Traditional waterways link communities in Coquitlam stop
Dozens of paddlers and a flotilla of canoes arrived in Coquitlam on Aug. 17 as part of the 25th annual Pulling Together Canoe Journey, a weeklong effort to promote healing, cultural exchange and reconciliation among Indigenous nations and the broader public.
The journey, titled Reclaiming Our Waters, began Aug. 15 in the Agassiz area on Sts’ailes First Nation territory and runs through to Aug. 22. On Tuesday the travelling group made a scheduled stop on the Fraser River shoreline in Coquitlam before setting up camp at Kwikwetlem First Nation.
Organizers described the event as both a spiritual and practical exercise in rebuilding relationships. More than 220 pullers are taking part this year — a mix of Indigenous community members, youth, police and public service personnel — moving together through a string of host territories.
- Purpose: cultural sharing, healing and reconciliation
- Participants: Indigenous Peoples, youth, police and public service personnel
- Scale: more than 220 pullers across a weeklong route
Verna Kate Smith, co‑chair of the 2026 planning committee, said she was pleased to see the canoes enter the Fraser River as the journey passes through a number of traditional territories. The appearance of a canoe from the Tsawwassen First Nation was notable, organizers said, because the nation is participating in the Pulling Together event for the first time in several years.
“There are a few others that will hopefully come and join us one day,”
Smith added that there was no pressure on those communities to participate before they were ready, signalling the journey’s emphasis on relationships rather than timetables.
Stops along a shared waterway
After leaving Sts’ailes territory, the convoy continued through several stops in the Lower Mainland. The route included a pause on Katzie First Nation territory at Barnston Island, followed by the Coquitlam visit and the camp at Kwikwetlem. The canoes will pass Sapperton Landing Park in New Westminster to offer a traditional paddles up in recognition of Qayqayt First Nation representatives.
The journey scheduled Wellington Point in Delta as a host site on Aug. 20, where Tsawwassen will host a Legacy Culture Day to celebrate the 25th anniversary. Pullers plan to move from Wellington Point to Tsawwassen on Aug. 21, with a closing circle marking the end of the anniversary route on Aug. 22.
| Date | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 15 | Agassiz (Sts’ailes) | Departure point |
| Aug. 17 | Coquitlam (Kwikwetlem camp) | Stop and overnight camp |
| Aug. 19 | Wellington Point (Delta) | En route |
| Aug. 20–21 | Wellington Point to Tsawwassen | Legacy Culture Day and closing circle |
Organizers and host nations have repeatedly framed the Pulling Together trip as an exercise in mutual learning. Members of the Sts’Ailes First Nation publicly thanked the journey group for visiting their territory and said the event offered an opportunity to strengthen ties between Indigenous Peoples, police and government.
“This journey marks 25 years of reconciliation,”
said Betty Kruger‑Cardenas, president of the Pulling Together Canoe Society, noting the significance of the anniversary as pullers paddle and camp together.
For Coquitlam residents, the visit underlined how the city’s shoreline and river access remain shared spaces where histories, responsibilities and futures intersect. The canoe journey is both a reminder of Indigenous stewardship of the Fraser River and a visible act of people coming together across jurisdictions and generations to acknowledge that history.
As the canoes continue toward the mouth of the Fraser and the closing events in Tsawwassen later this week, the Pulling Together journey will leave its mark on each community it visited — a sequence of brief but meaningful encounters that organisers say add up to long‑term relationship building.
