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After the flood
DNV prepares for rain following last year’s atmospheric river damage
LIFESTYLE13
Squamish storytime
TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATION CHIEF JUSTIN SKY GEORGE
West Van library offers story kits to help teach Squamish language
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FISHY BUSINESS
Researchers share passion (and tips) for spotting salmon BRENT RICHTER
brichter@nsnews.com
They’re back. Thousands of them. Late summer and fall runs of pink, coho, chum and chinook salmon are fighting their way up the North Shore’s rivers and creeks to spawn the next generation.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation has drawn up a list of the best public locations to watch the incredible species making their final migration before breeding and dying. Different species arrive at different times and in different numbers, with pink’s season coming first. On the Seymour River, the best place to spot them is from Seymour River Heritage Park behind Maplewood Farm where the water is relatively shallow. “In the lower river, you’re catching them as they’re coming in from the ocean and starting to move upstream,” said Reece Fowler, environmental manager for the Seymour Salmonid Society. “Easiest to view and most common.” Coho and chum arrive in greater numbers in October and November, and are known to spawn sometimes even into the new year. Females lay their eggs in the creeks’ gravel, which the males fertilize. In most cases, the tiny fry will hatch in the Continued on A45
SPOOKTACULAR COSTUMES FOR EVERYONE!
Aline Isabelle comes up with the catch of the day on the Seymour River, Sept. 18. Every fall, Seymour Salmonid Society volunteers net fish out of the river so they can be logged. Some become brood stock at the local hatchery. BRENT RICHTER / NSN
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A2 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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A4 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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GET OUR DAILY EMAIL: NSNEWS.COM/NEWSLETTER STORM SEWERS AND SANDBAGS
How is North Vancouver preparing for heavy rains this fall?
Through the program, the district is expected to recoup $700,000 in recovery and repair costs, Dercole said.
NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
Ever since a devastating atmospheric river slammed the South Coast last October, the District of North Vancouver has been flooded with concerns from residents about disasters that future deluges could bring.
At a workshop on Sept. 15, council discussed a seasonal readiness update, which looked at how the municipality has been gearing up for this year’s wet season, and provided a review on the district’s role during an emergency. Looking at the weather ahead, the seasonal outlook from Environment and Climate Change Canada shows a 40 to 50 per cent chance of above normal precipitation, said Peter Cohen, the district’s general manager of engineering infrastructure services. “The frequency of atmospheric rivers making landfall this fall is currently anticipated to be near normal,” he said. “Just to really remind folks that atmospheric rivers are a thing that does happen, unfortunately, more frequently with climate change.” Apart from monitoring seasonal forecasts, the district has also been undertaking emergency response training for staff; conducting annual and pre-storm inspections of inlets and ditches; clearing storm sewers and debris basins; preparing sandbags; stocking the salt supply; and communicating with residents on how to prepare. Cohen said the district is attempting to educate property owners on risk and understanding their insurance, while encouraging them to develop an emergency plan and prepare their properties for extreme weather. There are online resources residents can access through the district website and with North Shore Emergency Management. To mitigate the impacts of future storm events, the district has made a number of
An excavator clears debris from a catch basin near the top of Gallant Avenue in Deep Cove. Large debris clogged the basin during the atmospheric river last October. The blocked basin caused water to flood out onto the street and into several nearby businesses. NICK LABA / NSN
short-term improvements to infrastructure. Those include removing grates on the Gallant Avenue culvert to improve the flow of debris and water, and reinforcing the banks at Parkside Creek. At Fromme Road, where Kilmer and Hastings creeks merge, the district improved water flow by dropping sidewalks and installing a speed bump, Cohen said. Fiona Dercole, who leads the district’s natural hazards management program, said the municipality has been developing site-specific response plans for 14 locations prone to flooding. “These are site specific guides to help guide emergency response, and include
things like where we anticipate water to flow, where we might place temporary flood barricades, what type of equipment would best be suited to clear out the inlets in this location and so on,” she said. The district has also been working with NSEM on when to trigger weather watches and warnings, which can be based on the intensity of forecasted rainfall and how wet the ground is already from previous weather, Dercole said. Looking back at last year’s major flooding event, she said the district is in the process of recovering costs from the emergency response through a provincial financial assistance program.
‘You can’t just put out sandbags and leave it to the public’ David Stuart, the district’s chief administrative officer, said he wanted to make sure that there’s clear communication to residents about their responsibilities. “Most people do not know how under insured they are at the end of the day, and I will work with communications to get something out,” he said. Especially considering the significant damage that last year’s storm caused for businesses and homes in Deep Cove, Coun. Lisa Muri said she wanted to arm residents with flood barriers and sandbags ahead of weather events. “We need to have them way in advance so people can do it themselves, because we just don’t have the manpower to come and do it for them,” she said. “What happens when … the warning wasn’t correct, or we got way more water, and people want to be able to do what they can to protect themselves?” But Mayor Mike Little said considerations like that would have to be matters for future discussion. “I actually have a lot of discomfort with some of that,” he said. “You can’t just put out sandbags and leave it to the public to redirect the water. It has to be done by experts. It has to be done with a plan.” Little said he’d rather put all of his eggs in the basket of getting the upstream infrastructure to work. “It’s moving the front end loader into position to scoop and make sure that grate works,” he said. “I don’t know that I’m settled on putting sandbags and stuff all over the community.”
RECOVERY EXPECTED
Teen cyclist hospitalized after struck by pickup truck driver in North Vancouver NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
A young cyclist was sent to hospital after being struck by a pickup truck driver in North Vancouver last week. The crash happened at
around 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the intersection of St. Andrews Avenue and East Keith Road, said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak, spokesperson for North Vancouver RCMP. According to police, the
driver came to a complete stop while travelling southbound on St. Andrews, but then struck a cyclist who was trying to cross the road. The cyclist suffered injuries at the scene and was rushed to
hospital in an ambulance, but the injuries aren’t serious, Sahak said. He added that the person riding the bicycle was an adult under the age of 20. The cyclist is expected to
make a full recovery, Sahak said. For the driver, a North Van resident in their 60s, impairment and speed were ruled out as factors in the collision, Sahak said. No charges are expected, he added.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A5
MANDATORY DENSITY
West Vancouver council continues housing tussle with new minister BRENT RICHTER
brichter@nsnews.com
With deadlines for provincial housing mandates looming, District of West Vancouver council is pushing back against B.C.’s new housing minister.
In July, West Vancouver received a Dec. 31 deadline from the province to amend its official community plan to increase density in the Park Royal-Taylor Way area; amend the OCP to provide for more density in the “single-family and duplex prescribed areas” adjacent to Ambleside and Dundarave; and to adopt the now-stalled Ambleside Centre local area plan. The directives came as Premier David Eby was conducting a cabinet shuffle, moving Ravi Kahlon out of the housing and municipal affairs portfolio and moving Christine Boyle in. Boyle reaffirmed those directives and the deadline in a letter to council in late July, warning that if West Vancouver doesn’t comply, the senior level of government will “amend the relevant bylaw on the district’s behalf.” At the opening of a Sept. 15 council meeting, Mayor Mark Sager read out council’s strongly worded response, calling out the province for its “unprecedented and an unacceptable intrusion.” “For more than a century, municipalities in British Columbia have held responsibility for local land use decisions precisely because these decisions shaped the very character of our communities. To remove these powers from locally elected councils is not only a breach of that tradition, it is a direct erosion of local democracy,” he wrote. West Vancouver is not resistant to new housing, Sager continued, referencing the council’s rezoning of Cypress Village, a new dense, mixed-use neighbourhood in the British Properties. The most pressing issue the community faces is transportation, Sager added, calling for an “urgent investment” in public transit, lest more density make traffic congestion worse. “Residents expect their elected councils to balance growth, livability, infrastructure and the unique character of each community. That work cannot be replaced by directives issued from Victoria,” he wrote. In addition to the housing minister, the letter from West Vancouver council will be copied to every other council in B.C. Where former housing minister Kahlon’s tone with West Vancouver council was combative, Boyle spoke more of partnerships with municipal councils on housing.
Expansion Anniversary
OPEN HOUSE
District of West Vancouver council has sent a strongly worded letter to Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle. ADRIAN LAM / TIMES COLONIST
The vast majority of municipalities that have been told to reach new housing targets have been working well with the province, Boyle told the North Shore News. “We’re seeing a good number of homes being built,” she said. Although the province is handing down mandates for more density in some general areas, actual land use decisions still do remain with councils, she said. “Where and how they fit the number of homes that we know are needed is their decision. They still have that important lever around land use and zoning,” she said. As for infrastructure and transit funding, Boyle said her government has been putting up cash for municipalities that accommodate more housing, and her government continues to lobby the feds for infrastructure dollars. “I absolutely agree that we need to build good, livable communities in every part of the province, and that includes both the transportation infrastructure, the underground utility infrastructure and above ground amenities like green spaces. West Vancouver has beautiful green spaces. There is certainly room for more people to be able to call that beautiful part of our province home,” she said. “But the homes need to be built and people need to be welcomed into the community.” Boyle said she is optimistic West Vancouver council will act on the housing directives before the Dec. 31 deadline so that the ministry does not have to assert its control over zoning more directly. “That is a bridge that we will need to cross at the beginning of January,” she said. “[They] know that the province does have the ability, if needed, and I hope we don’t need to go there.”
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A6 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com ‘CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT’
Is pay parking down the road for DNV streets? NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
Facing snarls on local roadways, and especially near urban centres, staff in the District of North Vancouver are urging council to make decisions about on-street parking and other issues at the curbside.
On Monday, mayor and council met for a workshop to discuss the municipality’s “curbside management strategy.” Staff’s main priority was to get a general direction from council on how to move forward. But there wasn’t a clear consensus, with some elected officials expressing less enthusiasm about advancing discussions on topics like pay parking than others. In a presentation, Dale Bracewell, a transportation engineer and consultant, told council that a curbside management strategy impacts parking, demand for accessible zones, ride-hailing services, last-mile urban freight deliveries as well as patios and green infrastructure. Ideally, a strategy prioritizes safety for all modes of transportation, provides equitable access to the curb and increases parking availability, he said. Curbside strategies also prioritize high-density “growth centres” because those are the primary locations that will support future population increases, and have the highest demand for curbside activity, Bracewell said. A curbside management plan would build on the district’s existing parking policy. “Those already are your tools to look at time limitations, and eventually getting to pay parking,” he said. “Why? For at least the vehicle parking that you want as part of your curbside management strategy is about increasing the turnover, but again, pricing in this case is about how to steward the curbside, how to make the most use of it as a public asset,” Bracewell said. “It’s signalling, ‘Hey, there’s a value here.’ And that’s generally the best practice as you graduate through your parking policy,” he said. Bracewell said that a good curbside policy would also be based on objective data, including how enforcement is currently being carried out, and how effective it is. Coun. Herman Mah asked if
The topic of parking is a constant headache in high-traffic communities like Deep Cove. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN FILES curbside management was just a precursor to introducing pay parking. “I just want to make sure that we’re transparent with our residents,” he said. Bracewell said that when you look at the best practices in growth centres, “you are already and would definitely stay on the journey of eventually getting to pay parking.” Developers aren’t building enough parking stalls, mayor says Chief administrative officer David Stuart said that council has to resolve parking policy in district parks, community centres and on streets in the next year. “Maybe it’s the next two years, because of the politics of re-elections and all the rest of it, but as a council, we need to make some really fundamental decisions around how we’re going to approach parking in the municipality,” he said. “And I don’t see us anywhere near that.” Mayor Mike Little said a problem that he has is the district can’t rely on developers to build what’s needed in terms of parking. Soon there will be a five-day closure of around 40 stalls on Hunter Street in the Seylynn area, right next to apartment towers, he said. “What you’re going to see is, instead of parking in the parkade, where they have to pay a monthly rate, people are parking throughout that entire neighbourhood, and we’re about to see how frustrating it is for them to be able to find those additional 40 parking stalls,” he said.
Many of them will try to park in stalls around the nearby public park, Little said. “The parking stalls now aren’t available for the public,” he said. “Did you go there at eight o’clock in the morning on a Saturday? It’s packed because … we don’t police it over the course of the weekend.” Little was even less enthusiastic about managing parking further into the future. Eventually new development will wind down in that area, as all the single-family disappears, he said. “I don’t think that they’re actually producing a high enough ratio of parking today,” he said. “Maybe some future generation when we get a higher level of transit service, maybe the ability to work from home will balance out across more generations. But I don’t see it with the current round of development.” Coun. Jim Hanson suggested that the district call it the “parking” or “curbside management and parking” strategy. “Because in the community outreach I did, the phrase curbside management isn’t very well understood, and it does seem that really we’re talking about parking policy,” he said. Hanson asked about what the timeline is for work on the strategy. Staff said that the best approach would be to tackle different areas on a block-by-block basis, instead of waiting for completion of the district’s new strategic transportation plan, which could take another two to three years.
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A7
NATIONAL WINS
North Shore News nets 6 Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards
The North Shore News has picked up six Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards, including three first place wins, for work published in 2024. The awards for writing, photography and video were selected from more than 1,000 entries submitted by hundreds of English language print and digital publications across the country. Reporter Brent Richter picked up a first place in the North Shore News’ circulation class for Best Feature Story for his piece Bosnia Vet Reflects On Minesweeping, Trauma and Remembrance. Richter’s editorial On North Vancouver Supportive Housing, There Is Only One Right Choice also took first place in the Best Local Editorial category. North Shore News photographer Paul McGrath’s stunning portrait of a trained hawk and its handler at the North Shore waste transfer station earned the paper top spot in the Best
Feature Photo field. The online story that the photo ran with, No Gulls Allowed: Raptors Employed To Patrol North Shore Dump, took second place in the Best Multimedia Feature category, which was shared by McGrath, Richter and multimedia video expert Alanna Kelly. Reporter Nick Laba’s story Effort Continues To Save Peculiar Home Of Arthur Erickson placed third overall in the Best Historical Story field. And Richter and Laba shared a third-place finish in the Best Civic Journalism category for their collaboration with Stefan Labbé entitled Hazard Mapping Raises Prospect of Disaster Near Developing Neighbourhood. “Across Canada, local journalists keep Canadians informed and communities connected with fact-based, fact-checked reporting,” said Paul Deegan, president and chief executive officer of News Media Canada. “This year’s honourees tell important
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This photo of Katelyn West and a Harris’s Hawk named Poquito at the North Vancouver Waste Transfer Station won photographer Paul McGrath first place in the Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards’s Beast Feature Photo category. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
stories and represent the very best in local journalism.” - North Shore News Staff
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A8 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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Spoken words
T
his coming Tuesday, Sept. 30, marks our fifth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Although it is a statutory holiday, we emphasize it is not just a day off. It comes with civic responsibility. In this edition and online this week, you will find listings for events coming over the next week so that truth and reconciliation is something you can be an active participant in. You will find perspectives from elected and hereditary chiefs of the two local First Nations and stories about the revival of Indigenous languages. It is also a perfect opportunity to remind everyone to read the 11-page Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Many of those calls are centred around how Canada can help restore the cultural pride that was
deliberately taken away from First Nations through forced assimilation in residential schools. When you flip through the pages of the North Shore News, you will see we use the International Phonetic Alphabet spelling of səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). We do this as a show of respect in recognition of the fact that a language is more than vocabulary and grammar. It is foundational to identity. It is the basis of a people’s relationships with each other and the world around them. And it is a critical part of the cultural pride that sustained and provided continuity for First Nations for thousands of years before colonialism. The more of it we can bring back, the brighter everyone’s future becomes.
50 years ago a grain elevator explosion rocked the North Shore EVE LAZARUS
Contributing Writer
On Oct. 3, 1975, a fire at Burrard Terminals killed five men, severely burned twelve others, caused $8 million in damages and destroyed the workhouse, track shed and a large part of the shipping gallery in the former Moodyville area. Next Friday will mark the 50th anniversary of the tragic event. It was around 10 a.m. and 24-year-old Patrick Carr was inside the workhouse at Burrard Terminals taking a sample of grain for his job with the Department of Agriculture. The first explosion, caused by a conveyor belt that caught fire, shook the wooden structure enough to loosen all the static dust in the building. The dust ignited and created a second, larger explosion.
Grain dust, it turns out, is about 35 times more explosive than TNT. Within minutes the entire building was ablaze, with flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. Carr didn’t wait around. “I ran fast, right past a dust collection system and it exploded right in front of me as I was trying to get out a door,” he said. “The doors were normally latched and locked, but they were blown open by the second explosion. I was on fire. My whole left underarm was on fire.” Carr raced down to the pier where the Anton Chekov was being loaded with cargo for Japan. His first thought was to dive off the pier and put his burning clothes out in the water. Instead, a longshoreman grabbed him and pulled the rugby jersey he was wearing over his head. “The burns were so severe on both my
hands that the skin was hanging off my fingernails from the wrists down like rubber gloves,” he said. His long hair was completely singed off his head. Ed Hooper was standing at the top of the elevator when the fire broke out. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. It’s believed that he was killed in the second explosion, because nothing of him was ever found. Mel Hoey was standing on the grate when the explosion took place. All his clothes, including his heavy work boots were burned off his body. Other men came staggering out of the elevator covered in dirt and burns. The two explosions rocked North Vancouver. Sherri Hunt-Todd clearly remembers hearing them all the way at her house in West Vancouver’s British Properties.
David Ferman was on a Grade 4 field trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. “I remember seeing a bright yellow light through the north window,” he said. “I thought something had blown up in Burrard Inlet or that a lightning bolt had hit a ship. Then came the sound, a muffled boom, and the yellow light became an orange fireball that blew outward towards us before quickly receding under grey clouds.” Heather Virtue-Lapierre was watching the fire from the bluff at the bottom of St. Davids Avenue. “The heat was so intense that there was burning barley flying around and it left marks on our truck that was parked behind the substation up on Fourth Street,” she said. “The firefighters eventually moved us back because they were afraid there Continued on A9
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STOP STALLING AND GET THAT SPIRIT TRAIL BUILT Dear Editor:
RE: North Van Councillor Slams Delay of Spirit Trail Extension, Sept. 18 nsnews.com story As a senior cyclist, hiker and motorist, I am very disappointed in the DNV’s decision to, yet again, postpone the extension of the Spirit Trail beyond Windridge. These are difficult times for an infrastructure budget, but this project is good for commerce, public health and safety. We don’t need to stall. There are savings to be made in the current proposal which would meaningfully reduce the cost. The local HUB committee can show the district how costs can be shaved while still providing safe opportunities for kids riding bikes to school and older adults walking routes connecting the Seymour communities. Let’s not lose this opportunity for another two years or more. If we don’t start now, we’ll waste even more money in the future. Over the years, I wonder how much money has been spent on repeated surveys and studies of this route. Let’s stop studying and start doing for once.
