My family and I live in the Mount Seymour/Parkgate neighbourhood of North Vancouver, BC. North Vancouver is on the traditional territories of three Coast Salish peoples: The Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations.

My neighbourhood is on the traditional territory of the Tsleil-Waututh people, a distinct Coast Salish nation whose territory includes the land and water around Burrard Inlet¹. Archaeological sites in the area indicate that the Tsleil-Waututh people have been here for thousands of years. Winter villages included large multi-family longhouses in sheltered bays, and during the spring and summer families would spread out into smaller hunting, fishing and gathering camps. Pink and chum salmon were found in the local rivers. During the spring, groups would travel to the Fraser River for sockeye salmon. Diseases introduced from European contact crippled the Tsleil-Waututh population, which declined rapidly from the estimated pre-contact population of approximately 10,000 people¹. Their population is currently growing, at approximately 500 people.

European explorers first discovered the area in the early 1790s². By the following century, the Hudson’s Bay Company had established a fur trading network in the area. Soon after, the local forests brought new settlers who focused on lumber.  A small sawmill town turned into the city of North Vancouver in the late 1800s, with development expanding outwards from the central waterfront shipping and port activities. Industry in North Vancouver continues to be focused on lumber, ore and grains as the port area is a main transportation channel for all of western Canada.

North Vancouver is home to wildlife like skunks, raccoons, coyotes, cougars, bears and eagles. Urban development has encroached on their natural habitat and there are more encounters with these animals. Although bears typically hibernate during the winter on the local mountains, it is becoming more common for the bears to stay out all year round as they have learned to access unnatural food sources from humans³. Some local residents have fruit trees or vegetable gardens, or do not safely lock up or secure their garbage and compost carts which unfortunately provides an easy source of food for the bears. The BC Conservation Officer Service rarely trap and relocate bears, and instead euthanize them. Local associations like the North Shore Black Bear Society use education and mitigation techniques to protect the local bear population and teach residents how to live peacefully with these wild animals.

The District of North Vancouver has identified over two dozen invasive plant species in the area⁴ including English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Lamium, Knotweeds, Spurge laurel, English holly, Cherry laurel, Periwinkle, Scotch broom, Himalayan balsam, Goutweed, Saltmeadow cordgrass and Giant hogweed. Invasive plants are typically challenging and expensive to remove, and management strategies are only just being implemented.  The five goals for the DNV’s mitigation strategy are awareness, prevention, detection, treatment and restoration of natural, native habitat.

When residential development intensified across North Vancouver in the 1930s and 1940s, the area was developed with single family homes. During the 1960s, higher density buildings like apartments began to replace the original homes.  Since the early 2000s, the demand for increased housing availability has boomed. The environmental impact of the increased population is becoming a greater priority, and developers are planning accordingly. The official community plan (OCP) has focused on several town “centres” which give residents access to housing, public spaces, shopping, work and recreation all in one centralized area without the need for vehicles and extended travel⁵.  Improved public transportation is also being emphasized. Stewardship programs are incorporated into the OCP. These policies include: partnerships with local government, business and first nations organizations to deliver environmental protection initiatives; facilitation of programs in DNV parks; promote and implement conservation and habitat enhancements on private property; promotion of community engagement; and recognize and support local volunteer groups and their initiatives.

References:

1. https://twnation.ca/our-story/
2. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/north-vancouver#:~:text=By%20the%20early%201870s%2C%20the,and%20vehicle%20link%20with%20Vancouver.
3. http://northshorebears.com/living-in-bear-country/
4. https://www.dnv.org/sites/default/files/edocs/draft-invasive-plant-strategy.pdf
5. https://www.dnv.org/property-and-development/town-and-village-centres