On this ANA flight from Vancouver to Asia, I was able to use a status-matched Turkish Airlines Gold card from this matching process to enter the Star Alliance lounge.

Other ways to enter include flying Air Canada or Star Alliance Business Class, holding Air Canada elite status, or having a premium Air Canada cobrand card. (Further reading: 🇨🇦 Canadian credit cards — airport lounge benefits summary)

Location

Unlike the SkyTeam or Priority Pass lounges, the Maple Leaf Lounge (MLL), as Air Canada’s own lounge, is very well located: you see it immediately after clearing security.

After presenting my boarding pass and Turkish Airlines Gold membership number, I entered the MLL directly.

At the entrance, you see a Signature Suite sign. You need to go upstairs; there is another reception desk inside, presumably for Signature Suite users.

Facilities

After entering, you can ask reception for a shower room.

The main lounge is medium-sized and a little crowded.

The view from the window seats:

Food and drinks

Here is a look at the food: there was even fried noodles with chilli oil.

Beyond the buffet-style dishes, there was also made-to-order food. That day, Hainanese chicken rice and vegetable chow mein were available to order:

Conclusion

The MLL in YVR’s international area was fairly standard. Perhaps that was because I did not enter the Signature Suite. Still, it was perfectly acceptable overall: it had everything needed and no obvious weaknesses.