Lions Bay

Nestled in a steeply raked bowl of second-growth forest, overlooking Howe Sound and overlooked by the majestic twin peaks of The Lions, the village (480 homes, population approximately 1,500 in late 1995) is located 11 kilometres north of Horseshoe Bay.

When North Vancouver resident R.A. (Bob) Nelson purchased the land in 1956, Lions Bay was accessible only by water. The community consisted of a few summer cottages and an open space known as St. Marks picnic grounds. But Nelson’s dream of a complete residential community coincided with the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern (today BC Rail) line from West Vancouver to Squamish in 1956 and the construction of the Seaview (today Sea-to-Sky) Highway two years later. Lots in the first subdivision went on sale in January 1958, and construction of the first home in Lions Bay was begun by Charles and Mary Coltart that spring; they needed a special permit to transport building materials over the unfinished highway. Situated on the waterfront, the house was a cathedral ceiling, modernist structure of cedar and glass that set the tone for much of the later architecture in the village.

In 1959 a property owners’ association was formed, while Nelson looked after garbage collection, water supply and maintenance. However, in October 1962 eight homes in the fledgling community were damaged when Typhoon Freda tore through the Sound, and lot sales slowed so much between 1962 and 1965 that the development went into receivership.

Slowly, however, the community took on the accouterments of a municipality. In 1966 the Lions Bay Water Improvement District was created, an umbrella agency that not only collected and distributed the water from the mountainside but also dealt with garbage, recreational facilities and fire protection. When a massive flood in Harvey Creek severely damaged creekside homes in September 1969, a report commissioned by the Improvement District and Dawson Developments (which had taken over from Nelson) discovered that the primary causes of the flood were abnormally heavy rainfall, a land slippage that had dammed the creek and inadequate construction and maintenance of logging roads. In response to a demand from the Improvement District, all logging licences in the Harvey Creek basin area were subsequently cancelled. In 1970 a fire that destroyed a village home prompted the Lions Bay Property Owners’ Association to acquire a fire truck (staffed by the newly created Lions Bay Volunteer Fire Department).

Late in 1970 a plebiscite on incorporation drew more than the requisite 60 per cent majority from the 250 residents, and in the spring of 1971 Lions Bay became a village municipality. Some members of the GVRD board felt such a small community should not be allowed one of only 57 GVRD votes.

However, it was a significant step ahead for Lions Bay. To qualify as a municipality, it needed a village address, so in 1971 a village complex was built: fire hall, fire truck storage, a council room, village office, kitchen and community hall-cum-gym. Allan (Curly) Stewart was elected mayor by acclamation, and villagers elected their first four-member council.

The change in status marked a new spurt of growth. The Lions Bay Store was established in 1971, and a year later a post office was opened. New home starts increased dramatically, and in 1977 Lions Bay Elementary School (covering playschool, kindergarten and grades one to three) was opened. The same year, Lions Bay Cablevision brought full cable TV service, and the provincial government provided an ambulance on permanent service in the village. The last large parcel of land was rezoned in 1981 into 100 single-family lots, and a bus service linking Lions Bay with the rest of the Lower Mainland was introduced in 1987.

The village’s location on the steep mountainside leaves it prone to natural disaster. In 1983 two teenage boys died and five homes were destroyed or damaged when a debris torrent poured tons of mud and logs down Alberta Creek. The creek was subsequently channelized with a concrete lining. Floods and mudslides from time to time create delays and closures on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

However, for many residents these disadvantages are more than counterbalanced by the quality of life. A solid infrastructure of well-organized and maintained public works, along with fire and ambulance services augmented by a highly skilled search and rescue team, underpins a close and thriving social scene based on volunteer involvement in a host of community activities. Volunteerism is at the essence of Lions Bay’s success as a community. In 1972 Lions Bay was one of the first villages in British Columbia to formulate a community plan built on resident input, and that process of community consultation has been maintained—nowhere more visibly than in the lengthy, community-wide preparations for celebrating and commemorating the 25th anniversary in 1996.