On Nov. 5, your new council will be sworn in. This new group of elected officials, some new and some returning, will be quickly immersed in the responsibilities of guiding a growing and changing community. To understand the complex policy issues facing our North Shore, it is always helpful to take a look back at where we came from.
North Vancouver district was constituted in 1891 and stretched from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay. Just before the First World War, West Vancouver and North Vancouver city separately incorporated and withdrew. As such, today’s North Vancouver district is different from most other Metro communities because it has no urban core: it is a composite of suburban neighbourhoods, each with its own strong sense of geography and history.
That strong sense of place is most alive in the Seymour area, where residents have alpine recreation only fifteen minutes from Parkgate; three ice rinks and a swimming pool; a thriving community centre; a marina and a yacht club; a wildlife sanctuary, and world-class mountain bike trails. People want to live here. The quality of life is second to none on our planet.
However as Dollarton resident Malcolm Lowry reflected in the 1930s, Seymour is only a stone’s throw away from the oil industry and the growing urban metropolis beyond. How does a community adjacent to one of the largest industrial port areas in Canada enjoy the benefits of urban cultural amenities such as regular transit, while celebrating proximity to the endless green spaces of Canada’s north?
Finding the balance will never be easy: the economics of providing affordable housing on a small and costly land base dictates density, as does the provision of more transit hours. Yet the quality of life we enjoy flows from the green spaces and the ability to move around fluidly. This is the nexus of policy development in the district, and the Seymour area, as a result of its geography, is ground zero.
Decisions affecting the future of the Seymour area and the rest of the North Shore will not all be determined in district council chambers. Many of these decisions will be made collaboratively across levels of government. As the challenges facing municipalities grow in complexity, it will be increasingly important to recognize our place and our work within a regional context.
Please support your incoming council and be patient. Work with them, not against them. Remember that the Seymour area is part of a larger community on the North Shore and within the Metro Vancouver region.
Every resident I have ever worked with loves our North Shore. But the vision that flows from that strong attachment differs from resident to resident and future policy will never please everyone. Celebrate those differences and learn from each other in the years ahead.
It has been a pleasure to serve as your mayor. I wish the incoming council members every success in their collective effort to enrich the livability of our community. ■
Editor’s note: We thank Richard Walton for all his insightful contributions to the Crier over the years, and wish him well in his future endeavours.
