In reply to napoleon_dynamite:
I'll attempt to answer your questions if I miss anything just ask;
I spent a while in Squamish in 2012, 2013 and just back from a short trip; few years ago it cost me $500pm for a room to rent. There a lot of building happening and speaking to friends there its getting very expensive to rent not impossible to find. Probably due to people buying in Squamish and commuting to Van for work.
There is also a second campsite near to the tourist information centre called the Adventure Centre. Staying in accommodation wont really affect your socialising although I never stayed in the campsite but I bet the campsite gives good experiences.
Bear Boxes - Had a friend who locked some stuff away and went on a short trip to Skaha and came back to find the bear box broken into and her stuff stolen. I'd be reluctant to trust these 100%
Insurance - I went with STA as they were pretty cheap for world wide insurance and covered the various activities. Some places charge extra if you want insurance for adventurous activities.
Other Activities - theres the Sea to Sky Gondola which goes up behind the Chief and has great views of Sky Pilot and theres a good few walks that can be done from there. If you're buying tickets got on Liftopia.com in advance as it'll save you $20. There are plenty of lake which are worth a visit in the roasting sunshine for a swim. You can hike up Sky Pilot from the gondola and theres also Black Tusk, Garibaldi Provincial Park, Elfin Lakes for hikes and local bike trails behind Quest University - Tantalus/Corsa Bike Shops will keep you right with this.
phone contracts - they can be expensive if you want 4G, thats if your current provider doesn't offer some type of roaming. I got by with a simple text and call non-smartphone to get in touch with folk on a cheap contract. Worth checking with Rodgers/Telus/AT&T websites.
Pubs/Local Scene - for years there was only a small co-op bouldering wall which was the only indoor climbing place bar any homebuilt walls. Two years ago Ground Up opened and offers lead, top rope and bouldering (it is set hard though) this will prove as a good place to meet people. The Howe Sound Pub was generally the place to go especially for climbers, I don't think that has changed, however Backcountry Brewing (as well as a few others) is a new place behind Ground Up and is pretty busy. Its pretty easy to meet climbers theres plenty of top boulder problems you'd be queueing for at the weekends.
Hope this helps a bit.
Andy
