Thursday, May 2, 2024 - Baby bust: Fraser Valley edition

☀ High 20C

Good morning!

There are a few milestones in a journalist’s career. Scooping an outlet is one, writing a story that changes policy is another. Breaking a story is so common for some that those journalists might hardly recognize it. But for community reporters, who typically deal with the hyperlocal, breaking province-sized news is still, pretty big news.

The first time I passed that breaking news barrier was in 2022 with the publication of our first Births Vs. Deaths story. No one else had dived into the data and found that deaths were exceeding births for the first time in BC’s recorded history. Journalists I revere shared our original article on Twitter; it created the biggest buzz of any story I had worked on. It was, by my personal definition, a milestone.

Yesterday, Tyler revisited that BC-wide story to see how the data has changed in those two years. Today, we are doing what we do best: showcasing what it means in our communities, because at The Current, that is what really matters.

– Grace

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

NEWS

The sun doesn’t always set in the west

If life is a highway, then Willoughby and Hope are at opposing ends.

At the western edge of the Fraser Valley in northern Langley, three babies are born to Willoughby mothers for every one of their neighbours that dies. But head 90 minutes east on Highway 1, you’ll arrive in Hope, where the story is starkly different. In that small community, there are two deaths for every local birth.

Yesterday, we looked at provincewide statistics on the increasing number of deaths and declining births.

• Today, Tyler breaks down the new data to reveal which communities have far more births than deaths—and vice versa.

Related

Need to Know

🚓 Chilliwack RCMP found ammunition and 3D-printed gun parts in an abandoned car after it hit another vehicle in Garrison [Fraser Valley Today]

🏡 A massive Langley estate with a movie theatre and dungeon-like bar is up for sale for $35 million [Redfin]

🦷 Seniors over 70 are now covered by Canada’s new dental plan, and people over 65 can begin to sign up [CBC]

🔥 The Boothroyd Indian Band near Boston Bar is conducting a cultural burn, to restore plants for traditional use—and reduce wildfire risk [Hope Standard]

🚧 After 12 years and $34 billion, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is finally pumping oil [Reuters]

🍪 Proceeds from the sale of Smile Cookies at Abbotsford Tim Hortons until May 5 will support the local hospice care [Abbotsford Hospice]

💉 A Texas veterinarian was the first to discover bird flu was infecting dairy cows [CityNews]

🎿 Chilliwack ski champion Reece Howden battled injuries at the World Cup this year [Chilliwack Progress]; The Current interviewed Howden’s mom ahead of his Olympic debut in 2022 [FVC]

🚗 Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in Yale and Boston Bar [Hope Standard]

🧡 Three Stó:lō women who participated in the 1969 Moccasin Miles walk came back together to reminisce [Chilliwack Progress]

🏫 The construction of a $9 million addition intended to replace portables at a Langley elementary school is ahead of schedule [Langley Advance Times]

🌲 People who used Facebook between 2011 and 2014 may be able to get compensation through a class-action settlement [Vancouver Sun]

💧 Stage 1 water restrictions are now in place in Chilliwack, Langley, and Abbotsford-Mission; The Current wrote last month about how Abbotsford could be cracking down on rule-breaking water users last month [FVC]

📷 CURRENT CAM: Congratulations to Mike, who was the first (of many) to identify that yesterday’s Current Cam was the Fraser Valley Regional Library building in Abbotsford.

The Agenda

Harrison finally tells homeowners what their property tax will be

The third time was the charm for Harrison council and its 2024 tax bylaw, although Monday’s meeting was anything but charming.

After announcing a coup at the first meeting where the topic was set to be addressed, and after declaring the second meeting illegal, Harrison Mayor Ed Wood allowed council to meet on April 30 and pass its necessary 2024 tax rate bylaw. (He asked council to waive the notice for a special council meeting in order to “get the rules of law in order.” That passed unanimously.)

The tax rate bylaw outlines what each property owner will need to pay in taxes in 2024. Homeowners will pay roughly $2 for every $1,000 of value, while businesses and recreation facilities will pay $3 and $3.66 per $1,000 of value respectively. Council also discussed the financial plan, which will see an increase to the village’s fire department budget. The discussion around the financial plan was long, but the plan ultimately passed, with staff promising to bring future reports to council for potential amendments.

Wood also resurrected an idea that had stalled in an earlier meeting: buying a new fire detection system for Harrison’s East Sector Lands. Although the idea of having sensors in the forested area had broad support across council, Couns. Leo Facio, Michie Vidal, and Allan Jackson were originally opposed to purchasing directly from Sensenet. But this week, Jackson said “I just want to get on with this” and voted in favour of directly contracting Sensenet, alongside Wood and Coun. John Allen. (Vidal opposed the purchase and Facio—who was attending virtually—was declared disconnected by the mayor during the vote.)

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🗓 Things to do this week/end

🎸 Concert: Blues Hoodoo is coming to Langley's Bez Arts Hub on May 3 for a high energy evening of funk fusion and blues. Tickets online.

📚 Books: Chilliwack's Fraser Valley Regional Library will be welcoming local authors for book signings from May 6 to 11. Authors include Ken Mather, Margarita Artista, Nicole MacCarron, Glenda Toews, Linda Peterat, and Shawn Gale. Details online.

💸 Garage sale: Gladwin Heights Church in Abbotsford is hosting a massive garage and bake sale on May 4 from 9am to noon. Details online.

Want even more? Insider members get a comprehensive events listing every Thursday, plus a weekly Saturday round-up edition with behind-the-scenes content. Becoming a member costs less than $2 a week and helps support the ongoing production of The Current’s newsletters and in-depth journalism. Become a member here.

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Catch up

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