The Story of Granville Island"Industrial Island" (Granville Island) was created in 1916 by the federal government as an artificial island and a base for increasing industrial development in the False Creek area of Vancouver. The existing sand bars there had been used for fishing, seafood gathering and other subsistence activities by the Salish people, who all had to leave the area by 1899. The Vancouver Heritage Foundation states that "the CPR, government and local businessmen fought over the sandbars and water rights until 1916 when it was transferred to the National Harbour Commission (NHC)." The NHC built a seawall around it, filled it in with dredge from False Creek, put in road and railway access, thus creating 40 acres of leasable land for factories and mills. By the 1930's, 1200 workers were employed at 40 companies manufacturing fibre, rope, chain, and materials for logging, mining and shipping. Industrial output declined during the Depression years, throwing workers into unemployment. During the Second World War, the island (renamed Granville Island) was "reinvigorated" by the manufacture of defense equipment, employing many women. By the 1970's, however, industry was again in decline, and the island was described as "an industrial wasteland." Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation:
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The Union notes
that Granville Island has been protected from
COVID-related economic losses by federal
emergency funding ($16.7 million in 2020; $22
million proposed in 2021). Thus there is no
justification, they say, for the demand by CMHC
for concessions and the taking away of benefits
and salaries from low wage essential workers.
They note that the CMHC General Manager of
Granville Island stated that the anti-worker
proposals were made "not out of any economic
necessity." This would appear to confirm an
article that appeared in 