Peter Richards Deep Cove, North Vancouver
BEST TRAFFIC FIX IS TO UPGRADE OR REPLACE BOTH BRIDGES
Dear Editor:
There has been much talk recently about North Shore traffic problems and solutions, and more studies are proposed. There is the continued hope from some that we will have fewer cars, take a bus or the SeaBus or ride a
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include your name, full address and telephone number. Send your letters via our website: nsnews.com/ opinion/send-us-a-letter. The North Shore News reserves the right to edit any and/or all letters based on length, clarity, legality and content. The News also reserves the right to publish any and/or all letters electronically.
bike. I would suggest that the real solution is the same one identified since the 1950s: the upgrading or replacement of the two bridges. Any other proposals ignore the reality that goods and services for the North Shore, Sea to Sky, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast pass over the Second Narrows Bridge. The growth in population and tourism in these areas has been dramatic and is expected to continue. The need for bridge upgrades was well recognized by the Department of Highways, and plans were drawn up in 1992 for a new 8-10 lane bridge at Second Narrows. Currently in the Lower Mainland there are two major crossing initiatives underway – the new Patullo Bridge and the new Deas Tunnel – which will address issues for the communities they serve. What is planned for the North Shore? Since the 1950s we have seen several bridges built or expanded across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. They were built because they were the bottlenecks for traffic in their communities, just as North Shore bridges are today. The blunt reality is that the North Shore is the only region being passed over, just as we are penalized with the ridiculous NDP school tax surcharge and the unfair sewer assessment to pay for Metro Vancouver’s incompetence. No one seems to speak up for the North Shore. Until MPs, MLAs, and mayors and councillors do, we will continue to subsidize other parts of the Lower Mainland while our issues and traffic gridlock are ignored.
Michael Smith West Vancouver
Michael Smith served as mayor of West Vancouver from 2011 to 2018.
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Five men died following the blast Continued from A8 might be another explosion. People were hosing down their roofs to keep them from catching fire.” According to newspaper reports at the time, dozens of people in the houses along the street above the grain elevator were evacuated by fire officials as large chunks of charred wood rained down over lawns three hundred metres away from the burning building. The heat was so intense that wooden power poles on the other side of the railway yard caught on fire. Carr was rushed first to Lions Gate Hospital and then to the Fairview Pavilion at Vancouver General Hospital, where he
was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. He was one of the lucky ones. Carr was released on Remembrance Day after 39 days in hospital. Carr was one of 16 men who suffered severe burns. Four died in hospital. They were Mel Hoey, 58; John Scully, 56; James Evoy, 42; and 28-year-old Dave Brown, who managed to survive for 58 days, before succumbing to his injuries. Eve Lazarus is a North Vancouver resident and author. Eve will be giving a talk about her latest book, Beneath Dark Waters: The Legacy of the Empress of Ireland Shipwreck at the Lynn Valley branch of the North Vancouver District Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m.
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north shore news nsnews.com ‘DUCKING CONTROVERSY’
North Vancouver councillor slams decision to delay Spirit Trail extension NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
A delayed and budget-reduced project to extend the Spirit Trail eastward is getting kicked further down the road, and not everyone is happy about council spinning its wheels.
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A majority of District of North Vancouver council voted Sept. 15 to push back completion of the Spirit Trail eastern extension by another two years. Council also approved a staff-recommended motion to reflect the annual cash flow reductions in the 2026-2030 financial planning process – related to deferring future sections of the multi-use path. The lone dissenter on the vote was Coun. Catherine Pope, who said it made no sense to delay the important project, which was promised to the community and budgeted for two years ago. “I do not support the delay in regards to the mayor’s suggestion that we kibosh any plan for a final route to Deep Cove. Hard no,” she said. “That
Both Couns. Jordan Back and Catherine Pope have strongly advocated that work to extend the Spirit Trail eastward should proceed without delay. Back was absent from the Sept. 15 council meeting. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN really is doing nothing more than ducking controversy a year before an election, and I think that’s what we’re hearing tonight.” Others on council took offence to Pope’s comments.
“I’m deeply offended that a councillor would take advantage and say those things about that we’re politically minded for an election a year away,” said Coun. Betty Forbes. “I Continued on A11
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A11
Project relies on unsecured funds Continued from A10 guess we’re going to hear that quite a bit in the next year from this councillor.” In 2023, council approved a $20-million budget for the Spirit Trail – a multi-use path originally envisioned to extend from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. Currently, the path To build a crossing of McCartney Creek along the proposed goes as far west as 31st Spirit Trail route has been estimated to cost $7 million. WILL SCHUURMAN Street and Marine Drive in West Van, and along the waterfront through the City of North Van. Spirit Trail assumes grant funding which In North Van District, the path has so far simply we don’t have.” extended into the Seylynn area with work Pope said that council members are nearing completion for the section from backing down on a solid plan that the Seymour Creek to Windridge Park. community wants because they’re afraid Earlier this year in February, council of controversy ahead of the October 2026 cut the Spirit Trail budget by $5 million, local election. citing competing projects and high costs “I’m not buying it,” she said. “What this associated with certain parts of the trail. council needs to do is show leadership and And sections extending past Parkgate were decide on a route.” deferred. The only thing holding the district back One current problem area in the at this point is figuring out a route between Windridge section is the bridge required to Windridge and Parkgate, Pope said. span McCartney Creek. That’s estimated to “We need to make a decision on that. It’s cost $7 million alone. not that hard. We’ve been talking about it To soften the blow, district staff applied for several years,” she said. for $4.4 million in grants from the federal Pope added that she’d recently learned government earlier this year. In a recent that the district still has cash left over from report, staff said they’re still waiting for the a 2023 provincial grant. Around $3 million outcome of that application. of it was dedicated to the Spirit Trail, but “At such a large magnitude, the outcome another $3 million is still left over and of this application will be a major considershould be spent on the project, she said. To Pope’s accusation that some council ation on next steps,” reads the report. members are posturing for the next election, Mayor Mike Little said that no one Project relies on grant funding not yet needs to cast aspersions. secured, says Coun. Jim Hanson “We’re not qualified to know what is During the budget vote in February, motivating each one of us. I don’t know Couns. Pope, Jordan Back and Jim Hanson your inner thoughts and inner workings … dissented, asking for more discussion on unless you share those inner working ideas the Spirit Trail before cutting the project for us,” he said. budget. Back was absent from this week’s Little said the billion-dollar provincial council meeting. grant program Pope had mentioned was But Hanson said he would support intended to be stimulus for the constructhe newly proposed deferrals “with some reluctance.” tion industry. But construction was already “From my point of view, we should hold booming in 2023, he added. ourselves to that 24 months,” he said. “I “So all you did when you dropped that remain committed to its completion. And I extra billion dollars into the marketplace believe that completing the Spirit Trail east was made all the construction costs get a through Seymour will bring benefits to the bunch more expensive,” Little said. community.” While the province had a $2-billion surHowever, council’s first priority is to plus in 2023, there was a $9-billion deficit in ensure the district’s finances are in order, 2024 and a $11.6-billion shortfall this year, Hanson said. he said. “Many budgets are under significant “So, while I appreciate advice from pressure,” he said. “I want to ensure that Coun. Pope, I’m not going to take the the district’s finances do not fall into jeopprovince’s recommendations on how we should spend public money at this time,” ardy because of this and other projects like Little said. it. Funding of the eastern expansion of the
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A12 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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Affordable housing reimagined: Kiwanis delivers quality rentals that foster connection Focused on community wellbeing, Kiwanis places modern rentals close to schools, transit and parks so residents stay connected In a region where affordable housing options can be difficult to find, Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society has emerged as the leading provider of below-market rental homes on the North Shore. With more than 70 years of experience, the non-profit organization continues to redefine what affordable housing looks like, pairing thoughtfully designed homes with responsive management and a deep-rooted commitment to community. Stefan Baune, CEO of Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society, says their approach serves as a model for other housing organizations. ‘We are listening to the District of West Vancouver’s call for more affordable housing,’ he explains. “That means planning and building through a community-oriented focus— creating a modern, inclusive and family-friendly place where residents can thrive.”
Affordable homes, lasting impact
Kiwanis North Shore Housing’s Village West provides below-market rental apartments to families and working individuals who live, work or have children attending school in West Vancouver. By focusing on local connections, the society builds strong neighbourhood ties and ensures that homes are provided to people who contribute to the community. But affordability doesn’t mean compromise. The society’s rental units are modern and well-maintained—far from what people might expect from a non-profit housing provider. “It’s not just about building units,” says Baune. “It’s about considering the needs and wants of families and working individuals. We want to build a community of support where people know each other and spend time together.”
A location that connects everything
Many Kiwanis properties, including the flagship Kiwanis Village West, are located in prime areas of the North Shore—close to schools, parks, community amenities, shopping and public transit. This makes it easier for residents to stay connected to their daily routines and the broader community. Designed with families and multigenerational households in mind, Kiwanis Village West offers shared indoor and outdoor spaces, including lounges and play areas. Rent is discounted by 25% compared to market rents, making it an inclusive and flexible option for a range of applicants.
Kiwanis creates thoughtfully designed below market homes that support families and working individuals. PHOTO VIA KIWANIS NORTH SHORE HOUSING SOCIETY.
Residents of Kiwanis North Shore housing enjoy more than just a roof over their heads. They benefit from a people-first approach that includes clear communication, designated contacts for questions or concerns and a culture of care that prioritizes tenant well-being. This attention to detail is what sets Kiwanis apart.
Planning for the future
Looking ahead, the Kiwanis team is guided by a bold 2024–2027 Strategic Plan. The goal? Expand from 744 to 1,000 units across the North Shore while maintaining financial sustainability, operational excellence and leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. “With this project, we’re holding true to our values—not only by ensuring affordability, but also by contributing to the community through quality and sustainability,” says Baune.
This forward-thinking vision ensures that more individuals and families will have access to the kind of housing that supports stability and quality of life for years to come.
A welcome surprise for applicants
From the moment prospective tenants visit a Kiwanis property, many are taken aback by the quality of the homes and the thoughtful design of each community. Others comment on the warmth and professionalism of the team. “This is not just a place to sleep,” says Baune. “This is home. This is a place where people can establish roots and settle down with their families in this beautiful community.” For those seeking a place to grow, thrive and create lasting memories, Kiwanis Village West and other society properties offer more than just affordability— they offer a true sense of belonging.
The Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society is a long-standing non-profit leader in below-market rental housing across the North Shore. With more than seven decades of experience, the society develops thoughtfully designed housing that balances affordability, quality and community. Visit kiwanisnorthshorehousing.org to find out about available units or to apply.
For more information, visit kiwanisnorthshorehousing.org
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A13
ARTS | ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD | HOME |
| HEALTH | COMMUNITY
WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Storytime kits foster fun learning of Squamish language ABBY LUCIANO
aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
New storytime kits at a North Shore library are helping people of all ages learn the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language) in a fun way.
The West Vancouver Memorial Library is launching the Sḵw’shítsut/Sḵw’shétsut Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim Storytime Kits officially on Wednesday, helping revitalize the language and culture. “I thought it was the best idea to go with stories – something everybody can relate to of all ages,” said Tsitsáyx̱emaat (Rebecca Duncan), a fluent speaker and knowledge keeper who collaborated with the library by translating material to bring the storytime kits to life. “No matter what age, there’s always interest [in stories]. There’s always morals and teachings.” Each of the six kits has the book Iyá7yulh Tl’a Tsuńax̲en/ Tsunaxen’s Journey by Xwemilut (Lisa Lewis), along with felt pieces to help readers tell the story visually. There are two different kits for people to borrow with extra stories connecting to Squamish culture and helping teach the language. Xwemilut was thrilled when she found out her book, published last year, was being translated into the Squamish language. “To have the whole book completely translated is amazing,” Xwemilut said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it will be used in schools and other educational programs. Not just children but adults, because we lost our language through the residential school.” The kits also have a Yoto audio player
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Tsitsáyx̱emaat (Rebecca Duncan) stands outside the West Vancouver Memorial Library with the new storytime kits that officially hit shelves Sept. 24. ABBY LUCIANO / NSN with cards to play audio components of stories and songs that many people know, like the “Hokey Pokey” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” “‘Hokey Pokey’ is a universal thing everybody knows, so that’s one of the big hits with the kids,” Tsitsáyx̱emaat said. “Hopefully other people can have fun with it.” The storytime kits are an expansion of the Squamish language kits put out on library shelves last year, which saw a high interest from the public, said West Vancouver librarian Kendra Sakamoto. Last year’s language kits include the basics of learning Skwxwú7mesh Sníchim, which feature a Squamish-to-English
dictionary, an audio player to help learn pronunciation and alphabet blocks showing letters and numbers of the language. The kit also has opposites and animal flashcards, a foraging walk guide, and Potlach, which is a co-operative game that teaches the idea of a shared economy. “That’s the foundation and we wanted to build off of that,” Sakamoto said. Storytime kits provide an opportunity for conversation Sakamoto said she hopes people have fun with the kits, but that the tools also open doors for conversations about Squamish language, culture and Coast Salish history.
“Because the kits are so culturally relevant, there’s lots of opportunity for conversation,” she said, citing one example of the Coast Salish woolly dog becoming extinct due to systematic colonial policies. “There are elements of deeper education available in these kits. It’s not just stories and songs.” The timing of the launch of the kits is intentional, Sakamoto said, as it is just days away from the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. “Reconciliation is something we all should be doing and thinking about year long. But the reality is, especially in the world of education, most people are kind of thinking about things with the theme of the month,” she said. “Schools are thinking about Indigenous education in September, so it’s a great time to launch them.” For Tsitsáyx̱emaat, she hopes the kits spark interest in the Squamish language for people from all walks of life. “If we could share our language, and if they could take that on, that would just be so beautiful,” she said. “The language is really rhythmic and beautiful, just like this land, so I think creating those relationships and opening it up for conversation, I think that’s a good start there.” Almost anyone who lives in B.C. can borrow the storytime kits as long as they show ID and register for a West Vancouver library card. The library is holding a free launch event for the storytime kits on Sept. 24 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Xwemilut will read her book and bannock and prizes will be also be given out at the event.
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A14 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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ARTIST TALK: BIG IDEAS: CHIEF DR. JANICE GEORGE IN CONVERSATION WITH CURATOR PANTEA HAGHIGHI SEPTEMBER 26 AT 7:00PM - 8:30PM WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 MARINE DRIVE, WEST VAN Big Ideas: Chief Dr. Janice George in Conversation with Curator Pantea Haghighi westvanlibrary.ca/event/big-ideas-chief-dr-janice-george-in-conversation-with-curator-pantea-haghighi/ SARAH SLEAN OCTOBER 3 AT 7:30PM - 9:30PM BLUESHORE FINANCIAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 2055 PURCELL WAY, NORTH VANCOUVER Innovative, four-time JUNO-nominated cabaret/classical music singer-songwriter performs with Black Dog String Quartet. https://purchase.capilanou.ca/Events TRADITION CONTINUUM ON NOW UNTIL OCT 12 SILK PURSE ARTS CENTRE, 1570 ARGYLE AVENUE WEST VANCOUVER Dynamic & engaging work from diverse Indigenous artists who carry on traditions & teachings through their unique points of view, stories, styles & approaches, experience the incredible work of several local Indigenous artists, coming together to share their passions, perspectives & stories. westvanartscouncil.ca/event-6276608
A wooden ran barrel spills water into a metal bucket in a West Vancouver garden. LAURA MARIE NEUBERT
WATER CONSERVATION
North Shore municipalities to organize rain barrel pre-sale event NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
Soon, North Shore residents will be cut a deal on cutting their water use.
A cosmic i journey j th h artt and d history hi t through Ends Sunday, September 28
The Polygon Gallery 101 Carrie Cates Court Territories of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and the Musqueam Band @polygongallery | thepolygon.ca
Image: Daniel Boyd, History is Made at Night
At a meeting on Sept. 15, District of North Vancouver council voted through its “rain barrel education and outreach” initiative, and directed staff to organize a pre-sale event in partnership with the City of North Van and West Vancouver. In May, Coun. Jim Hanson introduced a motion to have staff report back on options to encourage the use of rain barrels, with the goal of taking advantage of our wet winters for a sustainable water source during the dry summer. According to a recent staff report, the average Metro Vancouver resident uses 380 litres of water per day for activities like flushing toilets, showering, and watering lawns and gardens. During the summer months, outdoor water use can spike water demand by as much as 50 per cent. Staff also mentioned that rising global temperatures are leading to more frequent summer droughts. But rain barrels allow residents to capture and store rainwater for outdoor use, reducing the demand on treated drinking water, reads the report. Staff proposed a pre-sale event in spring 2026 with the other North Shore municipalities. Rain barrels will be offered to residents at a cost-recovery price. The district will facilitate the bulk purchase and distribution
of the barrels, while residents will pre-order and pay for them at cost. It’s important to educate residents on water conservation, councillor says By encouraging use of rain barrels, Hanson said we’re taking a small but real step toward better water management and ecology. He encouraged staff to educate the public on how to properly install and maintain the barrels. “I think, to have good quality rain barrels with good hardware, they’ll endure better, and there will be less waste,” he said. “It’ll be longer until they need to be replaced.” Coun. Lisa Muri said she was happy to support the program. “West Vancouver has done it before, where they collected orders in this pickup spot to pick up those rain barrels. And the City of Vancouver is also a spot where you can pick them up,” she said. “For small townhouses and patios, it would give some assistance. For large yards you’d have to have two dozen of them to get through some of the drought times that we’ve experienced in the summertime,” Muri said. “But I think an opportunity for staff to engage with the community in regards to education and conservation of water – I think that’s always important,” she said. The barrels on offer will hold 208 litres (55 U.S. gallons) of water, and are small enough to be picked up in a car, staff said.
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A15
WOMEN IN TRADES
Seaspan and foundation make record-setting donation to YWCA BRENT RICHTER
brichter@nsnews.com
The North Shore’s largest employer and its charitable arm have made the largest ever single donation to YWCA Metro Vancouver.
Seaspan and the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation have put up $5.56 million to the Y’s Higher Ground program, which gets women into the trades with hands-on experience, connections to industry and coaching. Beyond that, the program also seeks to remove barriers that have traditionally kept women away from careers in the trades, providing child care, transportation, education assistance and accessibility accommodations. Canada is facing a shortfall of 700,000 skilled trade workers in the years ahead, as the older generation of workers enters retirement age. Yet women only make up about five per cent of the construction trades workforce, according to the BC Construction Association. “For women entering the skilled trades, gender stereotypes can lead to stigma, inadequate safety and a lack of opportunities. By providing wraparound support, Higher Ground will empower women to
Members of the YWCA Metro Vancouver, Seaspan and the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation gather to mark a $5.56 million donation to get more women working in the trades. COURTESY OF SEASPAN confidently break these barriers, achieve economic independence and build sustainable careers,” said Tina Hurd, Higher Ground program manager. While women may not always see
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themselves working as electricians, welders or carpenters, it is in the broader economic interest to open doors for them there, said Erin Seeley, CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver.
“Supporting women in the skilled trades isn’t just about creating a more equitable future, it’s about unlocking the full potential of our workforce. When we invest in women’s access to training, mentorship and leadership opportunities in these fields, we strengthen industries, drive innovation and build more inclusive communities,” she said. In a release, Seaspan CEO John McCarthy said the company is proud to be doing its part in supporting a safe, encouraging platform for women to build careers in the trades. “Building the next generation of tradespeople is crucial to the success of Canada’s growing shipbuilding industry on the West Coast, and to many other, integral industries across the country. Jon Bennion, executive director of the foundation, which is the major philanthropic organization for The Washington Companies and the Washington family who own Seaspan, said the donation will pay dividends. “The work of Higher Ground will ensure more women have an opportunity to explore robust, stable careers while being supported and uplifted economically and socially,” he said in the release.
