One street, one run of house numbers, and a line at 6629 past which no owner, police officer or fire crew goes.
Where Gale Avenue North sits, and the other places we attend
around Sechelt. Every name on the map is a link.
A street with a line across it
Gale Avenue North runs along the west shore of Sechelt Inlet at the north end of West Porpoise Bay, through The Shores subdivision and then into the closed Seawatch section. The address 6453 N Gale Avenue is at 49.5060 north, 123.7836 west. The road in is Reef Road north of Marine Way.
The open, occupied part of the street runs to roughly the 6480s and 6500s. From 6629 to 6689 it has been shut to the public since 1:00 p.m. on 15 February 2019, behind a gate and security fencing. Coast Reporter refers to the "Gale Avenue North (section at Seawatch gate)" and reports that security fencing surrounds the closed subdivision. Postal codes V7Z 0L1 and V0N 3A5 are both in use.
What the occupied end is
These are fee-simple detached houses on large lots with views over the inlet, built from the early 1990s through the 2000s. The house at 6453 N Gale Avenue was built in 1992, is 4,007 square feet on a lot of 26,350 square feet measuring 100 feet by 300 feet, has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a guest suite and a detached workshop, was listed at $1,688,000, and carried 2026 property tax of $8,831.53. The house at 6485 Gale Avenue N is a custom 2,377 square foot bungalow built in 2005 on about half an acre, 125 feet by 230 feet, described as directly across from beach access and next to a green space walking trail.
Natural gas is reticulated through this subdivision. The green space and the trail behind the houses are also the route people take on foot into the closed section.
What happened to the houses behind the gate
By September 2019 there had been break-ins at five of the closed properties, with theft and squatting, and no suspects. On Friday 17 January 2020 rocks were thrown through the windows of at least two houses, walls were sprayed with graffiti, and glass was left across the floors. Owner Chris Moradian said he could not get anyone inside to replace the windows, and that people were entering the closed area freely. Owner Ed Pednaud noted that the RCMP were not allowed on site unless there was a risk to life.
By March 2022 the small things had gone and household goods, light fixtures and stripped wire were being taken. A drop zone of stolen property was found in the neighbouring Shores subdivision on 3 March.
All of the smaller items have already been removed, now they (the thieves) are getting more courageous.
John Tseng, resident of The Shores, March 2022
On 23 March 2022 Cst. Karen Whitby said WorkSafe BC access restrictions had negatively impacted the detachment's ability to run foot patrols or drive police vehicles into the area, and that there was no question significant reported and unreported property crime had occurred there. A letter published on 20 August 2026 reported that the smashing and destruction of the fourteen houses had not stopped.
5 September 2026
At about 11:40 a.m. on Saturday 5 September 2026, the Sunshine Coast RCMP and the Sechelt Fire Department were called to two residential structure fires inside the closed neighbourhood. The houses were unoccupied. Police said both fires are believed to have been deliberately set, and asked anyone near Gale Avenue North, Crowston Road or SeaWatch between 9:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to check dash-camera or CCTV footage. They were looking for a dark-coloured, four-door SUV seen entering and leaving the area. The file is SC 2026-7023.
Deputy Fire Chief of Prevention Steven Achterberg explained what his crews could and could not do:
There's no water protection in the area. So our firefighting efforts are limited to life safety only.
Deputy Fire Chief Steven Achterberg, Sechelt Fire Department, September 2026
Crews checked nearby structures for occupants and then withdrew to a safe distance to watch whether the fire would move into the forest. A neighbour, Lisette Sekaren, said it could easily have gone into Halfmoon Bay, the Crowston area and the Peninsula. The District has tried to restrict access to the closed blocks; fences have been cut and security cameras vandalized. A petition was started calling for the District to act.
The appeal for footage was addressed to people living at the open end of this street. Their doorbell cameras were the record the investigation had.
What a check on Gale Avenue North covers
Doors, windows, garage and workshop on every side, including the elevation facing the green space
The trail and green space boundary at the back of the lot, where foot traffic passes
Gates, fencing and any camera on the property, checked for cutting or damage
Natural gas meter, regulator and piping, and no smell of gas at the building
Heat running and holding, or water shut off at the main with the lines drained
Vehicles, boats, trailers, tools and bicycles, photographed where they stand
Anything dumped or left on the lot or the verge, which is how stolen goods have turned up here
Smoke damage, ash or debris on the roof and grounds after a fire in the closed section
A dated, photographed record of each visit, sent to you the same day
Most home cover requires a dwelling standing empty to be inspected on a stated cycle in the heating months by a competent person, commonly within four days, unless the water is off and drained. Read your wording, and read what it says about arson and vacancy.
What it costs
A scheduled check at Gale Avenue North is
$55 a visit, plus
$10 travel. The travel charge is the same
everywhere between Gibsons and Egmont. There is no minimum term and no joining fee.
See the full price list.
Where these facts come from
Every figure, date and quotation on this page was taken from one of these. They are
listed so you can read them yourself.
