Lynn Valley Trivia

Looking for some Happy Hour conversation starters on your patio this summer? Or a way to keep the family distracted during a ferry lineup? Either way, we have you covered with this made-in-North Van history trivia contest! Who can come up with the answers first – or at all? We’ll let you decide if googling is permitted!


Questions:


  1. Lynn Valley Elementary has been schooling local children since the first decade of the 1900s. You likely know about the early wooden structure (now home to the Parent Participation Preschool) and the later stone building that was built in 1920, which now contains the North Vancouver archives. But the original LV Elementary predated both of these. Where was it located, and what happened to it?

 

  1. Speaking of school, there is something fundamentally wrong with the name “Lynn Valley.” What is it?

 

  1. Fred Varley was a painter who lived on Rice Lake Road in the 1930s. Why is he so famous?

 

  1. Leaping ahead to modern history, what local landmark was featured in the 2025 season opener of famed TV series The Last of Us?

 

  1. “Old” Mountain Highway was originally a paved toll road leading from the top of Mountain Highway to a chalet built by W.C. Shelley on Grouse Mountain in the mid-1920s. People loved motoring up the mountain for some R&R at the chalet, but the fallout from what worldwide event put an end to Mr. Shelley’s business not long after?

 

  1. What famous local landmark did the Olympic torch cross in 2010?

 

  1. The Cedar V was a much-loved little theatre built in 1953, on the site of what is now the parking lot by the Dairy Queen on Lynn Valley Road. What was novel about its building style?

 

  1. In February 2020, the last sporting events were held in what well-known local structure?

 

  1. The Lynn Valley Library is the anchor tenant at Lynn Valley Village – but who remembers where the library was located previously?

 

  1. In 1909, at the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Hoskins, Harry Holland began building what was intended to be the community’s first hotel and beer parlour. For good or for ill, however, he wasn’t granted a liquor licence! But he did introduce another new “first” to the neighbourhood – what was it?


Answers:


  1. The first schoolhouse in Lynn Valley was located just east of “Tote Road,” later known as Lynn Valley Road. After a new, larger schoolhouse was built at Mountain Highway and Harold, the old schoolhouse became home to the newly established social club, the Lynn Valley Institute. (Early Days in Lynn Valley by Walter Draycott, page 54)

 

  1. It is misspelled. Settlers (re)named the area after the Linn family that had been given a 150-acre Crown grant between the Seymour River and what later became known as Lynn Creek. (Early Days, p.22)

 

  1. He was a founder of the famous Group of Seven, Canadian landscape artists who achieved renown in the early decades of the 20th century. Check out Eve Lazarus’s super interesting article here!

 

  1. Clement’s Anglican Church on Institute Road

 

  1. Shelley’s endeavours were lost in 1934 in the aftermath of the great crash in the stock market in 1929 (Reflections: One Hundred Years, A Celebration of the District of North Vancouver’s Centennial by Chuck Davis,

 

  1. The Lynn Creek Suspension Bridge – just ask Bob McCormack, longtime local volunteer who was thrilled to be carrying it!

 

  1. The Cedar V was a quonset hut, made from arched corrugated steel sheets. Another interesting article from Eve Lazarus is right here!

 

  1. On February 14, 2020 Argyle Pipers hosted the basketball finals in the secondary school gymnasium before the building was demolished for a rebuild.

 

  1. The Lynn Valley Library was for many years located above the Esso station on 27th Street, behind Lynn Valley Mall. It is now the site of one of The Residences buildings, built by Bosa Developments.

 

  1. The first automobile! He had a one-cylinder Oldsmobile, and its licence plate was 94. It occasionally resisted the muddy Lynn Valley Road and had to be pulled home by a horse!

Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

Mentor a student, help shape a life

Mentor a student and help shape a life with the Argyle Internship Program


“What do you want to be when you grow up?”


It’s a question kids are asked repeatedly by well-meaning adults, starting from their preschool years. But whereas four-year-olds may be able to state confidently their plans to become a fire fighter, ballerina, or bus driver, youth who are nearing graduation may view the same question with some trepidation as life as a “grown-up” looms ever closer. While some young people may leave Grade 12 with firm plans work or study in a certain field, many of their friends may feel anxious if they haven’t yet settled on a vision for their post-high school years.