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Island Pacific School marks 30 years of middle school innovation A middle school built to inspire, challenge and empower
The newest cohort of students at Island Pacific School. Photo via Island Pacific School
30 years ago, Island Pacific School (IPS) opened its doors on Bowen Island with a simple but radical idea: middle school really matters.
years. In this intentionally small community—just 72 students in total—every adult in the building sees every student every day.
Ted Spear, the founding head of Island Pacific School, believed Grades 6–9 are not just a bridge to high school, but a decisive stage where students begin to define who they are and how they will live. IPS was built to take those years seriously, giving young people both the space and the challenge to grow.
The impact lasts well beyond graduation. As one alumnus recalls:
“From the beginning, we’ve put the why before the how,” says Spear. “Our purpose is to equip and inspire students to express the very best of what it is to be human.” That vision continues to shape the school today. IPS remains the only independent school in the region devoted exclusively to the middle
“Right from the beginning, my friends and I were encouraged to push ourselves to our limit… and then some. Each event, excursion, debate or discussion seemed perfectly planned with the intent of expanding our intellectual capacity. Today, as I meet challenges, I see them with a better head on my shoulders.” At IPS, these principles show up in distinctive ways: • The signature Masterworks programme, where Grade 9 students design ambitious independent research and present
The very first cohort of students at Island Pacific School. Photo via island Pacific School
them publicly, in a format similar to a TED Talk. • Classes in critical thinking and moral reasoning • A curriculum grounded in character and responsibility • Outdoor expeditions — and even the ferry commute— both of which build confidence and resilience
curiosity meets challenge, where character takes shape and where students are prepared for a lifetime of discovery.
Families who would like to know more about the school and its programme can reach out to Brad Carter, Head of School at brad.carter@islandpacific.org to arrange a personal conversation.
As IPS celebrates its 30th year, Brad Carter, the current head of school, says its founding principles are more relevant and more urgent than ever: “In the face of AI, climate change and political division, knowledge and skills are not enough. Students need wisdom, courage, and integrity to use that knowledge and those skills well.” IPS continues to show that middle school is foundational, a place where
Island Pacific School is an IB World School on Bowen Island. IPS focuses exclusively on the critical middle school years, preparing Grades 6–9 students for success in high school and beyond.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A17
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. nvcl.ca
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. nvdpl.ca
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. wvml.ca
A18 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Orange Shirt Day is a time for healing through culture JUSTIN SKY GEORGE
Contributing writer
When I think of Orange Shirt Day, I think of our səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) Elders, our Ancestors.
My father was only five years young when he was taken to residential school. We know the dark history of the mental, physical, and emotional abuse that took place at residential schools. Many children never made it home. We are Tsleil-Waututh, People of the Inlet, and we have a deep-rooted connection to what is called Burrard Inlet today. In my late grandfather Chief Dan George’s soliloquy, he illustrated how we went from managing abundance to isolation on our small reserve – our land, our deer, salmon, clams, and entire economies have been lost. Our Elders have a saying: “When the tide went out, the table was set.” Today, the Inlet is no longer healthy, but our culture was never lost. We are taking our rightful place as equals, bringing our values in to all we do and honouring the resilience of our Ancestors and Elders today. This ties to Orange Shirt Day as even
Tsleil-Waututh Nation elected chief Justin Sky George wears an orange shirt to honour residential school survivors and those who lost their lives due to the oppressive system. TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATION though they endured the harshest abuse, our Elders are standing up, sharing the hard truths. This day is about us acknowledging their strength and creating a legacy of healing and growth for the next generations. Our community events support our Survivors, Elders, and all members in their healing journey. On Sept. 17, in partnership
Recognizing the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
with the Orange Shirt Society, we unveiled our wonderful new orange Every Child Matters crosswalk by səlilwətaɬ artist Candace Thomas and welcomed special guest Phyllis Webstad, founder of Orange Shirt Day. I commend Phyllis, a Survivor, for taking this lead role from a space of strength for all our First Nations people who endured residential schools. On Sept. 30, we are hosting a private Walking with Family and Friends from Wheyah-Wichen (Cates Park) to our community to honour our Survivors and to create space for our members to heal from intergenerational trauma. As Tsleil-Waututh Nation, we’re blessed to have strong Elders and Ancestors who made it better for us. They had the ability to carry forward teachings, laws and beliefs within our səlilwətaɬ culture, despite the pain. I didn’t hear stories of residential schools growing up, but we felt the impacts in different ways. To understand that today is to understand the love our Elders were giving us. As Tsleil-Waututh People, we’re a culture defined by love, family and connections to
the land and water. Within our ceremonies, there’s amazing healing. Our culture is about uplifting one another, honouring what our Elders have taught us. Everyone has gifts and we are no better than or less than one another. Today in our community, our young people are being empowered through drumming and singing, being in ceremony, learning hən̓ q̓ əmin̓ əm̓ language, how to weave, how to harvest foods and medicines, and following the practices of our Ancestors. Culture is the heart of healing for our People. For our surrounding community, we welcome the opportunity to engage more with us to create better understanding. In the context of a canoe, we need many paddlers. No matter what race you are or what colour you are, we laugh and cry about the same things, as we are all human beings. Join with us, whether that’s participating in or supporting our public events, partnering with us on a project, or donating to our Tsleil-Waututh Nation Residential School Survivors Fund. Continued on A23
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
In honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation we will be flying the Survivors Flag at District Hall and lighting the Hall up orange from September 23-30. The District is dedicated to fostering reconciliation and building stronger relationships with local First Nations, including the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. District staff are committed to listening and understanding the intergenerational legacy of the residential school system on First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities by participating in learning opportunities offered ahead of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Learn more: DNV.org/our-journey-towards-reconciliation
©Andy Everson
September 30 A message from the North and West Vancouver Teachers’ Associations
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A19
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Tsleil-Waututh Nation unveils ‘Every Child Matters’ crosswalk ABBY LUCIANO
aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A new crosswalk in North Vancouver is honouring residential school survivors and offering a memorial for the people who never made it home.
The səlilwətaɬ (TsleilWaututh Nation) unveiled the “Every Child Matters” crosswalk in a ceremony, Sept. 17 – now one of eight Candace Thomas (left), Phyllis Webstad and three children across Canada as part of hold hands and walk together in celebration of the Every Child Matters crosswalk opening at Tsleil-Waututh Nation the Orange Shirt Society’s Wednesday. ABBY LUCIANO / NSN Every Child Matters Crosswalk Project. “Each of these crosswalks is a vivid brings us together so we can have reminder of children being honoured, conversation and ceremony and never the survivors being believed, and our forget what happened in those so-called shared brought [journey towards] truth, schools.” reconciliation and hope,” said MC Gabriel Wednesday’s ceremony reflected George, knowledge keeper and director heavily on the lasting impacts of residenof the Culture, Language and Protocol tial schools, as many people shared their Department at Tsleil-Waututh Nation. experiences and the healing journeys Alongside the nation, the Orange Shirt moving forward. Society, the District of North Vancouver “I raise my hand to all our elders and and the North Shore Community ancestors that endured residential school Foundation partnered together to make – mentally, physically, emotionally,” said the crosswalk possible. elected chief Justin Sky George during the The crosswalk that now sits on Sleilceremony. “We know the [struggles] that Waututh Road off Dollarton Highway was were put upon [you], but they couldn’t created by Tsleil-Waututh artist Candace break the spirit, and you see that today in Thomas. The crosswalk’s design features our elders.” a black thunderbird holding a baby who is George said the crosswalk is a true gift reaching out to their mama. The artwork is to the Tsleil-Waututh community, honourdisplayed on an orange background with a ing residential and day school survivors white border. while also sending a message. Thomas said the baby’s face symbol“[It] sends a clear message to the external community and allies that we welcome izes the children who never made it home, and the thunderbird represents part of her them to walk with us on this journey of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) lineage through reconciliation,” George said in a media release from the nation. her great grandmother. District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike “I love it, I’m thankful that it turned out Little said the crosswalk is a powerful symthe way it did [and] that it’s lasting the bol of resiliency and a vital step towards way it is,” Thomas said. reconciliation. Thomas said she’s also thankful to “I am grateful we have had the opporreceive recognition from Phyllis Webstad, tunity to work alongside Tsleil-Waututh the CEO and co-founder of Orange Shirt Nation and the Orange Shirt Society in creDay, who was also a special guest at ating a vivid reminder of past generations Wednesday’s ceremony. and learning their truths,” Little said. Webstad said the crosswalk project Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic continues the conversation of what hapaffairs reporter for the North Shore News. pened in residential schools. This reporting beat is made possible by the “We can never forget what happened,” Local Journalism Initiative. Webstad said. “The crosswalk program
“On the North Shore and right across Turtle Island, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation calls us to reflect on the legacy of residential schools and honour Indigenous Survivors. Let us commit ourselves to truth, justice, and reconciliation— today and every day.”
JONATHAN WILKINSON FEDERAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT NORTH VANCOUVER-CAPILANO @JonathanWNV
A20 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Check out these truth & rec events across the North Shore of the Squamish language storytime kits, sessions about Coast Salish weaving with Squamish Nation hereditary chief Janice George, and Lisa Lewis teaching traditional Squamish songs and crafts, and movie screenings of Indigenous-produced films. More information can be found on the library’s website.
ABBY LUCIANO
aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Every year since 2021, the last day of September marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The national day honours the children who lost their lives from residential schools and lifts up the survivors as well as their families and communities. Across both North Vancouver and West Van, there are tons of events taking place on Sept. 30 and in the days leading up to it. Here is a rundown of what’s happening to mark Truth and Reconciliation day on the North Shore. The Legacy of the Salish Woolly Dog Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) ethnobotanist and cultural educator Senaqwilia Wyss will be holding a presentation that draws upon intergenerational knowledge about the Salish Woolly Dog, a sacred Coast Salish dog breed that became extincted due to colonization practices and policies. Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to
Members of the public gathered with municipal staff and elders from the Squamish Nation to honour residential school survivors with a raising of the Survivors’ Flag at West Vancouver municipal hall on Friday, Sept. 23, 2023. DWV 12:30 p.m. at the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre. The cost is by donation with a suggested minimum of $10 per group. Educational events at the West Vancouver Memorial Library Leading up to Sept. 30, the West Van library is offering events like the launch
Films, workshops and Indigenous history series at North Vancouver City Library The North Vancouver City Library is screening SUGARCANE, a documentary set “amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school.” The film empowers people to break cycles of inter-generational trauma. Guests under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian as the film is rated R. The library is also holding a fish leather wallet workshop and an Indigenous history and culture series offering an introduction to the North Shore host nations and truth and reconciliation. More information on the events can be found on the NVCL’s website.
Every Childour Matters Honouring Neighbours the Tsleil-Waututh and Honouring Truth and Squamish Peoples Reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Day at MONOVA On Sept. 30, the Museum and Archives of North Vancouver (MONOVA) is commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with education and activities for visitors. Led by MONOVA’s Indigenous cultural programmers Jordan Dawson and Tsawaysia Spukwus, people will have the chance to learn about the significance of Orange Shirt Day, the history of Indigenous rights and experience Coast Salish culture including storytelling, drumming and singing. There will also be orange rock decorating, keychain making and a scavenger hunt for guests to take part in. Alongside the special programming, the museum will also have a guided tour of their galleries in recognition of the day. The event will take place on Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is paywhat-you-can, and people can sign up on Eventbrite. Visit nsnews.com for more National Day For Truth and Reconciliation events.
On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we pause to On Truth Reconciliation Day,school and as part of the honour theand strength of residential survivors, remember ongoing of reconciliation, pause recognize those whojourney never returned home, andwe stand withtotheir families. and honour residential school survivors, thoseknowledge who were Neptune Terminals acknowledges the traditional
lost,stewardship and their families. and of the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Peoples. We are proud to operate on their traditional territories and are Neptune Terminals theoftraditional knowledge committed to walkingvalues the path reconciliation with respect and humility. of the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Peoples, and their stewardship September 30 of the lands and waters. We are proud to National Day fortheir Truthtraditional and Reconciliation operate within territories.
neptuneterminals.com
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A21
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Let’s weave our stories together on this day of learning CHIEF JANICE GEORGE
Contributing writer
There have been many interruptions in Indigenous language and culture since Captain Vancouver sailed into our territory.
We have worked for more than 20 years at reintroducing Coast Salish wool weaving to our community and other Nations and Tribes. It has been an emotional and spiritual process. To begin teaching, we share the teachings that elders have passed to us, of how we prepare mentally, physically and spiritually to create weavings. The weavings are not purely esthetic. They are not purely for physical warmth from the elements. They are also protection against unkind energy, or perhaps jealousy or disagreement. Through our ceremonies we are taught that a weaver‘s job is to create this protection to bring good energy as well as beautiful esthetics in the robes. We are open to sharing these
teachings with the public and are happy that universities, high schools, public schools and private schools are interested in learning about Coast Salish weaving as well as other culture practices such as building canoes and carving figures. It’s in the songs, it’s in the language. When we talk about gathering materials and gathering dyes for the beautiful colours in the weavings, how our ancestors did this, we think about the environment we share. We know the land that we live on, the territory that has been ours since the beginning of time. Sharing this helps us have a connection to this land. All of us, not just the Indigenous people who have intimate knowledge of the land, know the stories have connections. It’s important to share these connections, so everyone can feel that everyone can understand that the ancestor’s prayers are still with the land, and how much we appreciate what our ancestors have done for us. If we can
all work together to take care of this beautiful place, this beautiful territory that we live in, we can all take care of it in a better way. Museums, galleries and libraries have shown much support for gathering this knowledge again, but also to disseminate this information through exhibits, through talks, through presentations, through research. We have been gathering and weaving our information to present it in a way that helps people understand that we have this knowledge, we have a world view and voice to tell the story. Our Nation population went down to 200 people, and is now over 4,000 strong. It’s a story of the strength of a few people to carry through the keyhole of disease, legislated poverty and residential schools, holding on to the language and culture that we cherish and respect. Culture saves lives and I am thankful for the strength and love of our ancestors to save mine. Chief Janice George is a Squamish Nation hereditary chief.
Squamish Nation Chief Janice George is featured in an exhibition at the West Van Art Museum highlighting Coast Salish weaving. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
CHIEF DR. JANICE GEORGE in Conversation with Curator Pantea Haghighi
Friday, September 26 7 – 8:30 p.m., Main Hall Learn about the living practice of traditional weaving from Coast Salish weaver and educator Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Dr. Janice George. Her exhibit, Continuing the Ceremony: Chief Dr. Janice George and Students, is on view at the West Vancouver Art Museum through October 4.
Register for free at wvml.ca/events
1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 604.925.7400 | westvanlibrary.ca
NATIO O ONAL DAY F FOR ND TRUTH AN N RECONCIILIATION I Day for Truth and On this i National i Reconciiliation, we honour survivors member the children you and rem came home. The legacy of never c residential schools and the impacts resident p of colonialism remain with u us today. True reconciliation begin ns with listening, learning, and walkkin ng th his path together every day.
Patrick k Weiler
Member of Parliament
West Vancouver-Sunshine CoastSea to Sky Country
6367 Bruce Street West Vancouver, BC V7W 2G5 Tel. 604-913-2664 Patrick.Weiler@parl.gc.ca PatrickWeiler.libparl.ca PatrickBWeiler
A22 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Language revitalization improving physical and mental health ABBY LUCIANO
aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Speaking Indigenous languages is helping protect culture. It might also improve mental and physical health.
That is what University of British Columbia researchers are linking to in a recent review. “I was really happy to see validation in something that we already knew was true,” said Karleen Delaurier-Lyle, the study’s co-author and librarian at UBC’s X̱wi7x̱wa Library. “I was just excited because I knew that it would likely benefit a lot of folks that are doing this important revitalization work.” Researchers from UBC led the review with help from the University of Toronto and the University of Sydney looking at 262 academic and community resources. From those sources, researchers found about 78
Students, parents and teachers are all smiles learning the Squamish language in the Ta Tsíptspi7lhḵn Language Nest in the Squamish Nation. PHOTO COURTESY OF KAIYA WILLIAMS
per cent of studies showed a positive connection between speaking Indigenous languages and improved health outcomes like mental health, better education performance, greater social connections and lower suicide rates in some cases.
“I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of research that we found,” said co-author and linguistics PhD student Julia Schillo. “There are one or two papers that I see cited all the time, and I wasn’t actually sure how much published research there would
be beyond that.” Based on researchers’ findings, the review also calls for recommendations including community-based language revitalization work, health care, curriculum in post-secondary and further research on the topic. The research team hopes the recent review can be used to advocate for more funding in language revitalization programs, said Schillo. “Language revitalization is a good thing to invest in for a number of reasons, including community health, and also to hopefully make a case for longer-term funding,” she said. “In order to have effective language revitalization and effective language learning, there needs to be continued long-term classes and support systems in place.” (S7atsáliya) Charlene George, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language) speaker who
is a language co-ordinator at the Sníchim Foundation, relates to the review’s findings, as speaking the language has improved her life both physically and mentally. “It’s probably saved my life in the sense of giving me a healthy pathway to walk down,” George said, who is from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). “It’s really straightened out a lot of my life for me.” While George wasn’t part of the study, she said learning the language helped her keep her sobriety but also kept her grounded, especially after losing her great grandmother in 2017. Her great grandmother was the one who encouraged her to learn the language, George said. “I felt like I could connect to her on a deeper, spiritual level, because I could pray in the Continued on A23
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A23
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Language nest nurtures future leaders Continued from A22 language now,” George said. The review found in many cases, the act of language learning was a part of healing, with several studies showing that learning or teaching Indigenous languages helps people recover from trauma, including the impacts of colonization and residential schools. The Sníchim Foundation is a Vancouver-based non-profit group that has been delivering language and cultural immersion programming since 2015. George has been teaching the Squamish language for nearly eight years through the foundation’s Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim Proficiency Diploma Program connected through Simon Fraser University, a program she was a student in nine years ago. Now George spends a lot of her time around the language for her job as a teacher, something that she is grateful for. “We’re really focused on getting to be conversational and we really get to know [students] on a personal level because of the amount of time we spend with them,” George said. “We always mention the benefits that learning the language has on mental and spiritual health.”
first-language speakers. “It’s important to get them at the youngest age. They’re like sponges, everything you say they copy, and we’ve witnessed it so many times,” Williams said. “It’s so important because it’s a lot of the opportunities that we didn’t get.” Bringing the language back has been quite a journey the Squamish people, Williams said. “More people are comfortable now because not that long ago, our ancestors were forbidden to speak, so we
grew up thinking we had to be careful, or growing up feeling ashamed,” she said. “To know that it’s flipped over now, and everyone feels proud and wants to learn ... that’s why it feels like we’re at home [at the nest].” Williams said it’s becoming more natural for people to converse in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim, which a big win. “I think that’s a huge milestone for our people, that we’re growing together and moving forward in beautiful ways that our ancestors always wanted us to,” she said. “As long as we keep gravitating towards families who want to come, be dedicated and share that same passion that we have for our language, then we’re winning.”
