North Shore Updates

[jollyburger]

Doth protest a bit too much.

West Vancouver councillor issued a 24-hour roadside suspension

West Vancouver Coun. Christine Cassidy, who is also vice-chairperson of the district’s police board, has acknowledged she was recently given a 24-hour roadside suspension.

Under B.C. law, a 24-hour prohibition is issued when a police officer has reasonable grounds to believe a person’s ability to drive is affected by alcohol or drugs. The person must surrender their licence and a notice of the prohibition is sent to ICBC.

Postmedia News reached out to Cassidy for comment after a source said Cassidy had an encounter with police on the evening of Nov. 18.

According to the source, whom Postmedia has agreed not to identify, a member of the public contacted authorities after seeing someone they believed was intoxicated leave the Earls restaurant at Ambleside Beach. The caller provided a description of the vehicle and a licence plate number.

Reached by phone, Cassidy confirmed a police officer approached her after she arrived home while she was parked in front of her house.

“I got a 24-hour suspension and no more,” she said.

She said she informed Mayor Mark Sager about it the next day, but insisted it was a “nothing story.”

Cassidy said she and Sager discussed the incident with a lawyer “because I was very concerned, because I have a very clean driving record.”

Cassidy said she had two five-ounce glasses of wine over three hours while at Earls that night. She insisted: “I was not walking unsteadily” and that the person who called authorities “should try walking in a pair of high heels.”

Cassidy suggested staff at Earls restaurant had targeted her because she told a waiter she saw mice “scurrying up the wall.” She also said the restaurant had failed a health inspection.

“Yes, yes, I was targeted. There’s no question about it,” Cassidy said.

Earls management said staff didn’t make a call to police. For liability reasons, the restaurant has a protocol that includes a WhatsApp chat and verbal communication when police are called on customers who have been over-served, and they had no record of that happening.

They also said the only inspection issue came from a leak in their wine fridge, which was repaired and certified by the inspectors.

However, Vancouver Coastal Health inspection reports published online show that on Aug. 5 a routine inspection found “signs of rodent activity.” The same signs were found during another routine inspection on Nov. 14 and during a followup inspection on Nov. 20.

Postmedia tried over several days for comment from West Van police. However, emails and calls to Chief John Lo and spokeswoman Suzanne Birch weren’t returned.

Sager said late last week he hadn’t heard of any incident involving Cassidy and declined to comment until he had more details. He hasn’t responded to followup inquiries.

Cassidy served on West Van council from 2014 to 2018, ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2018 and was re-elected to council in 2022. Cassidy was appointed to the West Vancouver police board in April 2024 after Sager vacated his position on the board.

The police board is a civilian body that, according to its website, is responsible for establishing policies and priorities that set direction for the police department, provide financial oversight for the department, and handle complaints against the department. It also has disciplinary authority for complaints against the chief.

Graham McIsaac, chair of the West Van police board, said he couldn’t comment “because all of that is confidential information. … It’s a private matter.”

He suggested Postmedia “look up Section 215 of the act.”

Asked which act he was referring to, he said: “I’m not going to discuss it with you further. You do your own research.”

Under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, Section 215 relates to 24-hour prohibitions. The section states that a notice of prohibition can be issued “if the peace officer has reasonable grounds to believe that a driver’s ability to drive a motor vehicle is affected by alcohol.”

Asked if he believed this was a matter for the police board to address, McIsaac said: “I cannot comment.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news...lor-issued-a-24-hour-roadside-suspension

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Vancouver_Highrise

It’s lasqueti island

Sorry, but how would that be possible? A straight line drawn on Google Maps, from the photo location in West Vancouver to the centre of Lasqueti Island, passes north of Lighthouse Park and through Bowen and Pasley Island.

[madog222]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

Sorry, but how would that be possible? A straight line drawn on Google Maps, from the photo location in West Vancouver to the centre of Lasqueti Island, passes north of Lighthouse Park and through Bowen and Pasley Island.

Notch Hill in Nanoose Bay checks out.

[madog222]

^Actually, Nanoose Bay doesn’t check out after looking at an earth curvature calculator.

I now believe what you’re looking at is the hill north of Cameron Lake at 49°18'30"N 124°38'49"W.

That hill is 900m tall and an earth curvature calculator shows a 755m drop at that distance.

