Bob Mackin
Welcome to theBreaker.news summary of the year that was, in alphabetical order.
Part 2: N to Z.
N for Northern Lights
John Rustad (left), David Eby and Sonia Furstenau on Oct. 8 (CBC/YouTube)
Also known as the Aurora Borealis. British Columbians were treated to a dazzling show in the clear night skies on May 10 after a rare G4 solar storm. Skywatchers flocked to the Cleveland Dam, Burnaby Mountain and Porteau Cove. There was a sequel five months later, on Oct. 10. Both events more than compensated for the disappointment of the April 8 partial solar eclipse blocked by clouds.
O for over budget and over time
Vancouver Art Gallery fired its architect after the new design reached $600 million. The Broadway Subway is delayed to 2027. Vancouver’s bill to host seven FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 is nearing $600 million.
P for police
The NDP-imposed Surrey Police Service finally took command Nov. 29, but needs the RCMP for a few more years, while the SPS continues to recruit officers.
Q for quit
Selina Robinson, B.C.’s most-prominent Jewish politician, said she didn’t leave the NDP, the NDP left her.
Pro-Hamas Samidoun and its supporters targeted Robinson for cancellation when she suggested pre-1948 Israel was a “crappy piece of land.” Eby bowed to pressure and removed Robinson from cabinet in February. Robinson, a Zionist and promoter of a two-state solution, resigned from the party in March, accusing ex-colleagues of antisemitism. She served the rest of her term in office as an independent and published a memoir in December.
Samidoun leader Charlotte Kates was arrested at the end of April, but not charged, for inciting hate during one of her group’s many anti-Israel protests. In October, the Canadian and U.S. governments declared Samidoun a terrorist entity.
R for railway
Stanley Park Miniature Railway (Facebook)
The beleaguered Stanley Park Miniature Railway’s Christmas train was abruptly cancelled after a driver was overcome by locomotive exhaust. The beloved train has become a metaphor for civic dysfunction.
S for Springsteen and Swift
New Jersey’s most-famous son ended his 2024 tour at Rogers Arena. Two weeks later, and across the street, Taylor Swift filled B.C. Place with a trio of sold out shows to end her record-breaking Eras Tour. Fans got their money’s worth. The Boss played for three hours and 20 minutes, Swift for five minutes longer on her last night.
T for trees
More than 8,000 fewer trees stand in Stanley Park, as loggers removed trees killed by the Hemlock looper moth or otherwise deemed a wildfire risk. The Stanley Park Preservation Society lost a court bid to stop the logging. Vancouver city hall admitted to the court that Sim’s council voted in secret to increase the budget by $11 million.
U for United Arab Emirates
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone’s junket to the United Nations 2023 climate conference in Dubai was deemed conflict of interest almost a year later, but the investigator recommended he receive education as his penalty.
V for Victoria
In January, the Stanley Cup came to Victoria for the annual Hockey Day in Canada broadcast. In August, the capital welcomed the Grey Cup for the Touchdown Pacific game between the B.C. Lions and Ottawa RedBlacks at Royal Athletic Park.
Sold out Royal Athletic Park in Victoria during Aug. 31, 2024’s Touchdown Pacific (Mackin)
W for weather
January’s cold snap ruined tree fruit crops in the Interior and was blamed for the Parkland oil refinery emergency. The fall parade of storms included the atmospheric river on election day and a bomb cyclone a month later.
X for x on the ballot
Cloverdale-Langley City gave the Conservative candidate a two-thirds majority over the Liberal on the same day that Chrystia Freeland quit as finance minister instead of delivering the fall budget update. It sparked a blizzard of calls for Justin Trudeau to resign ahead of the scheduled October 2025 election.
Y for yoga mat, York candies and yellow Post-It notes
Those items were out of reach for London Drugs customers in April after the LockBit gang’s ransomware attack forced the retail chain to temporarily close. The B.C. government was also hit by a cyberattack, blamed on a foreign state or state-sponsored actor.
Z for zero Stanley Cups
The Vancouver Canucks reached the top of the NHL standings in January and sent coach Rick Tocchet with a club-record six players to All-Star Weekend in Toronto. But the championship drought continues after they fell one goal shy at home in Game 7 of round two against the eventual Stanley Cup runner-up Edmonton Oilers.
Florida Panther Sam Reinhart scored the Cup-winning goal in Edmonton. He brought Lord Stanley’s mug home on July 28 to West Vancouver and celebrated with Hollyburn Country Club and Capilano Golf and Country Club members.
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