July
Council approves Edgemont seniors housing
District of North Vancouver council narrowly approved the three-storey Edgemont Seniors Living facility despite outcry from residents who said the 115-unit complex would dwarf surrounding rancher-style homes.
Mayor Richard Walton cast the deciding vote.
"If my father had been able to spend the last three or four years of his life, and my mother, at Edgemont, they would've had the world open to them," he said.
School for sale
The North Vancouver school board voted to sell Ridgeway Annex to a property developer for roughly $5.1 million.
The board made the decision over opposition from Trustee Susan Skinner who argued the sale would set a precedent.
August
West Van's data breached
Thousands of West Vancouverites who use the district's website to pay bills may have had their personal information compromised.
A server containing names, addresses and bank account numbers was breached, but none of the information was copied elsewhere, according to the district.
Crime rates drop
Crime rates in the districts of North and West Vancouver were approximately half the provincial average, according to Statistics Canada.
Illegal activity was more common in the City of North Vancouver, but still nearly 15 per cent below B.C.'s average.
Crime rates dropped in all three municipalities from the previous year.
TransLink's Compass plan will penalize some riders
Bus riders tried to put the brakes on a TransLink program that will leave some commuters paying two fares where they used to pay one.
Riders with a Compass card can tap past fare gates at SkyTrain and SeaBus terminals, but bus tickets will not be recognized.
Calling the program "absurd," transit user Glyn Lewis garnered more than 7,000 signatures in an online petition opposing the program.
New riding confirmed
Residents in North Vancouver's Seymour area and North Burnaby will be voting for the same candidates in the next federal election.
Because its population exceeded the electoral district target of 105,000, North Vancouver has been underrepresented in Parliament.
The "bullheaded" decision joins two disparate communities, according to Burnaby-Douglas New Democrat MP Kennedy Stewart.
"Perhaps it would have been good for (the federal electoral boundaries commission) to take a bus ride from North Vancouver to North Burnaby and see for themselves how easy it is to make that trip," he said.
West Van takes homeowner to court
West Vancouver homeowners whose alleged defiance of a stop-work order caused a landslide that dumped sediment into fish-bearing Rodgers Creek may face charges in court.
The district accused the Chelsea Close residents of 56 bylaw violations, potentially costing Mohammadreza Morshedian and Seyedeh Janani $560,000.
September
Pet clinic closure shocks owners
Citing red ink in the books, Capilano Pet Hospital closed after more than 50 years of treating animals.
Its deteriorating building prohibited good care, according to Michael Neumann regional operations director in B.C. for Associate Veterinary Clinics.
The news came less than one year after the employees unionized.
"There is no reason in terms of profitability or efficiency. .. that would suggest that the business should close," said union representative Heather Lee.
B.C.'s oil spill readiness challenged
B.C. can't handle an oil spill, according to Ministry of Environment documents obtained through a freedom of information request.
"Even a moderate sized spill would overwhelm the province's ability to respond," stated the document, part of minister Mary Polak's briefing book.
Northwest Passage by rowboat
In the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean, four men in a rowboat attempted a first: navigating the Northwest Passage by human power in a single season.
The team's 1,900 kilometre rowboat odyssey was only possible because the Arctic is warming at nearly twice the global average, according to team member and North Shore News columnist Kevin Vallely.
"Fifteen or 20 years ago you'd need a steel-hulled icebreaker to get across," he said.
After making it approximately two-thirds of the way from Inuvik to Pond Inlet, rough weather put an end to the trip.
North Van OKs residential school monument
The City of North Vancouver put $10,000 toward a statue dedicated to the First Nations children taken from their families and sent to live at St. Paul's Indian Residential School.
Between 1898 and 1959, more than 2,000 First Nations children were forced into the institution, located where St. Thomas Aquinas secondary stands today.
The school was a social engineering experiment that wreaked multigenerational damage on the First Nations community, according to Coun. Guy Heywood.
The Archdiocese of Vancouver, which ran the school, should have paid for the monument, according to Heywood.
North Van Mountie penalized
A North Vancouver RCMP officer was fined $693 after blowing through a speed trap at more than 60 kilometres an hour over the limit and leading officers on a high-speed chase as a prank.
