- Fraser Valley Current
- Posts
- Wednesday - Feb. 19, 2025 - New Abbotsford cultural facility probably won't happen this decade
Wednesday - Feb. 19, 2025 - New Abbotsford cultural facility probably won't happen this decade
Tyler Olsen
February 19, 2025
🌧 High 9C
Good morning!
My kids know nothing about Drake, Kendrick Lamar, nor the concept of diss tracks. And yet, they have managed to basically recreate their own version of a rap feud. Yesterday, they started a "sass off," in which they went off on their own to create an animated video specifically designed to tease the other. Which is exactly how the Drake-Lamar stuff has proceeded. Thankfully, they're nice kids who know they'll get in a heap of trouble if their "sassing" makes the target actually feel bad. So it's not quite the same. But if anything, they took their diss tracks even more seriously than an angry musician. Rappers, after all, don't insist that a winner be anointed.
Do you know of any public watch parties for Thursday’s Canada/US hockey game? If so, let us know!
– 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
Why Hope’s not as flammable as you might think
Despite being surrounded by forests, Hope’s wildfire risk is only ‘moderate’ thanks to a range of factors. 📷 District of Hope
Large, dense forests full of highly flammable wildfire fuel surround Hope. But the town itself isn’t as doomed to fiery destruction as one might initially fear.
While there is plenty of potential for wildfires in the area, a new report presented to Hope council says Hope itself benefits from several geographic features that keep the risk to homes and businesses to moderate levels.
Related
Need to Know
🥊 A Langley MMA fighter’s next bout in Qatar will be his last [CBC]
✈ A Langley woman boarded a WestJet plane to fly to Ottawa only to be told her wheelchair wouldn’t fit and would have to be left behind [Langley Advance Times]
🚨 A man was struck and killed while walking along Boundary Road in Chilliwack Monday evening [Chilliwack Progress]
🐻 A Hope woman has written a book about more than a dozen bears that she encountered near her home following recent wildfires [Hope Standard]
👉 Fraser Health’s CEO has left the health authority and a temporary replacement has been named; the health authority said the departure was a mutual agreement [Fraser Health]
🧊 At least four people fell through ice into the Harrison Lagoon Monday [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]
👉 Fire destroyed the Feral Bee art market building at Cultus Lake [Tri-City News]
👟 Chilliwack runner Ihor Verys will be recognized with the ‘Best of BC’ award at an upcoming provincial awards ceremony [Sport BC] / We profiled Verys in 2023 [FVC]
🚑 An inmate at Kent Institution was hospitalized after being swarmed by fellow prisoners [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]
🏎 A dump truck driver travelling through Langley was clocked going 103 km/h in a 60 km/h zone [Langley Advance Times]
🚒 A burned-out Jeep was found in a ditch near Mission [Mission Record]
💬 The BC government’s Throne Speech focused on the consequences of potential American tariffs [CBC]; you can read its full text here [CHEK]
📅 Don’t miss out! Apply to KPU by March 1 for the Fall 2025 intake. Over 140 programs, hands-on learning, and real-world experience—your future starts here.*
*Sponsored Listing
Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!
Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.
SPONSORED BY YOU
Your ad can be here
Advertising in The Current is easier than ever and supports our journalism. Just shoot us an email to learn how you can advertise.
The Agenda
Abbotsford’s Matsqui Centennial Auditorium is used for plays, performances—and council meetings. 📷 Tyler Olsen
Abbotsford looks to build new cultural facility—next decade
The City of Abbotsford is laying the groundwork for the eventual construction of a major new cultural arts facility that could be located in Mill Lake Park. But don't expect to be watching a play or concert in it anytime soon.
An ongoing review of cultural services in Abbotsford suggests the city will eventually invest to build new performance spaces. A lack of cultural facilities has been a running complaint among some residents for years. But although city staff and councillors have generally suggested support for building more cultural facilities and financing their operations, the city's latest planning exercise suggests that it will take several more years worth of planning and consultation work before the city even begins to debate what and where to build.
The city already recently completed a new “culture strategy” but is now reviewing specifically how various services are delivered. A timeline contained within a draft of that review suggests that Mill Lake Park is a likely site for a future cultural facility. But the review notes that any new building in the park would require the ongoing Mill Lake Park Masterplan to be completed. A cultural facility feasibility study would then be conducted. Approval of that document could take years more—potentially stretching planning for a facility into the 2030s, according to the review.
Actual construction on a new facility might not happen for another decade, the report says.
Share
You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/february-19-2025/—into a social media post.
Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.
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
Bez music: Singer-songwriter Krystal Dos Santos performs at Langley's Bez Arts Hub on Friday, Feb. 21. Details and tickets online.
Basketball camp: The Chilliwack Basketball Association is offering spring break camps for players of various abilities and ages. Details online.
Explorer talks: Explorer John Dunn speaking about his cross-country wilderness expeditions at 2pm on Saturday at the Hope Library. Details online.
Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.
That’s it!
Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.
Reply