The year is nearing its end and it's typically the time to look back at the biggest stories of the last 365 or so days.
V.I.A. is sticking with that tradition with these 10 stories that represent some of the very biggest ones of the year for our publication.
They range from concerns about cancer at a school to the best donuts in the city.
Missing teen Esther Wang walks out of woods to family, no injuries
In late June the people throughout the province were concerned about the fate of Ester Wang, a 16-year-old Metro Vancouver teen who had been hiking at Golden Ears Park.
On June 27, she was hiking with three others when she got separated from the group. Crews quickly began to search the area and as Tuesday became Wednesday and then Thursday a massive area was searched with no sign of Wang.
However, on June 30 news came that the night before Wang had walked out of the forest, healthy and happy to be reunited with family.
Ryan Reynolds gives heartfelt tribute to iconic Canadian actor Michael J. Fox
Two of Metro Vancouver's hometown heroes connected in this story as Ryan Reynolds shared his admiration of Michael J. Fox in light of the film Still: A MIchael J. Fox Movie.
The film, a documentary about Fox and his battle with Parkinson's disease, premiered in May.
This massive naked bike ride takes place in Vancouver this summer
It seems a lot of people were really interested in the World Naked Bike Ride this year.
As of right now, it appears it'll be back in 2024, so keep your eyes peeled (or covered).
Cancer cluster being investigated at Metro Vancouver elementary school
An investigation was launched when it came to light an undisclosed number of staff at Alouette Elementary had tested positive with breast cancer.
While the number of staff hadn't been released all of them worked in the same four classrooms in one wing of the school.
“My son’s teacher was the latest case, unfortunately. His teacher from last year as well,” one mother told us.
Watch: Motionless B.C. bird suspended mid-air continues to puzzle many
Bizarre footage was caught in February this year out in Surrey that seemed to show a motionless, potentially dead seagull just hanging in the air.
While some experts speculated on what had happened, no definitive answer has been provided.
Photos: One of the first BC Ferries is for sale again and it's selling for less than a used pickup truck
The Queen of Tsawwassen has been on the coast of B.C. for a long time.
Built as one of the two original vessels for BC Ferries in the 1950s, it was retired by the public ferry service several years ago. However, it wasn't scrapped and went on to be renamed the Inlet Explorer and used for other purposes.
Earlier this year it hit the market as a barge (it's no longer self-powered); at the time the top bid was $55,000. It has since sold.
For more on ships in and around Vancouver in 2023 (there was a weird number of them) check out our round-up.
The best donuts in Canada come from this Vancouver shop
Yelp, the rating and review app, took thousands of ratings and reviews of donuts across Canada to make a list of the 25 best donut shops in the country.
Vancouver, it seems, can claim the best in Canada. Mello took the top spot while Metro Vancouver had nine of the top 25.
- For more on Vancouver's food scene in 2023, check out stories about favourite new restaurants of the year, and all of the closures.
'Threatened the victim': Passenger refuses to get out of nursing mother's seat on Vancouver flight
A video went viral on a flight between Calgary and Vancouver in April after it was posted to Tiktok.
In the video, a woman refuses to move from the seat she's in despite being told that she's in the wrong spot by a flight attendant.
In fact, the seat was one of three assigned to a mother travelling with her infant and mother-in-law.
- For more of the top travel stories of 2023, check out our round-up.
'This is the mother lode of silverware': Relic hunter finds buried treasure from a Vancouver icon
Christian Laub spends a lot of time looking for old things hidden around Vancouver but was completely surprised when he found dozens of pieces of silverware (and other items) from the Hotel Vancouver.
The pieces are likely 70 years old or older. Laub believes they were stashed in the woods by a thief in the 1950s.
- For more stories on Vancouver's history that V.I.A. published in 2023, check out our round-up.
'I just need out': Beloved Vancouver hobby shop may close after 35 years
Hobby shops are rare these days, and Vancouver has one less now.
In 1988 Hal Kinsey took over Central Hobbies in East Vancouver and it became a staple in the province's model train world; the shop also sold other hobbiest items including materials for film props.
The shop closed in June and in September a related business started out in Langley.
At the time of the closure being announced Kinsey said it was simply time for him to close up.
"My body is saying 'get out now before you kill yourself,' and that's basically all it is," Kinsey told Vancouver Is Awesome. "I'm going to miss the customers, I'm going to miss the business, I'm going to miss it all, but I need to get out."
