Community Updates

Silver Harbour Sr. Centre Christmas Market

LVCA

Silver Harbour’s annual Christmas Market is sneaking up and they are busy with all the preparation that goes into this great event! The date for this year’s market is Saturday, November 15th, 10 am to 2 pm. at 144 East 22nd Street, North Vancouver.

The Christmas Market is their biggest fundraiser of the year, featuring handmade arts and crafts lovingly created by seniors in their art programs — including woodworking, stained glass, pottery, knitting, quilts, and festive décor. Each piece reflects the creativity, skill, and spirit of our community’s older adults.

In addition to the market, visitors can enjoy refreshments in the cozy Tea Room, and browse a Craft Supplies Sale with puzzles, flower bulbs, and thrifted treasures. All proceeds support Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activity Centre’s mission to keep arts programming accessible and enriching for seniors.

Here are some of the many ways to participate and help out with the sale in addition to attending…
Craft Products Ready For Sale
Craft volunteers have been busy in Santa’s workshop creating wonderful handmade goods for
this year’s sale. Although they work all year round, any additional finished crafts that you may have
to contribute are always a big help during this sale. Please drop these off by November 1st, so that
they have time to price and sort everything.
Baking
Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth? Silver Harbour is always looking for baking donations for the sale. Please let them know at the front desk as to what you will be making, in order to keep track of what they will need in regards to displays, packaging, and pricing. There will be a baking sign-up sheet at the front desk. Those wonderful bake sale volunteers will be setting up, packaging and pricing on Friday, November 14th, so please drop off your baking that morning. ***An ingredients list is appreciated for anyone with food allergies.

Visit their website at: https://silverharbourcentre.com/our-centre/

Make it Bright! Make it Bold! Christmas Card Design Contest

LVCA

Lions Gate Hospital Foundation Christmas Card Contest 2025

LET YOUR CREATIVITY SHINE!

Students and amateur adult artists are invited to enter the Design a Christmas Card Contest for the chance to see their winning design on the LGH Foundation retail cards.

Thousands of the charity cards are sold each year to raise funds and awareness for LGH Foundation.

The Foundation is looking for original, festive, eye-catching designs with a North Shore theme for each age category. Each winner will receive a prize gift card and recognition for their artistic talent.

Competition Rules

The LGH Foundation Design a Christmas Card Contest is open to:

  • students in Grades 4 to 12 enrolled at a North Shore school.
  • residents aged 18+ who live on the North Shore

Cards must fit into a 5”x7” or 7”x 5” template

Digital Copies of the original artwork should be sent via email to info@lghfoundation.com

The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday, October 14th, 2025

Visit https://lghfoundation.com/xmas-card-2025/ for all the details.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Survey

LVCA

*SURVEY DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 21ST*

This proposed rapid transit service will connect the North Shore, Vancouver, and Burnaby, spanning 21 km with 16 to 17 BRT stations depending on the route option. During peak times, buses will arrive every 5 minutes, more than doubling the current frequency.

The system is expected to support up to 60,000 daily riders by 2035, offering seamless connections to the SeaBus, SkyTrain Expo Line, and Millennium Line, as well as the R5 Hastings St RapidBus.

Key destinations include Park Royal, Lonsdale Quay, Phibbs Exchange, Brentwood Town Centre, BCIT, and Metrotown. This service promises faster travel times and improved reliability over existing transit options.

Translink wants our feedback on two potential route options.

>LINK TO TRANSLINK PROPOSAL<

Remember that it’s up to us as North Shore residents to make our thoughts, opinions and needs known when asked. If we don’t speak up now, we won’t be able to speak out later.

*image credit Translink website

Name the Zambonis Contest!

LVCA

North Vancouver Recreation and Culture is getting two brand-new electric Zambonis and they need your help to give them names that are as cool as they are!

Two shiny new Zambonis arriving soon – one for our local Karen Magnussen Community Recreation Centre and one to be used in the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre when it opens next year.

These aren’t just any Zambonis, they’re electric, meaning they’re fast, clean and totally green! So they need creative names that are as awesome as they are.

Who can enter?
This contest is open to all kids ages 5 to 12 who live in North Vancouver.

