The City is notifying residents of temporary impacts to traffic and parking along Lonsdale Avenue and expected crowds at The Shipyards on Sunday afternoon.
The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims has organized a local rally as part of a global event on Sunday, January 8 to commemorate the third anniversary of the tragic loss of 176 passengers of Flight 752 downed over Tehran in 2020. The event in North Vancouver is expected to bring up to 5,000 participants.
The event will include a march beginning at 2pm at Rey Sargent Park at 21st Street and Lonsdale, and will continue down Lonsdale to The Shipyards, where an event will be held from 3 – 5pm at Shipbuilders’ Square.
Road Closures and Traffic and Parking Impacts
City Staff and RCMP will be working with event organizers to ensure safe passage of event participants down Lonsdale Avenue.
- There will be rolling road closures starting from 2pm at the north end of Lonsdale, which will impact east-west traffic. As the procession proceeds down Lonsdale, crossroads will re-open.
- RCMP will be onsite to ensure road safety and City staff will manage closing and opening of roads.
- Transit will be re-routed temporarily and riders can look for service updates from TransLink at translink.ca/alerts.
- Expect parking down Lonsdale to be limited throughout the afternoon.
Expect Crowds at The Shipyards
The rally will take place at the stage in Shipbuilders’ Square following the march and will include families of the victims of Flight 752 and dignitaries, as well as a candlelight commemoration ceremony.
- The ceremony takes place from 3 – 5pm at Shipbuilders’ Square.
- Expect traffic or transit delays and congestion in the Lower Lonsdale area as the crowd disperses.
- Emergency vehicle access and egress will be maintained.
- Expect area parking to be limited during the event.
- The Skate Plaza will maintain usual operations from 1-8pm.
About Flight 752 and its Local Impact
On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down minutes after taking off from Tehran, Iran, by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Fifty-five Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 people killed in this national tragedy. Seven of the victims were residents of the North Shore, including Delaram Dadashnejad, Faye Kazerani, Firouzeh Madani, Fatehmeh Pasavand, Ayeshe Pourghaderi, Naser Pourshabanoshibi, and Daniel Saket.
