News We're Following
Here we share the news stories we’ve found that matter to Blueridge residents in one way or another. Each month these are included in the latest issue of the Blueridge Bulletin as well, our subscription email.
Also note that sometimes we track major stories in other places. At such times they will be linked on our homepage.
If you have a news story to suggest, please submit it to bulletin@blueridgeca.org and we’ll take a look. Thank you!
Current Stories:
- North Shore Mayors Call for Increased Transit Spending
- DNV Shares Tips to Keep Bears Away from Our Homes and Garbage
- North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance Pushes Candidates on Wastewater Plant
- Province Pauses Main Street Lane Changes – drainage work will go ahead, but “Further consultation will occur before the project proceeds with paving and line marking changes, which are scheduled for spring 2025.”
- Another Reminder: Winter Tires Now Required on Most BC Highways
Published in the October 2024 Blueridge Bulletin:
- Earthquake Wakes Up the Neighbourhood on Sept 26
- Seasonal Pay Parking has Started in Some DNV Parks – DNV residents can apply for a pass
- Local Bears Enter Hyperphagia – they’re eating everything they can before hibernation – keep your garbage secure! The DNV has information as well.
- UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) Clearing Continues
- COVID Surge Continues – and the impacts are severe
- Provincial Election
- List of North Shore All Candidate Meetings – if you can’t get to ours on Oct 8 (see our homepage) this list has at least two North Shore-Wide meetings to attend instead
- How to Vote in the Provincial Election
- Main Street Access to Ironworkers Bridge
- CBC Picks Up The Story
- Good news! This change appears to have been delayed until at least the spring of 2025. This information was announced by Councillor Muri on her Facebook page and in the change.org petition mentioned in the article below.
- Petition Created to Oppose Main St Changes
- Concern Over MOTI Planned Change to SB Ironworkers Bridge Access – if implemented, this could make it very difficult to get to Blueridge at times
- TransLink Funding
- North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant
- West Vancouver Finds Way for Residents to Defer Wastewater Plant Charges
- Maybe a Positive Development in the NSWWTP Saga (Kirk LaPointe Opinion)
- Metro Vancouver Rethinking Approach to Iona Wastewater Plant in Light of North Shore Plant Debacle
- Over 100 Mayors and Councillors Meet to Discuss NSWWTP – This article provides links to additional information from Metro Vancouver. See our page about this project for our link collection.
- Questions About the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant at Metro Vancouver Meeting (video)
- Retired Judge Hired to Drive Wastewater Plant Review
- Overview of Sewer and Water Projects Coming to Metro Vancouver – the North Shore Wastewater Plant is far from the most expensive item facing the region
- DNV Councillor Catherine Pope Again Calls for Provincial Public Inquiry into the Wastewater Plant Project
- Chemtrade Chlorine Plant
- HandyDART Strike
- HandyDART Strike Ends
- Talks Resume on Thursday, Sept 12
- HandyDART Workers ask TransLink to Intervene
- Talks Stall Until Sept 12
- Mediation Begins
- HandyDART Strike Begins – service still available for certain medical appointments
Published in the September 2024 Blueridge Bulletin:
- Cell Phones Banned in All BC Schools – starting this fall
- Maplewood Complex Approved – more details from the North Shore News; the Blueridge Bulletin covered this in the July 2024 issue
- Some Unhappy With New Bike Lanes on Parkway
- Metro Vancouver Board Approves Audit of Wastewater Plant
- Harmony Arts Festival – August 2 – 11
- Get Some “Shady” Advice – about plants!
- Translink
- Canada’s Public Transit Needs Help – the funding issues go way beyond TransLink
- Possible TransLink Cuts an “Existential Crisis” – while the article is prompted by Delta’s reaction, Blueridge and the DNV would be similarly impacted
- Junior League Baseball
- Mount Seymour Little League to Represent Canada at Junior World Series! – locals score big
- Game schedule: https://www.littleleague.org/world-series/2024/jlbws/tournaments/world-series/#schedule
- Bracket: https://www.littleleague.org/world-series/2024/jlbws/bracket/
- Game History:
- On August 4 they defeated Australia 6 – 2
- On August 5 they defeated Mexico 3 – 2
- On August 8 they lost to the Asia-Pacific team 0-13
- On August 9 they lost to the Latin America region team 0-15
- This was a fantastic effort, and though they didn’t make it all the way to the top, they are among the top six teams in the world this year! Congratulations!
- North Shore News article tells the story
- COVID
- COVID Remains a Crisis – 1 in 52 British Columbians currently infected with COVID in early August
- Got a “Summer Cold”? It May be COVID
- Wildfire Season
- Campfire Ban Lifted in Our Area on Aug 28 – but larger fires, fireworks, and sky lanterns remain banned
- August Rains Reduce Wildfire Count – but “we’re still in the core of our wildfire season”
- August Rains Help, but the Dangers Change – firefighters at risk from damaged trees
- Pemberton Fire Continues to Grow – about 700 hectares on Aug 15
- DNV Fire Warns of Fire Risk in our Forests
- More Lightning Started Fires Near Whistler
- Birkenhead Lake Park Near Whistler Closed Due To Fire
- Lightning Starts Multiple Fires Near Pemberton and Whistler
- Watch Those Cigarette Butts – fines are possible if you carelessly dispose of them
- More Dry Lightning Expected in Early August
- Wildfire Risk Rises with the Return of Hot, Dry Weather
Published in the August 2024 Blueridge Bulletin:
- Province Tells West Vancouver to Conform With Housing Rules. DNV’s response to SSMUH appears to be acceptable.
