Ahousaht skateboard park moves ahead

Plans are coming together to build a skateboard park in the remote community of Ahousaht on Vancouver Island's west coast.

The park is a 'thank you' to the community for the heroic rescue of people on board the Leviathan II last fall.

Fisherman and water taxi drivers, many who were from Ahousaht, are credited with pulling 21 people from the frigid water when the whale-watching boat from Tofino suddenly capsized in October. Six people died.

Dwayne Mazereeuw of Calgary and his wife were among the survivors. He travelled to Ahousaht last week to help present plans for the new skateboard park to the community.

"It was an emotional trip just being back out in that area where the accident happened," he said. "But also amazing to be back and meeting with these people who mean so much to us right now."

The plan comes together

Mazereeuw builds skateparks for a living and works for New Line Skateparks.

Since the accident, the company has joined forces with a non-profit called Get On Board and the Vancouver company Landyachtz, which were already doing outreach with kids in Ahousaht and had plans to one day install a skatepark there.

"It's really awesome that it started from 'let's show these kids what skateboarding is' to now they are getting a facility in their community," said Liam Mckenzie with Landyatchz.

After Mazereeuw shared the story of the rescue last fall and thanked people from Ahousaht, the online campaign to build the skatepark quickly raised more than $30,000.

"It was a disaster that brought it together, but for us it is a happy ending," said Ahousaht deputy chief Patti Campbell.

Now that the plans have been drawn up, and land in the community has been set aside for the project, construction is set to begin in the fall.

Social gathering place

Ahousaht is located on Flores Island, a 45-minute boat ride north of Tofino, B.C. and is home to about 900 people. But the isolation has contributed to some social issues — including a number of suicides or attempted suicides over the years.

When the plans were presented to children and elders in Ahousaht last week, the enthusiasm for the project was overwhelming, said Kyle Dion, president of New Line Skateparks.

He said similar presentations in other communities have been met with skepticism over why a skateboard park is a needed.

"It was actually refreshing to me, the elders and chief and council, who really did get it," he said. "They understand the value in both skateboarding and what this facility is going to do for the kids and the youth out there."

The hope is that the park will be a place all ages can enjoy, said Grant Shilling with Get On Board.

"The skatepark represents more than just a skatepark. It's a social gathering place," he said. "There is just an overall feeling that we are building a friendship with the people of Ahousaht, a sense of optimism for the children of Ahousaht."

For Mazereeuw, the skatepark project has been part of a healing process after the trauma of the accident in October.

"We've always been ones to try and hit these things head-on. It was great to get back out there and meet with some of the people who saved the lives of my wife and I and many others."​​