Acclaimed docu-series Search and Rescue: North Shore is returning to Knowledge Network for a second season, premiering May 28th showcasing local volunteer heroes in action.
North Shore Rescue Series – Photo credit Grant Baldwin Silvapark Films
Search and Rescue: North Shore Season 2
Premieres Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 8:00pm
Five episodes in the series, airing on Tuesdays until June 25th
Directed and produced by Silvapark Films’ Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer (This Mountain Life, Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, Search and Rescue: North Shore Season 1), the series gives viewers unprecedented access to the North Shore Rescue (NSR) team as they respond to distress calls they receive (approximately 130 calls each year) from Vancouverites and tourists alike.
“Following the tremendous popularity of season 1, we’re excited to be partnering again with Silvapark Films to bring audiences another compelling season,” said Michelle van Beusekom, CEO of Knowledge Network. “This kind of on-the-fly storytelling in life and death situations requires extraordinary skill and agility, and the access is based on a deep relationship of trust and respect for all involved.”
Returning to the screen is NSR Team Lead, Mike Danks, along with many other active team members. Season 2’s storyline expands further to Squamish showcasing the courageous efforts of the search and rescue team there. No two rescue situations are alike for the highly trained volunteer search and rescue teams as they must swiftly jump into action when a call is received. Thinking on their feet, the teams works alongside other first responders to assess the situation and make an action plan to find those in trouble and return them to safety.
Modern day innovative technology, equipment and teamwork with other first responder organizations are helping both NSR and Squamish SAR save lives. Grant Baldwin, Director of Search and Rescue: North Shore says that the complicated retrievals the teams are performing are incredible to see. “We wanted to document more of the process for how these are done – ultimately giving the audience a real sense of what is involved with the rescues they see on the news.”
The first season premiered on Knowledge Network in November 2020 and it won five Leo Awards in 2021 including Best Documentary Series, Best Direction in a Documentary Series, Best Musical Score in a Documentary Series, Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Series, and Best Cinematography in a Documentary Series.
DOXA Documentary Film Festival present its 23rd edition May 2-12, 2024, screening a lineup of thought-provoking documentaries, bringing filmmakers and audiences together around Vancouver. You can enter to win tickets to the mid-week Gala film!
The festival will have 8 World Premieres, 1 International Premiere, 17 North American Premieres, and 8 Canadian Premieres!
Playland Amusement Park will soon have Canada’s fastest electric launch coaster – the ThunderVolt, which is anticipated to open the first weekend in July.
PNE/Playland photo (from April construction update)
ThunderVolt New Playland Coaster
The ThunderVolt’s three-car train carries 12 passengers at a time with 1.3 G’s of acceleration through an illuminated tunnel, up a steep incline before an 18-metre drop. The ride, built by Zamperla of Italy will occupy the previous location of the retired Corkscrew coaster (1994-2018)
Total Track Length: 380 metres (1247 feet)
Maximum height: 18 metres (59 feet)
Train Length: 8.2 metres (27 feet)
Number of Trains: 1
Vehicles per Train: 3
Passengers per Train: 12
Launch Acceleration: 1.3 G
Playland Coasters Over the Years
I grew up in the age of the Super Big Gulp (1972 to 1994) and the Wild Mouse (1979 to 2008… I think I still have a bruise from that one). Over the last 100+ years, several coasters have thrilled fair-goers at the PNE and Playland, from the Corkscrew to Kettle Creek Mine, which has been your favourite?
Giant Dipper Coaster at the PNE Playland 1940 Vancouver Archives Photo
The ride portion at the fair has held many names including “Happyland” before becoming “Playland” a few decades ago. There have been at least three iterations of a wooden coaster at the PNE including the Giant Dipper. According to Chuck Davis’ records, in 1927: “The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and his brother Prince George (later the Duke of Kent, and still later King George VI) visited Vancouver.” While here, “Edward tried out the Dipper one afternoon and liked it so well he returned in the evening.”
Located on the West side of the grounds, the Giant Dipper was demolished in 1948 to make room for an expanding Hastings Racecourse track. There was also a smaller coaster called the Baby Dipper, which was torn down in 1944.
Baby Dipper Coaster at the PNE Playland Vancouver Archives Photo
When a new wooden coaster went up in 1958 (at the location you find it today) it was the largest in Canada. The coaster was built board by board back then, and it still reaches speeds of 45mph/72kmh and a height of 23m/75ft. It was designed by Carl E. Phare and was built by Walker LeRoy as a part of the vision for Playland and was named top woodencoaster in Canada (2019) and is ranked 7th in the world.
Find more memories in the Roller Coaster Database here.
PNE/Playland Wooden Coaster – Submitted
About the PNE
Owned by the City of Vancouver, the PNE is a healthy and vibrant non-profit organization dedicated to delivering over 3 million visitors a year with memorable experiences through access to first-class cultural, music, sporting and family entertainment events, as well as access to public space for passive recreation. Founded in 1910, the PNE’s home is Hastings Park, a multi-facility venue in Vancouver where the organization manages four activity streams: the annual PNE Fair, Playland Amusement Park, Park Care and Facility Maintenance and an expansive portfolio of year-round events. All revenues generated are invested back into park space, community programs and non- revenue generating educational and entertainment experiences.
BC Youth Week is back May 1-7 as communities province-wide offer diverse events and activities to showcase the creativity, talent, and contributions of young people. Select a region below to view events.
BC Youth Week is an annual, provincial celebration of the youth in British Columbia’s communities from May 1 to 7. It’s a week of fun intended to build a strong connection between youth and their communities while highlighting their interests, accomplishments, and the diversity of youth province-wide.
We arrive at 221b Baker Street, the well-known address of the world’s first, and most famous, consulting detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Here we learn of a centuries-old curse which has lately come to life plaguing the Baskerville family. Can Sherlock prevent the demise of the latest, and only living descendant of the ancient family?
The play, written by the award winning playwright Ken Ludwig, is based on the well-known Sherlock Holmes adventure, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Mystery, sprinkled with tragedy, comedy, romance and a few red herrings lends to an entertaining experience. The impressive set lends itself to the many scenes, enabling the characters to travel from London to the misty, desolate and mysterious moors of the English countryside, where the haunting howl of an unseen hound can be heard, reminding all that the curse lives on.
What is most impressive is that the five actors, Genevieve Fleming, Gerry Mackay, Andrew Cownden, Mack Gordon, and Melissa Oei take on nearly 40 different characters! The sudden costume changes, sometimes occurring in view of the audience, adds to the hilarity of the scene. Directed by Barbara Tomasic, this production made good on its promise of a rollercoaster of laughter, suspense.
Genevieve Fleming and Gerry Mackay. Photo by David Cooper.
