Monday - Aug. 19, 2024 - Hayward parking chaos not sustainable

🌤 High 24C

Good morning!

Sometimes adulthood successes are the result of finally having the brains to take a moment and analyze a situation. I learned this when I killed the flies.

I have always hated fruit flies—the tiny red-eyed little suckers, of which some species are invasive. In university, my apartment kitchen was full of them, and I undertook a purge using tips I gleaned from the internet. It was moderately effective, although it didn’t catch as many of the fruit flies as I would have hoped.

Fast forward 10 years, and I am facing another fruit fly invasion. I re-establish my fly-catching machine: a bowl—filled with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap—covered in holey saran wrap. I then watch the cover carefully. The fruit flies do not enter the death trap. I realize they are just too stupid to find the holes in a transparent cover. I switch the saran wrap out for a tin foil lid.

Bam. Flies dead. Kitchen secured. And all it took was a few seconds of observation.

– Grace

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

How much does your mayor make?

If you’re going to be a local politician in the Fraser Valley, it pays to be in Langley.

Of the region’s 20 highest-paid politicians, half are located in the two Langley municipalities. And although the City of Langley is the fifth-largest city in the region, its councillors are some of the best-paid in the valley.

The Current has compiled the combined pay—both that received for local council duties and money made by sitting on regional bodies—of the 74 Fraser Valley municipal politicians in 2024. And the list sheds a light both on Langley City’s generous pay package, and on the high daily wages Metro Vancouver politicians receive for spending time in regional district meetings.

• Today, Tyler lists the pay and expenses for every local politician, and looks at how compensation varies between municipalities. 

• This is the first of a four-part series. Later this week, we’ll hear arguments for decent pay for politician, consider the iffy methods many municipalities use to set political wages, and reveal the expenses of the politicians.

Related

Need to Know

🏠 A Langley couple is struggling to find an affordable home for their 45-year-old daughter who needs round-the-clock care [Vancouver Sun]

🟠 Local Indigenous leaders are considering whether to tear down St. Mary’s Residential School in Mission; if they do so, demolition is likely years away [Mission Record]

🎥 Of nearly 60 movies filmed in Abbotsford last year, more than half were ‘movies of the week’ [Abbotsford News]

🚔 Chilliwack police arrested a woman for racist social media posts [CTV]

🏥 Health Minister Adrian Dix said closures at Mission Memorial Hospital’s ER room are unacceptable, but didn’t share concrete steps to solve the issue [Mission Record]

🚨 A motorcyclist in Abbotsford was killed after crashing and striking a lamp post [CTV]

🍴 A Chilliwack Chinese-food restaurant is for sale [Chilliwack Progress]

🚂 A train hit a vehicle in Langley last Thursday [Langley Advance Times]

⚖ Musician and former Fraser Valley resident Jacob Hoggard has had his appeal of his sexual assault conviction dismissed [CBC]

⚡ Saturday’s storm knocked out power to thousands [CTV] / It also did damage to the site of Langley’s RibFest [Langley Advance Times]

💬 Harrison will host an all-candidates meeting for its upcoming by-election on Sept. 5 [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🙌 Servers at Brodeur’s Bistro in Langley donated a week of tips to the Langley food bank [Langley Advance Times]

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IDS Vancouver returns this September

From September 26-29, the Interior Design Show Vancouver returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Enjoy various new products and furniture, designers, and cutting-edge concepts.

Plan your visit today!

The Agenda

Hayward parking chaos prompts demand for reservation system

Mission city staff say a reservation system is "desperately needed" at BC Hydro's Hayward Lake recreation site as Lower Mainland residents look closer to home for lake-and-sun fun.

BC Hydro's Hayward Lake recreation site and Stave Lake boat launch have faced capacity issues for years, resulting in parking chaos along Dewdney Trunk Road and conflict between boat users.

In a report going to council Monday, Mission staff write that this summer has been the worst to date. They say that some of the visitors would previously have ventured into the Interior, but are now choosing to stay closer to home.

"Travel to the Interior of BC over the summer season appears to be on the decline, as a result of the now annual smoky conditions resulting from wildfires," staff write.

Staff say that the August long weekend saw a kilometre-long line of parking along Dewdney Trunk Road, and that the city spent nearly $10,000 for patrols and enforcement.

BC Hydro has said it plans to expand the boat launch parking area over the next year. Parking improvements at Hayward Lake are also on their way, but won't be completed until 2028, BC Hydro told The Current in July.

In its report to council, staff say the current situation "is not sustainable for the City, in terms of finances or safety." They say a reservation system that has reduced parking congestion at BC Hydro's Buntzen Lake recreation site should be employed at Hayward and Stave lakes. Mission's councillors and staff are also set to meet BC Hydro management next week at the Union of BC Municipalities conference. Staff say they will put together a full list of costs so council can press its case.

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🤝 Now hiring

• Local Journalism Initiative Reporter at the Fraser Valley Current (Yes that’s us. If you want more information, please get in touch.)

• Mental health care worker (part-time) at Fraser Health in Chilliwack

• Maintenance lead at Langley Grove Estates

• Wastewater treatment plant operator at the City of Abbotsford

• Paid on-call firefighter at the City of Chilliwack

• Event coordinator at Hope Business Development Society

Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!

🗓 Things to do

Wizard of Oz: The Kilby Historic Site presents a production of the Wizard of Oz, premiering on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 1pm. The play runs until Saturday, Aug. 24 with a matinee and evening performance each day. Tickets online.

Sunflower yoga: Botanica Sunflower Festival in Rosedale is hosting an evening of flower picking and yoga on Wednesday, Aug. 21 starting at 6pm. The first hour is a u-pick for sunflowers, while the second hour is a guided yoga session in the sunset. Tickets online.

H2O Follies: H2O Follies, Mission's summer-end pool party and concert, is happening on Friday, Aug. 23 starting at 4pm. Enjoy a pool party, foam explosion, and live music written by Mission musicians about the city. (You can read about that project here.) Details online.

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

Catch up

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