As Squamish, on B.C.'s busy west coast, cements its reputation as the Outdoor Capital of Canada, it opens up a challenge, what do you do if you can't or don't want to do extreme sports?
Lynn Johannson, Advisor, Sustainability and ESG
January 4th, 2024
Lynn Johannson, President of E2 Management Corporation and Catalyst for THE Collaboration
In a care[...]
Latest West Coast Tourism Location, Squamish Canyon, Opens Up Investment to the Community by Equity Crowdfunding to Create an All Ages All Weather Experience through Amazing Canyons and Waterfalls
FrontFundr Release | Victoria Bennett | Oct 31, 2018
As Squamish, on B.C.'s busy west coast, cements its reputation as the Outdoor Capital of Canada, it opens up a challenge, what do you do if you can't or don't want to do extreme sports?
SQUAMISH, BC, October 31, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Squamish sits between two of the biggest tourist destinations in Canada – Vancouver, B.C. and Whistler, B.C. and is quickly becoming a destination itself. The Squamish tourism market has been growing at an amazing rate, even faster than B.C.'s tourism market as a whole. In 2017, there was a total of 5,713,926 overnight international visitor arrivals to the province, including 3,691,074 visitors from the US, 1,277,878 from Asia Pacific. The government has been putting more and more resources into attracting tourists to this amazing part of the world and the investment is paying off – in B.C., the tourism gross domestic product grew more rapidly in 2016 than all other industries combined.
Many of the activities in and around Squamish are designed specifically for the extreme sports enthusiast and very able outdoors people, even the hiking is difficult. The Sea to Sky Gondola (constructed in 2014) is one of the only attractions in the Squamish area that caters to visitors of all abilities. Additional attractions and activities that all levels and abilities can enjoy are needed in this area, to address the surge in visits by local and international tourists. Robin Sherry, founder and project lead of Squamish Canyon has met with the different levels of government from the city to roads to parks and first responders and they are all struggling to keep up with the rate of tourism growth in the region. There is still a need for investment and support by the government to the Parks, but there is also a need for private industry to play its role.
See: Join us Nov 29-30 at the 4th annual VanFUNDING 2018: CONVERGE conference!
As the area has grown through tourism the community has grown too and having alternative activities for both tourists and the community that are safe, all weather and all ages has become paramount.
Working closely with the logging community and industry in the area, Squamish Canyon is preserving 26 acres of forest and creating low impact activities including interpretive forest and canyon walks, playground and entertainment area. Five years in the planning, Sherry is working with local businesses and contractors with international and local experience to have Squamish Canyon ready to open in Summer, 2019.
Robin Sherry commented, "I've lived in Squamish for over ten years and seen the huge growth in tourism but also the growth in the town. I am very involved in the outdoor community, but I also want everyone to be able to participate in this stunning location. Participation means a number of things; to be able to walk safely through temperate rainforest and understand the history ,culture and ecology, to bring local businesses in as suppliers, to create meaningful jobs that enable people to live in Squamish and to open up the investment to the community, so people can benefit from revenues made by Squamish Canyon."
Squamish Canyon launched their equity crowdfunding campaign on Canada's largest investment crowdfunding platform, FrontFundr on Tuesday, October 30th. Canadians can invest from $250 on the platform. Prior to launch, nearly $300,000 has already been reserved by investors.
Key Data
- Approximately 7.6 million people drive the Sea to Sky Highway per annum; 60 – 70% of those are estimated to be visitors to the area.
- Squamish Canyon is located 65 km from Whistler BC, which sees approximately 2.7 million visitors annually.
- Squamish Canyon is nestled in the Coastal Mountains at the end of the Howe Sound surrounded by fjords and waterfalls in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. The canyon is a few minutes off the spectacular Sea to Sky Highway, close to the world famous Stawamus Chief (340,000 visitors annually), Shannon Falls Provincial Park (475,000 visitors annually) and the Sea to Sky Gondola (400,000 visitors annually).
- The Sea to Sky Gondola sees approximately 400,000 visitors annually and far exceeded its highest visitor projections in the first year of operations. An estimated 80% of gondola visitors were specifically coming to the area to ride the gondola and not just passing through on the way to Whistler (Kirby Brown, General Manager, Sea to Sky Gondola).