One entry per person so make it count! The deadline to enter is September 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

How do you enter? Visit NVRC’s *Online Entry Form*

Make sure you get your parents permission! And good luck!

*image credit NVRC website

Family Fun Fair!

LVCA

Enjoy FREE family fun and meet the people in your Lynn Valley neighbourhood!

Families are invited to attend this outdoor event at Lynn Valley Plaza on September 6th from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM where you can enjoy free games and activities!

Completed 50 days of reading for the Summer Reading Club? Come and celebrate your achievement at the library with a special medal presentation at noon!

TIPS FOR A GREAT TIME

*Walking. Rolling, Biking. Take transit to the event!
*Bring your water bottle, wear a hat and put on sunscreen.
*Take lots of pictures and post them using the hashtag #LVFFF25 so we’ll be able to find them and share them on our Facebook page!

With thanks to our partners:

Lynn Valley Serices Society and the Lynn Valley Public Library

Silverlynn Seniors Complex Fire – Donate today*

LVCA

You can make a difference.

More than 40 seniors have been displaced by a fire that gutted the Silverlynn Senior’s complex in Lynn Valley on May 10th. Urgent support is needed.

Emergency responders from North Vancouver District, City of North Vancouver and West Van District, North Shore Emergency Management team attended this disastrous structure fire.

Please help these seniors get through this difficult time by donating today. LVCA President, Gillian Konst, has set up a GoFundMe for neighbours and friends to donate. Proceeds will be collected and distributed through the Family Services Society to help cover accommodation, food, medical, and any other bills. during this period of immense upheaval.

Many of the residents did not have insurance and even though they do not have a home, the bills will continue to come. We hope to have your help in making this uncertain time a bit easier for these elders in our community.

Thank you for any support. Every bit counts. Please share this link with your families and communities.

https://gofund.me/c81cb08e

North Shore Emergency Management has recommended that all donations of hard/soft goods (furniture/clothing) be directed to the Salvation Army or Shelter to Home.

OurLynnValleyCommunity #neighbourshelpingneighbours #gofundmecampaign

First Aid Training

LVCA

First Aid Courses

If you want to be ready for almost any emergency, first aid training is essential. DYK? St. John Ambulance provides training in First Aid, CPR, AEDs and related fields, along with selling first aid kits and supplies.

St John Ambulance has been updating their courses to meet new requirements from WorkSafeBC. If you need first aid training for your job or work environment, the new Standard, Intermediate, and Advanced first aid courses may be exactly what you are looking for. They also have courses for those of us just wanting to be prepared and informed. And it doesnt’ hurt to take a refresheer course!

Many of the classes are available at St. John Ambulance’s North Shore office at 223 Mountain Highway, (Main St. and Mntn Hwy behind Wendy’s and Chevron) with additional teaching locations across Metro Vancouver. Some classes are taught completely online or in a hybrid format (online and in-person). Classes are taught year round, so you can find one that works with your schedule.

Costs vary with the specific subjects. We recommend you visit their website for current course offerings and pricing.

For more information, visit St. John Ambulance online: https://sja.ca/en/bc
Email: Nshore@sja.ca
(866) 321-2651 x 1290
604-321-7493
Office Hours Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm

The 2024 Parade of Trees Winner is …

LVCA

With the last ornament packed away. lights wrapped, carpets rolled up and the stands and sand bags tucked away for another year, we finally get down to the challenging task of counting the online ballots and announcing a winners for the People’s Choice Tree, Best School Tree and the Organizer’s Choice Tree. It took a bit of time to sort through the votes and tally up.

We know you’ve been eagerly awaiting the results so without further ado, here they are . . . *drumroll please*

The People’s Choice Tree:  Monika’s Art Boutique

Best School Tree: Eastview Elementary School

Organizer’s Choice Tree: Forest Fairy Books & Toys

A special thank you once again to our Partners: (click on the name to be directed to their websites)

District of North Vancouver RONA: BH Allen Building Center Ltd. Lynn Valley Village Twin Lions Contracting and Great Canadian Landscaping Company

And to you, our “You + One” Shining Stars”, your generosity is duly noted. (in alpha order)

Absolute Landscaping; Amphitrite Homes; Bailey Environmental; Bee Haven; Brockton School; Collingwood School; Dominque Canedo; Jeff and Jonny Donohoe; Kelsie and Morgan.com; Lynn Valley Counselling; Lynn Valley Life Group; North Shore Orthodontics; North Vancouver Recreation and Culture; Powerhouse Team; Spectrum Mother’s Support Society; The Grove and Zazou.