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Looking ahead In 2010 there were fewer than 10 Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim speakers, with the language at risk of going extinct. Since then, that number has grown to 349 Squamish language speakers, according to a BC First Nations language report from 2022. With more active language learners, babies and toddlers are getting a head start learning Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim. On the Squamish Nation lies the Ta Tsíptspi7lhḵn Language Nest, a program where little ones up to age three learn the language alongside their families. Ta Tsíptspi7lhḵn, which translates to “voices of the nest,” began operating in the Capilano Little Ones School in 2019 before getting a permanent home in February 2024. Currently there are eight families taking part in the program, where teachers speak the language in a home-like environment. Language Nest teachers Kaiya Williams and Cherie McFadyen said learning the language at an early age not only helps people grasp it better, but is paving the way for more
Let’s all come together Continued from A18 Orange shirts are a reminder of the past hurt and ongoing suffering across Turtle Island, but also an acknowledgement of where we are today. In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, it’s an opportunity for us to come together in our collective strength and hold space for everyone to see their own gifts, to see where they belong. Justin Sky George is a Tsleil-Waututh Nation member and the elected chief of səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). Learn more about supporting Tsleil-Waututh Nation Survivors via the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Residential School Survivors Fund: twnation.ca/how-to-supporttwn/ The National Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24/7 for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of residential school experiences: 1-866- 925-4419.
We reflect and remember. We are committed to truth and reconciliation with our actions and our words. We learn together.
A24 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
An Iran Air Boeing 747-200 plane lands at London Heathrow Airport. ARPINGSTONE
FEDERAL COURT
Iranian citizen denied work visa after job offer in North Van NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
Westerleigh PARC has a New Look We are pleased to welcome you to Westerleigh PARC for a special open house event celebrating the beautiful renovations to our main floor! Join us on Saturday, October 4, from 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm to experience the warmth and vibrancy of our community, and tour our new space. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and refreshments as you connect with community members and our residents. We look forward to seeing you there!
Kindly RSVP to Kirk Lively & Jasmine Jeon by October 1 at 604.922.9888 or by email below.
klively@westerleighparc.ca jjeon@westerleighparc.ca parcliving.ca/westerleigh
A work visa officer’s decision to deny an Iranian citizen a temporary work permit has been upheld by a Federal Court judge.
According to a Sept. 11 decision, Fatemeh Zaiee’s request for a judicial review of the matter was dismissed because the judge found the officer’s original decision to be reasonable. The main reasons for the refusal were that the officer wasn’t satisfied that Zaiee could fulfill the job requirements, nor that she would leave Canada at the end of her authorized stay. Zaiee is a citizen of Iran, and was offered a job as a graphic designer and layout artist by Exir Style Enterprises Inc in North Vancouver, as stated in the written ruling. Exir is a business that specializes in Italian cabinetry and interior design. In August 2023, Zaiee submitted a work permit application as a graphic designer and layout artist. In support of her application, she provided various documents including reference letters from previous employers, transcripts from her undergraduate degree in sculpture and master’s degree in visual communication, and information regarding family members in Iran. But her application was refused by the officer on May 15, 2024. In the officer’s notes, the officer stated that Zaiee had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate she had the expertise to work and supervise other graphic designers in a commercial environment. “Weighing the factors in this application, I am not satisfied that the applicant
will depart Canada at the end of the period authorized for their stay,” the visa officer wrote. Zaiee argued that the officer’s refusal was unreasonable because she stated in her application that she had no plan or intention to consider applying for permanent residency in Canada. She added that her application demonstrated that her education and work experience were more than adequate to satisfy the requirements. But the national occupation classification applicable to the job required a specific kind of degree in visual arts, or a college diploma in graphic arts, said Justice Simon Fothergill. Applicant described previous job duties in non-specific terms, judge says “It was reasonable for the officer to rely on the educational requirements specified in the NOC, and find that Ms. Zaiee’s formal qualifications lacked the requisite specialization,” Fothergill said. Also, the letter confirming Zaiee’s employment history described her previous duties in general terms, and offered little in the way of particulars, the judge said. “She submitted an extensive portfolio of her previous work, but it was unclear what role she had played in the designs that were depicted,” Fothergill said. It’s possible that Zaiee had the right qualifications for the job she was offered in Canada, but her application didn’t adequately explain how her education and job history showed she was capable of meeting the requirements, he said. “The refusal of Ms. Zaiee’s application is not in itself a severe consequence, as she retains the ability to reapply,” Fothergill said.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A25 SPONSORED CONTENT
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A28
SUNDAY, OC TOBER 5
NORTH SHORE STRONG
Tanya Mah is a fighter and a survivor. In the summer of 2024, the West Vancouver resident was enjoying a fishing trip with her family off the West Coast of Tofino. As she reeled in a 25lb salmon she experienced a sudden, severe headache and collapsed. At the age of 53 she had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. Like many stroke patients before her, Tanya was faced with an unknown future. She recalls the fear and frustration of the early days when she was bedridden and unable to communicate. “I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t stand. I thought my life was pretty much over. To not be able to speak was so frustrating,” she shares. “My kids helped out by making me flash cards, and we used hand motions and gestures to be able to communicate with my family, the doctors and the nurses.” Because there was no intensive rehab bed at LGH right when she needed it, Tanya was admitted to the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver. She had no idea if she’d be able to reclaim her past life but as she started the high intensity rehab, she began to see small but significant improvements. “The day I stood on a step, I cried. The first time the physio made me stand up it was amazing; I can do it! I realized this was my road to recovery – one step at a time.” After three months of inpatient care at G.F. Strong, Tanya joined the Neurological Rehabilitation Outpatient Program (NROP) at LGH to continue her recovery. “To be
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“The rehab here has been life changing, it really has. It’s more than just a hospital for me, it’s my community.” Tanya Mah
able to do an outpatient program that was on the North Shore has been key,” she says. “I cannot imagine having to spend all my time trying to get across two bridges to G.F. Strong.” Tanya attended LGH several times a week and completed the second phase of her
rehabilitation at the end of July. While she received excellent care at G.F. Strong, she is hopeful that Lions Gate Hospital will have a larger intensive rehabilitation unit, so future patients don’t have to rely on services that are much further away. “The rehab here has been life changing, it really has. It’s more than just a hospital for me, it’s my community,” she says. “One of the other key benefits of having this new rehabilitation unit on the North Shore is that patients and families won’t have to go through what many of us have had to do commuting for hours every day. This put a huge strain on my family as they tried so hard to help me with my recovery.” Lions Gate Hospital Foundation has launched the Re-Imagine Rehab Campaign to raise $20 million to build a dedicated intensive rehabilitation unit in the South Tower of Lions Gate Hospital.
The new unit will be a hub for patients that require hospital-based intensive rehabilitation services. As well as supporting patients like Tanya who have had a stroke, the unit will care for people recovering from other neurological incidents, surgery, traumatic injuries from biking and skiing accidents and debilitating illness. Right now there are 15 beds in two different locations on the LGH campus. THE NEW UNIT WILL INCLUDE: • 25 single patient rooms • A state-of-the-art centralized gym • Communal dining area • A transition unit for patients ready to return to independent living To support the Re-Imagine Rehab campaign, Tanya is joining Step Up for LGH. (see inside for more details). ♥
A26 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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SPONSORED CONTENT
EVERY DONATION COUNTS I’ve been honoured to be a guest of the North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club (NVLBC) during their Canada Day celebrations and competition. Members have been hosting their annual fundraiser, the Lions Gate Cup for an incredible 31 years. During that time, they’ve raised an impressive $150,000 for the hospital. It’s the dedication shown by groups like NVLBC, individuals, friends and families, that form the lifeblood of our campaigns. Every donation, whatever the size has an impact. With wide community support we can help bring the best facilities, equipment and technology to LGH. A cheque presentation photo doesn’t do justice to the teamwork, planning and time that our community supporters dedicate to raising money – one dollar at a time. In a busy world, with many options for your time and resources, the Foundation is truly grateful to have your support. We would not be able to reach our goals without your help and your belief in the vital role LGH plays in our community. One shining example of how small contributions add up, is our biggest community fundraiser – Step Up for LGH. The walk-a-thon attracts hundreds of residents from across the North Shore and the fundraising of participants is a powerful reminder of the difference supporters make improving patient care. We hope you’ll join us once again on October 5 to make our family fundraiser the most successful yet. From lawn bowlers to strollers, students to hospital staff, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the contributions you make and the enthusiasm you bring to community life. Thank you for your continued support.
Judy Savage
President & CEO LGH Foundation
Ready to Roll
As part of their annual Canada Day Fundraiser tradition, the “Lions Gate Cup” the North Shore Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club raised an amazing $11,764 for LGH Foundation. The annual fundraiser, which has been hosted by the club for 31 years, has raised more than $150,000 cumulatively for the Foundation. Thank you so much for your continued support!
Donor Deliveries With help from our donors, we’ve been able to help children, families and staff keep a little more cool and comfortable during overnight stays and hot days. The Pediatric, Postpartum and Labour and Delivery units recently received 32 new sleeper chairs which are longer, wider, easier to move and convert into beds. These new chairs, purchased by the Foundation will make overnight stays more comfortable for parents and visitors alike. An anonymous donor also supported the purchase of 16 air conditioning units to keep all the patient rooms plus the staff room and a companion room on our maternity ward cool. Thank you to our donors for their generosity and thoughtfulness.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A27 SPONSORED CONTENT
post event cold plunge for the brave. Sign up is simple. You can register for $35 and set up a donations page solo or as part of a team. You can then send a link to friends and family who will be able to donate online directly to your fundraising page. All donations over
$20 will receive a tax receipt from the Foundation. Alternatively, you can simply register to purchase a ticket for $35 to take part. Let’s come together to walk, connect and create lasting impact for others. ■
Join Us!
1&5km Walk-a-Thon Sunday, October 5
Take a Step and Change Lives Get up, get moving and join West Vancouver resident and stroke survivor Tanya Mah for the 2025 Step Up for LGH walk-a-thon on Sunday October 5. Tanya, who completed an outpatient rehab program at Lions Gate Hospital just two months ago, is on a mission — to take part in the event to help raise funds to build a new state-of-the-art intensive rehabilitation unit at LGH. (Read Tanya’s full story on A25)
Millennium Park, West Vancouver $35 Registration. Kids 12 and under Free!
Hundreds of walkers, including LGH staff, will gather at the Seawall in Millennium Park in West Vancouver for our big family fundraiser. Every step you take over the 5km course will support the recovery of future patients who needs intensive rehabilitation to regain their independence. We’ve planned a day filled with familyfriendly games and challenges, live music, a photo booth, a relaxation station, treats and give-aways, a free T-shirt for every participant, plus a
Ready to take your first step?
Please scan the QR code to register or visit: lghfoundation.com/event/step-up-for-lgh-3
A Musical Mission Luna Wang, 13, is on a mission to help create better health care in our community. Having recently completed the third year of her five-year fundraising journey, Luna is using her musical talent to make an incredible impact. Over the past three years, Luna’s annual piano concerts have raised $33,000 dollars
towards three important causes - the Technology Transformation Campaign, the Bigger, Better Cancer Care Campaign and this year, the Re-Imagine Rehab Campaign. Luna’s passion and dedication to making a change are truly inspiring and we are very grateful for her continued support.
A28 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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Conversations for Life
Living to Die Well
North Shore Hospice is marking its 15-year anniversary with an ambitious and informative speaking program which will be launched in November with world-renowned palliative care expert Dr. Sunita Puri.
with Dr. Sunita Puri
7pm, Thursday November 6 Kay Meek Arts Centre, West Vancouver
Dr. Puri, who is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, and author of the critically acclaimed literary memoir, That Good Night: Life and
Tickets: $25 per person All proceeds will support the Hospice & Palliative Care Fund.
Local Designs for Xmas
LGH Foundation has opened up its Design a Christmas Card contest to adults. We’re calling on talented, amateur artists aged 18 plus to submit a design for one of our retail Christmas cards. The adult contest will run alongside the established competition for North Shore Students which is now in its 10th successful year. The winners will receive a prize gift card and see their winning designs in print. For full contest details, go to: lghfoundation.com/ xmas-card-2025. The closing date for entries is October 14, 2025.
Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, will be presenting Living to Die Well at the Kay Meek Centre on Thursday, November 6.
The North Shore Hospice and Every Day Counts program is at the heart of end-of-life care on the North Shore. The Living to Die Well seminar is part of a wider community outreach program designed to provide individuals and families with practical advice for navigating end-of-life issues while they still have time to plan and make important decisions.
FREE ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR Join Monique P. Trépanier,
Wealth & Estate Planner with Scotia Wealth Management on Wednesday, October 8 at 10am for a friendly, informative seminar on the essentials of estate planning. The event, hosted by North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club, will help you make thoughtful decisions about your future and protect your loved ones. This free seminar is part of LGH Foundation’s commitment to supporting thoughtful planning and creating a lasting impact. It is not a fundraising event and you will not be solicited in any way.
To register for this free event go to:
lghfoundation.com/events/estate-seminar.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jennifer.mcdonald@vch.ca
DONATE & REVITALIZE REHAB SERVICES AT LGH When you donate to Re-Imagine Rehab, you support care that lasts a lifetime.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Donate online at lghfoundation.com/re-imagine-rehab or scan the code to donate.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A29
North Shore Rescue’s helicopter team winch an injured hiker onto the Talon aircraft on Monday, Sept. 15. NORTH SHORE RESCUE
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SHORTS AND T-SHIRT
Ontario hiker thanks team after Mount Seymour rescue NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
An under-prepared adventurer from not-around-these-parts is thanking rescuers for saving his life after a chilly morning hike went south.
At around 10 a.m. on Sept. 15, North Shore Rescue volunteers were tasked with a medical rescue on the Elsay Lake Trail on Mount Seymour in North Vancouver. After ascending to pump peak from the resort parking lot, the hiker became disoriented on the way down and ended up travelling on the Elsay trail rather than returning on the trail toward his parked vehicle. On the way down, the hiker injured his right ankle, said NSR search manager Allan McMordie. Fortunately, he had reception and was able to make a 911 call. NSR’s helicopter team responded in a Talon aircraft, but heavy and low cloud cover initially prevented them from reaching the rescue site. They waited on a beach on Indian Arm while a ground-based response team set out from Seymour Search and Rescue Station. Luckily the cloud cover lifted, and the helicopter was able to get to the rescue site and winch a team member down. The injured hiker was secured and brought back into the aircraft. After flying back to NSR’s Capilano station, the rescued man was handed off to paramedics.
Hiker had only shorts and T-shirt, could have died of hypothermia, search manager says Before the helicopter crew entered the area, McMordie told the hiker over the phone to make himself visible.
“15 minutes later he’s calling me back that he’s scared and he’s shivering,” McMordie said. The hiker – a man from Ontario – had gone to the area in the early morning wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. The search manager described the conditions as cloudy and damp, with the temperature registering at 6 C. “He could have died of hypothermia out there,” McMordie said. “We’ve certainly had people die of hypothermia in August up on the mountain.” Not only was the man underdressed, he also had no food or water, had no plan and told no one where he had gone. His only trace was a rental car sitting in the parking lot, McMordie said. The search manager said the hiker was very lucky to get a 911 call from where he was, and that the signal was weak. But it was just enough for NSR to determine his precise location. “He could have been only a couple of hundred metres from that spot and not been able to get a call out,” McMordie said. It’s an all-too-familiar pairing of overconfidence and a lack of local knowledge, the search manager said. Switch around a few minor details, and you’d have more or less the same story as several NSR operations this year. “The classic out-of-towner not realizing that when you go up the North Shore mountains in mid-September, it’s not going to be a walk in the park – it’s going to be cold up there.” Despite his recent misadventure, the rescued man quickly took to social media to express his gratitude to the rescue team. “Thanks for saving my life folks,” he said.
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A30 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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North This future: better Life for aMarine Filing Keeping Safe With TheShore Ocean Wise Whale Report App tax season stress is easing non-profit individual and community wellbeing to empower and programs provides Resources Ocean is calling for the public to help inservices reporting wildlife Community ShoreWise North
PHOTO VIA ISTOCK
For many, tax season brings stress, confusion and even anxiety-especially for those unsure about their eligibility for benefits or struggling to navigate the process alone. But for North Shore residents like Phyllis, it’s also a chance to access essential support that brings peace of mind and financial stability.
risk is only intensifying. Alarmingly, global shipping routes overlap with 92 per cent of migration routes for blue, fin, humpback and sperm whales. Yet fewer than 7 per cent of whale-ship collision hotspots have any
As an established non-profit of nearly fifty years, North Shore Community Resources (NSCR) has been providing exactly that through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, one of the many vital services dedicated to empowering individual and community well-being and participation. NSCR has provided programs and services that support people of all ages, backgrounds and incomes. A humpback whale breaches. Photo Tax via Ocean Wise, The Community Volunteer Income Program MML-18, Gary Sutton in particular, has helped nearly 700 lower-income With its abundance accessible shoreline, the Northin individuals to file theiroftax returns in 2024, resulting Shore gives visitors view close to $300,000 inoptimal refunds.opportunities In turn, thistohas enabled marine mammals from land. For residents and visitors access to hundreds of thousands of dollars more in alike, the chance to spot harbour seals, sea lions, eligible income assistance-simply by filing taxes. porpoises, killer whales, humpback whales, and even
the occasional grey whale is a reminder of the region’s
As a long-time North Shore resident and retiree, Phyllis natural richness. says that she sleeps easier knowing she has the support of with such privilege comes responsibility: eachIt had herButcommunity behind her. “NSCR saved my life. sighting is a call to protect the ecosystems and animals been a very difficult time for months and at my age, I that make these moments possible. To help with this, wasOcean just lost. Adrian at NSCR saved me. There was a lot Wise’s new Whale Report mobile app makes it of easier patience and reassurance.” than ever to take action. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTH SHORE A WILDLIFE proven poverty reduction initiative The North Shore’s marine diversity thrives thanks to
its unique environment. Freshwater fromempowers the Capilano NSCR’s Community Income Tax Clinic and Seymour Rivers individuals mixes with the saltwater of the eligible lower income to file their income nutrient-rich conditions that support taxSalish returnSea, withcreating the support of qualified volunteers planktonwith and the fishCanada — the foundation of the food registered Revenue Agency. Thisweb for seals, sea lions, whales and porpoises. ensures that individuals can access their tax refunds “These make government the region abenefits critical feeding along withconditions much-needed if area for mammals,” says Jessica when Scott, senior eligible. A marine visible display of what happens manager of the Whales Initiative at Ocean Wise. volunteers in the community come together to support “When people report sightings through the Whale their neighbours. Report app, authorities such as the Coast Guard, Transport Canada and DFO can track whale locations
“This program is very volunteer driven,” says Adrian and help vessels avoid dangerous encounters.” Partridge, Community Tax Program Coordinator. THE CHALLENGE HUMAN IMPACT “There are about 30 OF volunteers who are organizing, While these species thrive off the and North Shore,tax they are taking calls, making appointments hosting also vulnerable. Shiptax strikes remainwho onedo ofthe the taxes. leading clinics. There are also preparers threats largevery whales worldwide. Each Allhuman-caused of this takes time andtowe’re blessed with fantastic year, a conservative estimateservice suggests more than volunteers. It’s an exceptional andthat a rewarding 20,000 whales are killed by vessel collisions. With way to give back to the community.” global shipping traffic increasing by 300 per cent between 1992 and 2013 — and still climbing — the
Alerts to whale presence are also informed by detections from Whale Spotter infrared technology and hydrophone arrays (underwater microphones) operated by JASCO Applied Sciences and SMRU Consulting.The upgraded Whale Report app offers an even more powerful platform, integrating reports from citizen scientists with tools for commercial mariners. “The simple act of reporting whale sightings on the Whale Report app helps large ships take thoughtful measures,” said Scott. “Slowing down, diverting course and increasing vigilance near whales reduces the risk of strike and disturbance.” Plus, each sighting is reviewed and added to a research database, helping scientists monitor species occurrence and distribution over time. HOW YOU CAN HELP
Protecting marine animals requires more than admiration, it requires active stewardship. Locals and visitors are encouraged to download the Whale Report app, keep a respectful distance when viewing wildlife The Whale Report Alert System helps protect whales from vessel collisions. Photo via Ocean Wise, MML-18 and share sightings to help keep whales safe. Every action, no matter how small, supports the broader protection measures in place. of the North Shore Community Resources’ Community Volunteer Income Taxhealth Program helpsocean. lower-income North Shore residents file taxes, “Vessel disturbance negatively marine life, access refunds and find can financial stabilityimpact . “The simple act of taking 20-30 seconds out of your even if an engine is off,” notes Scott. “Failing to keep day to report a whale sighting can have a real impact,” proper distance can disrupt natural foraging impact behaviors the deadline tax-deductible donations for the More than numbers: Emotional adds Scott. “Tofor date, over 85,000 alerts based on 2024 and increased underwater noise can drive preferred tax year until Feb. 28,community 2025. members have been real-time reports from of tax support prey away.” sent to large commercial vessels throughout B.C., “Without Adrian, I don’t know what I would have done. A SMARTER WAY TO PROTECT WHALES State, and Alaska.” The NSCR Community Income Tax Program is open to Washington
North Shore residents with 65% of those accessing the service identifying as seniors—though there is more to this crucial service than just returns and benefits.
