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- Thursday - Feb. 13, 2025 - BC Transit to review fares in eastern Fraser Valley
Thursday - Feb. 13, 2025 - BC Transit to review fares in eastern Fraser Valley
Grace Kennedy
February 13, 2025
⛅ High 2C
Good morning!
Earlier this week, Canada’s five living former Prime Ministers signed an open letter inviting Canadians to fly the flag this Saturday (Feb. 15). The letter was in response to American tariff and annexation threats, but got me thinking about the history of our funny little flag, which is certainly different from the standard “coloured bars” display (although not the most unusual in the international flag repository).
When Canada first became a country on Indigenous land in 1867, it didn’t have its own flag. It proclaimed itself with the British Union Jack for many years, and eventually switched to the Canada Red Ensign—originally a naval flag combining the Union Jack and the country’s shield (later coat of arms). People considered other versions in both 1925 and 1946, but then-PM William Lyon Mackenzie King shelved the project.
In 1956, though, Canadian peacekeepers went to Egypt to enforce a ceasefire between Egypt and a variety of countries, including the United Kingdom. When the Canadians flew their Red Ensign flag, however, the Egyptians saw the symbol of an invading nation (the Union Jack). That was one of the major turning points that drove home the need for a purely Canadian flag.
And so, in 1963, it was time to solve “the flag problem.” The government received thousands of concepts from Canadians—including an absolutely delightful beaver with green bars flag—but eventually narrowed it down to the maple leaf we know today. The flag flew from Parliament Hill for the first time on Feb. 15, 1965. As it happens, the woman who sewed the first flag (in secret, for free) is still alive and was honoured last Friday.
– Grace
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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
How much is a house in the valley?
Detached house prices have begun to rebound over the winter. Open the story to see larger versions of the charts. 📊 Tyler Olsen
After a months-long decline, there are indications that Fraser Valley housing prices are rebounding. But across the region, the demand for homes is dramatically lower than 12 months ago.
We have overhauled our monthly house price charts to reduce the noise of monthly changes and shine a clearer light in evolving trends in the housing market.
Related
Need to Know
💵 A waterfront lot in Mission could sell for up to $100M; the mayor says the lot is crucial to the city’s waterfront plan [Vancouver Sun]
🤝 Chilliwack homelessness initiatives will receive $5 million in funding over the next three years [Chilliwack Progress]
📣 Fraser-Cascade MLA Tony Luck is hosting an emergency town hall so residents in Hope can discuss a proposed gravel pit expansion [Hope Standard]
🚓 BC’s police watchdog says Langley RCMP members were not at fault when a woman broke her leg in police custody [Langley Advance Times]
🦅 Nearly 10 years after an Abbotsford man’s solid gold eagle sculpture was stolen, a lawsuit against the company that insured the statue is proceeding [Global News]
🌾 BC farmers facing long waits for water approvals should look to First Nation partnerships, according to one Fraser Valley farmer [Country Life in BC]
🚑 Paramedics are being called to an increasing number of overdose-related events in Langley [Langley Advance Times]
🌲 The District of Hope has ditched the social media site X, owned by Elon Musk, as a matter of principle [Hope Standard]
⚽ The Upper Fraser Valley RCMP superintendent is moving on from his role to protect the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer games [Fraser Valley Today]
📸 CURRENT CAM: Congratulations to Lynda Clarke, who correctly identified yesterday’s Current Cam as a pair of large estates on Tamaric Avenue in the Bradner area of Abbotsford.
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The Agenda
BC Transit is set to review bus fares for Chilliwack, Agassiz, Harrison, and Hope, with a proposal coming to the municipalities in the summer. 📷 Grace Kennedy
BC Transit to review fares in eastern Fraser Valley
Bus fares in Chilliwack, Agassiz, Harrison, and Hope could increase this October.
BC Transit is starting its review of fares in the eastern Fraser Valley communities, according to a new report to Chilliwack council.
Mission council previously heard that BC Transit is hoping to synchronize fares across the entire Fraser Valley. As The Current reported in May, fares in Chilliwack are lower than those in Abbotsford and Mission.
BC Transit's fare review will include engagement with local municipalities, according to the Chilliwack report.
The last fare increase in the eastern Fraser Valley was in 2013, when adult fares were raised from $1.50 to $2, and student and seniors fares were raised from $1.25 to $1.75. In Mission, where fares are slightly higher, city staff noted in May that fare prices have “not kept up with inflation and rising costs.”
Last year, BC Transit said that Abbotsford and Mission were likely to get more and more-frequent bus service in those communities, while Chilliwack was unlikely to see upgrades—despite the potential fare increase.
A report on the fare review is set to come back to the eastern municipalities this summer, with any increases put into place in October.
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🗓 Things to do
Benefit concert: The third annual Follow Your Heart benefit concert takes place at Harrison's Memorial Hall on Saturday from 7 to 10pm. The concert will support Variety — The Children's Charity of BC and feature music by local country singer Todd Richard, Miss Shauna, Trevor Murray, and Rick Tippe. Details and tickets online.
Open house: The Langley Heritage Society kicks off BC Heritage Week with an open house at its historic CN station in Fort Langley on Monday. Details online.
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