*Tentative first buds on a red huckleberry bush in Greenwood Park in the City of North Vancouver. Photo: Heather Drugge*

Spring is almost here, and it's been busy on the Shore. Between budget decisions, housing debates, traffic violence and the ongoing debate about pay parking, there's no shortage of things to discuss. Thanks for being here, Martyn, Heather and Duncan.

*Lynn Peak from Inter River Park. Photo: Heather Drugge*

Want to make a difference on the North Shore? Now's the time.

Municipal elections are coming in October 2026 — and Better North Shore is looking for candidates ready to champion housing, transportation choice, and climate action in the City and District of North Vancouver. We're hosting a potential candidate town hall on May 13th to help prospective candidates introduce themselves to our community of engaged North Shore residents and connect with volunteers for their campaigns.

Thinking of running? Apply by April 6th to be considered for the town hall. This is open to new candidates only — not currently elected officials. Send a note to 📧 hello@betternorthshore.ca

Already serving or have served on council? We'd love to have you as a mentor. Past and incumbent progressive councillors and mayors are invited to share their experience and take part in a Q&A with prospective candidates.

Whether you're ready to put your name forward or just exploring the idea, get in touch — we'd love to hear from you. 📧 hello@betternorthshore.ca

Cool new stuff

**NEW! Civic Searchlight tool**
Search transcripts of municipal meetings across Canada to find discussions on topics that matter to you. The transcripts are based on the video recordings from each municipality. You can search by keyword, and Searchlight finds the words and the actual video clip they were in. You can then download or export the transcripts.

**Food delivery robots?**
The City of North Vancouver is considering food delivery robots. The bots would follow sidewalks within a 2.5km radius from restaurants. In an area where on-street parking is difficult, maybe the delivery bots are a good idea? This North Shore News editorial asked the right question: Do we want food delivery robots on our streets? *Photo: Serve Robotics*

Traffic violence

It was a grim start to 2026 for pedestrians negotiating North Shore streets with some disturbing hit-and-runs:

Highland Boulevard. A woman was injured by a hit-and-run driver after being struck in a crosswalk on Highland Boulevard. The driver briefly slowed before driving off. Our thoughts: Highland is a wide, overbuilt road, offering little reason for drivers to follow speed limits and little protection for people crossing. It needs serious traffic calming and crossing flashers at key intersections.
Five Corners at 3rd and Bewicke. A woman in a wheelchair was struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing southbound at 3rd Street and Bewicke. Our thoughts: This intersection, where five corners meet, makes navigation for all users challenging. How about an ‘all-way walk’ phase that stops vehicles in all directions and allows pedestrians to cross any way they like? This could reduce the risk of a driver hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Crosswalk negligence: A North Vancouver girl was awarded $3.6 million for injuries suffered in a 2015 crosswalk collision on Braemar Road. The judge found the District of North Vancouver 70% responsible, citing the municipality's negligence in failing to clear vegetation that obscured sightlines. These incidents reinforce what we keep saying: our streets need to be designed and maintained for the safety of all users, not just drivers. The $3.6M crosswalk ruling should be a wake-up call for every municipality on the North Shore, and across BC.

*Signs of spring. Magnolia starting to bloom. Photo: Ghislaine Courcelles*

Service Impact Statements and the District of North Vancouver budget

This is the first time I’ve noticed the District has made service impact statements, detailing the consequence of budget reductions from the initial staff estimate of a 7.5% tax hike down to 3.5%. The statements are a welcome addition to the budgeting process! You can find the impact statements by division in the Agenda for the council workshop on March 9th here.

They make me think that the process should be revisited. The statements should come before any decision to keep the hike at 3.5%, so council could debate the merits of various reductions over others. The 3.5% target appears to have been set by council direction first, with staff then working backwards to find the cuts — rather than staff presenting service-level trade-offs and council weighing the options and choosing among them. I’m hoping that next year, this process will be reversed and we’ll see a healthy discussion weighing the pros and cons of specific cuts vs. tax increases before determining a final tax rate.

Community events

City of North Vancouver Town Hall on new Official Community Plan changes

📅 Wednesday, April 1st, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m

📍John Braithwaite Community Centre (Shoreline Room)

*The light blue bubbles indicate 400 M within a frequent transit network. This is where sixplexes will be allowed. Source: January 26th Regular Agenda Council Meeting Package*

In November 2025, the Province of British Columbia enacted Bill 25, new housing legislation that allows more property owners in the city to add more housing units to their lots over time, including in the city’s heritage areas.

To comply with Bill 25, the City is preparing bylaw ammendments that:

Allow up to 6 housing units per lot in areas with 400 metres of a frequent transit bus stop
Remove minimum on-site parking requirements in those areas, and
Replace all remaining single-detached and duplex zones with zoning that allows 3, 4, or 6 units of housing.

This is an opportunity to learn about proposed OCP and Zoning Bylaw changes and ask questions. Find out more >

Invasive plant pull in Tempe Heights Park‍ ‍

Please wear closed-toe sturdy shoes (preferably with ankle protection), dress for the weather – Possibility of rain, so dress in layers and appropriate rain gear. Bring a water bottle and mug. We will have water and cups at the event, but please bring your own if you have one. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring your own gloves if you have some. We have extras if you don’t.

📅 Date: Saturday, March 21st 9:00 a.m.

📍Tempe Heights Park 2650 Tempe Knoll Drive

Where on the Shore?

*The first person to send us an email with the location of this pup will receive a Better North Shore T-shirt. (Past winners are ineligible)* *hello@betternorthshore.ca* *Photo: Ghislaine Courcelles*

Want to get more involved with Better North Shore? We’ve created a private chat server—a collaborative space to organize, exchange ideas, and work together to make the North Shore better. If you’d like to get more involved, please join our Discord server. Join using this invite link.

If this newsletter and our stories resonate with you and your values, please forward to a few friends, and suggest they join our email list. We're building a group of like-minded people who want to see the North Shore positively embrace and manage the many changes we face. Thanks, we really appreciate it.

March 2026 on the Shore

Want to make a difference on the North Shore? Now's the time.