Wednesday - Aug. 13, 2025 - $162K for bird flu research in Abbotsford

☀️ High 27C

Good morning!

I’ve been experiencing a bit of an existential crisis lately, maybe it’s the brain-frying heat (my tiny apartment is an oven at the time of writing, and I don’t have air-conditioning). Or maybe it’s a midlife crisis that has me questioning everything.

When I first heard about the launch of “generative AI” in late 2022, I started noticing increased hostility mixed with contempt towards people who do creative work, often from people poised to make billions off of AI.

I don’t think the AI apocalypse will look the way it does in the Terminator movie franchise. I think it’s already here and the reality is a lot more mundane.

As I sit at my desk nursing a migraine in 35-degree weather, I wonder, what will happen when people stop doing creative work because there’s no incentive to do so? When the AI runs out of human-made material to create new content?

There’s no doubt artificial intelligence has some uses and possible benefits as a tool. I use AI to transcribe my interviews, for example. I can see its potential usefulness. But is it overhyped?

I’d love to know what you think. Share your thoughts on AI in the comments.

– Lubna

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News

Turmoil in Mission City Council leads city to seek provincial help 

Tensions at Mission City Council have reached the point where the city is now seeking the help of the provincial government. According to a press release the city sent out last week, Mission will be seeking the province’s assistance after failing to improve relations between council members using professional mediation, training, open dialogue and mutual feedback sessions, and utilizing independent processes as part of council’s Code of Responsible Conduct.

The city is also requesting a municipal advisor to look into all the issues causing tension within the council. 

“I can’t give the name of the individual, although I think most in our community are fairly aware of this,” Mission Mayor Paul Horn told the Current. “It really is an issue of six of us have the ability to function effectively and are the ones that have sort of been keeping the city moving forward, even when we disagree, we disagree respectfully and functionally, but we’ve continued to have concerns, and they became really apparent recently where information was leaked, but more importantly, where it raised concerns about conflict of interest and insider and outsider influence.”

Read the full story here.

Related

Need to Know

🌡️ Eastern Fraser Valley residents may face poor air quality as hot weather could create elevated ozone levels, according to Metro Vancouver officials. [Hope Standard]

❄️ Langley opened an emergency cooling shelter at Gateway of Hope to help homeless individuals cope with temperatures exceeding 30C this week. [Langley Advance Times]

🔨 A Chilliwack organization is recruiting community volunteers to gain construction experience while assembling small homes for those experiencing housing challenges. [The Progress]

🔪 Police arrested a man with extensive criminal convictions after he allegedly wounded a business owner with a knife during a robbery attempt at an Abbotsford laundromat. [Abbotsford News]

🏒 Former Ridge Meadows Flames assistant coach Martin Hak will lead the Mission City Outlaws hockey team following their disappointing 10-35-3 season performance. [Mission City Record]

⛸️ Two local speed skating athletes participated in a week-long training camp at Calgary's Olympic Oval, with one achieving a personal milestone time. [Abbotsford News]

🔥 Firefighters have successfully contained a 1.5-hectare blaze behind Hope's Silver Creek Travel Centre that had previously flared up after being under control. [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🎵 Country music tribute group Louisiana Hayride will end their 15-year touring career with one final performance at Chilliwack Cultural Centre this September. [Hope Standard]

💔 A motorist was killed in a collision between an SUV and commercial truck on Langley's 56 Avenue, adding to a recent spike in local traffic deaths. [Fraser Valley Today]

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SPONSORED BY MCC FESTIVAL FOR WORLD RELIEF

MCC Festival for World Relief – Sept 12 & 13 –Abbotsford Tradex

The sizzle of farmer sausage, the sweetness of watermelon with rollkuchen, the scent of fresh-baked pie—welcome to the 2025 MCC Festival for World Relief, September 12–13 at Tradex in Abbotsford.

FREE entry & parking! 

This community favourite raises funds for MCC’s work providing food and hope to people facing crisis around the world and in BC—every donation and purchase makes a difference!

• Delicious Mennonite foods and global flavours.

• Shop the marketplace for handmade quilts, Fraser Valley produce, and one-of-a-kind treasures.

• Tap your toes to live music including Pacific Voices and Brian Doerksen.

• Enjoy stage performances like Mennonite Family Feud and Ukrainian Dancers.

• Plus, the Kid’s Fun Zone! 

Come for food, fun, and friendship — leave knowing your generosity changes lives.

Visit our website for all the details.

The Agenda

$162K grant for bird flu research in Abbotsford

A new project has just received the funds to research bird flu in Abbotsford. The Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) recently announced it is making a grant of $162,800 to the Sequencing of Poultry Related Avian Influenza Virus for Wind-borne Link (S.P.R.A.W.L.) Project.

The grant funds will come from the Agricultural Enhancement Grants Program, offered in partnership with the City of Abbotsford. This year, the ACF paused its grant application process to focus on avian influenza.

“By partnering with the Government of BC’s Ministry of Agriculture, the University of BC, and interest holders in the poultry & egg sector, ACF leveraged the granting funds available this year with Genome BC to fund a $325,000 project to research mitigation of Avian flu across several sites in Abbotsford and Chilliwack. ACF’s investment will allow the inclusion of up to 12 sites in Abbotsford in this research,” the ACF said in a press release.

According to Areni Kelleppan, the executive director of ACF, S.P.R.A.W.L. is a joint project between the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the University of British Columbia in consultation with the BC Avian Influenza Prevention Partnership (BC-AIPP). Genome BC and the ACF are funding the project.

The project aims to understand bird flu transmission among poultry farms to prevent future outbreaks and determine if wind and weather play a role in avian influenza transmission among Abbotsford farms. The location of the 12 sites has not been made public, and the project is scheduled to start in September.

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🗓 Things to do

BBQ and ribs festival: RibFest Langley runs Aug. 15-17 at McLeod Athletic Park with admission by donation, featuring live entertainment, food vendors, and a kids zone.

Browse local vendors: Langley Night Market on Aug. 15 from 5-10pm offers over 50 vendors, food trucks, and a beer garden with live music from Mandi Leigh and Larry Edward.

All-day patio party: Old Yale Brewing hosts a massive outdoor party in Abbotsford starting at 11am with four bands including Troy Toma, Nelly P, Geoff Moore, and Head Over Heels.

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

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Catch up

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