“Taxes can be deeply emotional—many clients come in anxious, even in tears, worried about the process,” says Partridge. “Failing to file can stop essential benefits like GST payments, subsidized housing and even bus passes. But once taxes are done, there’s often a huge sense of relief and even joy. For some, it’s a routine that keeps them financially secure and engaged in their communities.”
You can help: Support the program with a By reporting whale sightings to the Ocean Wise Whale Report App you can help protect whales and track populations. Photo donation credit via Ocean Wise MML-18 OceanShore Wise’s Whale Report Alert System is helping North Community Resources is committed turn the tide. By using real-time sightings reported to improving socioeconomic outcomes while through the Whale Report app and following the keeping communities connected through a network Marine Mammal Regulations and Be Whale Wise of volunteers. Relying on the generous support of Guidelines, individuals and mariners can work together individuals and businesses, donating today200,000 will help this to reduce ship strikes. To date, more than vital work to continue—and youbeen can mitigated still receive a tax to whale-vessel encounters have thanks receipt for 2024.by The federal government has extended alerts generated sightings.
I didn’t whototodo talk to and now, Wise all myinvites worry has For thoseknow inspired more, Ocean been removed. I’m looking forward to my taxes the community to turn their passion into impact byfor this year,” says Phyllis. fundraiser “The worldinissupport a betterofplace for the starting a personal marine community with people likegoAdrian and Shore conservation. Contributions directly to North initiatives that safeguardResources species and habitats across Canadian Community in it.” waters and beyond. North your Shoreown Community Launch fundraiserResources and makewould waveslike for to give a special thank you to their supporters, Ratcliff marine life at ocean.org/fundraiser and QuadReal.
For more information about the tax clinic, visit community.nscr.ca/community-income-tax-program. To donate, please visit www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/10605. Ocean Wise is a globally focused conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our ocean. Through education, public engagement and international collaborations, we empower communities to fight three major ocean challenges: ocean pollution, overfishing and climate change. Ocean Wise is headquartered NorthBritish Shore Community Resources is a in Vancouver, Columbia with staff non-profit dedicated to individual across Canada and Chile and operates and community well-beingprojects through conservation thatfacilitating make nationalsocial connections, and international impact. empowerment and community participation.
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A31
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
CapU faces constraints after international student policy change ABBY LUCIANO
aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Capilano University is trying to balance its books after federal policy changes on international students have affected enrolments and budgets at post-secondary institutions across the country.
The university has 2,494 international students enrolled this semester, a 37 per cent drop compared to last year. “I think it’s a shared experience across post-secondaries, and it is certainly a very difficult situation to be addressing,” said Laureen Styles, interim president of Capilano University. The enrolment drop is due to the federal government putting a cap on new visas for international students. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada is issuing 437,000 study permits this year, a 10 per cent decrease from the 2024 cap. From this number, only 53,589 will be issued to students studying in B.C., which is down from 65,000 last year and nearly 45 per cent below 2023 numbers before the cap was introduced. In February, Capilano University was facing a $6.4 million deficit for the 2025-2026 budget, compared to the surplus budget of $3.1 million for the 2024-2025 year. The university submitted a deficit mitigation plan to the province in May to help lessen the impacts, with a projected deficit now at $1.5 million for the 2025-2026 school year.
Students make their way to classes at Capilano University’s Birch building. CAPILANO UNIVERSITY But deficit mitigation is leaving Capilano University to make tough decisions, like pausing hiring for 33 full-time positions, equivalent to 11 administrative and 22 staff jobs. MoveUP, the union that represents admin and non-faculty employees at Capilano University, said while they haven’t been informed of any significant workforce changes, they continue to ensure union jobs are stable and secure. Styles said no faculty have been laid off but some instructors are facing a reduced workload as a result of lower enrolment. Those faculty have been issued reduction notices, she said. The university has also seen lower
enrolment in the school of business, faculty of arts and some programs in the sciences. Three post-baccalaureate diploma programs have also been suspended due to low enrolment, which were all focused on international students, Styles said. The tourism management international; global hospitality and tourism management; and the North American business management programs have been suspended. “This is certainly a difficult time in post-secondary,” Styles said. “At the university, we are being as thoughtful as we can as we review all of our operations.” Student union worries about future
The Capilano Students’ Union said their budget is not heavily impacted by lower enrolment numbers due to cautious planning last year, but they worry what could happen in the future. Capilano University students pay $47.27 per semester, plus $3.26 per credit up to 10 credits, for the student union, according to their website. With lower enrolment numbers, whether domestic or international, the union is forecasting that revenues are going to decrease by about $600,000, or about 10 per cent, for the year. “For this term, we are good because we have the same union fee for both international and domestic, so we are not
cutting anything,” said Harjot Singh, president for the Capilano Students’ Union and biology student. The student president said they are prioritizing advocacy with MLAs, stressing the need for more provincial funding to support post-secondary institutions to avoid the overreliance on international student tuition. They are also seeking a cap on international student tuition increases. Singh said he recently spoke with North VancouverLonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma and MLA for North VancouverSeymour Susie Chant about these issues. “We have a voice for the students. It’s a concern,” he said. “Apart from that, we are working to continue with Capilano University to make sure students, academics and personal well-being will be prioritized.” As the school year kicks into gear, Styles said they are continuing to monitor enrolment information and will make adjustments as required. “Our goal is to do this with care and with diligence, because it really is about the long-term sustainability of our institutions,” Styles said. “One of our values is sustainable actions for future generations, so that’s pretty important value when we think about the times we’re in.” - with files from Daisy Xiong Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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Preventative health care: the best investment in your future For Lifespan Medical, the most effective care begins with prevention, ensuring illness never takes root in the first place In recent years, preventative health care has moved from the fringes of wellness conversations into the very center of longevity science. The evidence is clear: proactive screening, early detection and tailored lifestyle interventions can add not just years to your life, but life to your years. On Vancouver’s North Shore, Lifespan Medical is redefining what preventative health care can look like. Their flagship offering, the Signature Package, is a comprehensive, 5-hour health assessment designed to uncover silent risks before they become major problems. The package combines advanced diagnostics — including bloodwork, bone density scans, ultrasounds, VO₂ max fitness testing and skin cancer assessment/mole mapping — with personalized medical, nutrition and lifestyle consultations. The result is a 360-degree view of your current and future health. For Endocrinologist and Lifespan Medical Director Dr. Sue Stock, the mission has always been clear.
Lifespan Medical’s fact-based approach is applied to meet clients precisely where they’re at. Photo provided by Lifespan Medical
“In my case, Lifespan’s physicians caught a real humdinger of an issue with my heart. Unbeknownst to me (and my GP), I was born with a congenital heart defect that had manifested into potentially life-threatening valve dysfunction. At 52 years old, active and asymptomatic, this was a big surprise. Thanks to Lifespan, I’m now being monitored regularly by a cardiologist to ensure that the condition remains stable, which is a far better alternative than a trip to the ER down the road. Knowledge is power, and now, I know.”
“We created Lifespan because British Columbians deserve access to world-class preventative health care right here at home,” says Dr. Stock. “Our Signature Package is about empowering people with knowledge, tools and strategies that can truly change the trajectory of their health.”
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that I had taken control of my future health. It was the most thorough medical experience I’ve ever had.” Stories like these underscore the value of prevention over reaction.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A33
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Members of the NVFC U15 BCSPL team represent the club and province at the 2025 Player Development Program Championship in Vaughan, Ont. last month. NVFC
CLUB MILESTONE
NVFC girls team scores 4thplace finish at national tourney ANDY PREST
aprest@nsnews.com
A group of North Shore girls made some history for North Van FC last month, becoming the first team in the club’s history to win a game at the Player Development Program Championship, a national tournament featuring the top youth club teams from across Canada.
The NVFC U15 squad, who earned the title B.C. Soccer Premier League champions earlier this summer, won a pair of games at nationals, topping Quebec’s Lakeshore SC 3–2 and North Toronto SC 2–0 in the group stage. The team came
agonizingly close to hitting the podium, with a 1-0 group stage loss to Calgary Blizzard keeping them out of the championship game. It was another heartbreaker in the bronze medal match, as NVFC lost 1-0 again, this time to Ottawa South United, to place fourth in the tournament. The team, however, was still recognized for taking the club to new heights. “This fourth-place finish is a milestone for NVFC and a reflection of the talent, resilience, and community spirit that drive our club,” the club said in a statement. NVFC started fielding boys and girls teams in the BCSPL, the province’s top youth league, in 2021.
BRANCHING OUT
DNV planting street trees for free CARA GORDON
Contributing writer
Want more shade in the summer, or flood mitigation in the winter? The District of North Vancouver is launching a new program to help make streets greener (literally), one tree at a time.
Starting now, residents can request a street tree for the boulevard or verge in front of their house, which will be delivered and planted by the district free of charge. Complementary to the Urban Tree Canopy project, which plants trees by request on private property, the program will add to the 5,000 street trees already standing on public roadside land in the district. In a release, the DNV said street trees can help build the region’s resilience to climate change by providing shade to limit
the heat island effect, absorbing rainfall, and preventing soil erosion – all important considerations as summers trend hotter and the rainy season becomes more concentrated. The program is also set to help meet some of the district’s climate action goals, including increasing biodiversity and improving wildlife habitat. Tree options range from small (under 10 metres), like dogwood or hawthorn, to large (over 20 metres) such as bigleaf maple or ginkgo trees. Residents can request a maximum of three trees. Street locations must meet a few standards to be eligible, including sufficient distance from intersections, driveways, and buildings, and residents are asked to help care for their street tree by watering it and protecting bark and branches. More information can be found on the District of North Vancouver website.
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GARDEN TO TABLE
Why it’s thyme to change your high-maintenance grass lawn LAURA MARIE NEUBERT
Contributing writer
Given the amount of time I spend in the garden, it is understandable that passersby assume I am a slave to it.
While it is true that I spend a great deal of the growing season outside, I am moving very close to our end goal of an extraordinarily low-maintenance food forest. The upfront investment in time is akin to building anything new, with a disproportionate amount spent on design, materials and figuring things out. There is no escaping a double-double of trial and error as we draft an urban permaculture playbook for our West Coast climate. This year we focused on replacing remaining lawn with bee turf and alternative ground covers. The proper way this last go round, by excavating sod, replacing soil, seeding and planting. The installation of a deep drywell and two small pathways in the backyard early this spring delineated the space rather awkwardly, but in true permaculture fashion, created a “problem as opportunity” to experiment with a completely new alternative lawn. It was a simple thing to rake, top-dress and over-seed with bee turf the mossy bit of
A patchwork quilt of creeping thyme varieties, blooms fading on the cusp of autumn equinox. LAURA MARIE NEUBERT ground shaded by conifers, but the newly isolated, pie-shaped area bordered by stone that would capture and radiate heat all summer long was concerning. I recalled the creeping and woolly thyme that we’d planted between locust wood pavers traversing the berry patch and fruit trees in the front garden. The lovely soft evergreen groundcovers have naturalized beautifully with no intervention whatsoever, providing food and habitat for pollinators, shredders and beneficial predator insects. We decided that an entire patchwork of creeping perennial herbs might just rise to the heatsink challenge in the back, and
once established, reduce inputs and provide valuable ecosystem services. One very long day spent cutting out the last of the lawn and installing metal edging, followed by another planting the 13-square-metre space with plugs of various varieties of creeping thyme and select other low-growing herbs, was a considerable exercise in delayed gratification. But today, three months to the day after planting, this particular chapter is one we are particularly proud of. We had a miss with the Irish moss, which just wasn’t a good match for direct sun. I knew that going in, but was hopeful and entirely wrong. A very pretty lemon creeping thyme replaced the moss, joining red, lavender, purple and white varieties blooming at different times. My favourite variety is the tiny-leaved Thymus elfin, a miniature dense cultivar of creeping thyme that we chose to rim the garden and spill softly onto the paths. Elfin’s diminutive violet-coloured flowers are breathtaking. We planted about 150 thyme plugs into an eight-centimetre-deep layer of screened organic mulching compost. A small centrepiece of driftwood created a shady north-facing microclimate for delicate Corsican mint.
Our fingers are crossed that too many atmospheric rivers don’t overwhelm the new drywell, raise the water table for an extended period, and waterlog the creeping thyme. Perpetually wet feet could kill the plants. We shopped early in the season for low-cost eight-packs of creeping thyme, but splurged a bit on the mint and a few four-cm pots of creeping oregano and bluestar. The driftwood was found and the statuary was relocated. The start-up costs will be offset by a huge net gain in environmental benefits, and considerable savings in time and money not spent mowing, edging and watering lawn. Creeping thyme is soft underfoot, drought and heat tolerant, and once established requires virtually no maintenance. Plant into well-drained soil and mulch well initially to reduce weed pressure and reduce soil temperature. Spent blooms are near invisible and fall away naturally over time. Laura Marie Neubert is a West Vancouverbased urban permaculture designer. Follow her on Instagram @upfrontandbeautiful, learn more about permaculture by visiting her Upfront & Beautiful website or email your questions to her at hello@upfrontandbeautiful.com
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A35
A36 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A37
FLUID PLAN
Metro Vancouver’s water future at risk as metering lags STEFAN LABBÉ
slabbe@glaciermedia.ca
Metro Vancouver’s progress on installing water meters is slipping in a trend, that left unchecked, could jeopardize its long-term ability to provide drinking water.
That’s according to a staff report presented to the regional district’s water committee Wednesday, Sept. 17. Linda Parkinson, the report’s author and director of policy, planning and analysis at Metro’s water services department, said that while the region has made strides in conservation, the rollout of water metering is falling behind expectations. Metro Vancouver’s forecast models project that by the mid- to late-2030s, the region’s water demand will outstrip its supply. In response, the district is pursuing a two-pronged strategy: increasing supply by expanding the amount of water coming out of its Coquitlam reservoir and reducing demand. The plan partly hinges on widespread water metering, as measuring consumption allows member jurisdictions to pinpoint leaks and roll out pay-for-use pricing to incentivize heavy users to conserve water.
But since 2018, installation of water meters has “flatlined.” Only six of the region’s 15 member jurisdictions are fully metered, according to Metro Vancouver’s latest data. That represents only 35 per cent of total connections and 47 per cent of all water consumption. If left to continue, the trend could reduce the amount of water currently available during the dry summer period. In an interview, Parkinson said if the meters don’t go in at the expected rate, “we won’t get the same reductions in per capita use that we are expecting to get.” “If the metering numbers stay flatlined, that would be an area that we’d have concern with,” she said. “We’d need to look at the numbers again.”
Metro’s progress at risk Metro Vancouver’s demand for water has remained relatively consistent over the past 20 years even though its population has grown by 27 per cent. That’s largely due to a combination of passive water conservation measures, such as improvements to the building code, and increased housing density, the staff report said. Continued on A38
District of North Vancouver Coun. Jordan Back waters his garden. The district is considering adding home water meters to track water consumption. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
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A38 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
Increasingly stiff lawn-watering restrictions have helped curb use
Derick Chiou, a contracted tree pruner, sets up water cannons for the City of Vancouver at MacLean Park during a summer heat wave. Outdoor watering may account for up to half of all summertime use in Metro Vancouver. STEFAN LABBÉ
Continued from A37 Education campaigns have also helped. Peak-day demand – the day in a year when the highest volume of water is drawn from the Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam reservoirs – has held steady as increasingly stringent regional lawn watering restrictions help curb water use. Even with those gains, the amount of water the region uses still remains extremely high. In Canada, Metro Vancouver’s per capita water use is second only to Montreal – another region where universal metering has yet to be achieved. Deborah Curran, a UVic professor and executive director of the university’s Environmental Law Centre, said Metro’s reputation as a heavy water user extends beyond Canada. “We’re among the very highest per capita water users in the world,” said Curran. In 2023, Metro Vancouver consumed 395 billion litres of water. About 65 per cent of that – 246 litres per person daily – is thought to have gone to residents or been lost through leaks. The total climbs to 379 litres per person that year once industrial, commercial and agricultural use is factored in. By comparison, residents of B.C.’s
Capital Regional District used a daily average of 220 litres of water per person in 2023. South of the border, the average resident of the City of Portland was found to consume only 177 litres of water every day in 2024. And in San Francisco, water use dropped even further to 156 litres per day – nearly 58 per cent less than in Metro Vancouver and 41 per cent less than the Greater Victoria area.