[jollyburger]

Yeah it's probably Mount Wesley at 906m.... to the left is Mount Arrowsmith/Cokely at 1600-1800m. Behind Bowen Island I guess Mount Hal at 1487m might sort of visible at certain points.

PeakVisor has a pretty good website to spot mountain ranges (if you aren't using the app)

https://peakvisor.com/panorama.html?lat=...alt=11&yaw=-89.67&pitch=-0.16&hfov=10.39

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by madog222

^Actually, Nanoose Bay doesn’t check out after looking at an earth curvature calculator.

I now believe what you’re looking at is the hill north of Cameron Lake at 49°18'30"N 124°38'49"W.

That hill is 900m tall and an earth curvature calculator shows a 755m drop at that distance.

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Yeah it's probably Mount Wesley at 906m.... to the left is Mount Arrowsmith/Cokely at 1600-1800m. Behind Bowen Island I guess Mount Hal at 1487m might sort of visible at certain points.

PeakVisor has a pretty good website to spot mountain ranges (if you aren't using the app)

https://peakvisor.com/panorama.html?lat=...alt=11&yaw=-89.67&pitch=-0.16&hfov=10.39

Thanks for the input, detectives; those are some nifty websites!

[jollyburger]

When Suncor wants to build more housing, West Vancouver city council wants to protect some gas station.

A former mid-century gas station along Marine Drive may be facing demolition.

West Vancouver council voted Dec. 1 to place a 60-day temporary protection order on the property at 2196 Marine Dr., site of several former businesses such as the Pacific 66 Station, a Petro-Canada and, most recently, an OK Tire auto service centre.

Suncor, the property owner, has requested a demolition permit for the now-vacant building. Suncor is set to discuss development options with district staff.

According to a staff report, a local government may order temporary protection for a property if the building is or may be a heritage property.

Susan Walker, vice-president of North Shore Heritage, shared with council the site has historical value. Walker said the building, built in 1965, is one of the last surviving mid-century modern gas stations in Canada, noting architectural details such as its folded plate roof, clerestory windows and caramel-coloured stone veneer.

North Shore Heritage proposed re-purposing the station into a cafe with EV charging stations. The cafe idea has been successful, with Walker referencing Isetta Cafe, which was a former Chevron station, and a Montreal gas station that was transformed into a community centre.


“The Pacific 66 Station can join this lineage, revitalizing our neighbourhood, reducing waste and celebrating history,” Walker said.

James Todd, principal of JTA Development Consultants representing Suncor, said that while the company appreciates the district's commitment to heritage stewardship, they believe the temporary protection order is unjustified because delaying remediation work poses safety, security, and environmental risks.

He said removing an underground oil tank on the property and building removal to access contaminated soil beneath the slab are some of the remediation work they must do.

“Delaying demolition even for 60 days creates very real challenges to meet regulatory timelines,” Todd said.

Mayor Mark Sager questioned whether remediation could be done without destroying the building, but Todd responded that contamination around and under the building made it impossible, estimating the work would take 12 to 18 months.


Todd argued that demolishing the site, which is near multi-family buildings and the West Vancouver Community Centre, presents an opportunity to create more housing and strengthen transit in line with the municipality's Official Community Plan.

Sager said the temporary protection order gives an opportunity for the owner to see if there are any creative solutions that would preserve the building.

Coun. Christine Cassidy said she supports the temporary protection, but raised concerns about its timing during the holiday season.

“It’s 60 days, 30 of which are the month of December, when most people are just getting ready for Christmas,” Cassidy said. “So it’s kind of a zero month for the building community, and it’s 30 days after which everybody is recovering from Christmas.”

“I don’t think everything has to be subject to the bulldozer, so I am happy to give a 60-day [pause] on proceeding,” she added.