Const. Michael Milo Arbulic, previously lauded for keeping roads safe, was not initially handed a speeding ticket.
The incident ended up before a judge after being reported by a fellow officer.
CUPE wage hike paid for locally
A school strike was averted after the province gave CUPE workers a 3.5 per cent pay increase over two years; paid for by local school districts.
The deal will likely cost the North Vancouver school district $1.2 million and the West Vancouver school district $550,000.
October
Con artist jailed
A North Vancouver woman who was conned out of more than $3,000 by a smooth-talking scam artist helped put her former boyfriend in jail.
Laura Ansley joined with a group of women who all said they were wooed and duped by Wesley Devries.
Devries was sentenced to three years in jail for 13 charges of fraud and theft, including rolling away with a $6,000 bicycle during a test ride.
"We all did this together. We were powerful," Ansley said.
Shipbuilder wins contract
Seaspan's North Vancouver shipyard inked a $3.3 billion contract with the federal government to build 10 non-combat Canadian Coast Guard vessels.
The workforce will expand from fewer than 200 to more than 1,000, according to Seaspan president Brian Carter.
The deal comes in addition to the $8-billion government contract Seaspan signed in 2011.
Sea stars dying at alarming rate
Scientists are baffled over a massive die-off of sunflower sea stars in waters off West Vancouver.
The sea stars - which can grow up to two feet across - numbered in the thousands.
"They're dying everywhere," said research diver Donna Gibbs. "They're melting. Their arms fall off and their bodies turn into goo."
Greenpeace stages oilsands protest
Activists occupied Kinder Morgan's Westridge oil terminal in Burrard Inlet for more than 12 hours in an attempt to upstage Prime Minister Stephen Harper's throne speech.
Sixteen Greenpeace members chained themselves to gates and oil infrastructure, unfurling banners calling for an end to pipeline development.
Glass reef protection sought International scientists called for the conservation of glass sponge reefs found in the silica-rich waters off West Vancouver and Howe Sound.
The reefs date back to the Jurassic era and were thought to be extinct until recently.
It was like discovering "a herd of dinosaurs," said Sabine Jessen, oceans director with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
November
Amalgamation may have found a North Van champion
Unite North Van founder George Pringle announced plans to run a slate of candidates in the city and district with the sole purpose of sewing the two North Vancouvers together.
The municipalities separated in 1907 when the city hived itself off - largely for the financial interests of Lonsdale's urban corridor.
"Every issue flows out of amalgamation - and until you get amalgamation right, you can't do a proper job at addressing any other issue on the North Shore," Pringle said.
School district to pay back fees
The North Vancouver school district could be on the hook for $600,000 following a class action lawsuit over summer school fees.
Parents launched the lawsuit against 25 school districts for the cost of summer school tuition fees charged prior to 2007.
Former North Van conservative candidate sentenced
A short-time B.C. Conservative MLA candidate for the North Vancouver-Lonsdale provincial riding was handed a $1,400 fine and a one-year driving ban after pleading guilty to dangerous and impaired driving.
Jeff Sprague, who works in private security and fronts a heavy metal tribute band, was arrested in April after hitting two cars and knocking down a traffic sign in a roundabout.
B.C. Ferries announces cuts to sailings
B.C. Ferries announces plans to put an end to free rides for seniors while cutting a heap of sailings.
The crown corporation plans to downgrade service on several routes including the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay run in a bid to slash $19 million from its budget by 2016, according to Transportation Minister Todd Stone.
The cuts are compelling young people to leave island communities, according to Bowen Island mayor Jack Adelaar.
"I think they're slowly strangling Bowen Island," he said.
B.C. NDP elects Keating
Delegates from the B.C. NDP chose City of North Vancouver Coun. Craig Keating as their new party president.
Keating is charged with wiping out the party's $1.7 million election debt before gearing up for the 2017 campaign.
North Shore will pay more for sewage
A new treatment plant may cause North Shore sewage bills to double or possibly even triple by 2030.
Lower Mainland politicians declined to share the bill on the new $700 million Lions Gate sewage treatment plant, leaving
North Shore taxpayers to pay for the first $75 million alone.
