May 2026 on the Shore
Mahon Park blooming with activity. Photo: Duncan Wilcock
District of North Vancouver facilities get a failing grade
At the May 11 council meeting workshop, staff presented an update on district-owned buildings. It’s no big surprise to learn that the district's 100+ civic buildings are in overall "Poor'“ physical condition. Many buildings were built in the 70’s and are aging, the maintenance backlog is growing, and maintenance costs are escalating. Several buildings no longer meet functional and service needs. Historical funding has been insufficient and is unsustainable in the long term. Yikes!
The gap: $754M needed over 10 years to sustain current service levels, which far exceeds available funding. Only $36M provisioned for interim repairs.
Key buildings in the worst physical condition - ‘F’ grade physical condition
#5 Norgate Firehall
McCartney Creek Park Concession & Field House
Ron Andrews Rec Centre
Little Cates Park Washrooms
Kilmer Park Field House
Inter River Park South Field House
Murdo Frazer Pitch & Putt Pro Shop
Deep Cove Cultural Centre "F" physical condition
Hendry Hall "F" physical condition
Planning for the future: This was an update, and council will hear more from staff regarding how to assess the pros and cons of rebuilding, consolidating services and funding.
Passage and Bowen Island from Lighthouse Park. Photo: Ghislaine Courcelles
Mountain Highway expansion plan
The District of North Vancouver is moving ahead with ‘improvements’ to the southern end of Mountain Highway near the Highway 1 interchange. First, the good news. The project includes multi-use paths between Highway 1 and Arborlynn Drive, closing an active transportation gap since the Ministry of Transportation completed the Lower Lynn Interchange. Right now, people on bikes and on foot have to navigate a pretty hostile piece of road to make that connection.
The end of the multi-use path next to the Mountain Highway off-ramp abruptly transitions into a residential driveway and sidewalk leading toward Arborlynn Drive. Photo: Heather Drugge
Closing this gap completes a key link in our active transportation network, and we're fully behind it. And, the $1.5 M cost of the path will be covered by TransLink's Bicycle Infrastructure Capital Cost Share program. Active transportation is the right way to approach congestion.
The centrepiece of the proposal is widening Mountain Highway from three lanes to four between Highway 1 and Arborlynn Drive. We understand the reasoning. Nearly 2,000 vehicles move through this corridor during peak hours and congestion is real. But here's the thing: we've seen this movie before, and it never really ends the way you want. Lane widening temporarily relieves congestion, then generates new demand to fill the new capacity, a phenomenon transportation researchers call induced demand. Within a few years, you're back where you started, except now you have a wider, faster, more hostile road. Repeat. Just look at how the $189 M interchange project worked out.
So here's a question the council should ask before committing: what if we dedicated a bus lane on Mountain Highway instead?
Mountain Highway is a key corridor connecting Lynn Valley and Lynn Creek to Phibbs Exchange and the transit network beyond. A dedicated bus lane would make bus service faster and more reliable for everyone. That's how you shift behaviour. That's how you actually reduce congestion.
We support the multi-use pathways. We'd love to see the district think bigger about what this corridor could be.
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Community events
Repair Cafe
A Repair Café is a free community event where skilled volunteer fixers help you repair your broken items so they don’t end up in the landfill. Bring in your small appliances, electronics, clothing, bikes, laptops, and more. Together, we’ll do our best to get them working again.
📅Date: May 24, 9 am - 1 pm
📍Where: Lynn Valley Library
Bring the kids, invite your friends, and join us for a joyful, low-stress neighbourhood bike ride made especially for families with young children!
Decorate your bikes, scooters, or trailers with balloons, streamers, and anything fun—this is all about creativity, laughter, and making memories together.
We’ll gather at Queen Mary Playground, ride at a relaxed, kid-friendly pace along the bike path around Victoria Park, loop past the school, cruise down Jones Ave, and finish with a celebration at Mahon Park Playground—with cake for all finishers!
This is a short, easy ride (about 15–20 minutes) with lots of support along the way. Whether your child is just learning or already zooming ahead, they’ll fit right in.
📅Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 5:30 PM-6:00 PM
📍Where: Meet @ Queen Mary School Playground 230 W Keith Rd
Community Climate Connections
📅Date: Tuesday, June 9, 1:30 - 3:00 PM
📍Where: Lynn Valley Library
How to have a Sustainable Summer!?
What does it look like to make sustainable choices over the summer? Do you have ideas to share? We've got a few and would love to hear from participants about what they are choosing to do to live more lightly on the earth. From buying local and growing food to clothesline drying, let's share some summer solutions!
Public input opportunities
New City of North Vancouver: Parks and Public Spaces Plan
The city is seeking public input on a new parks and public spaces plan. Parks and public spaces come in many different shapes and sizes. They range from large natural areas to urban plazas to narrow laneways between buildings. These are places where we play, relax, spend time in nature, meet friends, connect with community, and move through the City. As we grow, public spaces become more important. Learn more and have your say at one of these events, or online at LetsTalk.
Pop-up @ Mahon Park
📅Date: May 18, 2026 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
📍Where: Mahon Park
Pop-up@ Public Works Open House
📅Date: May 23, 2026 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
📍Where: City of North Vancouver Operations Centre, 61 Bewicke Avenue
District of North Vancouver: Nature and Biodiversity Strategy
Many residents choose to live in the District because of its unique proximity to nature. Extensive forests, streamside habitats, and coastal areas contribute to a strong community identity and deliver long-term ecosystem benefits.
These ecosystems support a wide range of plants and wildlife, help provide clean water and reduce flooding, offer shade, and provide places for people to enjoy nature. Despite our wealth of natural areas, biodiversity is under growing pressure from habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and increased recreational use.
Join us for a 40-minute presentation, followed by Q&A and discussion with staff about the draft Nature and Biodiversity Strategy.
📅Date: Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
📍Where: Lynn Valley Library, Community Room
Blue Heron Photo: Ghislaine Courcelles
District of West Vancouver: Committee volunteers wanted
The District of West Vancouver is accepting applications for committee and board members. If you are a West Vancouver resident interested in contributing to the future of our beloved community, we have great volunteer opportunities for you to get involved.
Deadline for applications is Sunday, May 31.
Where on the Shore?
The first person to send us an email with the location of this overlook 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 safe space to organize, exchange ideas, and work on making 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 this 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.