Wherever they are in their planning, Argyle Secondary’s School’s Internship Program helps students explore options and participate in real-world job placements aligned with their potential career interests. And they need your help to do it! Might you be in a position to provide students with a few hours per week of hands-on experience in your field, for a series of weeks in the 2025-26 school year?


Provide a Placement


Argyle teacher and career advisor Wayne Shaw told LynnValleyLife, “The primary objective of the program is to provide students with meaningful opportunities to observe, engage in, and learn about various careers and job-related tasks. Before starting their work placements, students will participate in pre-employment training focused on their interests and potential career directions. Instruction will include workplace health and safety, employee rights and responsibilities, and career exploration.”

Placements in all industries are welcome, but particularly sought are opportunities in healthcare, law, business, engineering, and related sectors.

“The more opportunities we can offer, the stronger and more impactful this program becomes for our students—both now and in the future,” says Shaw.

If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved, please contact Wayne Shaw at [email protected].


Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

April 2025 Election Results

Meet Your Two Representatives for the Lynn Valley area.


The election results are in and as of April 2025, the Lynn Valley area in North Vancouver is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by two Members of Parliament: Jonathan Wilkinson and Terry Beech.​ This year Lynn Valley was split down the middle and into two ridings—twice as many candidates. We have the west side represented, as in the past, by North Vancouver-Capilano and the east by Burnaby North-Seymour.


Jonathan Wilkinson – MP for North Vancouver- Capilano

Jonathan Wilkinson has served as the Member of Parliament for North Vancouver since 2015. He has held several ministerial positions, including Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (2018–2019), Minister of Environment and Climate Change (2019–2021), and currently serves as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources since 2021. Prior to his political career, Wilkinson worked in the private sector, primarily with green technology companies.​





Terry Beech – MP for Burnaby North–Seymour

Terry Beech has represented the federal riding of Burnaby North–Seymour since 2015. He has served in various parliamentary roles, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. From July 2023 to March 2025, he served as Minister of Citizens’ Services. Beech’s riding encompasses parts of both Burnaby and North Vancouver, including the eastern portion of the Lynn Valley area.​




Both Wilkinson and Beech are members of the Liberal Party of Canada and have been re-elected in subsequent federal elections since their initial victories in 2015. Their roles in Parliament involve addressing national issues while also focusing on the specific needs and concerns of their constituents in the Lynn Valley area and surrounding communities.​ We look forward to seeing what this next chapter holds.


Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

A store with a purpose: creative waste reduction

By Tina Homsy Williams, guest contributor

Tom Riessner is passionate about zero waste and dislikes throwing things away. One of his biggest peeves is seeing quality items sent to the dump simply for being old, outgrown, or no longer in excellent condition. 


Urban Repurpose


This is especially true for items that are still usable but are discarded because they are no longer wanted, needed, or show signs of wear and tear. They are not necessarily “garbage”—many people simply don’t know what else to do with them, he says.

As the founder and executive director of Urban Repurpose, a social enterprise store, Riessner is on a mission to redefine waste—not as an end, but as the beginning of something new. For him, every discarded item holds untapped potential, waiting to be repurposed, restored, or reimagined. 

This is a key driver for Urban Repurpose.

Unlike charity thrift stores that sell goods to fundraise, Urban Repurpose’s principal goal is zero waste focusing on upcycling, reinvention and reuse. Moreover, items that don’t sell aren’t sent to the landfill; instead, they’re given away on “Free Sundays,” ensuring they find new uses rather than being tossed out.

Urban Repurpose is about more than just keeping items out of landfills—it’s about giving them a second life.

“There’s value in rescuing items from being incinerated and restoring or repurposing them for renewed use. I encourage people in the community to do the same,”  says Riessner at the Urban Repurpose storefront.

Located down the hill from Lynn Valley, the store offers a unique shopping experience, with carefully curated rooms designed for exploration. Each has a theme, where a cornucopia of items are grouped and staged in vignettes by volunteers: A music and media room, with an eclectic collection of compact disks, vinyl records, instruments and other media is decorated with items including a chandelier crafted from several salvaged violins—no longer playable, yet too beautiful to throw away.

One room, lined with shelves of books and antique chairs, feels more like a forgotten old bookstore—remember those?—or a hidden alcove perfect for a quiet retreat with a good read.

Elsewhere in the store, stacks of vintage, antique, and heritage furniture—”all wood and never particleboard,” Riessner insists—stand alongside household items waiting for a second life. As we walk through the space, his deep knowledge of art and history becomes evident in the most unpretentious way.

