Frequently Asked Questions

We have a handy map that answers this question precisely!

We think it’s great, but we’re biased because we live here!

A good introduction is our Community Brochure. The Resources page is another good source of information, and the Programs page will give you an overview of what the BCA does here in Blueridge.

In general, though, Blueridge is an open, welcoming, and family oriented community. We have many residents who have lived here for decades, as well as younger families moving in. There are quite a few examples of residents who moved away and then came back.

We’re active, with ready access to local trails and many people walking their dogs regularly. Being on the north shore we’re close to skiing and other winter activities as well. When COVID allows, we have a number of community related gatherings scheduled during the year.

If you’re interested in the weather, be prepared for rain. Our local mountains tend to squeeze water out of every passing cloud, so we get more rainfall than most other nearby communities. We can get some snow in the winters too. Blueridge residents love the sun though, and tend to get out whenever they can.

Welcome!

If you’re a new resident, you should let us know so we can give you a proper – in person – greeting.

Another good source of information for new residents is our Community Brochure.

The Resources and Programs pages provide lots of additional information for residents of Blueridge.

And of course if you have school age children, the schools have lots of ways to get involved.

Again, welcome to Blueridge! We hope you love it here!

In the April 2022 Blueridge Bulletin we published:

As you might have heard, the play equipment for 6-12 year olds in Blueridge Park is scheduled for replacement in 2022. Last month [March 2022] the DNV had a survey on their website asking for community input on this issue. That survey closed on March 20, 2022.

The district is now processing that information and requesting bids for the project. Work on replacing the old equipment should start this fall. More information about this can be found at this web page:

https://www.dnv.org/parks-trails-recreation/blueridge-park-playground

In addition, the DNV has budgeted $375,000 to add new washrooms to Blueridge Park in 2023. As we learn more about that we will share it.

Update, Feb 13, 2023:

Construction to replace the above mentioned equipment has begun, with completion scheduled for Spring 2023.

Update May 20, 2023:

Construction has completed and other than some areas that are fenced off to allow new grass seed to grow, the work is done. The new equipment is in regular use.

At the May 9th Annual General Meeting of the BCA, DNV Mayor Mike Little indicated he didn’t know about any funding for washrooms at the park, and that the costs of such facilities are astronomical. He thought it highly unlikely we’d see washrooms installed there.

You can find a list of schools and related organizations on our Resources page. Once there select the Schools tab to find the list.

We’re interested in adding more school related information to the website. If you have suggestions along those lines, please use this form to send them our way. Thank you!

Garbage collection days change as holidays happen. The latest annual collection schedule is mailed to all residents once a year, and can be downloaded from Recycle BC. You can also look up your specific collection day. Note that Blueridge is included in two different collection areas, so we don’t all see the garbage trucks on the same day.

Even better than downloading the schedule is installing the app – DNVCollect – on your phone. It will remind you the night before. You can find links to the app stores (both Android and iOS) and lots of other information on our Garbage and Recycling page.

That page and many other useful ones are found on the Resources page on our website. Take a look!

There are two!

• Blueridge Neighbours
• Blueridge Breakout Network

These are listed on the Resources page, which we encourage all residents to check out. It contains lots of useful links and information.

The primary bus route serving Blueridge is 214, but 211 can also be used if you catch it at a stop along Mt. Seymour Parkway.

We have an entire page dedicated to Public Transportation here on our website, which is linked from the Resources menu item. You’ll find lots of useful information there.

The answer to this depends on what you’re seeing.

If it’s an emergency of any kind, please call 911 right away and report it.

If it’s not an emergency but still urgent, check the Important Contacts tab on our Resources page. A number of organizations are listed there that cover a range of issues.

If neither of those apply, you’re welcome to send your question or issue to the BCA via the Contact form. While we can’t make promises, we have built relationships with many organizations and people over the years, and may be able to put you in touch with the right person, or bring the issue up in the right place.

The Blair Rifle Range was opened by the Department of National Defence in 1927 and it occupied land just east and north of Blueridge, in an area now covered with trails.

In 2014, Blueridge resident Donna Sacuta – now Executive Director of the B.C. Labour Heritage Centre – was asked about the range and began researching it. The result was an extensive document titled Building Andy’s Range on the history of the range, and at least one article in local news media.

In 2016, Donna won a Heritage Advocacy Award from the District of North Vancouver for her work on this topic.

And in early 2022 Donna and her work were featured in On The Line: Stories of BC Workers.

