If only the line was drawn 30 yards to the south.
As much as Milltown Bar and Grill boss Scotty McVicker loves Richmond, he wishes his premises was in Vancouver.
Well, it is; no, actually it’s not.
You decide: If you head north on the Arthur Laing Bridge and, once on the Vancouver side, you hang a sharp left over the railway track and then, via a 300-metre long causeway, drive onto Richmond Island — are you in Vancouver or Richmond?
The answer, officially, is that you’ve crossed 30 yards into Richmond; much to the chagrin of McVicker.
“We are very much in no-man’s land and if we could find a way to move the island closer to Vancouver, that would be great,” laughed McVicker, who opened the popular pub just over a year ago.
“It would be good to be in Vancouver for no other reason than the confusion; but we kind of have fun with it.
“But I would be naive if I thought it hasn’t cost us customers.”
The Milltown Bar and Grill and its accompanying marina, sits on tiny Richmond Island, in the shadow of the Arthur Lang, although some of the moorage docks are actually positioned in Vancouver.
Richmond Island became the city’s namesake island only after 1885 when a Letters Patent redrew the municipality’s boundaries along the north arm of the Fraser River.
The island is Musqueam territory, administered by Port Metro Vancouver’s North Fraser Terminals Inc. and leased to the Milltown marina.
The island, said McVicker, wasn’t always accessible from the land and was a sawmill in the early 1900s, before belonging to lumber giant Canfor in the ‘50s.
Multiple levels of government
“We’re on federal land and we pay our property taxes through our rent (to the port), so I’m not sure what city they go to?” said McVicker.
“We just lease the building and we have to deal with all levels of government.
It would be a lot easier if it was in Vancouver.
“When we opened a year ago, everybody we dealt with were great, but we had to go back and forth between Richmond and Vancouver because nobody was quite sure, at first, who was responsible for what.”
After crossing the Fraser River many times prior to opening the Milltown’s doors, McVicker eventually got his occupancy permit from the Richmond Fire Department; his business license from the City of Richmond and his liquor license from the provincial board.
With all the relevant documentation sorted, all that’s left these days is to explain the geography to some confused customers.
“We’ve changed it on Google maps a couple of times because, if you typed in Richmond, it wouldn’t come up, but if you typed in Vancouver, it would come up,” said McVicker.
“When you’re opening up a new place, it’s the last thing you want to have to deal with; as we are in the people business.
“When you have to explain to people that you drive over the Arthur Laing, they start asking, “but that’s into Vancouver?”
McVicker said the island, with no sewerage, uses a septic system, with water supply coming from Vancouver.
“We haven’t, thankfully, had to test what fire department will come, but when we called 911 — someone fell off their bike — Vancouver Police arrived,” added McVicker.
Richmond wants control
It’s unclear if the City of Richmond receives a monetary advantage for having the island.
According to the city, it received about $12,000 in property taxes in 2014 from the establishment, and after the marina was built, it received about $33,000.
When the marina was proposed in 2012, developers had to sign an indemnity agreement whereby the city would absolve itself of responsibility for maintaining the dyke.
“It protects the City from being liable for flood or erosion damage should it occur,” said Richmond’s communications manager Ted Townsend, who said the city could not provide a cost-benefit analysis of the island.
Townsend said operating costs, such as firefighting and policing, for the island are likely to be “minimal” each year. In fact, fire services are reduced for the island, under the agreement, and the city has an agreement with Vancouver Police to be first-responders to an incident; once Richmond RCMP show up from the airport, they would take over any investigation.
Even if the island were to cost the city more than it gains, Townsend said holding the island in Richmond’s jurisdiction gives the city strategic control of the area, such as how to effectively manage the river’s environment.
