Latest news with #Squamish
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Vancouver council approves amended plan for Granville Street revitalization
A plan to revitalize Vancouver's Granville Entertainment District was passed by city council Wednesday, with a number of amendments. The Granville Street Plan was developed to address neighbourhood issues such as vacant storefronts and 'street disorder concerns,' according to a staff report. 'It's about creating a vibrant, fun space and supporting the local businesses, restaurants, and venues that bring it to life,' said Mayor Ken Sim, in a statement. 'Granville has long been an iconic part of our downtown core, and we're committed to making it thrive again.' Over 20 years, the city's plan would see Granville transformed into a year-round pedestrian zone stretching across the downtown core. It would also be split into three distinct areas: an 'entertainment core' focused on culture and nightlife, a 'city centre' with mixed-used residential developments and a public plaza for events, and a quieter 'bridgehead' area connecting Granville with nearby neighbourhoods. Council first voted to develop a revitalization program for Granville back in 2023, launching an engagement process that included feedback from businesses, residents, community organizations and the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Some of the amendments added to the plan before it was passed Wednesday involved exploring options for two-way cycling access, and the potential for an 'attended indoor bike parkade.' Another amendment required that staff engage with the city's disability community, to ensure the final designs 'maximize accessibility, including but not limited to ensuring that curbs and stairs are avoided when possible.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Drone flown ‘dangerously close' to rescue helicopter in Squamish
Search and rescue volunteers in Squamish say a drone came close to interfering with their efforts to get an injured hiker to safety on May 31, 2025. (Image credit: Facebook/ssarteam) Squamish Search and Rescue is reminding people that flying drones in provincial parks is prohibited, after a close call during a rescue this weekend. Volunteers were called to First Peak in Stawamus Chief Provincial Park Saturday to assist an injured hiker, according to a social media post. 'Given the steep terrain, several members were flown in with the support of Blackcomb Helicopters, and the subject was long line evacuated,' the Facebook post said. 'During the rescue, a drone was flown dangerously close to our team and the helicopter—between loads. It only moved after being signaled to leave the area.' The province only allows drones to be operated in its parks with explicit permission – which is rarely granted. 'Drone use causes noise pollution, disturbs wildlife, and can invade the privacy of other park users. It may also disrupt emergency activities, putting wildlife, park visitors, and B.C. Parks staff at significant additional risk,' according to the BC Parks website. 'Operating drones without permission is strictly illegal in all BC Parks. We appreciate drones may be useful in resource management and scientific studies, but we rarely grant permission for drone use.' Operating a drone is also illegal in national parks and near active wildfires. Flying a drone in a restricted area can result in a fine of up to $25,000 and up to 18 months in jail. People who fly drones in a manner that interferes with wildfire fighting efforts in B.C. can face fines of up to $100,000.
Hamilton Spectator
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada Together returns on July 1 with live entertainment and family activities
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority invites the community to its fourth annual Canada Together celebration at Canada Place on July 1. As one of the largest Canada Day events outside of Ottawa, this marks 39 years of festivities at the iconic Vancouver waterfront venue. The free, family-friendly event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and features a lineup of live performances, cultural activities, and community programming—including a meaningful citizenship ceremony welcoming 40 new Canadians. Juno Award-winning local legends Dear Rouge are set to close out the event as the main stage headliners. Canada Together is planned in collaboration with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, guided by the theme 'weaving together the fabric of a nation.' The event is intended to honour Canada's diversity and sets an intention for the day to gather, celebrate, learn and share. At 11:00 a.m., zones and exhibits—including the main stage—will open with entertainment and activities for everyone to enjoy. The event site covers five city blocks, including both outdoor and indoor spaces at Canada Place, Jack Poole Plaza, and surrounding city streets. Event highlights include: 'We are proud to welcome everyone to the annual Canada Together event at Canada Place,' said Cliff Stewart, Canada Place Corporation President, and Vice President Infrastructure at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 'This is a special day for the community to come together in celebration and in honour of Canada's diversity. We are appreciative of the continued collaboration with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and support from our sponsors, partners, and performers who help make this day possible.' Canada Together will also be featured in a live broadcast on CBC presented by the Department of Canadian Heritage, alongside celebrations in Summerside, PEI and Yellowknife, NWT. For those not attending Canada Together in-person, tune into CBC or Radio-Canada at 5:00 p.m. PST to catch performances of fantastic Canadian musical artists from across the country. The port authority encourages event attendees to take public transportation to the event, conveniently located near several bus routes and the Waterfront and Burrard SkyTrain stations. Get involved More than 150 volunteers help welcome over 200,000 guests who take part in the free event activities organized around Canada Place on July 1. Volunteering is a great way to build experience, get involved in your community, meet new people and show your community spirit. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Volunteer positions are needed for the following areas: For more information on these participation opportunities and other event details, please visit . Partners The 4th annual July 1 Canada Together event at Canada Place is presented by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in collaboration with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. The event is made possible thanks to the generous support of partners including: The Department of Canadian Heritage and the Government of Canada, Chamber of Shipping, CN, CPKC, Destination Vancouver, Downtown Van, Indigenous Tourism BC, Indigo Parking, London Drugs, Stanley Park Brewing, Tim Hortons and Vancouver Terminal Elevator Association; and special thanks to the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Convention Centre. Media partners include Global BC, The World Famous CFOX, Rock 101, 730 CKNW, OMNI Television, AM1320 CHMB, @AngieLowis, Curiocity and Miss604. Media contact Arpen Rana Senior Communications Advisor 778.239.5264 About Canada Place Canada Place is an internationally recognized landmark and venue for world-class events. For 39 years, Canada Place has served as a hub for national celebrations. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is a shared steward of the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver and is the owner and operator of Canada Place. Canada Place houses Vancouver Convention Centre East, Pan Pacific Hotel, FlyOver, World Trade Centre and Indigo Park Canada. It serves as the largest cruise ship terminal in Canada and has been the homeport to the Vancouver-Alaska cruises for more than 30 years.
