Wednesday - April 16, 2025 - BC's snowpack hits its peak

☀ High 19C

Good morning!

The hide-a-bed couch is the hardest piece of furniture to move. There is no question. If you disagree, you have never had to move a true hide-a-bed. My wife bought one such devil’s couch over the weekend. The things seem like a great idea until the moment you try to pick it up. The thing looks like a normal couch. You think it’s going to be awkward like a normal couch. Then you feel its weight and want to just set fire to the thing on the spot.

In this case, we had to move the hide-a-bed down a narrow set of stairs and then immediately around a corner. It was a nightmare, at one point I warned my wife that I would die if she let the thing slip, and yet it was still (!) easier than I originally thought. That’s the incredible thing about moving a hide-a-bed: just surviving the process leaves you grateful.

– Tyler

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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

What does the federal government do, anyway?

The further you get from your last social studies course, the more likely you are to vote. And let’s face it, it’s been a long time since many of us were given a breakdown of how exactly the Canadian government worked.

Before previous elections, we heard from voters confused or misinformed about the choices facing the electorate and the powers their politicians wield.

With a federal election coming up in less than two weeks, it’s worth spending a little time to refresh our memories on what, exactly, Canada’s federal government can—and can’t—do.

So let’s get into it.

• Today, Grace and Tyler break down exactly what the federal government can control, how the government is structured, and who is really in charge on Parliament Hill.

• Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing answers to the questions FVC readers had about the federal government and the election.

Related

Need to Know

🎷 After decades of performances, the longtime band at Harrison Hot Springs Resort’s Copper room says they were unceremoniously fired by text last week [Global]

🐮 An Agassiz farm’s cows will sprint for the open pasture Friday in an event that draws hundreds each year [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🚔 A Langley man was arrested after witnesses reported an ‘indecent act’ on a local trail [Richmond News]

🔥 Fire crews extinguished a hedge fire near a Chilliwack apartment building [Fraser Valley Today]

🚔 Police say a girl was sexually assaulted Monday evening in Downes Bowl Park in Abbotsford [CTV]

👉 Harrison Hot Springs has boosted its budget for summer bylaw officers [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🚐 Increased funding (and taxes) could bring a new bus route to a Langley industrial area [Global]

🏏 A Chilliwack park is getting a new cricket pitch [Fraser Valley Today]

🎬 Bring your family to BC Place for MTM: on field activities, hot dog combo, and watch The Wild Robot. Donate tickets for a family in your community who wouldn't be able to attend without your generous support!*

*Sponsored Listing

🗳 Election 2025

The federal election campaign continues until election day on Monday, April 28. Advance voting begins Friday and continues until Easter Monday. Find everything you need to know—including where to vote—by visiting one of our local election hubs:

Chilliwack, Hope, and the Eastern Valley | Abbotsford and Mission | Langley

The latest

👉 Outgoing Conservative MP Ed Fast has endorsed independent Mike de Jong instead of Conservative candidate Sukhman Gill in the Abbotsford-South Langley Riding [Global]

👉 A petition in Abbotsford is calling on Gill to attend all-candidates meetings [Abbotsford News]

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SPONSORED BY BC EGG

Meet BC’s next-gen farmers

Jared de Dood combines modern tech, deep-rooted tradition, and day-to-day grit to raise certified organic eggs—and his young family—on a thriving poultry farm.

Read his full story here.

The Agenda

Mission mountain snowpack defies provincial trend

After peaking well below normal levels, BC’s mountain snowpack has likely begun its months-long process of melting away.

The provincial average snowpack was 18% below normal as of April 15. Historically, the mountain snowpack peaks on April 15 and quickly begins to decline. Although this year’s snowpack was one of the lowest on record, the province’s mountains still have considerably more snow than they did this time last year, when the snowpack was at a record low level at this time of year.

A low snowpack comes with a reduced threat of a large Fraser River flood, but can result in water supply challenges for farmers, and river conditions that threaten the health of salmon. A low snowpack can also reduce the power-generating ability of BC’s hydroelectric dams.

Snow levels in watersheds vary considerably depending on location and elevation. In the Fraser Valley, the Chilliwack River’s snowpack is about 17% lower than average. But the snowpack in the Dickson Lake area north of Mission is more than 40% above normal. Dickson Lake is a key reservoir for drinking water in Abbotsford and Mission. Although rapid melting can change that situation, the above-average snowpack is a positive sign for the two cities.

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🗓 Things to do

Border laughs: Very Very Improv comes to Langley's Bez Arts Hub with its "Border Line Funny" comedy show on Saturday. Laugh at Canadian and American quirks and customs in the live improv show. Details and tickets online.

Egg hunt: The District of Kent hosts its Easter egg hunt at Pioneer Park on Saturday starting at 9:30am. Find eggs, enjoy a hot chocolate at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum, and do crafts. Details online.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

That’s it!

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