Squamish Canyon will be located 62 km from Capilano Suspension Bridge, North Vancouver, BC – over 800,000 visitors annually
- The focus for Tourism Squamish is currently on attracting multi-generational tourists from the Lower Mainland (Lesley Weeks, Executive Director of Tourism Squamish)
See: Fans donate over $500K to Vancouver’s independent Rio Theatre so it can buy its own space
For more information or to arrange an interview contact Victoria Bennett victoria@bmwconsults.com (403) 589 7992
Full details of the offering can be found in the Offering Memorandum. This document is for information purposes only. Please consult your finance professional before making an investment.
Squamish Canyon is a proposed destination addressing the Sea to Sky Corridor's critical lack of engaging, safe, and fun experiences for visitors of all ages. British Columbia's Highway 99 from Horseshoe Bay to Lillooet (known as the Sea to Sky Highway) links Metro Vancouver with Whistler and Squamish, BC. It is one of the busiest tourist highways in Canada, with day parks along the route seeing up to 900,000 visitors per year. And for those without advanced abilities, it's a destination they cannot fully experience.
Mamquam Adventures Inc, a local company with world-class partners, is changing that, designing a year-round, all-weather experience; one that can be enjoyed by the local 'big kids', parents with toddlers, grandma and grandpa, and almost anyone in between on the Vancouver - Squamish - Whistler highway.
At Squamish Canyon, you will be immersed in the natural beauty of the place named "Mother of Wind", walking over waterfalls, along the edge of canyon walls, and through a majestic rainforest on boardwalks, bridges, and suspended walkways, an experience only a whitewater kayaker or climber could previously enjoy. Along the journey, visitors will learn about local ecosystems, glacial water systems, outdoor safety, the history of the land and the First Nations of the area, as well as safety and conservation.
Mamquam Adventures Inc. values environmental and social sustainability, public transparency, and accountability. The company intends to balance growth and purpose in creating Squamish Canyon. The project brings together industry and tourism, diversifying the economy of the area, and creating a place for the local community and visitors to revel in the natural, rustic beauty of Canada's outdoor recreation capital.
Squamish Canyon. A destination waiting.
Source: view release
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Funding | April 10, 2025 Regulation Crowdfunding Markets Show Tariffs Straining Innovation Economy Regulation Crowdfunding (RegCF) has proven to be a resilient market for early stage entrepreneurs and investors alike. When uncertainty strikes, it's often traditional venture capital that pulls back, while the community-driven model continues to offer early stage start-ups access to capital allowing them to innovate. However, just in from Sherwood (Woodie) Neiss, NCFA Advisor and Principal at Crowdfund Capital Advisors, data shows that tariffs are starting to strain RegCF markets - from March 10 to April 9, 2025: RegCF investment volumes declined by 24% (yoy) to just $57.48 million New campaign launches dropped over 40% Number of investor checks also declined by 15% Average capital raise size dropped to $720,000 (from $1.2 million) Sherwood Neiss, Principal at Crowdfund Capital Advisors: “We’re seeing the first real signs of pullback in what has otherwise been a resilient funding ecosystem. The numbers tell a story not of panic, but of pause. Investors and issuers alike are waiting for clarity—on costs, on policy, and on risk.” Tariffs Introduce New Risks for Early-Stage Companies In a volatile environment where U.S. tariffs are levied one day, and then paused the next, founders must now face ...
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Funding | April 9, 2025 Toronto’s Tailscale Secures $230M and $2B Valuation for Identity-First Networking On April 8 2025, Toronto-based Tailscale announced that they raised $230 million CAD Series C (about $160 million USD), valuing the company at approx $2 billion CAD. The round was made up of U.S. investors, led by Accel, CRV, Insight Partners, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital, along with some prominent individual investors notably George Kurtz CEO of CrowdStrike (returning investor) and Anthony Casalena CEO of Squarespace. New funds will be used to grow product and engineering teams, expand globally, and improved support for fast scaling customers. Tailscale - A Shift from IP Addresses to Identity Tailscale was founded in 2019 by former Google engineers Avery Pennarun, David Crawshaw, David Carney, and Brad Fitzpatrick, and officially launched in April 2020 to help users connect devices and apps securely without relying on traditional VPNs, IP rules, or firewalls. Tailscale uses a technology called WireGuard which is easy to setup and lets devices connect directly to each other, safely and privately. What's unique about Tailscale is its approach to solving networking challenges. Instead of relying on where a device is located (IP address), it focuses on who or what is connecting. This ...
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