A year in review: Vancouver news stories that left a mark in 2025

'Not going anywhere': John Rustad denies removal from B.C. Conservative Party

Aboriginal title ruling killed initial sale deal for Richmond luxury hotel

Majority of B.C. residents worried about impact of Aboriginal title ruling: survey

Pool party

Swimming pools took up a lot of space in Vancouver news headlines in 2025. While there were a few stories about South Vancouver swimming pools and some updates on the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre, stories about Kits Pool were probably the loudest.

Long story short, a vocal group of poolgoers were upset about the Kits Pool reservation system. The reservation system, which had been in place since COVID-19, didn’t make sense to some poolgoers. Eventually, the Park Board relented and made some changes, but not the biggest ones that the vocal crowd were asking for.

Shaughnessy Restaurant

A restaurant in Vancouver that one family had been running for decades almost met its demise in 2025.

The family behind Shaughnessy Restaurant didn’t learn that their restaurant was at risk until after the City of Vancouver had started the bidding process for a new owner to take over the lease of the space.

We eventually learned that Truffle Fine Foods was in the running to take over.

Shaughnessy Restaurant is a hugely popular wedding and events venue.

Carlle Chatten, who handles events and bookings for the restaurant, had to tell numerous people that their wedding bookings weren’t going to move forward due to the uncertainty that the family was facing at the establishment.

Thankfully, the family, with the support of media and devout and loyal patrons, was able to make their voice heard, and the restaurant will live on.

You might also like:
• City looks to replace long-running Vancouver restaurant for bigger financial return
• Last call? Fate of storied Vancouver restaurant hangs in the balance

Bye-bye, Bay-bee and major retail news

This year saw the loss of a long-running Vancouver retailer, The Bay, in downtown.

The store officially closed on June 1, 2025.

The final week featured some unsettling sights, including a graveyard of mannequins.

Offering some levity to the whole ordeal was businesswoman Ruby Liu’s failed pursuit to acquire the location. Daily Hive Urbanized shared exactly why her bid failed, including some strange photos of what her vision would’ve looked like.

This year also revealed the first notable retailer going into the space that Nordstrom used to occupy in downtown Vancouver.

Aritzia will be opening a 40,000 sq. ft. flagship store in the space, news that was revealed this November.

Metro Vancouver also opened its first Costco Business Centre, with a ginormous freezer to boot, in 2025.

While not a retailer, another significant change in 2025 saw the end of the Shangri-La’s time in Vancouver. In June of this year, we learned that the hotel brand’s time in Vancouver came to an abrupt end, with Hyatt taking over.

You might also like:
• 'Out of money': Precarious state of Hudson's Bay made clear in creditor protection
• Former Hudson's Bay building in downtown Vancouver listed for sale

Huge changes to the Vancouver event scene

2025 brought some tragic news for a long-running event, as we learned that the Honda Celebration of Light was cancelled indefinitely.

The cancellation was a result of a significant funding collapse.

The fireworks show was the largest free outdoor event in the entire country, and many poured out their frustrations online.

Another more recent story related to the event scene is the fact that horse racing at Hastings Park was going to be shut down permanently.

Thankfully, 2025 also brought some good news around the event scene in Vancouver.

While not nearly as big as the Celebration of Light, we learned that the Dragon Boat Festival would be making its return in 2026.

2025 also saw Vancouver host the largest convention in the city’s history.

You might also like:
• End of horse racing opens door to major transformation at Hastings Park
• Vancouver reacts to indefinite fireworks cancellation but it could get worse for the events scene

Lapu Lapu Day

This year tragically brought one of the darkest news stories in Vancouver’s history: the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.

Eleven people died in the Filipino street festival when a car plowed through a crowd near John Oliver Secondary School.

During a press conference at midnight, VPD chief Steve Rai confirmed that one lone male in his 30s who is “known to police” has been taken into custody. He says the suspect was initially apprehended at the scene by the crowd.

In September, the suspect was hit with an additional 31 charges.

Are there any Vancouver news stories that didn’t make this list that you considered to be notable in 2025? Let us know in the comments.