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-v...-former-mid-century-gas-station-11614021

[jollyburger]

Lower Lynn project that was submitted in Jan 2025

Forum Asset Management

1578-1590 Hunter Street
The application as submitted proposes 485 student housing units in a 24-storey building, with parking for 20 vehicles (one accessible stall) and 385 bicycles.

https://www.dnv.org/business-development/1578-1590-hunter-street

In 2023 it was going to be a 6 storey development from Lotus though they still seem to be involved going by the update rendering of the new tower on their website.

https://www.northshoredailypost.com/89-u...sed-on-hunter-street-in-north-vancouver/

[PROSTSHOCKER]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

When Suncor wants to build more housing, West Vancouver city council wants to protect some gas station.



https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-v...-former-mid-century-gas-station-11614021

What a shame.. It's rare to find anything midcentury modern up here and its not even a remarkable example of it. Not to mention that its appearance seems to be diminished from past renovations to the Pacific 66 facade... ambivalent about it's loss, but here's hoping that the condo replacing it could at least take a stylistic nod to what was lost.

[djmk]

hopefully those 385 bicycles are electric. Thats quite the hill going up to CapU

[logan5]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

When Suncor wants to build more housing, West Vancouver city council wants to protect some gas station.



https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-v...-former-mid-century-gas-station-11614021

West Vancouver is dense enough. Look it all those giant towers by Ambleside. Let other cities like Vancouver take on the growing pains of accommodating the growing population.

Has West Van accepted the provincial legislation? It's the end of 2025, so the Province is going to step in and write laned use policy for them. Fools. I hope the Province makes an example out of West Vancouver.

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by PROSTSHOCKER

What a shame.. It's rare to find anything midcentury modern up here and its not even a remarkable example of it. Not to mention that its appearance seems to be diminished from past renovations to the Pacific 66 facade... ambivalent about it's loss, but here's hoping that the condo replacing it could at least take a stylistic nod to what was lost.

Agreed. The old gas station on Marine Drive that Thomas turned into Isetta was (and is!) a much better example of MCM on the North Shore.

[GMD]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

When Suncor wants to build more housing, West Vancouver city council wants to protect some gas station.



https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-v...-former-mid-century-gas-station-11614021

Absurd. Feel like the Province should just take over West Van entirely

[mcj]

Originally Posted by djmk

hopefully those 385 bicycles are electric. Thats quite the hill going up to CapU

Or take the bus at the stop right outside!

[jozero]

Both Heritage Eatery (upscale chinese take out) and Le Coq Frit (deep fried chicken) opened up at the Quay

Now that that the Food Court is mostly open, minus the open air "get a beer" place, I have to say the place has a strange vibe - but it could just be the lack of folks given its mid January. They massively reduced the amount of vendors, or at least thats what it feels like

I really hope every vendor does well and it starts getting busy, it's unfortunate they missed the rush of the Christmas market.

The Food Court has definitely gone more upscale. For sure all food has gone up in price, but it feels less like a "I'm going to grab supper after work for $15" food court, and more of a "This meal is going to cost me $25 to $40, maybe I'll just go to a restaurant" type food court


Has anyone tried the Tokyo Wagyu Works place? I've yet to pull the trigger on a ~ $30 bowl

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by jozero

The Food Court has definitely gone more upscale. For sure all food has gone up in price, but it feels less like a "I'm going to grab supper after work for $15" food court, and more of a "This meal is going to cost me $25 to $40, maybe I'll just go to a restaurant" type food court

I had a $6 empanada there on the weekend it was great.

[jozero]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I had a $6 empanada there on the weekend it was great.

Somewhat ironically that place is no longer in the foodcourt

I did exaggerate a bit mind you, Heritage has $14 1 item Chinese food plates, and Le Coq Grit burger is like $16

[jozero]

Quay was hopping at the Mainstay opening on Saturday. I am happy to eat crow (and some delicious chicken and dim sum) ! Get some food, grab a beer. They even had some music.

While it would be nice to have more food court options, there are still two stalls that need to be filled. I'm sure if the sheer amount of folks keep showing up they will be filled in no time

Great to see it all open !!

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by jozero

Quay was hopping at the Mainstay opening on Saturday. I am happy to eat crow (and some delicious chicken and dim sum) ! Get some food, grab a beer. They even had some music.

While it would be nice to have more food court options, there are still two stalls that need to be filled. I'm sure if the sheer amount of folks keep showing up they will be filled in no time

Great to see it all open !!

That's great to hear. I was surprised when they announced the Mainstay was opening, we were walking by 4 weeks ago and it looked like it was still a ways off from being finished. We hope to drop by when we have a spare moment!

[RedArbutus]

CNV is still projecting that the Harbour Swimming Deck will be open in 2027, but they're not anticipating construction starting now until Q4 2026.