By Grant Warkentin
Featured image: A ladies’ ceremonial dance was part of the formal announcement today for a new Hilton hotel on Campbell River’s waterfront. Photo by Grant Warkentin
After three decades of shelved proposals, the foreshore property between Campbell River’s ferry terminal and the Discovery mall is finally being transformed into a world-class waterfront hotel.
At a ceremony this morning (Sept. 11, 2026), Wei Wai Kum First Nation elected Chief Councillor Chris Roberts announced the site will be the home of a new Hilton hotel, part of the international chain’s “Tapestry collection.”
“We are helping raise the profile of Campbell River,” he said. “Our work as First Nations in this community, working in partnership with the municipality, is really raising the tide for all of us.”
Roberts said the project will increase the tourism profile for the entire region, and help attract more visitors from around the world.
The new hotel will have 140 guest rooms, a 10,000-square-foot spa and wellness centre, and 5,000 square feet of space to host meetings and events. There are also plans for a restaurant, and space on the roof for visitors from around the world to enjoy the viewscape.
Shawn Decaire, a local artist, community advocate, and member of the Laxwaxdaxw people, said the project will have benefits for years to come.
“It’s to sustain jobs for our future generations, our children and our children’s children. That’s the vision when we create these buildings amongst our lands, is to create a pathway where they take pride, not only in the work they do but on the homelands it comes from,” he said. “For our children, I hope they see that as an opportunity to take care of this land.”
Today’s event started with a blessing ceremony by Indigenous youth, followed by ceremonial dances. It concluded with a formal groundbreaking by the nation’s elected and hereditary leaders, including matriarch “Auntie Jean” and former leaders who were involved in the original Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre development. The hand-carved shovel they used in the 1993 groundbreaking ceremony was once again used to formalize the beginning of the nation’s newest development project (shown below).
“I think it’s great to see this quality of resort coming to the waterfront of Campbell River,” Mayor Kermit Dahl said afterwards. “It’s been talked about for a long time, since the 1990s. I’m glad to see it happening and I’m really looking forward to it.”
World-class ‘Tapestry’ of hotels
The Campbell River hotel will be the Hilton chain’s first “Tapestry” hotel in British Columbia, and is already marked with a pin on the company’s website, although no more information is currently publicly available from Hilton.
The chain describes its Tapestry properties as “independent boutique hotels, each rich in cultural charm and deeply connected to its destination. With vibrant designs and one-of-a-kind experiences, every Tapestry stay promises a unique adventure.”
The casino that never was
The six acres just south of what is now PetSmart, Value Village, and Winners is space left over from 30 years ago, when the mud flats along Campbell River’s foreshore were filled in to build the Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre.
The property has gone through decades of deliberations. It was originally proposed to be a casino, hotel, and convention centre. That project was approved in principle by the provincial government in 1998, but after the “Casinogate” scandal brought down NDP Premier Glen Clark a year later, BC’s enthusiasm was dampened for new casino developments.
After taking power in 2001, the BC Liberal government announced “strict accountability” measures for all provincially-regulated gambling, and brought in a new legislative framework in 2002.
Four casino projects that had been in development under the prior government fell under the scrutiny of the new regime, and the Campbell River project was officially declared dead on October 15, 2003 after Solicitor-General Rich Coleman and Derek Sturko, general manager of the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, sent a formal letter to the Wei Wai Kum telling them the original agreement in principle had been revoked.
After the cancellation became public, Sturko defended the Liberal government’s decision, arguing the nation was at fault for not being able to secure full financing in advance, and for not being able to gain title over the land.
Trials and tribulations of the ‘six-acre site’
After it became apparent there was no hope of resurrecting the casino project, the property has sat empty for decades. It has been at the heart of numerous controversies, election campaigns, and even community safety issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally six acres, it was split more than a decade ago between the nation and the City of Campbell River, with the Wei Wai Kum developing its half into paid long-term parking for marina customers.
Proposals have come and gone for the city’s half, the southernmost portion, including a new visitor information centre, hotels, a new park, a seniors’ centre, and even an aquaculture science centre. A major development plan pitched by the city in 2017 remains on the shelf and there are currently no plans to develop its portion.
In 2018, thanks to a $100,000 donation from Campbell River Rotary, the Seawalk was extended along the entire property, completing a paved walking and biking path that now extends from the Discovery mall all the way to Willow Point.
Last last year, the Wei Wai Kum was finally able to gain clear title over its portion of the lands, an important step which made today’s announcement possible.
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