Vancouver Sun
7 days ago
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver's Lost Lagoon is covered in a thick layer of algae. What's being done about it?
If you were out strolling in Stanley Park over the weekend you may have noticed a thick layer of slimy algae all over Lost Lagoon. Although not unusual, these algae blooms typically appear in late July or August, not in May. Over the years, the lake near the entrance of Stanley Park has become rife with pollution, sediment, eutrophication — run-off from land causing excessive nutrients, depriving the lake of oxygen — and invasive species. Experts say drought and increased heat from human-caused climate change, along with eutrophication, particularly high levels of phosphorus, are contributing to the algae blooms. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Vancouver park board and the Stanley Park Ecological Society have been working on solutions as the lake continues to degrade but so far nothing specific has been planned. Here's a look at what it is and what's being done to address the ecological problem: Though this algae growth usually occurs later in the summer, this early surface growth is likely the result of a combination of the lagoon's shallow depth, higher-than-normal nutrients in the water and a brief period of warm, calm weather, Vancouver park board staff said Wednesday. Marisa Bischoff, a conservation technician with the Stanley Park Ecological Society, the problem is there's not a lot of fresh water entering the lagoon, so it is a very stagnant body of water. And because there's not a lot of flow, there's buildup of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and when that happens, it creates ideal conditions for algae growth, especially with higher temperatures. 'I actually noticed it last night and I had to do a bit of a double take because it is early in the year … but algae blooms are definitely not uncommon in Lost Lagoon,' she said. She said climate change is making the weather unpredictable with the summers becoming longer and hotter. 'So with summers that start earlier, we might be starting to see algae blooms that happen earlier as well, like potentially what we're seeing here. Obviously, we can't make any concrete conclusions or state definitively that it's due to climate change, but I would say it contributes to it,' said Bischoff. The Vancouver park board said staff have been aware of the challenges at Lost Lagoon for some time. In 2017, staff began exploring various solutions to reconnect the lagoon to Coal Harbour and make it an intertidal zone that could support shellfish and other marine species. This work is being undertaken with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Reconnecting the lagoon to the ocean could improve water quality and bring back more wildlife. However it would be very expensive. Postmedia has asked whether the board has a cost estimate and when the public can expect a report on solutions but did not hear back by deadline. A 2023 study by UBC researchers found high concentrations of contaminants such phosphorus, aluminum, tin, copper, beryllium, and chromium. The study was commissioned by the Stanley Park Ecological Society after a significant fish die-off the previous summer. Researchers also found elevated levels of sediment-settling contaminants, suggesting that the lake's natural bio-filtration process is failing. Researchers recommended the removal of contaminated sediments to decrease toxicity in Lost Lagoon, and warned that if they are not removed, concentrations of contaminants in the water that are taken up via sediment particle adhesion are likely to continue. Lost Lagoon was an intertidal marsh until the Stanley Park causeway was built in 1917. Its Squamish name Ch'ekxwa'7lech, which means 'gets dry at times', refers to how tides would roll in and out from the mud flats, according to park board staff. These natural flushing processes were altered by the construction of the causeway, which separated Lost Lagoon from Burrard Inlet and turned it into a brackish lake. This lack of flushing and urban conditions contributes to a number of water quality issues, staff said. Lost Lagoon has been a freshwater lake for 100 years, and is home to herons and other birds, otters, carp, turtles and beavers. When the algae blooms form on the water, they consume oxygen in the water, and when the oxygen level decreases, so does the amount of oxygen available for any other living creatures in the water, such as fish or amphibians, said Bischoff. She said there are species of fish that are tolerant to the pollution in Lost Lagoon but she added that she wouldn't be surprised if there's another fish die-off later in the summer because of this early algae bloom. Bischoff urged residents to be mindful about what chemicals they are pouring down the drain. ticrawford@
