WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3 2025
$1.25
NEWSSTAND PRICE
NEWS5
Mural on the wall
NFL PLAYER THEO BENEDET
New mural taking shape near West Van’s Ambleside Skatepark
LIFESTYLE13
Powerful music
North Van musician releasing song for Suicide Prevention Day
SPORTS19
Theo Benedet
North Van football player makes roster for NFL’s Chicago Bears SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY EMAIL AT
nsnews.com/newsletter
THE GIVING SPIRIT
‘Santa Hank’ retires after 17 years serving people in need BRENT RICHTER
brichter@nsnews.com
It started with a clever scheme to earn himself a vacation. Hank Brennan began collecting bottles and cans to fund a cruise to Alaska. It took the North Vancouver videographer and building manager almost two years to raise enough money for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.
But, as he returned home in 2008, Brennan felt compelled to keep the recycling side-hustle going. “I realized I’m not doing [a cruise] again, and if I stop, then what a waste. So I thought what else could I do? And there was nothing better than doing some kind of charity work,” he said. Donning a red fleece and cap with a white faux fur trim, he founded Hank’s Christmas Glitter, a charity that turns refunds for bottles and cans into treasured gifts for those in need. Much like municipal collection, Brennan and his volunteers served different neighbourhoods on different days, driving around in his custom-wrapped Christmas-themed minivans, collecting recyclables and bringing them back to “Santa’s Workshop” in Edgemont Village. There, they would Continued on A14
Hank Brennan is retiring after spending 17 years as “Santa Hank,” running a charity that used money made collecting bottles and cans to help people in need. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
KERRISDALE CAMERAS
NIKKOR Z 100-400mm
NIKON Z6 III MIRRORLESS
NIKON Z8 MIRRORLESS
Lightweight, weather-sealed telephoto zoom with sharp optics, stabilization, and quiet autofocus. Ideal for wildlife, sports, and video, capturing distant subjects with clarity and detail.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
F4.5-5.6 VR S
025.20106
025.34314/5
24.5MP Partially Stacked Sensor 6K60P / 4K120P Video 20-60FPS Shooting 5-Axis Stabilization
45.7MP FX Stacked Sensor 8K60P N-Raw 4-Axis Stabilization 5GHz Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
025.34312
PROMO VALID: SEP 3 - SEP 14