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This newsletter is brought to you by the anti-leaf blower lobby.

It's June. What leaves are there to blow? Have you considered not using a leaf blower? For a cool alternative, we suggest rakes. Now get out there and rake up those leaves in blissful silence. Your neighbours will thank you.

— V.`
Senior editor

North America's 50 Best Restaurants list dropped late last week, and with it comes a fresh wave of acclaim for British Columbia's fine dining scene. With a combined population of 381 million across the U.S. and Canada, it's pretty impressive that our province of around 5.7 million—just 1.5 percent—makes up 6 percent of the top restaurants.

Breakaway from the crowds this June and July with a trip to BC’s Sunshine Coast. ⚽

Trade the city for small-town coastal charm, ocean breezes, and breathtaking scenery on the Sunshine Coast. Summer days unfold at a slower pace—ideal for visitors seeking time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

Wander through art-filled towns, quiet beaches, and forest trails. Fill up on local flavours at vibrant eateries, craft breweries, and cideries. Or make the most of the season with festivals and events celebrating every facet of life on the Sunshine Coast.

From Gibsons to Lund, there’s room to explore, and time to simply…be.

What's better than learning about ships? Being on a ship! The Maritime Museum's new experience takes visitors from the galleries to the places where history happened.

David Duprey is a familiar face when it comes to using Vancouver's spaces in unconventional ways. His latest project, Artopia, is a formal recognition of that: an organized umbrella for his network of 10 buildings that have so far given artists 170,000 square feet of studio space. “There are so many empty buildings out there all over the place,” Duprey tells us. “There are tens of thousands of square feet of empty buildings that I would love to activate.”

The Dancing on the Edge Festival returns with 10 days of boundary-pushing contemporary dance, showcasing some of Canada’s most provocative dance artists. From intimate solos to bold ensemble works, the festival celebrates innovation, daring performance, and the electric energy of live dance in the heart of Vancouver. July 4-13.

Beatdapp’s third annual Battle of the Bands is designed to get more people listening to local artists through some good ol’ fashioned competition. “It’s such a collaborative thing, because everybody’s part of it and it’s happening in real time,” enthuses Beatdapp marketing and events manager Niamh MacGinty. “The energy builds and builds until the end of the night.”

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