Neighbourly News
- Ron McLaughlin
- Oct 21
- 4 min read
From in and around the Village, the school and more
by Ron McLaughlin
Happy almost Halloween, neighbours!
Summer is now behind us, and normal routines and cooler weather have returned. It’s a time of year where things begin to speed up. Halloween is followed by Remembrance Day which is followed by Christmas activities and suddenly people are running into frigid water for the annual New Year’s Day Dip’N’Dash.
Let’s get you up to date on a bunch of things.
New to Highview Place are David and Siri Carver and their son Magnus. They have lived in Vancouver for the last ten years and both spent some of their youth in the city as well. They are very familiar with the Sea to Sky Corridor and are grateful for the opportunity to call it home. Excited about their move to Lions Bay, they look forward to meeting their new neighbours.
There are newly-arrived Villagers on Bayview near the bridge and on Mountain Drive near the tennis court who prefer not to release details about themselves. If you are their neighbours or live nearby, I’m sure you have already greeted them warmly.
Next time I write I will have details of a young family’s arrival on Seaview, and an interesting situation wherein three families substantially traded places to all remain in the village.
A jewel within our community, nothing has been mentioned about Lions Bay Community School recently. I will be making it a regular topic in my future articles. While the teachers have been with us for some time, new to us this year is Vice Principal Jenn Ohlhauser. Having met her a couple of times I can say she has a keen interest in our community and our children.
She will also liaise with our Emergency Services when they need to use the school property as a marshalling area and to allow helicopters to land on the field.
School enrolment this year is 27 students (high average) – from K to 3. News is that they are working on a new promotional video about the school with the WV Schools communication department. Jenn looks forward to sharing it with us shortly.
Closely affiliated with the school is the Parents Advisory Committee (PAC.) Seemingly in the role forever, but in reality, a combined seven years, stalwart PAC Chair Jill Fujibayashi will be handing the reins to a new Chair at the end of the year. While the parents do a lot for the kids at the school, other Village residents can too. It’s Movie Night on Thursday. If you can’t attend, think about making a donation. I would dearly love to go but Council duties call that evening. I have sent in my donation and I hope you will too. (They accept etransfers at LionsBayPAC45@gmail.com)
Firefighters Day was held on September 6. The event ran from 2-9 p.m., and late afternoon rain didn’t dull the affair. Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff confirmed that LBFR’s efforts were rewarded by our generous Community and about $12K was raised.
When Firefighter Luke Fedorchuk delivered the silent auction item our family won, it was a pleasure to speak with him. His positive comments about being a part of LBFR were heartwarming. I am advised that the Department had an eight-person intake in September and are up to their full 27-person compliment. There is also a waiting list. While we have been without a Fire Chief since Barret Germscheid departed May 31, he continues to serve our village as a volunteer. Our two resident Captains and our two volunteer Lieutenants continue to lead the team until we are successful in attracting a new Chief.
Fire Prevention week kicked off last Saturday at the Hall with LBFR members at a number of tables with a variety of prevention ideas and takeaways available. Free hotdogs, a chance to meet your neighbours, friends, firefighters, and to be able to partake in a fire educational event never gets old.
The sudden fire that destroyed a home on Bayview has been well reported in The Watershed (HERE and (HERE.) As with the Battani Creek event last December, our Emergency Support Services (ESS) team was on the scene. I am proud to say I am one of the five team members. We are led by Emergency Program Coordinator (EPC) Mary Brown and Director Roel Coert. We are looking for additional members. If you want to be part of the Village’s emergency management team, and are not capable of packing 40 pounds of gear up a ladder, or climbing off a helicopter before you start climbing vertical terrain, you might consider ESS. To become a qualified ESS member, some training is required. If you would like to explore the opportunity, please contact the EPC at mbrown@lionsbay.ca
Thanksgiving has now passed, which was great time to reconnect with our most loved ones and realize how lucky we all are. Halloween is for the kids. I look forward to seeing them at our door to admire the costumes and see how much everyone has grown over the past year.
All the best of the scary season to everyone.
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