“We have antiques and even artwork from 1800s-era Europe. We also acquired the totems from the Alice Hotel as part of the Phil Newton Estate,” he shares.

His enthusiasm grows as he talks about how these treasures were saved from the landfill. But his passion isn’t just for high-value antiques—he finds the same satisfaction in rescuing everyday items that might not fetch top dollar at an auction but still have plenty of life left.

“We found multiple $1,000 Miele vacuums and were able to use parts from one to repair the others,” he says proudly.


Creativity & ingenuity in repurposing


Discovering antiques, collectibles, and high-value items is only one part of Urban Repurpose’s mission. The organization also focuses on adding value to everyday objects that require a little ingenuity, elbow grease, or repairs to be useful again. 

“We’ve salvaged everything from used construction materials and furniture to swaths of lace and collectible vintage dolls from an antique dealer downsizing during the pandemic,” Riessner says.

Riessner’s passion for restoration extends to tools and household items.

“Many of the tools we use to repair and restore items are from the North Shore Recycling & Waste Centre. We’ve found and fixed several power tools, scrapped simply because they needed new batteries or minor repairs.”

He also frequently rescues cast iron pans–including one antique dating back to the 1800s–restoring them with time and effort so they can last for generations.

Education and Inspiration

Riessner believes that repurposing should extend beyond the store. He wants to empower people with the skills to restore and reuse items themselves. Urban Repurpose hopes to scale operations by offering free classes that teach people how to fix and repair items they own or acquire.

“I’d love to give people the space and confidence to do this themselves,” he says. However, one challenge is finding enough skilled individuals to teach these workshops.

His passion for resourcefulness is deeply rooted in his upbringing. His mother sewed clothes for him and his siblings, while his father, a civil engineer, loved to tinker.

“One summer, my father amazed all my friends by fashioning an electromagnetic lock for our garage door out of old washing machine components,” Riessner recalls. That same spirit of creativity and ingenuity fuels his work today.

“You inspire people through art,” he says while showing a piece of wall art made from dismantled clock components. One of the many creative art projects reimagined from cast offs.

For Riessner, waste isn’t an end—it’s an opportunity for renewal, creativity, and community connection.

Visiting the Urban Repurpose storefront shows that with a little effort and some imagination, nearly anything can be rescued from landfill purgatory and given a second life.


Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

Concerns over turf territory

In the years ahead, Kilmer Park will be getting a facelift. The gravel southern section will be replaced with all-weather turf. The long-term plan has Lynn Valley Little League excited about the opportunities for its young players but it is raising concern that a soccer-focused field is taking shape. (UPDATE: A council meeting on Jan. 27 moved the project off the five-year capital plan, and as such the DNV did not respond to questions.)


Goodbye gravel


The District of North Vancouver has been consulting with user groups over its plans to upgrade the fields at local parks. At the start of the dialogue, Lynn Valley Little League was excited to hear the plan to replace the gravel portion of Kilmer Park with artificial turf. However, in recent months the conversation has quieted. 

“Communication was good up to a point until we received a draft of the design that seemed a bit more soccer-oriented,” said Eric Benson, president of Lynn Valley Little League. ”Initially, it was described as a multisport upgrade. We recognize the need for more facilities for young people to play sports on the North Shore and we are excited to have the gravel upgraded but not at the expense of our baseball community.”

The league is concerned that without lines and field markings on the turf, it will be harder for its young six- and seven-year-old players, who use that portion of the park, to learn the game. The typical hand-lining used on grass and gravel won’t be an option on the turf. 

“We have tee ballers and single A up on the gravel, we have double and triple A up on the grass. That is six fields going at the same time – 12 sets of families,” said Brett Halicki, coordinator for the majors’ division.

At this juncture of the project, the league understands the fields will remain baseball fields for April to August but feels that investments in soccer-centred field design is a concerning precedent leaving out other sports from a ‘multisport’ design. 

“It’s an envious spot on the North Shore, we are lucky to have such a great facility,” said Benson. “When there was a proposal to make it turf and multisport we were excited. Soccer isn’t the primary sport there for much of the year.”

As a large infrastructure project for the district, the league is advocating for safety, long-term use and access for multiple user groups.  

