The airport received relatively light traffic for the next fifty years until extensive growth in international traffic, primarily between the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, necessitated expansion of service. With investments from the airlines and the

Canadian government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...

, and a surcharge on tickets to cover costs, the airport began a significant overhaul in the 1990s. As of 2024, the airport is the second largest in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, with over 20 million passengers travelling through each year. It has grown to three passenger terminals and two main runways servicing over fifty airlines. The YVR Airport South Terminal is located on the south shore of Sea Island.

Ground transportation

Grant McConachie Way is the primary east–west artery leading to the main airport terminal, while a significant amount of commuter traffic from Vancouver to Richmond crosses Sea Island north-south via Russ Baker Way. Sea Island is connected to Vancouver to the north via the Arthur Laing Bridge, and to Richmond via the No. 2 Road Bridge, Dinsmore Bridge, Moray Bridge and the Sea Island Connector. Sea Island is served by three stations on the

Canada Line The Canada Line is a rapid transit line in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that is part of the SkyTrain (Vancouver), SkyTrain system. The line is owned by TransLink (British Columbia), TransLink and InTransitBC and is operated by SN ...

branch of the SkyTrain rapid transit network, namely, Templeton, Sea Island Centre, and YVR-Airport. The SkyTrain connects Sea Island to central Richmond and downtown Vancouver. TransLink also operates one bus on Sea Island, route 412, which connects the YVR South Terminal to Bridgeport Station.

Environmental areas

Sea Island Conservation Area

The Sea Island Conservation Area (SICA) is located adjacent to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and consists of approximately 140.1 hectares (1.4 square kilometres) of land on the north side of Sea Island dedicated for conservation of wildlife and habitat. SICA was transferred to Environment Canada as a compensation package funded by Transport Canada to replace wildlife habitat lost as a result of runway expansion at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The main goal for management of SICA is to maintain existing populations of wildlife that do not compromise aviation safety. Habitats on SICA consist of woodland, wetland sloughs, and old agricultural field habitat which support a diversity of birds, land mammals, and terrestrial plants. SICA habitat management discourages populations of flocking birds that may pose hazards to aviation safety, as well as discourages populations of beavers that can cause prevalent, severe and costly damage to habitat.

Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area

Sturgeon Bank is a designated wildlife management area located off the west side of the island at the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

front of the

. The area consists primarily of nearshore,

foreshore The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of Marine habitat, habitats ...

, and

subtidal The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminate ...

waters. Boating is prohibited in the area in order to protect the habitats of numerous bird and fish populations.

Beaches and parks

Sea Island has two public beaches, McDonald Beach Park and Iona Beach Regional Park. McDonald Beach is operated by the city of Richmond. It is a recreational space, with an off-leash area for dogs, picnic tables, and boat docking available. Iona Beach is operated by the

Greater Vancouver Regional District The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 2 ...

, with a focus the protection and study of the native flora and fauna. It is located on Iona Island, the peninsula on the northwest corner of Sea Island, and houses two jetties that extend into the

Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...

Other services

Sea Island's south shore features a Canadian Coast Guard station, as well as

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

docks and a

business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people, typically business executives and high-ranking coworker, associates. Business jets are generally designed for faster air travel and more ...

terminal. The island is home to Richmond Fire Hall No. 4, which was built in 2007 to replace the 60-year old hall that was formerly located within Burkeville. The island is also home to the Aerospace and Aviation Technology campus of the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main cam ...

, as well as two hotels run by Fairmont and Radisson. In 2015, the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet opened on the island as a joint venture between the

and the McArthurGlen Group Burkeville was previously served by the Sea Island School, which taught children from kindergarten to grade 3, after which they would commute to schools on

, primarily Samuel Brighouse Elementary. However, in 2019 the school was closed by the Richmond School District, despite protest from members of the community, due to low enrolment and high seismic risk.

References

External links

YVR - Airport Conservation AreaYVR - Who We Are
{{authority control Islands of the Fraser River Indian reserves in British Columbia Islands of Richmond, British Columbia