Metering required to avoid ‘tipping point’ A “significant increase” in the region’s population over the coming years is expected to put even greater pressure on fresh water in Metro Vancouver, according to Parkinson’s report. At the same time, climate change is expected to reduce annual snowpack and the amount of rainfall in the summer months when demand is highest. At one point in the 2030s, Metro Vancouver is likely to “hit a tipping point,” Parkinson warns. In response, the regional district is working to upgrade and expand water infrastructure – building water main pipes under rivers and through neighbourhoods Continued on A39
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north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A39
Climate change causing water supply issues for cities worldwide
Continued from A38 to reach some of Metro Vancouver’s fastest growing populations south of the Fraser River. Metro recently finished an initial phase of rehabilitation work at Palisade Lake, a remote area in the North Shore mountains that supplements flow into the Capilano Reservoir when summer demand for domestic water supply is at its highest. And in the northeast, Metro continues to work on the Coquitlam Lake water supply project, which seeks to plunge a deeper intake into the reservoir to suck, treat, and transport double the amount of water than it currently provides. Expected to be completed in the mid-2030s, that project is meant to offset demand from a growing population expected to reach four million people by 2045. All of that work – and its timing – is based on forecasts carried out in 2019 that projected Metro would have enough water to see it through to the late 2030s. But the modelling also assumed that metering would be achieved much faster. “A forecast is just a forecast. Nothing’s going to tell you what the future is like,” said Parkinson. If less water comes into reservoirs due to climate change or metering doesn’t move fast enough, the calculation of when the region will need more water could shift. “Will we have enough water for everyone to water their lawn as much as they’re watering it [now]? Probably not,” Parkinson said. “We’re using 246 litres [per person] each and every day.” “If people keep using that amount, and the population grows the way it’s growing, yes, we’re going to have to look at the timing of Coquitlam – because the assumptions are that people won’t continue to use that much water.” A global problem hits close to home The challenges facing Metro Vancouver are not unique. Many large cities around the world have faced
The Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant treats water coming from the two reservoirs. METRO VANCOUVER
acute water supply issues in recent years, a problem exacerbated by climate change. In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, made international headlines when it faced “Day Zero,” when its primary water supply was at risk of running out. In the American West, cities like Tucson, Ariz., and Los Angeles, Calif., face long-term shortfalls due to their dependence on the water-stressed Colorado River. And this summer, England’s Environment Agency classified the country’s water shortfall as “nationally significant” after experiencing its driest first six months of the year since 1976. Curran pointed to British Columbia’s own Sunshine Coast as a cautionary tale of a rapidly growing region
facing water scarcity. Critical shortages there have forced the regional district to ban all outdoor water use in five of the last eight years. The restrictions have led to significant economic impacts, including the closure of an aquatic centre and the halting of operations at a cannabis facility, a water-bottling company, breweries and cideries, and a number of concrete, asphalt, and gravel businesses. “This is not only a Metro Van problem, it’s a global problem,” Curran said. Elsewhere in B.C., she said some regional governments such as the Regional District of Nanaimo have Continued on A41
A40 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
PERMISSIVE TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR 2026 Monday, October 6, 2025 at 6pm
Pursuant to Section 227, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 224(2) of the Community Charter, notice is hereby given that the City of North Vancouver Council will consider Taxation Exemption Bylaw, 2025, No. 9130, at the Regular Council Meeting to be held on Monday, October 6, 2025. The proposed bylaw will provide properties with an exemption for the payment of municipal taxes in 2026. The tax figures below are estimates only and will be modified based on changes in assessment and tax rates as determined by Council for the years 2026, 2027 and 2028. For more information, contact Financial Services at tax@cnv.org or 604.983.7316. ORGANIZATION
ADDRESS
ESTIMATED TAXES IN $ SECTION OF PROPOSED 2026 2027 2028 TAX EXEMPTIONS
245 3rd Street East Anavets Senior Citizens' Housing 119 East 3rd Street Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans in Canada 132 West 16th Street Auxiliary to the Lions Gate Hospital - Thrift Shop 101 Carrie Cates Court BC Photography and Media Arts Society 204 East 1st Street Catalyst Community Developments Society 221 East 2nd Street Catalyst Community Developments Society 1415 Chesterfield Avenue Chesterfield House Society 115 Victory Ship Way City of North Vancouver - The Pipe Shop 125 Victory Ship Way City of North Vancouver - The Shipyards 1003 - 555 West 28th Street Community Living Society 317-319 East Keith Road Community Living Society 203, 206 - 1111 Lonsdale Avenue Family Services North Shore 162 West 3rd Street Fraternal Order of Eagles, North-West Aerie 2638 164 West 3rd Street Fraternal Order of Eagles, North-West Aerie 2638 166 West 3rd Street Fraternal Order of Eagles, North-West Aerie 2638 168 West 3rd Street Fraternal Order of Eagles, North-West Aerie 2638 170 West 3rd Street Fraternal Order of Eagles, North-West Aerie 2638 107, 108, 109, 207, 208, 209 - 252 Esplanade West Girl Guides of Canada 165 West 6th Street Hiýáḿ ta Skwxwú7mesh Housing Society (New Applicant) 104, 106, 107, 205, 206, 207 - 210 West 13th Street Hollyburn Community Services Society 439 East 17th Street Hollyburn Community Services Society 2705 Lonsdale Avenue Holy Trinity Catholic Church 2130 Chesterfield Avenue HYAD Housing for Young Adults with Disabilities 1924 Jones Avenue Intellectual Disabilities (North & West Vancouver) Society 1400 Sutherland Avenue King's Temple Missionary Society - North Shore Christian Centre 1480 St. Andrews Avenue Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 170 West 2nd Street Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 1 - 260 East Esplanade Lighthouse Harbour Ministries 230 West 21st Street Lonsdale Creek Day Care Society 705 West 2nd Street Lookout Housing and Health Society 1053 Grand Boulevard Marineview Housing Society 1057 Cloverley Street Marineview Housing Society 1555 Forbes Avenue Navy League of Canada 201 East 23rd Street North Shore Alliance Church 241 East 23rd Street North Shore Alliance Church 185 East Keith Road North Shore Bethel Christian Mennonite Brethren Church 2412 Wilding Way North Shore Disability Resource Centre Association 100, 202, 203, 204, 204A, 205, 207, 301-305 - 123 East 15th Street North Shore Multicultural Society 225 East 2nd Street North Shore Neighbourhood House 143 14th Street East North Shore Neighbourhood House - Centre View Child Care North Shore Neighbourhood House - Innova Child Care (New Applicant) 250 - 422 East 3rd Street 113 3rd Street East North Shore Neighbourhood House - Programming Space 102 - 124 West 1st Street North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce 335 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver Community Arts Council 249 East 24th Street North Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club 115 Esplanade West North Vancouver Museum and Archives Commission 121 West 15th Street North Vancouver Royal Canadian Legion 123 West 15th Street North Vancouver Royal Canadian Legion 530 East 12th Street Parish of St. Agnes Anglican Church 209 West 13th Street Parish of St. John, The Evangelist Anglican Church 333 Chesterfield Avenue Presentation House Cultural Society 105 West 12th Street Salvation Army North Vancouver Community Church 144 East 22nd Street Silver Harbour Seniors' Activity Centre Society 2641 Chesterfield Avenue St. Andrew's & St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church 1044 St. Georges Avenue St. Andrew's United Church 1046 St. Georges Avenue St. Andrew's United Church 312 Bewicke Avenue St. Leonard's Society of North Vancouver 325 West 19th Street The Cascadia Society for Social Working 348 West 19th Street The Cascadia Society for Social Working 351 West 19th Street The Cascadia Society for Social Working 532 East 4th Street The Vancouver Waldorf School Society (New Applicant) 630 East 19th Street The Way Church 720 East 17th Street Vancouver Coastal Health Authority - Magnolia House 1601 Forbes Avenue Vancouver Coastal Health Authority - Margaret Fulton Centre 438 West 16th Street YMCA BC - Mahon Park Child Care (New Applicant) 125 14th Street East Young Women's Christian Association
141 WEST 14TH STREET / NORTH VANCOUVER / BC / V7M 1H9 T 604 985 7761 / F 604 985 9417 / CNV.ORG
224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(b) 224(2)(b) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(c) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(j) 224(2)(j) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(i) 224(2)(b) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(a) 224(2)(f) 224(2)(j) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(d) 224(2)(a)
15,100 26,100 12,200 96,000 39,700 18,600 3,900 50,800 64,400 1,900 5,400 21,500 8,400 7,800 8,100 7,800 6,700 96,800 17,900 7,600 6,400 5,400 3,100 3,600 2,900 4,000 60,500 8,500 19,000 22,300 6,300 3,200 25,300 10,000 18,600 3,000 4,200 59,000 53,500 3,500 2,300 600 9,800 21,300 21,500 123,900 2,800 25,400 1,100 20,500 54,400 12,700 209,100 7,200 3,000 1,500 3,600 5,700 5,200 4,500 4,600 6,500 4,200 32,300 4,100 2,700
Watch the meeting online at cnv.org/LiveStreaming or in person at City Hall
15,700 27,100 12,700 99,600 41,300 19,300 4,100 52,700 66,900 2,000 5,700 22,300 8,700 8,100 8,400 8,100 6,900 100,500 18,600 8,000 6,600 5,600 3,200 3,700 3,100 4,200 62,800 8,800 19,800 23,100 6,500 3,300 26,300 10,400 19,300 3,200 4,400 61,200 55,500 3,600 2,400 600 10,200 22,100 22,400 128,700 2,900 26,400 1,200 21,300 56,500 13,200 217,200 7,400 3,100 1,600 3,800 5,900 5,400 4,700 4,800 6,700 4,400 33,600 4,200 2,800
16,300 28,200 13,100 103,500 42,900 20,100 4,200 54,800 69,500 2,100 5,900 23,100 9,000 8,400 8,700 8,400 7,200 104,500 19,400 8,300 6,900 5,800 3,300 3,800 3,200 4,300 65,200 9,100 20,500 24,000 6,800 3,400 27,300 10,800 20,000 3,300 4,600 63,600 57,700 3,700 2,400 700 10,600 22,900 23,200 133,600 3,100 27,400 1,200 22,100 58,700 13,700 225,500 7,700 3,200 1,700 3,900 6,200 5,600 4,900 4,900 7,000 4,600 34,900 4,400 2,900
north shore news nsnews.com
Monday, October 6, 2025 6:00 pm
Hydronic Energy Service Amendment BYLAW NO. 9116 PURPOSE: Lonsdale Energy has applied to its regulator, the City of North Vancouver, for permission to modify its rates. Information regarding the application is available at LonsdaleEnergy.ca. PROVIDE WRITTEN INPUT: Complete the online form at cnv.org/PublicMeetings or mail or deliver written submissions to City Hall. All submissions must include your name and address and be received at City Hall no later than noon on Monday, October 6, 2025. SPEAK AT THE HYBRID MEETING: In person at City Hall: On October 6, 2025, a sign-up sheet will be available in the lobby, outside the Council Chamber, between 5:30-5:50pm. After 5:30pm, enter City Hall from 13th Street. By Webex or phone: Pre-register online at cnv.org/PublicMeetings, or by phoning 604.990.4234 to provide contact details. Login instructions will be forwarded to you. All Webex/phone preregistration must be submitted no later than noon on Monday, October 6, 2025. Non-registered speakers: Once all registered speakers have spoken, anyone who did not preregister will also have an opportunity to provide input. VIEW THE PROPOSED BYLAW online at cnv.org/PublicMeetings anytime from September 23 to October 6, 2025. QUESTIONS? Contact Lonsdale Energy at info@lonsdaleenergy.ca or 236-874-0176.
Watch the meeting online at cnv.org/LiveStreaming or in person at City Hall 141 WEST 14TH STREET / NORTH VANCOUVER / BC / V7M 1H9 T 604 985 7761 / F 604 985 9417 / CNV.ORG
141 WEST 14TH STREET / NORTH VANCOUVER / BC / V7M 1H9 T 604 985 7761 / F 604 985 9417 / CNV.ORG
W 21st St
200 208 212 218 222 228 232
2212
S t. Georg es Ave
123
211 213 219 223 229 233
126
E 22nd St
2160 2132
201
203
108 116
144
2141
2151
W 22nd St
123
123
2205
118
E 23rd St
206 212 218 222 228 232
W 23rd St
2100
2305
116
E 24th St 130
2133
2345
2324
2118
2358
Western Ave
2369 2357
2300
2416
204
Trans Canada Hwy
E astern Ave
The new café is comprised of 527 sq.ft. of indoor space and will be located on the ground level of the building. The disposition is by way of a lease to Duchess Designs Ltd. (DBA Nomad Coffee) for a term of 10 years with two options to renew, each for five years. The rent is $54 per square foot per year for the initial term, plus a percentage of the Gross Annual Sales.
2300 Lonsdale
121 117
PURSUANT to Sections 26 and 94 of the Community Charter, the City of North Vancouver hereby gives notice of its intention to dispose, by way of lease, a portion of a building located at 2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver and legally described as PID 031-564-335, Lot 1, Block 216, District Lot 545, Plan EPP116111, as shown on the map, to be used as a café.
E 25th S
133 125
Café Space in the New Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre
W 25th St
Lonsdale Ave
2300 Lonsdale Avenue
208 214 220 224 230 234
NOTICE OF DISPOSITION
130
‘Remarkable’ that long-term water plan is not in place Curran described the Metro report as both “fascinating and worrying” – especially for a region that has many factors playing in its favour. Typically, cities with relatively high population densities living in apartments, as seen in many parts of Metro Vancouver, use less water. Metro Vancouver’s three high-altitude reservoirs, which are filled every winter and whose water is set aside for local consumption, also puts the district in a relatively good position, said Curran. Given those advantages, and the impacts of climate The Metro change, Curran said she is surprised the region Vancouver water has been left in a vulnersystem is among able position, relying on the best in the Coquitlam reservoir the world. expansion, without properly UVIC PROFESSOR controlling demand with DEBORAH CURRAN metering. “The Metro Vancouver water system is among the best in the world,” said Curran. “So it is remarkable that the long-term supply is not in place.” Legally, she said the regional district has the authority to mandate metering as a condition of receiving water. But instead of taking that step, Metro has left the decision to its member jurisdictions, many of which are hesitant to absorb the initial costs of installation. The result: more than half of the region’s water remains unmetered. “Elected officials don’t want their service fees to increase,” Curran said, acknowledging the understandable political reality. “But we’re talking about securing long-term water supply.” Disagreement among political leaders was on display at the water committee Sept. 17, as several of the region’s political leaders responded to the latest data. Vancouver Coun. Peter Meiszner told the committee that just minutes earlier, his city voted to approve the first phase of a plan that would install about $15 million worth of meters. While only 17 per cent of Vancouver’s single-family homes and duplexes are metered today, Meiszner said council looked to boost that to 100 per cent by 2040. Burnaby Coun. Joe Keithley said he and the city’s mayor have pushed for universal metering for seven years. “If someone’s got three cars they wash, they got a pool, they water their lawn – they pay the same amount as a senior citizen that lives in a small apartment. It’s not fair,” he said. Keithley said he hoped the city would be fully metered within three years, despite facing resistance from some members of council. Metro director and Coquitlam Coun. Craig Hodge Continued on A43
PUBLIC MEETING
128
Continued from A39 taken a “water first” approach to development. Other parts of the province, especially those dependent on groundwater, will face even greater pressures in the coming years. “This will happen more and more in many communities,” Curran said.
121
Report is ‘worrying’
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A41
E 21st St
2057
QUESTIONS? Contact Arran Mofrad, Property Services Coordinator at amofrad@cnv.org or 604.982.3967.
A42 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
PERMISSIVE TAX EXEMPTIONS NOTICE 2026 Permissive Tax Exemptions under provision of the Community Charter (SBC 2003) Chapter 26, Part 7, Division 7, Section 224. It is the intention District of West Vancouver Council to consider Proposed 2026 Permissive Tax Exemption Bylaw No. 5382, 2025 at the regular Council meeting on Monday, October 6, 2025. The proposed bylaw will provide the properties listed below with an exemption from paying municipal taxes in 2026.
Extract of Community Charter Chapter 26 Part 7 DIVISION 7-PERMISSIVE EXEMPTIONS: General authority for permissive exemptions 224 (1) A council may, by bylaw in accordance with this section, exempt land or improvements, or both, referred to in subsection (2) from taxation under section 197 (1) (a) [municipal property taxes], to the extent, for the period and subject to the conditions provided in the bylaw. 224 (2) Tax exemptions may be provided under this section for the following: (a) land or improvements that (i) are owned or held by a charitable, philanthropic or other not for profit corporation, and (ii) the council considers are used for a purpose that is directly related to the purposes of the corporation; (c) land or improvements that the council considers would otherwise qualify for exemption under section 220 [general statutory exemptions] were it not for a secondary use; (d) the interest of a public authority, local authority or any other corporation or organization in land or improvements that are used or occupied by the corporation or organization if (i) the land or improvements are owned by a public authority or local authority, and (ii) the land or improvements are used by the corporation or organization for a purpose in relation to which an exemption under this Division or Division 6 of this Part would apply or could be provided if the land or improvements were owned by that corporation or organization; (f) in relation to property that is exempt under section 220 (1) (h) [buildings for public worship], (i) an area of land surrounding the exempt building, (ii) a hall that the council considers is necessary to the exempt building and the land on which the hall stands, and (iii) an area of land surrounding a hall that is exempt under subparagraph (ii); (h) in relation to property that is exempt under section 220 (1) (i) [seniors’ homes] or (j) [hospitals], any area of land surrounding the exempt building; (k) land or improvements for which a grant has been made, after March 31, 1974, under the Housing Construction (Elderly Citizens) Act before its repeal.
ORGANIZATION NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Capilano Senior Citizen’s Housing Society 1475 Esquimalt Avenue Collingwood School Society 14 Glenmore Drive Collingwood School Society 34 Glenmore Drive Collingwood School Society 32 Glenmore Drive Collingwood School Society 66 Morven Drive Collingwood School Society 64 Morven Drive Hollyburn Community Services Society 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260 Klahanie Court Klahanee Park Housing Society 370 Klahanie Court Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 959 21st Street Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 975 & 999 21st Street Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 950 22nd Street Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society 2151 Gordon Avenue North Shore Disability Resource Centre Association 1590 Gordon Avenue Paul Sugar Palliative Support Foundation 4613 Woodburn Road VRS Communities Society 201–211 723 Main Street OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS Royal Canadian Legion, Pacific 60 580 18th Street Scout Properties (B.C./ Yukon) #158 Hollyburn Mountain Scout Properties (B.C./ Yukon) #174 Hollyburn Mountain West Vancouver Marine Rescue Society 6705 Nelson Avenue PLACES OF WORSHIP Christ the Redeemer Parish 599 Keith Road First Church of Christ, Scientist 714 20th Street Har EI, North Shore Centre for Jewish Life Society 1305 Taylor Way North Shore Unitarian Church 370 Mathers Avenue Parish of St. Christopher’s (West Vancouver) 1068 Inglewood Avenue Parish of St. Christopher’s (West Vancouver) 1080 11th Street Park Royal Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1335 3rd Street St. Anthony’s Church 2347 Inglewood Avenue St. David’s United Church 1525 Taylor Way St. Francis-in-the-Wood Anglican Church 4773 Piccadilly South St. Stephen’s Anglican Church 885 22nd Avenue West Vancouver Baptist Church 450 Mathers Avenue West Vancouver Presbyterian Church 2893 Marine Drive West Vancouver United Church 2062 Esquimalt Avenue TOTAL These estimates may not represent additional tax exemptions that may be available through BC Assessment. This is the list of applications received by the District of West Vancouver. The exemption is discretionary and has not yet been approved by Council.
