Wednesday - April 9, 2025 - Langley considers cenotaph replacement

🌦 High 13C

Good morning!

On Tuesday, I attended a very loud music concert featuring the legendary punk band Refused. I’ll spare you the details beyond the fact that the band’s performance of its legendary anthem The New Noise is maybe the most electric live song I’ve ever heard. But beyond all that, I couldn’t help but notice the crowd. When I was younger, the very loud concerts I attended were full of young people like me. Now, the rare rock shows I attend are full of middle-aged people like me. Life comes at you fast.

– Tyler

Keep local journalism alive by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.

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

Developer yanks plans for massive Lake Errock housing project

The Rise has been sunk.

Community opposition and demands from local officials have prompted a development company to shelve their plans for Harrison Rise, a massive proposed housing project near Lake Errock.

The developer, GWEB Holdings, had hoped to build nearly 500 detached houses, townhomes, and apartments on a gravel quarry overlooking Lake Errock.

The project had the potential to triple the population of the tiny community on the north side of the Fraser River. But its future looks dim now, with the developer yanking an application that needed approval before any homes were to be built.

• Today, Tyler provides an update on the proposed Harrison Rise development near Lake Errock.

Related

Need to Know

👉 With few Canadians venturing south of the border, Whatcom County cities are feeling the pain [Langley Advance Times]

🚔 Two gun-toting balaclava-wearing men stole an SUV from hikers near Steelhead Falls [Mission Record]

⚽ Langley-based pro soccer club Vancouver FC has signed a former Vancouver Whitecaps player [Canadian Premier League]

🐻 As bears bulk up after hibernation, residents are urged to take care and secure their garbage [CBC]

🚒 An Abbotsford company built Whistler’s fire department a custom truck designed for fighting wildfires [Abbotsford News]

🚜 Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove beat out fellow politicians at the Chilliwack Plowing Match [Chilliwack Progress]

👉 A non-profit is looking to build a new affordable rental housing building in downtown Chilliwack [Fraser Valley Today]

🏗️ Industry-driven programs, real-world skills. KPU’s programs match market demands, so you graduate ready for what’s next. Explore KPU’s diverse programs.*

☕ Enjoy the world-renowned flavour of AeroPress, a velvety-smooth coffee without the grit or bitterness found in other methods. Loved globally, with 55K+ 5-star reviews.*

*Sponsored Listing

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

The latest

👉 The Liberals are promising boosts to senior income programs [CBC] / Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper endorsed Pierre Poilievre [CTV]

👉 The Mission Chamber of Commerce hosted an all-candidates forum for the Abbotsford-South Langley riding last night. You can find the video here.

👉 The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce will host an all-candidates forum for the Abbotsford-South Langley riding April 23 at 6pm at the AEP Legacy Sports Centre Banquet Hall at Rotary Stadium. The forum will be focused on business issues. Details online.

The Agenda

Fort Langley cenotaph cracking and in need of repairs

Fort Langley’s cenotaph is cracking and may need to be replaced.

The monument was erected after the First World War in memory of locals who had died in the war. It, along with a plaque laid into the ground, now bears the names of dozens who died in the two world wars. (You can read more about the history of the cenotaph here, or view a video by local schoolchildren here.)

The cenotaph’s condition has deteriorated in recent years and triggered complaints from the public. Earlier this year, staff began looking into how to restore the monument. While cleaning the monument, “previously undetected fractures” of the cenotaph’s cross were discovered, according to a new report to township council.

Previous repairs are also showing strain as the monument continues to settle into the surrounding ground, and staff now say a full plan to restore the monument is needed. It’s possible that the cenotaph can’t be saved and will need to be replaced, they write.

Fixing the cenotaph will be neither easy nor cheap. Just stabilizing and levelling the monument could cost $15,000. If the cenotaph needs to be replaced, an exact replica is expected to cost up to $50,000.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the township’s politicians broadly endorsed the plan, but instructed staff to first consult with the Aldergrove legion and local heritage groups for feedback and ideas. The township will also seek a grant from the federal government to help with the cost.

“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right,” Coun. Tim Baillie said. “It sounds like in the past it has been glued together—the monument itself—and there’s not much more important than doing remembrance properly.”

Share

You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/april-9-2025/—into a social media post.

Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.

Become a Current member today and join 1,400+ other local supporters who help keep our lights on.

As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!

📸 Current (Satellite) Cam

Can you find the location depicted in this satellite image? You can use Google here, if you need help. If you find the location, copy the URL and paste it into the form here. Or just tell us the location in your own words. We’ll share the location in tomorrow’s newsletter.

🗓 Things to do

Family nature day: The Hope Recreation Centre hosts Family Nature Day on Saturday, April 12 at the Rotary Nature Trail. Enjoy free nature games for kids aged four to 12 from 9 to 11am. Details online.

Rain barrel sale: Langley Environmental Partners Society is selling rain barrels online. Barrels can be ordered until April 27. Details online.

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

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

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