- Massive TransLink Service Cuts Possible in 2026 – changes would eliminate 214 service completely, and possibly all buses on Mt. Seymour Parkway; there are many articles on this issue – this one is the most detailed found so far
- More DNV Committee Positions Open Up – seven committees looking for volunteers
- North Shore Keeping Rescuers Busy – keep safe out there!
- Off Leash Dog Kills Another Canine – a reminder to please keep your dogs leashed
- Free Air Conditioners Available for Those Who Qualify
- Urban Repurpose – Saving Treasure from the Dump
- CBC News Video – Why You Should Naturalize Your Lawn – worth thinking about as we enter the summer dry season
- COVID
- Bonnie Henry Ends COVID-19 Public Health Emergency – and all associated public health orders
- Unvaccinated Healthcare Workers Can Be Rehired – but all healthcare workers must report vaccination status for seven diseases
- Bears
- Four Bear Calls in One Night – keep your garbage secure!
- Bear Shot in Deep Cove – after biting resident
- DNV Earns Bear Smart Community Designation
- Wildfire Season
- Get a free wildfire risk assessment of your home. More information from the DNV, or sign up at the FireSmart website.
- Wildfire Season Worsens – 58,000 lightning strikes in BC in late July!
- Over 300 Fires Burning in BC
- Wildfire Map
- Current Local Fire Ban – nearly all burning is banned in most of BC, including campfires and fireworks
- Heatwave has BC Firefighters on Alert and Staffing Up
- Campfire Ban Begins July 12, 2024
- Heatwave Means More Fire Crews
- Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Metro’s Audit Going Forward – auditor not yet selected
- Councillors Call for New Metro Van Chair to Step Aside – controversy over auditor recommendation continues
- Metro Van Chair Recommends and then Backs Away From Wastewater Plant Auditor
- Details on Single Bid for Iona Wastewater Plant Preliminary Design – currently estimated at $9.9 billion, how this plant will get paid for could affect us here
- Design of New Iona Treatment Plant Gets Started – if you thought the North Shore plant was expensive, this one is much more
- Metro Vancouver CAO Defends His Record
- North Shore Neighbourhoods Alliance Calls For More Cost Sharing and Audit
- Premier Calls for Audit of Sewage Plant, but There is No Local Government Auditor
Published in the July 2024 Blueridge Bulletin:
- Speed Limit Reduced to 50 KPH on Mount Seymour Parkway
- Wood Burning Fireplaces Must Be Registered by Sept 2025
- Researching the Big One – new information about the Cascadia Subduction Zone
- Fire Season is Coming
- Draft DNV 2023 Annual Report Released
- DNV Urban Canopy Project Returns – get free plants
- Development Proposed on Mt Seymour Parkway – just east of the golf course
- BC Hydro Introduces Time Of Use Power – this might save you money if you can move power use to the right time of day
- New Road Rules In Effect – to protect pedestrians and cyclists
- New Study Shows Options and Usage of Ironworkers Bridge Replacement
- Pay Parking Coming to More DNV Parks – this passed at July 3 DNV Council meeting. DNV residents can get a pass allowing free parking at any of the four DNV parks with paid parking for $10. Note that time limits still apply.
- Initial Report from the North Shore Daily Post
- A deeper analysis from the North Shore News
- Transit
- DNV Zoning Changes and Provincial Housing Legislation
- See this page for our ongoing coverage
- DNV Council Changes Direction at June 3 Meeting
- North Shore News Article Discussing the Same Meeting
- This bylaw was adopted at the June 17 DNV Council meeting
- Analysis from the North Shore News
- Analysis from the Vancouver Sun
- Metro Vancouver Rejects Major Cost Sharing on Sewage Plant Overrun – New formula means North Shore residents will now pay an additional $590 per year, rather then the previously forecast $725 per year.
- Calls for Metro Vancouver Board to be Elected
- Call for Inquiry into Wastewater Plan Rejected in New Westminster – as worries about Iona wastewater plant costs increase
- Concerns About Metro Vancouver’s Management of Large Projects Continue
- Seven Politicians Call for Audit of Wastewater Plant Costs
- Timeline of the Wastewater Plant Project So Far
- Metro Vancouver Announces Independent Audit of Wastewater Plant Expenses
- CNV Mayor Linda Buchanan Says Proposed Audit Inadequate
- Call for Federal Audit of Wastewater Plant Expenses
- Coalition of Community Associations Takes on Wastewater Plant Expenses
- New Metro Vancouver Chair Continues with Review; No Audit Planned
- Rapid Transit to the North Shore
Published in the June 2024 Blueridge Bulletin:
- Provincial Short Term Rental Rules Now In Effect – DNV specific rules still
coming - Updated Phibbs Exchange Reopens – making bus transit better on the North Shore
- Wildlife and Cars – we all need to slow down
- Metro Vancouver Considers Alternate Payment Options for North Shore Wastewater Plant
- Search and Rescue: North Shore – the second season of this show started on May 28
- Did the Lower Lynn Project Improve Traffic Flow? – it’s complicated
- Speed Limit to Drop on Mt Seymour Pkwy
- Chlorine Production at Chemtrade Facility
- Chemtrade Wants to Continue Chlorine Production – this plant was the site of the false alarm chlorine leak in December 2023
- New Hazard Maps Shed Light on Maplewood Development Risk – with multiple serious hazards including possible industrial accidents, extensive development here poses questions
- Catalytic Converter Thefts
- Catalytic Converter Thefts Increase in North Van – the good news: Blueridge is not listed as impacted at this time
- Thieves May Be Targeting Hyundais
- Heat Pumps
- Heat Pump Information from the DNV – if you are looking into updating your home heating and air conditioning
- Heat Pump Rebates Going Up
- Schools