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Is Sasquatch real? Many residents of Harrison Hot Springs would say yes
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Henry Williams wasn't always a believer in the Sasquatch. Growing up, he had of course heard the tales of old — of a legendary hairy, bipedal primate said to roam the forests at sundown. Yet for much of his life, 76-year-old Henry had shrugged these stories off without much thought. They were used to remind youngsters to come home before nightfall, he'd reasoned. All that changed, however, on the day that the Sasquatch came to pay him a visit two decades ago, near his home in Squamish in southwest British Columbia. 'It threw a huge boulder into the middle of a nearby river,' says Henry, flinging his arms wide to imitate an almighty splash as we chat in the lobby of the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, a historic hotel famed for its natural thermal pools 60 miles east of Vancouver. I've come here for one reason: to track down the elusive Sasquatch. The Sasquatch has stalked the human psyche, and perhaps the forests too, for millennia. The beast — known as Bigfoot in the US and the Yeti in the Himalayas — has loomed particularly large in the oral traditions of the First Nations communities of Canada, as Henry, who is a member of the Squamish People, tells me. Semi-retired, Henry now works as an elder in his community, passing down Indigenous knowledge, including tales of the Sasquatch. Henry explains that for the Squamish, it's the guardian spirit that protects the wilderness, serving as a sacred bridge between the human and natural worlds. While the Sasquatch has typically been portrayed as a bloodthirsty creature in TV series such as The X-Files, for Henry it's not a figure to fear. 'It's seen as a symbol of good luck if it chooses to pay you a visit,' he says. I'm not surprised to find a Sasquatch scholar in Harrison Hot Springs — this town is British Columbia's Sasquatch capital, with a dedicated event in June each year that brings the local Sts'ailes First Nations together for a weekend of Sasquatch storytelling. Sightings abound in this tiny lakeside hub, which is fringed with green mountain ridges and tangled woodlands of Douglas fir and western red cedars. Local lore has it that the mysterious mammal is attracted by the water, coming here to sip from the geothermal pools that skirt glacier-fed Harrison Lake. Despite its population of just 1,900 residents, Harrison Hot Springs attracts 20,000 visitors annually — many of them hoping to catch sight of the beast. The fascination with the Sasquatch of Harrison Hot Springs dates back to 1929, when writer and government agent JW Burns, who lived nearby, penned an article titled 'Introducing B.C.'s Hairy Giants' for Maclean's magazine, featuring first-hand accounts from the Sts'ailes community. In 2017, a dedicated Sasquatch Museum, filled with hairy mannequins and maps of sightings, opened in Harrison Hot Springs' visitor centre, alongside a walking trail, complete with Sasquatch statues. Gift shops now sell everything from yeti-style slippers to mini powdered doughnuts known as 'Sasquatch Balls'. Henry says any visitors hoping to catch a glimpse should first brush up on some Sasquatch etiquette. 'Offer food so that it becomes a friend,' he advises. 'After it visited me, I took a couple of apples down to the riverbank and placed them up high on a tree.' Returning the following day, he discovered that the apples had completely disappeared. 'They hadn't been pecked by birds,' he says, pausing for dramatic effect. 'They had been taken whole.' 'The Squamish are a verbal society, so our stories are passed by word of mouth and change from village to village,' he continues. The shape-shifting beast — which is so hard to pin down as it's thought to move between realms, even vanishing at will — is also gender fluid, he says, adding that his people speak of a forest-dwelling Sasquatch-like figure called Kalkalilh. 'She's around seven-feet tall,' he says, eyes wide. 'In my community, it's said that if you push her into a fire and she burns, a flock of ravens is released from her hair.' Henry explains that this symbolises transformation. Through the window, as guests pad past us in towelling robes bound for the hot springs, Harrison Lake shimmers in the midday sunshine. Soon, I wave goodbye to Henry and stroll a few minutes to the hot springs myself — the emerald waters are thought to offer healing benefits. A handful of bathers have beaten me to it, already reclining in the geothermal pools. Each one is just a few feet wide, bordered by rocks and set against old-growth forest. As I plunge my feet into the warm water, there's a rustle in the thicket behind me. Quietly, I take Henry's advice: I step out of the pool and place an apple at the base of the tree. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