“When we asked if there would be backstops and dugouts kitty-corner to the existing ones, it was met with a no,” said Benson. “If we are investing this much in a multisport facility it would be nice to include baseball in that because it’s important for young kids to have a safe place to sit and be coached away from the crowd and protected from gameplay.”

Halicki said they are excellent – local – examples of turf fields designed for use by both soccer and baseball, like the facilities at UBC. DNV staff responded that such configurations would be confusing for soccer players. 

“After seeing the initial drawings, we discussed it as a board. Bolder lines and maybe a lighter shade for the in-field,” said Benson. “It, apparently, was discussed on their end but brought back that it would be too confusing for soccer, but how won’t it be confusing for baseball if it’s not incorporated at all?” 

It’s an argument Halicki thinks is illogical. Using the example of an indoor gymnasium with lines and coloured zones for five or more sports being used by athletes of all ages.  

“We want to make sure we aren’t forgotten,” he said.”We don’t understand the argument that it’s confusing for the athletes. It doesn’t hold water in the context of a gymnasium. I don’t understand why the District wouldn’t want to support multiple sports – whether it’s baseball, field hockey or soccer. UBC has just done a soccer and baseball hybrid and I don’t think they should be concerned about a brown spot showing where the plate is and where the mound is.” 


Community centred


Kilmer Park offers a unique sporting opportunity in the Lower Mainland. The large space allows for all ages (four to 12-year-olds) of the league to cheer each other on and mentor players. 

Brett Halicki, back row, second from left.

“It’s used extensively, Monday through Sunday with hundreds of kids playing,” said Benson.”Our concession is busy with parents, grandparents and passersby who stop and enjoy immersing themselves in a bit of baseball culture.” 

“Kilmer Park is a special place,” added Halicki. “There are not many places where we can have a whole league together. Our smallest kids can watch the 10-year-olds play and they can see their older brothers or sisters go at it. It’s such a great atmosphere.”

The league launched a petition to engage the public and raise the profile of the baseball community. 

“We are hoping to create awareness and bring some insight to the decision makers that might not know how important baseball is to the Lynn Valley community,” said Benson.” We are aware of the need for all-weather fields for multisport use but don’t want it lost that baseball uses these fields from April to August. We are a strong baseball community and we have been for a long time.”

The public can see and sign the petition here or contact the DNV to voice support for baseball at Kilmer Park.


Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

A.O.K. – Good Deeds, Good Eats Draw

LynnValleyLife and Romers are celebrating the quiet good in our neighbourhood with a monthly draw honouring those who give their time and energy to the community & neighbours. Did someone rake your leaves? Did a coach or teacher go above and beyond? Does someone pick up your medications when you are sick? 

We want to honour the small Acts Of Kindness that make our community stronger. These could be a one-off (did someone return your keys?) or regular (help mow your lawn?). Enter the details below to have your nominee’s good deed rewarded with some good eats with a $100 Romer’s gift card. 



Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.

Family Fun Fair

The Lynn Valley Community Association is hosting the 2nd annual Lynn Valley Family Fun Fair on September 16th at Lynn Valley School Field. Festivities run from 10 am to 2 pm.

 


Family fun time


Come and enjoy a day of FREE Family Fun. Stop by to say hello to Jim and Kelly at the Old Fashioned Game area! Also, there will be a Cornhole Tournament, big games like Tic Tac Toe, face painting, and balloon twisting. Bring your family and have a great time!

 

The LVCA’s Gillian Konst is delighted that the event is back for its second year! In this fast paced world the Fun Fair offers a chance for families to spend time together with some simpler, old fashioned fun and games.  And there are no barriers to participation.  There is little to do as a family that doesn’t have a cost to it, and we’re very glad to be able to bring this to the community, together with our organizing partner Lynn Valley Services Society, and with thanks to the support of our sponsors and a grant from North Vancouver Recreation and Commission” (Full sponsors list at https://lvca.ca/family-fun-fair/)


The community is joining the celebration


Onsite you’ll find:

 

Performing throughout the day are musical guests:

 

The BBQ lunch will be hosted, by donation, by the Firefighters Charitable Foundation, starting at 11am.

 

Since its establishment in 1911, the LVCA has been dedicated to supporting community-driven initiatives. With over 100 non-political volunteers, they aim to foster community pride, encourage involvement in neighborhood and community development, and act as a liaison for information between the district, residents, and businesses of Lynn Valley. Find more information on the LVCA and how to join on their website at https://lvca.ca


Looking for more?


There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.