Tuesday - April 1, 2025 - Lightning Rock returned

🌧 High 11C | Local forecast

Good morning!

The other day I was doing my responsible parental duty of monitoring what my kid was doing on the family tablet. So I opened up the history tab to discover a whole rash of Google searches for “harmless” April Fool’s Day pranks that could be pulled upon an unwitting teacher. I knew my kids were unreasonably excited for April Fool’s Day, so I wasn’t shocked, but it did highlight the fact that kids in 2025 have perhaps too much access to prank ideas. Mostly, I was pleasantly calmed. After all, if the kid is searching for ways to prank her teacher, then I’m probably not at the top of her target list (for once).

– Tyler

News

Other priorities mean no money for flood-planning: BC government

Three years after one of the costliest disasters in Canadian history, the provincial government now says it doesn’t have the money to fully fund critical flood-prevention work in the Lower Mainland.

• Today, Tyler has a follow-up to his story last week on concerns that the province had shelved its new BC Flood Strategy.

Related

Need to Know

❌ Fraser Health Chair Jim Sinclair has retired, two weeks after the BC Conservatives called for him to be fired [Abbotsford News]

🗳 Spuzzum First Nation Chief James Hobart has pleaded guilty to an assault charge in Mission [Mission Record]

🤠 Country star Parker McCollum will perform in Abbotsford in August [Abbotsford News]

🏥 A worker was airlifted to hospital after a fall at a Chilliwack construction site [Fraser Valley Today]

👉 UFV has promoted James Mandigo to replace its retiring president [UFV]

🚁 An RCMP blackhawk helicopter is using Langley’s airport as a refueling station while patrolling the border [Township of Langley]

🗳 Election 2025

The federal election campaign continues until election day on Monday, April 28. Advance voting will take place over the Easter weekend, from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21. Find everything you need to know—including where to vote—by visiting one of our local election hubs:

Chilliwack & the Eastern Fraser Valley | Abbotsford & Mission | Langley

The latest

👉 The Liberals have named realtor Kevin Gillies as their candidate in Abbotsford-South Langley [Abbotsford News]

👉 The Liberals unveiled their housing plan, but are taking heat for not ousting a candidate who suggested his opponent should be turned over to the Chinese [CBC]

SPONSORED BY FORT LANGLEY JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL

Don't miss out on the blues event of the year

Join in on July 25, at Fort Langley Community Park for an unforgettable night of blues, featuring some of the most accomplished Canadian artists!

Headliners:

• Angelique Francis – JUNO Award-winning powerhouse blending blues, soul, folk, and jazz

• Steve Marriner – Versatile, JUNO-winning musician known for his electrifying stage presence

• Brandon Isaak & his Saints of Swing – Gritty vocals, masterful guitar, and rich storytelling

• Jimmy D. Lane – Chicago blues legend who’s played with Eric Clapton, B.B. King and more

• Robert Connely Farr Duo – Delta blues artist delivering raw, heartfelt performances

• Bywater Call - Powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul and roots band known for their electrifying performances, raw emotion, and dynamic sound

In addition to these must-see performances, the Cool Blues Show features a beer garden, food trucks, vendor market, art installation, games, and more! Get your early bird tickets now!

The Agenda

Semá:th and province sign Lightning Rock deal

The provincial government has returned ownership of a sacred cultural site to Semá:th First Nation. The province announced Monday that it had returned the Lightning Rock site to the First Nation, a year after purchasing the property from a local land developer.

Semá:th First Nation has been trying to protect the site for years. Lightning Rock is a sacred transformer site—according to Semá:th oral history, a shaman was turned into stone and split by lightning after confronting Thunderbird, a creature living on Sumas Mountain. The site was also used as a burial ground following a smallpox epidemic in the late 1700s.

John Glazema, a local developer, had sought to build an industrial development on the land, only to later hear from an elder about its importance to the local community. After the project was denied by Abbotsford council, Glazema tried to broker a deal with the provincial government.

Last year, the province bought the land from Glazema. It has now signed a deal with Semá:th to return it to the First Nation. The deal includes promises to formally protect the site. The province has also committed $1 million to help develop a cultural education and healing centre. Finally, the city, the province, and the First Nation have agreed to try to find a new access route for local gravel quarries. Currently, dozens of trucks each day use a private road through the Lightning Rock site to get to and from five Sumas Mountain quarries.

Share

You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/april-1-2025/—into a social media post.

SPONSORED BY KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Post-secondary path didn't go as planned?

KPU is still accepting applications! Discover the difference of a polytechnic education where theory meets hands-on learning. With industry-experienced instructors and over 140 programs across five campuses, you’ll graduate career-ready with industry connections and the support of a thriving community. Explore your future at KPU today.

🔓️ Become a Current Insider and get full access to this newsletter. Every Tuesday, members get exclusive information on events, food and drink, and local deals.

You’ll also get our weekly behind-the-scenes newsletter and roundup on Saturday. Most of all, your contribution will allow us to keep producing all the great journalism you already know and love.

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.