In 2018, an unexploded three inch shell and other unexploded ordinance was found in the area that used to be the Blair Rifle Range. The area was closed off and the device was removed. This was documented in this North Shore News article at the time.

The Department of National Defence (DND) held a public information session in June 2018 to discuss how they survey for unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO). The DND say to follow these steps if you see something that looks like it may be UXO:

Don’t touch it.
Turn around and leave the area the same way you came in.
Call 911 or local police.

If you have any questions about DND’s UXO activities at the former Blair Rifle Range, please contact us by e-mail at UXOCanada@forces.gc.ca, or by phone at 613-943-7860.

Through its UXO Legacy program, DND is working to reduce UXO risks at former military sites across Canada and ensure these areas are safe for Canadians. To learn more about UXO safety and DND’s UXO program, visit Canada.ca/UXO-Safety.

Between February and April 2023, the UXO removal team returned to the site of the Blair Rifle Range to continue searching for unexploded ordinance, this time farther off the trails. Their work was announced in in this North Shore News article and this article details the results of their efforts. (Short version, two more UXOs were found and detonated.) As part of their efforts, an outreach meeting was held, and we have a copy of the slides from that presentation.

Another round of UXO removal started in September 2023 and continued until July 12, 2024.

Yet another round of UXO removal began on September 3, 2024 and will continue through the end of March, 2025. More details.

This is a sad story.

As you turn left from Mt. Seymour Parkway onto Berkley Road, you may notice flowers displayed in a sign pole in the divider in the road. They’re replaced regularly and are always in good condition.

The flowers are maintained as a memorial for Deep Cove residents Lisa and Linda Maier, who died at that intersection in a horrific traffic accident on July 14, 1990.

More details are available in this November 14, 2016 North Shore News article.

The BCA webmaster searched newspaper archives from the time and confirmed the names and date. There was an outpouring of grief in the community, with many memorials appearing in The Vancouver Sun, The Province, and the Times-Colonist. As far as it is possible to tell, the North Shore News article is correct, despite being written 26 years after the event. Sadly, it is the only article currently available that can be easily linked to.

On the morning of Dec 7, 2014, a large rock slide blocked the Seymour River about midway between Pipeline Bridge and the old Twin Bridges site. The river backed up and submerged quite an area, all the way up to the old Twin Bridges. For safety reasons – debris coming down the river was getting snagged on the bridge and railing – the old bridge had to be removed.

About six months later – in June 2015 – Metro Vancouver indicated that Twin Bridges would be replaced by a pedestrian/cycle only bridge with a completion date sometime in 2017/2018. Later study showed that the slide was seriously impacting the salmon run in the river, as the best spawning grounds are above the slide. In the fall of 2015 salmon were caught in the mouth of the river and trucked in tanks to clear water above the slide.

In the summer of 2016, work began to break up the slide to allow salmon passage upstream. This job was estimated at taking two to five years and costing $1.25 million.

In October 2016, engineering design was happening on the replacement bridge, and rock breaking work at the site of the slide continued..

In May of 2017 work began on the replacement bridge. And in late 2018 the new bridge opened up at the site of the old Twin Bridges crossing. The new 73 metre, $2 million suspension bridge reconnected the trail networks east and west of the river.

Finally, in August of 2019, Salmon were seen getting upstream past the slide on their own.

There’s an educational marker on Fisherman’s trail at the site of the slide, and this article from the North Shore News discusses the entire episode in more detail.

On the first Tuesday of each month, a local company – Chemtrade – tests their emergency sirens. Chemtrade is a manufacturer of chlorine gas, and their plant is just south of Blueridge on the inlet.

These siren tests also appear on the Alertable app and are mentioned on the BCA’s events calendar.

In 2024, Chemtrade began working to extend the lease that allows them to operate at their current location. 

This project is extensively delayed and hugely over budget. The BCA is tracking the project on a dedicated page that we update whenever we learn anything new about it.

In 2024, Chemtrade began negotiations to extend the lease that allows them to produce chlorine gas at their facility just south of Blueridge.

The BCA is tracking everything we know about that process on a dedicated page that is updated whenever we learn new information about it.

Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing is a set of laws passed by the Province to allow denser development in most cities in BC. Differing cities responded differently to these laws. Here in the DNV, the Council decided to allow up to three units (the main home, one secondary suite, and a coach house) on each residential lot in the District. Normal building rules and regulations still apply, of course.

We have more detail on a dedicated page about these laws.