Batteries Don’t Belong in the Trash

Single-use household batteries should never be thrown in the general garbage or recycling bin because they contain hazardous chemicals and materials, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and lithium, which can be harmful to the environment and human health AND if not disposed of properly, batteries can explode or ignite fires in garbage trucks or waste facilities.

Alkaline (non-rechargeable) batteries are included in our province-wide recycling program provided by Call2Recycle. Batteries can be returned to participating retail stores, as well as some recycling depots and transfer stations.

Types of batteries accepted include consumer batteries used in items such as toys, remotes, flashlights and smoke detectors. Technical terms for these would be alkaline (AA, AAA, 9V), rechargeable (Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-Ion), button cells, carbon zinc, lithium primary and small seal lead acid batteries.

What batteries can be recycled?
Recycle Your Batteries, Canada! manages the collection and recycling of single-use and rechargeable dry-cell household batteries (weighing up to 5 kg each). This includes e-mobility batteries used on devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

Not sure what type of batteries you have?

To learn about the different types of batteries that can be recycled and find the nearest recycling depot that accepts these batteries, visit: Recycle Your Batteries Canada!

First Aid Training

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 …

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

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

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.

The District of North Vancouver has failed 2 generations of youth in Lynn Valley.

For the past 24 years, Lynn Valley has been trying to get a Youth Centre for teenagers to have a safe place to gather, connect and have some fun. For those that were 13 years old in 2000, they would now be 37 years old and could have teenagers of their own.

Lynn Valley is one of the designated Town Centres in the District of North Vancouver, with one of the fastest growing populations in the District, yet there is a singular lack of investment for youth.

LVCA sent a letter to Mayor Little and Council outlining the funds that have been set aside, a timeline of action taken (or not) with call for Mayor and Coucil to ‘support and prioritize’ this long overdue project.

DOWNLOAD PDF: LETTER TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL

We were extremely happy to have this project put back on the agenda for council. With the increase of density and development, Lynn Valley is attracting more and more families. We want to make sure we have a vibrant, thriving community with engagement from ALL our residents.

DOWNLOAD PDF: THANK YOU LETTER TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL

The issue was picked up by the North Shore News giving Mayor Little opportunity to address our concerns. He said “It has a challenged past of finding consensus,”

Wastewater Plant Costs Soar

Currently, every North Vancouver taxpayer is now facing an unprecedented $21,000 tax bill due to cost overruns on the new wastewater treatment plant.

Councillor Pope is advocating for a public inquiry to investigate how this Metro Vancouver project spiraled to six times over budget and to ensure this kind of mismanagement doesn’t happen again.

If you’re concerned about the handling of this project and support the call for a public inquiry, we encourage you to make your voice heard. Please send your thoughts by emailing: council@dnv.org

We have stated our concerns at the September 23rd Council Meeting.

The letter as follows:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

September 23, 2024

Good Evening Mayor and Council

Lynn Valley Community Association asks that Council immediately requests a public inquiry into the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant fiasco. 

We had originally intended to speak in support of Councillor Pope’s motion requesting a public inquiry but we are frustrated to learn that this motion has been deferred until November 4th.   

Meanwhile, seven local city councillors representing five different cities have penned an open letter calling on B.C.’s auditor general to conduct an independent review of the facility’s finances. These Councillors are actively working to request transparency and accountability from Metro Vancouver, SPECIFICALLY regarding the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant project. Why then, is the District of North Vancouver silent?

Metro Vancouver has appointed John J.L. Hunter, a former judge, who will perform an “independent audit”.   Such an audit is typically NOT a public document, and Metro Vancouver is NOT required to make it public. 

Every North Shore taxpayer is facing a massive and unprecedented $21,000 tax bill to pay for this boondoggle and Metro Vancouver’s incompetence.  North Shore taxpayers did not vote for this project, the entire Metro Vancouver board did.  Why then are North Shore taxpayers alone responsible for the cost over runs?  Why are all Metro Vancouver members not sharing the cost of this project?   

The project was to have been completed in 2020 at a cost of $500 million; it is now stalled and is more than 6 times over budget.

Still we have no idea how or when this project will be completed.

Questions that need to be answered by a full public inquiry include:

  • Why did Metro Vancouver award a full “Design and Build” contract to Acciona instead of doing a proper design project first before issuing a completely separate contract to build the facility?
  • Why was Metro Vancouver not aware of all the site issues before the design and build contract was awarded?
  • Why wasn’t Metro Vancouver monitoring Acciona’s progress before things got so far out of Metro Vancouver’s control?
  • Is the current “estimate” of $3.8 billion to complete this project, including out of court settlements, accurate?   Or will Metro Vancouver reveal more cost overruns and court settlements?

Clearly, Metro Vancouver’s Board and staff have mismanaged this project, leaving North Shore taxpayers on the financial hook, with no accountability for those responsible for the mismanagement.

This is not acceptableOnly a full public inquiry is acceptable to determine how and why this project was so badly mismanaged and to ensure such incompetence is not repeated. 

A public inquiry needs to happen now.  North Shore taxpayers need Council to act now. 

The other municipalities and organizations that constitute Metro Vancouver need to know how badly Metro Vancouver has failed.  They too should demand a public inquiry into this fiasco.   Their municipality could be next. 

We request Council petition for a public inquiry IMMEDIATELY. 

Gillian Konst

President, Lynn Valley Community Association

2024 All Candidates Meeting Oct. 7th

All Candidates Meeting
Monday, October 7th at 7:00 – 9:30pm
Hillside Baptist Church, 870 Lynn Valley Road

Mark your calendars for the All Candidates Meeting ahead of the Provincial election on October 19th! This is your chance to hear directly from the candidates, ask questions, and learn more about their platforms. No need to register—just show up and join the discussion. It’s a great opportunity to get informed and have your voice heard before election day!

What is an All-Candidates Meeting?
At an All-Candidates Meeting, residents have a chance to hear from the candidates, evaluate
political platforms, and ask questions about current issues. All nominees running for MP in a
particular district are invited to gather and share their views. These events are non-partisan,
meaning all political parties are invited and attendees get to hear about the issues from many
different perspectives. The focus may be broad and cover a range of issues, or be focused on
an issue of particular importance to the hosting group.

And the 2023 Winner is …

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 ballots and announcing a winner for Best Overall Tree. This year we introduced an online voting option. As with everything ‘new’, there’s always a learning curve so thank you so much for your patience! The Parade of Trees once again extended onto the plaza at Lynn Valley Centre and we were thrilled to welcome new participants! We know you’ve been eagerly awaiting the results so without further ado, here they are . . . *drumroll please* Best Tree Overall:  Sitka Coast Construction Honorable Mention: Silver Harbour Seniors Activity Center Best School Tree: Boundary Elementary School And a special mention to St. Clements with their ‘Building Community Spirit’ Theme. Your theme encapsulated what LVCA is all about. A special thank you once again to our Partners: (click on the name to be directed to their websites)

Twin Lions Contracting

Great Canadian Landscaping Company

North Vancouver Recreation and Culture

District of North Vancouver

Lynn Valley Centre

RONA: BH Allen Building Center Ltd.

Lynn Valley Village Absolute Landscaping And to you, our “You + One” Shining Stars, your generosity is duly noted and so appreciated!

We were thrilled to support the Spectrum Mothers Support Society  and the work they do in our community.

Our thanks to this great team who stepped up to chip up the trees onsite with our donation going to Scouts Canada. Davey Tree Expert Company, we love you!

A special thank you to Gillian Konst and Stefanie Donohoe for their dedication, tireless energy and incredible positive energy 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!