2026
2027
2028
$43,000 $6,400 $2,000 $2,000 $1,700 $1,800 $5,900 $10,200 $11,000 $31,100 $53,400 $15,800 $4,400 $4,300 $7,200
$44,700 $6,700 $2,100 $2,100 $1,800 $1,900 $6,100 $10,600 $11,400 $32,300 $55,500 $16,400 $4,600 $4,500 $7,500
$46,500 $7,000 $2,200 $2,200 $1,900 $2,000 $6,300 $11,000 $11,900 $33,600 $57,700 $17,100 $4,800 $4,700 $7,800
$5,100 $100 $200 $400
$5,300 $100 $200 $400
$5,500 $100 $200 $400
$4,600 $2,700 $3,800 $11,600 $6,800 $7,300 $6,200 $10,800 $7,300 $7,200 $14,400 $14,100 $6,600 $18,700 $328,100
$4,800 $2,800 $4,000 $12,100 $7,100 $7,600 $6,400 $11,200 $7,600 $7,500 $15,000 $14,700 $6,900 $19,400 $341,300
$5,000 $2,900 $4,200 $12,600 $7,400 $7,900 $6,700 $11,600 $7,900 $7,800 $15,600 $15,300 $7,200 $20,200 $355,200
604-925-7032 | westvancouver.ca
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A43
Water metering has helped West Vancouver find leaks in system
Continued from A41 raised concerns over the amount of money lost at the municipal level due to leaks. “It’s lost revenue to the city,” said Hodge. “The bottom line is that I’m becoming more of a fan of metering.” Others were more skeptical. District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little said the City of Kamloops’s experience suggests that when you calculate the return on investment, it doesn’t make sense to install meters in single-family homes. “It just doesn’t have a big enough impact on your system to be able to get the savings that you want,” Little said. West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager answered: “I really like my neighbouring mayor, but we can disagree.”
Metering could lead to big financial savings The first benefit of universal metering is that it allows municipal crews to find where water is leaking above or below ground. Once crews have located a leak, they can then go in with listening devices, pinpoint and fix the problem – whether it’s tree roots intruding into pipes, someone illegally tapping the system, or old infrastructure that needs to be replaced. Self-reported data from Metro’s member jurisdictions suggests about 12 per cent of the region’s water is lost to leaks. But the true number is likely closer to 20 per cent – a figure the City of Vancouver recently found cost it alone an estimated $20 million a year. West Vancouver, which achieved universal water metering by 2007, has since fixed a number of leaks in its system. The municipality also rolled out a block-tiered pricing system that charges users a higher rate once they pass certain volume thresholds. The result, said Parkinson, is the jurisdiction has saved a lot of money and water. By comparison, less wealthy and more densely populated New Westminster has a lower per capita rate of water consumption even though it only meters about 70 per cent of its demand. “The interesting thing about West Van is they still have quite a high per capita consumption, because they’re quite a wealthy municipality,” Parkinson said. “And they
Metro Vancouver’s Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant at the Lower Seymour Conservation Area. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
have swimming pools and big lawns.” The differences between the two municipalities shows how much water a city uses is heavily influenced by a range of factors, including housing mix, demographics and income. It’s that complexity that makes metering water so effective, Parkinson and Curran agreed. Studies have shown over and over again, that as soon as water meters are installed and people can see how much they’re using, they decrease use by 15 to 25 per cent, added Curran. Those who don’t immediately curb water consumption are further incentivized once they start seeing a water bill show up in their mailbox. “We’re constantly battling that perception that we live
in a rainforest and there’s lots of water … It’s hard for people to shift the mindset,” said Parkinson. For Curran, metering is a relatively low-cost way to challenge that perception. It could give the region the data to say “no green lawns in the summertime” or back xeriscaped gardens, using grant programs similar to those in cities like Seattle, she said. The potential savings are enormous, with outdoor non-essential water use accounting for up to half of all water usage during the summer, Curran said. But first, she said, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” “They’re hamstrung until they meter. Any policy response is just a shot in the dark.”
2025 TAX SALE
Pursuant to section 645 of the Local Government Act, The District of West Vancouver is required to publish the time and place of the tax sale and the description and street address, if any, of properties subject to tax sale. The 2025 Tax Sale will be held in the Council Chambers of The District of West Vancouver, 750 17th Street, West Vancouver BC, at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2025. The following properties will be included in the sale unless delinquent taxes, plus interest, are paid before that time. List subject to change.
ADDRESS 402 6697 NELSON AVENUE 6245 TAYLOR DRIVE 6220 SUMMIT AVENUE 3937 WESTRIDGE AVENUE 4201 ROCKRIDGE CRESCENT 4783 WESTWOOD PLACE 4641 WOODBURN ROAD 4301 WOODCREST ROAD 2531 NELSON AVENUE 1875 26TH STREET 2621 PALMERSTON AVENUE 2664 ROSEBERY AVENUE 3092 MARINE DRIVE 3086 SPENCER PLACE 3191 BENBOW ROAD 702 1930 MARINE DRIVE 540 NEWCROFT PLACE 1151 MILLSTREAM ROAD 1591 CHARTWELL DRIVE 1638 LANGTON PLACE 3008 BURFIELD PLACE 506 3101 BURFIELD PLACE
L EG A L D E SC R I P T I O N PL EPS7278 SL 99 DL 430 PL 7413 DL 771 BL C PL 7413 DL 771 BL C PL 10299 DL 559 BL 13 LT 6 PL 12792 DL 583 & 887 BL 4 LT 1 PL 21001 DL 773 BL 3 LT 9 PL 14218 DL 885 BL E LT 27 PL 10004 DL 887 LT 20 PL 2261 DL 555 BL 6 LT 15 PL 7297 DL 815 LT 4 PL 7297 DL 815 BL 3 LT 5 PL 9845 DL 815 BL A PL 5814 DL 556 BL A PL 11141 DL 817 BL G LT 3 PL 10133 DL 557 BL 10 LT 7 PL VAS97 DL 775 LT 29 PL 12496 DL 1072 LT 17 PL 13284 DL CE BL 51 LT 33 PL 15931 DL CE BL 56 LT 30 PL LMP23127 DL 1104 LT 58 PL EPP36310 DL 817 LT 4 PL 6171 LT 558 BL C LT 4
QUESTIONS? 604-925-7032 | westvancouver.ca
Notice to prospective purchasers: The District of West Vancouver makes no representation express or implied as to the condition or quality of the properties being for sale. Prospective purchasers are urged to inspect the properties and make all necessary inquiries to municipal and other government departments, and in the case of strata lots to the strata corporation, to determine the existence of any bylaws, restrictions, charges or other conditions which may affect the value or suitability of the property. Purchasers of tax sale properties should be aware that they will NOT have the right to receive title or possession until after one year following the date of the tax sale. During this period, the registered owner of the property has the right to redeem the property from the tax sale thus canceling the sale. The purchase of a tax sale property is subject to tax under the Property Transfer Tax Act.
A44 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
2025 Tax Sale The 2025 Tax Sale will be held at 10am Monday, September 29, 2025 in the Council Chambers of the District of North Vancouver Municipal Hall at 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, BC. The following properties will be included in the sale unless the delinquent taxes, plus interest, are paid before the tax sale commences: FOLIO
PID
CIVIC ADDRESS
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
0185-2600-4
011-549-891
1341 Mountain Hwy
LOT 15 BLOCK 111 DISTRICT LOT 553 PLAN 4458
0378-4000-2
014-851-482
421 W St James Rd
AMENDED LOT 10 (EXPLANATORY PLAN 5737) BLOCK 2 SOUTH EAST 1/4 OF DISTRICT LOT 617 PLAN 1229
1503-1020-X
007-727-674
2465 Keats Rd
LOT 4 BLOCKS 30, 31, 44 AND 45 DISTRICT LOT 2044 PLAN 15031
2048-1000-0
004-781-813
1551 Fintry Pl
LOT 1 BLOCK 23 DISTRICT LOTS 601 AND 607 PLAN 20481
3038-4205-9
012-120-901
2656 Bendale Pl
LOT 47 BLOCKS 5 AND 6 DISTRICT LOT 580 PLAN 3842
4013-9974-5
029-198-372
410-1177 Marine Dr
STRATA LOT 75 DISTRICT LOT 552 GROUP 1 NEW WESTMINSTER DISTRICT STRATA PLAN EPS1399 TOGETHER WITH AN INTEREST IN THE COMMON PROPERTY IN PROPORTION TO THE UNIT ENTITLEMENT OF THE STRATA LOT AS SHOWN ON FORM V
4088-0868-3
031-846-262
805-1632 Lions Gate Lane
STRATA LOT 168 DISTRICT LOT 764 GROUP 1 NEW WESTMINSTER DISTRICT STRATA PLAN EPS8807 TOGETHER WITH AN INTEREST IN THE COMMON PROPERTY IN PROPORTION TO THE UNIT ENTITLEMENT OF THE STRATA LOT AS SHOWN ON FORM V
ALL BIDDERS MUST:
• Pre-register between 9:00am and 9:45am on Monday, September 29, 2025 at District Hall • Provide a bank draft made out to the District of North Vancouver for the maximum amount you will be spending at the auction • Provide photo identification, occupation, current contact number, social insurance number (individuals) or business number (corporations) • If a bidder is successful in purchasing a property or properties, the successful bid prices will be deducted from the provided bank draft and a refund of the balance will be issued within a week • If a bidder is unsuccessful at the auction, the bank draft will be returned to the bidder
NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS
Purchasers of tax sale properties should be aware that they will NOT have the right to receive title or possession until one year following the date of the tax sale. During this period, the registered owner of the property has the right to redeem the property from the tax sale, thus cancelling the sale. T5s will be issued for income tax purposes on interest paid to successful bidders. For further information, please contact the Tax Department at 604-990-2488. In the case of all properties, it is the buyer's responsibility to determine the condition/potential of the property.
DNV.org/tax-sale
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A45
Salmon play a critical role in fertilizing our lush ecosystem Continued from A1 spring and, depending on the species, either live another year in the creek or be carried out to the ocean with the spring snowmelt where they’ll fend for their survival and grow and return the following year. Some local species are known to migrate as far as Alaska in their time at sea. Although a few are known to stray, almost always, the salmon find their way back to the exact creek they were spawned in. “It’s often the taste of the water. They can sense that water chemistry and they come back to their natal stream,” Fowler said. “It’s pretty impressive.” By the time they’ve reached the fresh water on their return home, their bodies are already breaking down, absorbing and metabolizing their own scales for spawning energy, meaning the fish may appear a bit zombie-like. Despite thousands of eggs being deposited in the gravel and fertilized, only a tiny percentage of the offspring will survive to sexual maturity and return to their home
creek to spawn, mostly due to predation but also pollution. “On average, a pair of salmon will effectively replace themselves,” Fowler said. With such an incredible life cycle, it is little wonder that salmonids capture so many people’s imagination, Fowler said. “They really pull everyone together. There’s cultural significance for First Nations. There’s recreational significance for people that are fishing. There’s culinary significance for people going to restaurants or wanting to eat them,” he said. But, Fowler added, humans’ use for salmon pales in comparison to the important role they play in the broader environment. In what could be described as the final part of the spawning process, the salmon become food for bears, eagles and other animals, and the nutrients they’ve accumulated in their bodies in their lives at sea – nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium – enter the soil. “They are bringing those ocean-born nutrients back up into
A volunteer checks out a chinook salmon pulled out of the Seymour River in North Vancouver. BRENT RICHTER / NSN a watershed, and when they’ve spawned and died, their bodies then create fertilizer to help the entire ecosystem in the watershed,” he said. “They’re an integral part of that whole food chain, as well as ecosystem.” The Pacific Salmon Foundation also recommends Mosquito Creek Park in North Vancouver to spot coho and pink salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout, but especially chum. “They’re a much larger fish – big, stripy, toothy, scary-looking salmon,” Fowler said. Also accessible are the Capilano River Hatchery in
Your news your way
Capilano River Regional Park and the Seymour River Hatchery, although the latter can only be reached via trails and would take about 45 minutes on a bike from the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve gate. West Vancouver salmon locations In West Vancouver, some of the best viewing spots are virtually inaccessible, but the West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society has two recommendations: The Keith Road bridge over Brothers Creek in the Cedardale neighbourhood, and the mouth of Brothers Creek at the very east end of Clyde
Avenue. Both locations have viewing platforms. Executive director Keith Pelletier said everyone should share in the amazement of the salmon return. “Just the tenacity of nature to bring those fish back through all that they’ve been through for two or three years at sea, to come back to their natal stream and spawn,” he said. “The majority of people don’t realize that we have fish in almost every stream in West Vancouver.” The presence of the fish means every waterway is deserving of protection, Pelletier added. Salmon species are beset on all sides by challenges to their survival, both natural and man-made. But creeks across the North Shore have been the subject of major habitat restoration projects by the North Shore Streamkeepers, West Vancouver Streamkeepers and Seymour Salmonid Society. That work yields results for the salmon, but funding the work is always a challenge, Fowler said.
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A46 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
TIME TRAVELLER
A weekly glimpse into the past from MONOVA: Museum & Archives of North Vancouver
TAPPED OUT
North Vancouver’s House of Funk brewery closes NICK LABA
nlaba@nsnews.com
The funkiest brewery on the North Shore is no more.
SS Lonsdale and the Cates family
Photo: NVMA, 287
The first ocean-going steamship to berth at the waterfront of the City of North Vancouver was coincidentally named the SS Lonsdale, which docked at Captain Charles Cates' pier in 1909. The ship was carrying a complete electrical plant built in England and bound for Dawson City, Yukon via Mexico. It docked in North Vancouver after arriving too late in the season for the Yukon River to be traversable. John Cates, son of Charles Cates, got his first maritime job as a cabin boy aboard the ship. Captain Cates would establish his tugboat business with John and the rest of his family in 1921. Discover more of the North Shore’s rich history at MONOVA. Start planning your visit at monova.ca. Do you have a story to tell? Get in touch via archives@monova.ca.
House of Funk Brewing has ceased operations at its brewery and taproom at 350 Esplanade E in North Vancouver. A note on the inside of its front door reads: “closed.” “Sadly we have made the decision of closing our doors. We hope that this is House of Funk Brewing has brewery, taproom and patio at not the end, but it is the for350 Esplanade E in North Vancouver. NICK LABA / NSN now,” the note reads. “We love you all and appreciate all the love and brewery has been open about its struggles support and good times you have given us.” over the past several months. There’s also a listing posted to Realtor.ca In May, the brewery announced on to sell the business. social media that it was changing its name “Unique opportunity to own a brewto House of Pandemonium, which drew a mixed response from supporters. ery, taproom & kitchen business in North But in July, House of Funk changed its Vancouver,” the listing states. “This is a name back. popular brand, located in the well known “For context… we gave ‘House of Shipyards Brewery District of Lower Pandemonium’ a shot and it was done Lonsdale. If you are looking to get into the with the intention of improving revenue – beer business, this is perfect for you.” because to be frank, this past year has been The business is being sold for just less tough,” the brewery posted on its Instagram. than $500,000, with a base lease rate of Also in May, some of the House of Funk $7,240 per month. co-founders launched another business, While business appeared to be on the House of Lager, in Squamish. up after House of Funk opened in 2019, the
LET HIM COOK The North Shore News is proud of the men and women who are serving or have served our country. We would like to pay tribute to as many North Shore born-and-raised military personnel as possible in our upcoming Remembrance Day feature publishing on November 5th.
Coho Festival serves up salmon learning and lunch
If you or a loved one is currently serving or has served our country, we are inviting you to submit a veteran listing for our feature.
aprest@nsnews.com
Submission details: If you’ve already submitted a listing for a previous Remembrance Day feature, please email kknox@glaciermedia.ca and give us the name of the veteran. Mark ‘Veteran listing re-run’ in the subject line of your email. If you are submitting a brand new listing, please email the following to kknox@glaciermedia.ca: • Photo of veteran • 25-word max. bio of veteran Please mark ‘New veteran listing’ in the subject line of your email.
All emails must be received by 5:00 p.m., Oct. 31st. Inclusion will be based on first come, first served and amount of available space in the feature.
ANDY PREST
The Coho Festival returned to Ambleside Park in West Vancouver Sunday, Sept. 7 for the 45th edition of the annual event celebrating our beloved salmon.
The day kicked off with the Coho Swim, followed by a full schedule of festivities, highlighted by the salmon barbecue featuring a cast of community leaders manning the grill. There was also a Stewardship Zone featuring educators and environmental groups with exhibits and displays providing information on salmon, fish and everything else in the oceans. Visit nsnews.com to see more photos from the event.
Local community leaders took turns behind the grill during the salmon barbecue at the 45th edition of the Coho Festival held Sept. 7 at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver. PETER KVARNSTROM
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A47
Have questions? I can help. I have been navigating the North Shore real estate market for over 35 years. Happy to discuss your plans.
Life Member 35 Years
Al Sutton | 604-720-4889 | www.alsutton.org CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1. Current measure, for short 4. Huck’s boat 8. Wilts 12. Douglas ____ 13. A woodwind 14. October gem 15. Summer drink 16. Funny ____ 17. Sub shop 18. Parachute part: 2 wds. 20. Gold purity measure 21. Reach 23. Rosary component 26. Gathered 31. Apprehend 34. Creepier 35. Skin design 36. Just 37. Top’s counterpart 41. Dull pains
HOROSCOPE WEEK OF SEPT 24, 2025 - SEPT 30, 2025
45. Dangers 49. Feet of ____ 50. Sample tape 51. Suffer 52. Grade 53. Prayer ender 54. Use snow runners 55. Wool producers 56. Simple 57. In the know
10. Festive event 11. Narrow gash 19. Military student 20. Joint 22. Great wrath 23. Baseball stick 24. Chapter in history, perhaps 25. Gallery exhibit 27. Pleasing smell 28. Dowel 29. Wiggly sea creature 30. Not wet 32. Cries 33. Also 38. Subject 39. Meeker 40. Atmosphere layer 41. Land division 42. Animal’s nail 43. Detest 44. Organs of sight 46. Hasty 47. Embankment 48. Fall 50. Water barrier Crossword puzzle answers use American spelling
TAURUS April 20-May 20
Rushed agreements often lead to problems. To avoid future complications, take the time to discuss and clearly define all terms. Focus on the details to significantly increase your chances of success.
GEMINI May 21-June 20
Prepare for a busy week on the job! Meticulous organization and efficient work methods will boost your income and increase your likelihood of receiving a promotion. You’ll inspire your team as you lead by example.
CANCER June 21-July 22
Your hard work will finally pay off. You’ll be applauded for your achievements. Expect to receive a medal to symbolize your victory. You’ll hear the word “respect” uttered about you frequently, which will boost your selfesteem.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Now is an excellent time to consider buying a property, and you have the resources to do so. Your family will support you, both financially and emotionally. If you’re in a new relationship, you’ll seriously consider moving in together quite soon.
Great opportunities await you, both professionally and personally. Before making any decisions, analyze each situation carefully. Seek advice from trusted sources who can help you see things from a different perspective.
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Let the warmth of your loved ones envelop you and bring you peace. By tapping into your creativity and following your heart, you’ll create something exceptional. Every great project starts with a dream; don’t be afraid to dream big!
Take some time to treat yourself and relax. If you want to travel somewhere new, plan your route carefully with a GPS app to save time and avoid getting lost.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Take the leap and apply for your dream job at that amazing company. This bold move will resolve your financial worries and set you on the path to achieving your goals. Action is the key to your success.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19
It’s time to make some changes in your life. Doing so will help you find the tools you need to take your journey in a more fulfilling direction. The law of attraction is on your side.