British Properties woman not guilty of human trafficking
After being accused of keeping a slave in her British Properties home, Mumtaz Ladha was acquitted when a B.C. Supreme Court Justice concluded the complainant likely made up the story to stay in Canada.
"It's the ultimate nightmare, being falsely accused of very, very serious crimes," said Eric Gottardi, Ladha's lawyer.
Six hours to contain inlet spill
An oil spill in the District of North Vancouver could go untreated for nearly six hours, according to a representative from the Western Canadian Marine Response Corporation.
"Six hours sounds like an awfully long time to build a boom at our closest beach," said Mayor Richard Walton. "That could be catastrophic."
December
North Van scraps Flamborough Head
Much to the chagrin of heritage preservationists, the City of North Vancouver bid bon voyage to a waterfront landmark.
The city scrapped the Flamborough Head - the stern of the Victory ship built at North Vancouver's Burrard Dry Dock and launched in 1944.
Council decided incamera to spend up to $250,000 to dispose of the asbestos and pigeon carcass-filled monument rather than replace the stern's corroding cradle.
"Any remnants of the maritime history of that area seem to be disappearing fast and furiously," said North Shore Heritage Preservation Society vicepresident Jennifer Clay.
Grosvenor gets Ambleside go-ahead
The most praised and protested buildings in West Vancouver's history got a green light following nearly two years of debate.
Grosvenor's six-and seven-storey towers will replace West Van's police station on the 1300-block of Marine Drive.
The development's architectural significance will help revitalize a "shantytown," according to Mayor Michael Smith.
The project created a "frustrating community dissonancy dynamic" while adding excess retail space to the neighbourhood, according to Coun. Nora Gambioli.
City stops ticketing SeaBus drop-offs
The City of North Vancouver started and then stopped ticketing drivers for dropping off passengers on the Chadwick Court roundabout by the SeaBus terminal.
The city refunded fines.
Police ID North Van murder victim
A well-known promoter of Persian cultural events on the North Shore was killed in Upper Lonsdale.
Rostam Poulad-Noshiravan, 69, was at his St. Georges Avenue home when an unknown assailant shot him in the chest.
Police are attempting to determine a motive.
Senior's death sparks questions An elderly woman suffering from dementia died of hypothermia after walking out of her Lynn Valley care home.
The B.C. Coroners Service is looking into what happened at the privatelyrun Sunrise Senior Living facility that may have led to 76-year-old Joan Warren's death.
RCMP, North Shore Rescue and hundreds of volunteers combed the forest around Lynn Canyon as temperatures dipped below freezing to search for Warren.
Squamish Nation elects new council
The Squamish Nation put five new faces on their band council while ousting several long-term members.
Transparency and poverty were two of the election's themes.
"We live in the most prosperous place in Canada, if not North America. There's no reason why we should have over 300 people on welfare right now," said Deborah Baker, who was elected to her third term.
Security boss recalls Mandela
A former head of Nelson Mandela's security detail left his North Vancouver home to pay tribute to the fallen statesman.
Etienne van Eck, a Capilano University instructor and North Vancouver resident, was the co-head of Mandela's security detail upon his election in 1994.
Mandela called van Eck in Canada when his wife died in an accident. "One of the things he said was, 'You have courage to turn this tragedy into triumph."
Pot initiative fails
Despite coming close in three North Shore ridings, pro-pot lobby group
Sensible BC didn't meet the 10 per cent threshold required from every provincial riding to force a referendum.
Many were fearful to put their John Hancock on a public document, according to organizer Michael Charrois.
"There are reasons to be fearful, but by the same token, if you live your life in fear nothing's going to get done," he said.
Uncertain future for Binning House
One of Western Canada's most important pieces of architecture may be sold by The Land Conservancy to help cover their $7.5 million in debt.
A heritage advocate, the Wall Financial Corporation, and UBC each have a stake in the B.C. Supreme Court case - which may decide the future of the touchstone of West Coast modernism.
The home must be preserved, according to architecture journalist Adele Weder.
"All the artists and architects in the region were inspired by Binning's house, like a cipher of Rosetta Stone," she said.
