Quatsino Residents Organization hopes to bring public boat ramp to community

Published 11:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

Whether arriving in Quatsino as a resident or visitor, boaters have had to depend on private boat ramps.

However, that may soon change.

A group of locals have been organising a project called ‘Linking Quatsino to its Ocean Highway’ to fund construction of a public barge ramp and boat launch ramp. Dianne Moores, Wendy Smith, Sarah Peterson, Jacquie DePass and Gwen Hansen are the Quatsino Residents Organisation board members behind this endeavor to help make Quatsino more accessible.

Smith and Moores attended the Regional District of Mount Waddington Board Meeting in Port McNeill to present the project’s request for the district to hold the required Licence of Occupation and cover the liability insurance for the ramps in order for this project to move forward. According to the project team, the presentation and question and answer period lasted approximately 45 minutes and was well received by the board.

The Quatsino ramp project team also let the community know that the application for 50/50 grant funding through Island Coastal Economic Trust was submitted for consideration. This grant would help cover 50 per cent of the estimated $34,000 cost for inspections, engineering, approvals and more for building the ramps.

The Quatsino Ramp board hopes to have an update on the grant funding by mid-March.