Your hard work will pay off and could even lead to an unexpected promotion. If you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you’ll see visible results in no time. Don’t forget to embrace joy and harmony in your love life.
PISCES Feb. 19-March 20
Explore your inner self through a spiritual practice. This will bring unexpected richness into your life. You’ll find your place within a group, forging strong bonds. Get ready to go on an exciting getaway planned by your significant other.
SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 x 3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:
DOWN 1. Out of range 2. Skirt style 3. Get ready 4. R2-D2, e.g. 5. Cancel a space launch 6. Henry or Jane 7. 20th letter 8. Cola, e.g. 9. Imitator
ARIES March 21-April 19
Change can be scary, but it can lead to incredible opportunities. You’ll find balance in your home, work and love life, enabling you to resolve conflicts and achieve happiness.
Each 3 x 3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3 x 3 box.
A48 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com
F R E E TO AT T E N D
SENIORS EXPO 2025
“Stuff you Might Want to Know” Saturday Oct 4, 2025 • 12-4pm Silver Harbour Centre, 144 East 22nd St, North Van
1 2 : 1 5 - 1 : 0 0 p m – P R E S E N TAT I O N Stephanie Chan / Founder of Home to Home and myCareBase
Planning Ahead: Navigating Powers of Attorney, Healthcare Representation and Executor Roles
In this informative seminar, senior living advisor Stephanie Chan will guide you through how to choose and prepare the right person to serve as your Power of Attorney, Healthcare Representative, or Executor. Stephanie Chan
1 : 1 5 - 2 : 0 0 p m – PA N E L D I S C U S S I O N Blair Hackman / Registered Clinical Counsellor and Manager at CMHA North Shore Lorna Harding / Seniors Peer Support Coordinator at North Shore Neighbourhood House Cindy Bouvet / Seniors’ Community Connector at North Shore Community Resources
Building Resilience through Social Connection
This panel will explore how seniors’ health and resilience are strengthened through meaningful relationships, accessible programs, and everyday social connections. Experts in elder abuse, ageism, crisis response, and social prescribing will discuss barriers that isolate older adults and the supports that can break them down.
Blair Hackman
Lorna Harding
Cindy Bouvet
2 : 1 5 - 3 : 0 0 p m – P R E S E N TAT I O N Brenda Mah / Financial Education Manager at Coast
Maximizing Your Benefits: A Guide to Seniors’ Income Supports
Navigating government benefits can feel overwhelming, but this session makes it simple. Learn about key supports for seniors—OAS, GIS, pension splitting, BC Seniors’ Supplement, renovation credits, and GST rebates—plus eligibility, applications, and tax tips to avoid interruptions.
Brenda Mah
3 : 1 5 - 4 : 0 0 p m – P R E S E N TAT I O N Sandy Hoshizaki / Home and Community Health Dietitian with Vancouver Coastal Health
Wellness on a Budget: Tasty, Affordable Meals as we Age
Healthy eating can be enjoyable, accessible, and affordable. This session shares creative ways to prepare nutrient-rich meals, stretch your grocery budget, and make small changes that support lifelong vitality. Sandy Hoshizaki
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSORS
VENUE SPONSOR
PRESENTED BY
north shore news nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A49
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MARKETPLACE
Call or email to place your ad, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm
236-889-6595 ahogan@glaciermedia.ca
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REMEMBRANCES IN MEMORIAM
OBITUARIES
Carolyn Margaret Huget March 22, 1931 – September 29, 2016
My favourite partner in Bridge and my perfect partner in Life.
Ron died August 27, 2025, after a short illness. He grew up in North Van and worked all his life in the Lower Mainland. The son of Earl and Kathleen Snook, he’s survived by his sister Barb, his best friend Rick Kinnear, his “boys” Max and Tanner, plus numerous cousins and friends in the Lower Mainland and California. No flowers or donations, just pet a dog for him.
Lovingly remembered by husband Ray
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightening they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. by Dylan Thomas
OBITUARIES
OBITUARIES
Marjorie Gordon Joughin (Mardi) was born the third child of Rev. Gordon and Gwendolyn Powell, in Melbourne, Australia, on October 17, 1942, and passed away in North Vancouver on September 8, 2025. She grew up in Melbourne and, following high school, enrolled in maternity nursing. Following her sense of adventure, she travelled to Vancouver by ship and on that voyage met her husband-to-be, Stanley. They married in 1968 and lived in Ladner before settling in North Vancouver for the last 50 years. She shared her love of and training in music as an active member of her church choir and in vocal groups Pandora’s Vox and Espiritu. She had a flair for comedy, which was often incorporated into her performances with Pandora’s Vox. She pursued her nursing career as well, where her kind and loving nature endeared her to the patients in her care. She particularly related to and was adored by seniors. She enjoyed golf, tennis, skiing, crossword puzzles, and her involvement with the Mt. Seymour United Church and its Thrift Shop. Mardi will be deeply missed, and always lovingly remembered, by her family – her husband of 57 years, Stan; their children, Ross and Catherine; granddaughters Odessa, Angelina and Braya; as well as siblings David and Jenny in Australia. She was predeceased by her sister Rosemary. Above all, she will always be remembered for her positive spirit and generosity!
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of J. Scott Drever. After a long struggle with many health conditions, Scott died peacefully at home in the loving care of his family. Scott was a dedicated husband, father and grandfather who loved his family deeply. Scott is survived by his devoted wife of 59 years, Judy, loving daughters Kim and Kyla (Brian) and grandson Riley. He had a kind soul and a generous spirit. A quick and clever wit was one of his many endearing traits amongst family and friends, which also allowed him to capture the hearts of his caregivers and healthcare staff who worked with him over the past few years. Thankfully, his mischievous sense of humour stayed with him until the end. Scott travelled all over the world with his work in mining and exploration. Indonesia and Mexico held special places in his heart, where he helped spearhead local projects like building new schools and other community improvement programs. After more than 50 years in the industry, Scott retired with the hope that he could focus on regaining his health, and being a prospector at heart, he would have been content to sit in a river and pan for gold in his retirement. The family wishes to thank Scott’s devoted caregivers Anna and Jocelyn, his various healthcare practitioners, and all those at the North Shore Palliative Care team who worked so hard with kindness and compassion to keep Scott in his beloved home until the end. In lieu of flowers, please consider honouring Scott’s memory in the form of donations to organizations furthering research in Parkinson’s and Lewy Body dementia, the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation or a charity of your choice.
To place an Obituary, In Memoriam, or Memorial Service, please call Adam Nadia at
236-889-6595 604-653-7851
or email or email ahogan@glaciermedia.ca nmather@glaciermedia.ca
A50 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
north shore news nsnews.com REMEMBRANCES OBITUARIES
Silvija Zigrida Britton (née Vejins), aged 90 years and 14 days, died peacefully in her sleep on August 29th at 1:02 am in West Vancouver, British Columbia, after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Silvija was born on August 15th, 1935, in Riga, Latvia, to Valentine Vejins (Cers) and Osvalds Vejins. Silvija and her family survived seven displaced persons camps in Germany during WWII before coming to Canada at age 13. She left Latvia, out of necessity, in the middle of the night at age 8. She and her family came by ship to Canada via Italy after the Americans liberated her camp outside of Munich when the war ended in 1945. Her family all worked hard to learn English and to pay the Canadian government back for their passage to Canada. There were many funny stories about their arrival in Canada – they lived in a converted chicken coop in Weston, Ontario and learned English as quickly as possible, on top of the 5 languages that most people in her family already spoke. Silvija was both a proud Latvian and a proud Canadian. She assimilated quickly to life in Canada but maintained connections to her Latvian roots and language. She met her brother Max’s (Maksis) best Canadian friend, Jim (James) Russel Britton, at the age of 15, and she married him at 21 in Toronto, Ontario. Jim got a job with Hudson’s Bay Oil & Gas, and they moved to Calgary, Alberta, shortly after their wedding, where they raised their family. They were married for nearly 66 years. Silvija and Jim moved to Vancouver in 1985 and have lived there ever since. Silvija was a passionate artist, as both a lifelong student and teacher of the subject. She won a scholarship to Central Tech Art School in Toronto for commercial art. While in Calgary, she studied fine arts at the University of Calgary and taught at the Allied Arts Centre and in after-school programs. She was a member of the Yellow Door Art Group in North Vancouver. Silvija put her heart and soul into every aspect of her life – she was extremely social, with an address book filled with people she maintained connections with from around the world; she read voraciously and was a member of two book clubs – one in English and one in Latvian; she sang in the Latvian choir at the Latvian church in Vancouver. Silvija was always elegant and thoughtful in her dress and her home design. She loved to cook, to dance, interior design and architecture, and always had the most beautiful tablescapes and many vases full of flowers on display in her home in West Vancouver. Silvija was enthusiastic about life. She loved being outside, loved the mountains, forests and mushrooms, loved watching the ocean from her windows and was an avid skywatcher – sunsets being her favourite – for which Jim gave her the nickname, “Silvija Skywatcher.” She also loved to travel, facilitated by being able to speak English, German and Latvian fluently. She had many adventures – London, Edinburgh, Riga, Munich for Oktoberfest, the south of France for art, Tahiti, France (Ile D’Arz and Paris), Porto Vallarta, Baltic cruises, and Hawaii. Silvija prided herself on still driving at 90. Only a month ago, she drove Jim from Vancouver to Langley, BC, to fly his Stagger Wing aircraft on his 91st birthday. She loved deeply and without judgment. She taught her children to be tolerant and kind, often saying, “Try walking in other people’s shoes.” She believed that the only thing that mattered was what was in your heart. She was always there for others and made time and a place at her table for everyone in her life. Her time in the camps taught her to look for beauty in the smallest of things and to embrace the fun of life. Her last words to the doctor were, “Will you dance with me?"...we hope that wherever Silvija is, she is smiling and dancing. Silvija is survived by her husband Jim, her son Gregory Britton (Shirley Mah), her daughter Coby Schneider (Rob Purdy), her beloved grandchildren – Benjamin Britton (Heidi), Heidi Morefield, Erik Schneider (Lisandre), Nils Schneider and her six great-grandchildren – Gwendoline Britton, Leif and Vera Morefield, and Alice, Henrik and Judith Schneider. She was predeceased by her parents, Osvalds and Valentine Vejins and her brother Maksis Vejins. Silvija’s legacy will live on in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren – her greatgrands are already exhibiting her intellectual, artistic and fashionista propensities. Silvija was cremated on September 9th, 2025 and will be honoured with two Celebrations of Life– one in Vancouver and one in the spring in Toronto, where she will be interred with her brother’s ashes in Sanctuary Park Cemetery next to their parents. The family is currently making plans for these celebrations of life, and further details will be shared soon. We are grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at Lionsgate Hospital and the North Shore Hospice who made our Mama as comfortable as possible before her passing. Also, a heartfelt thank you to Laila, Dennis and Taavi Radage, and the Reichgeld/Radatzke and La Prairie families—lifelong family friends who were there with us in West Vancouver until the very end. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that you please make a donation in Silvija Britton's name either to the West Vancouver Memorial Library Foundation at https://westvanlibrary.ca/foundation under the ❤ Give tab Ways to Give or to the Lionsgate Foundation for hospice and palliative care at https://lghfoundation.com/tributedonation/l with the notice email for either donation being coby.schneider@gmail.com.
On September 16th, Kay pushed away from her earthly constraints. It was a beautiful sunny fall day. Kay was born in New West, where, when she was 3 years old, she won the Vancouver Jubilee Baby show, being judged 98% perfect. The Kirby family (Harold, Cathy, Norman, Allan and Kay) moved to North Van in 1940, where they lived along the #1 streetcar route at 16th and Lonsdale. Her youth was spent roller skating, frequently riding across the Lions Gate Bridge and helping with the Springer Spaniel pups her mom raised. She was the president of the Hi-Y club in 1950/1951. At the age of 20, she married a local guy named Roy. They would be married for 65 years. Together, they raised two headstrong girls. Kay worked at Wallace Shipyards, Woolco, and the Motor Vehicle Branch. As young girls, we remember going to the North Van library where the family would disperse into the bowels of the building, meeting 30 minutes later with our bounty. She served on the Library Board for many years, and we became avid readers. Thank you, Mom. Roy and Kay built two houses together, one in Davis Bay and one in Aldergrove. They also lived in Langley and finally in Chilliwack. They met many friends along the way, but their North Van friends were their forever friends. If you were a friend of Kay’s, you were lucky – if you weren’t, watch out. Kay loved doing pottery in the basement, where she was very talented. You could always smell the clay and the kiln baking. She loved gardening, and she dabbled in painting. After Roy’s passing, Kay moved into Independent living, where, after 3 weeks, she found her groove and then announced she would sell the house! What do you say when your Tigermom is gone? Nothing really seems right to honour her. We remember her hot pink one-piece bathing suit - she would swim in our pool, careful not to get her hair wet, but you just can’t suggest that to a 7-year-old. Sorry, Mom. We remember she would cook salmon in a cast-iron fry pan in milk, and it stunk! And boy did we go around the house going, “Yuck, not this again." Sorry, Mom. She celebrated New Year’s Eve by jumping in a pool fully clothed in her wool kilt and jewelry in her 60s. Her hair got wet. Bravo, Mom. Even in the hospital near the end, she was joking with all. The nurses, doctors, and attendants would come out laughing, saying, “Your Mom’s a riot!” Both daughters looking at each other, “Hunh? Is that a short, chubby, white-haired lady in there?” They’d just laugh at us both and walk away. You were showing us your courage even though you were scared. Thank you, Mom. Kay Hedley was a daughter, friend, sister, wife, mother, aunt, sister in law, grandmother and great-grandmother who adored all her family with such generosity and devotion. She was fierce. Our Tigermom will be forever missed.
As you share the stories and the memories of how they lived their lives and how much they meant, may you find comfort... Call 236-889-6595 or email ahogan@glaciermedia.ca to place your Remembrance.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 | A51
REMEMBRANCES OBITUARIES
Jakob (Jak) Gerold Philip Redenbach, 84, a beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away August 12, 2025, at his home in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Jak will be remembered for his devotion to his family, his integrity, enthusiasm for life, and gentle sense of humor. He was the focus of so much love. Jak was born in Oliver, British Columbia on July 28, 1941. Throughout his childhood and high school years in Oliver he was very involved in athletics and student leadership. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Architecture and was a registered architect, and proud member of the AIBC, for over fifty years. Throughout his career he designed both residential and commercial properties and had a particular interest in mentoring student architects to navigate complicated professional issues. A class act and sharp dresser, everything Jak did was meticulous, artistic and tasteful. He lived life thoughtfully and inquisitively and led by shining example. He loved sailing, hiking, gourmet picnics and travel. Jak married the love of his life, Darlene in 1964, and together they enjoyed a life filled with adventures both big and small. Jak loved his time spent with Darlene and his family, especially while enjoying the beauty of nature. He had a particular ability to recognize the precious joy of small moments. Together Jak and Darlene raised three children, Karoline, Katharine and Jason. Jak was a devoted father, always making time for his family, whether it was coaching soccer, hikes on Hollyburn Mountain, skiing on Grouse, or annual family vacations to the Okanagan. He was beloved "Grampa Jak" to his two grandchildren, Ashdyn and Jordan, who were blessed with his frequent presence at everything from trips to Disney World and Great Big Wolf Lodge to College graduations. All knew his quiet, steady encouragement and the occasional "right on" when we needed it most. Jak is survived by his wife, Darlene, his children Karoline, Katharine, and Jason, his son-in-law Daniel, and his grandchildren, Ashdyn and Jordan, and his siblings Christine (Teenie), Frank and Alan and many cherished nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother and father, Sophie and Philipp Redenbach, and his siblings Barb and Seig. A Celebration of Life will be held November 29, 2025 at 6pm PST at The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver BC. Details can be found here: https://events.blackbirdrsvp.com/jakobredenbach
OBITUARIES
With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Bill Mooney, beloved husband, father, and son. Bill will be deeply missed by his wife of 35 years, Diane; his daughters, Lauren and Haley; and his mother, Ruth. Born, raised, and educated in Manitoba, Bill carried a lifelong love of the prairies. He built a respected career in the grain industry, holding operational, management, and executive roles. He was known for his integrity, mentorship, and a sharp mind for problem-solving. Beyond work, Bill cherished travelling through Europe and soaking up the sun on getaways to the tropics. Bill will be remembered for his devotion to family and friends. Though cancer claimed his life too soon, he spent his final days surrounded by love, welcoming every visit and message with gratitude. His legacy lives on in the countless memories he created with those who knew him best. The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Lions Gate Hospital for their compassionate care.
A Vanished Friend
Around the corner I have a friend In this great city that has no end; Yet days go by, and weeks rush on, And before I know it a year has gone, And I never see my old friend’s face, For life is a swift and terrible race. He knows I like him just as well As in the days when I rang his bell, And he rang mine. We were younger then, And now we are busy, tired men, Tired of playing a foolish game, Tired with trying to make a name. “Tomorrow, I will call on Jim, Just to show that I am thinking of him.” But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, And the distance between us grows and grows, Around the corner, yet miles away “Here’s a telegram, sir,” “Jim died today!” And that’s what we get, and deserve in the end, Around the corner a vanished friend! by Anders Lim
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With great sadness and abundant love we announce the peaceful passing of Gunvor Teigland on September 14, 2025. She was a brave adventurer, always eager to travel to distant shores, to learn new things and take on new challenges. She had a gift for languages and a way with words. Her knowledge was deep and she never stopped learning. Gunvor is survived by her children Ingrid, Anne, Kristin and John (Diane), grandchildren Moria, Solomon, Gabriel, Matthias, Adrian, Sofie, Hana and Clara, great-grandchildren Sylas and Layla, sisters Ingebjørg and Turid and many beloved nieces and nephews. Her funeral was held at the Tysnes church on Friday, September 19, and a memorial service will be held in North Vancouver at a later date.
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39. Indian god of dissolution 40. People of Scotland 41. Leak slowly through 42. Rock icon Turner 43. Midway between south and southeast
20. Men’s fashion 10. A citizen of accessory Laos 23. Thieves of the 12. A place to sea dance 24. Prohibit 14. 19th letter of 25. Card game Greek alphabet 15. Mild expression 26. French and Belgian river of surprise 27. Underling 17. 17th letter of 28. Downwind Greek alphabet 29. Type of 19. Descriptions medication
30. German city 31. Animal disease 32. Martini ingredients 33. Get away from 34. Stuffed (French) 36. Type of precipitation
15. Small round 1. Gas usage particle measurement 16. Chilean seaport 4. Muslim mystic 17. News service 8. Towards the mouth or oral region 18. Pay for dinner 21. Glamorous city 10. Monday 22. Subway rodent (Spanish) 23. “The Raven” 11. Frame for a author coffin 24. Buddhist festival 12. Rub out 13. John __, English 25. Cost, insurance and freight (abbr.) educator l467-l5l9 1. Large hat covering 2. “From what is earlier” (Latin) 3. Celtic 4. Retirement region 5. A way to change posture 6. Touches 7. A small island 9. Rubbish
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