Our thanks to this great team who stepped up to take down, load up and chip up the trees Absolute Landscaping, we love you!

A special thank you to Gillian Konst and Stefanie Donohoe for their dedication, tireless energy and incredible positivity for making it all come together.

And a big thank you to all of YOU who pitched in to make this event come together – our sponsors and volunteers. It takes a community to make events like this a success.

PS Let us know if you want us to save you a tree for next year!

Winter is Coming

LVCA

We may not want to think about it, but it’s November once again and snow will be here sooner or later. And this is a good time to remind everyone that shovelling your sidewalks is now a requirement. This changed a few years ago, when the District updated the bylaws to match those of other North Shore communities. Now we are required to clear sidewalks bordering our properties by 10am each morning if there has been a snowfall. And for the District, “Clear sidewalks means that walking is safe and accessible for everyone in the community, but especially for kids walking to school, parents with strollers, or for people who use devices like wheelchairs or scooters.”

In addition, Canada Post may have opinions about delivering mail to houses where sidewalks aren’t cleared to the mailbox.

All that said, there are a number of community residents who simply cannot clear their own sidewalks for various reasons. The first thing to do is talk with your neighbours and find out who needs help. In fact, the DNV website specifically recommends this: “Check in on your neighbours and lend a helping hand for those who need assistance clearing their sidewalks.” If you’re lucky enough to have time and ability, please consider shovelling for a neighbour who cannot do it themselves. This is the best plan where it works, and it helps build community besides.

But if that doesn’t work for some reason, there is a website – https://snowangelscanada.ca/ – where you can ask for help shovelling, and where those with the inclination can have a look to see if anyone nearby needs help. This website hasn’t yet been widely used here in North Vancouver, but it is the best resource we’ve found so far.

Credit: Jeff Powell, Editor Blueridge Bulletin

Image credit: Cathy Kuzel

Register Your Woodburning Fireplace

LVCA

Press Release October 22, 2024

Metro Vancouver Reminds Residents to Register Wood-Burning Fireplaces

​With the arrival of cool autumn weather, Metro Vancouver is asking residents to help keep the air clean in urban neighbourhoods and reminding them of the requirement to follow clean burning practices​ and register their wood-burning fireplaces, stoves, or furnaces.

Wood smoke from residential indoor wood burning can harm community health and is the largest source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in the region. It contributes more than a quarter of the total annual regional PM2.5 emissions and is the second top source of toxic air pollutants. Exposure to wood smoke is of particular concern in densely populated urban areas.

Metro Vancouver, which manages and monitors air emissions in the region, receives the highest number of complaints about indoor wood smoke from Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver.

In March 2020, Metro Vancouver adopted a bylaw to reduce the health and environmental impacts of emissions from residential indoor wood burning. The bylaw has been rolled out in phases, and currently requires residents to declare the use of best burning practices and register eligible wood-burning devices online. The final phase, starting in September 2025, will prohibit the use of unregistered devices in urban areas.

To build greater awareness of wood smoke impacts and bylaw requirements, Metro Vancouver is running a public education campaign through December 30, 2024.

For more than 50 years, Metro Vancouver has provided, under delegated provincial authority, the service of air pollution control and air quality management in the region. Metro Vancouver’s air quality and climate action programs aim to prevent air pollution and maintain good air quality by regulating air contaminant emissions, including greenhouse gases, to protect human and environmental health.

Declare and Register Now

If you live in an urban area, please follow best burning practices and register your wood burning device online — it’s free and takes just five minutes to complete.

metrovancouver.org/fireplace

*for newcomers to our area, North Vancouver District, North Vancouver City and West Vancouver (the North Shore) are part of Metro Vancouver. Visit Metro Vancouver’s website for more information.