Monday - Feb. 3, 2025 - Chilliwack to buy woodchipper, tractor, brine-maker

KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

❄ High 14C | Snowfall warning

Good morning!

First of all, if you need to hit the road today, you can find links to various road cameras in the traffic and weather section below. Stay safe out there.

As I may have mentioned before in this section, I am not the most caring plant parent. There are periods of significant drought, followed by weeks of monsoons. I suspect the potted plants around our home all get together and sing, in their little plant voices, about the hard-knock life I have forced them to lead.

But I am not a murderer. Since May, I have managed to keep alive a New Guinea impatiens—a tropical plant that needs more water than I typically remember to give a potted flower. It has flowered at least twice, and seems to be surviving, although just barely. Every so often my daughter gasps and says “Mum, your plant!” And I look over to see it wilting away in despair. A weekend in a water bath usually sets it back to rights—although it probably doesn’t stop the plant from feeling like Annie.

– 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

12 things to do this February

Events in the Fraser Valley this month include the Coldest Night of the Year Fundraiser (left), Indigenous teachers with elder Hazel Gludo at the Fort Langley National Historic Site (centre), and spoken word poetry focusing on Black and Indigenous voices (right). 📷 Coldest Night of the Year/Facebook; Fort Langley National Historic Site, Parks Canada/Facebook; Richie Lugo/Unsplash

Love is in the air and activities are on the calendar this February.

In the Fraser Valley, the year’s shortest month will feature events for folks wanting to do their part for charity, music lovers wanting to indulge their ears, and teens wanting to get out of the house and do something fun.

There are also options for people wanting to learn more about Black History Month, indulge in some Valentine’s Day laughs, and celebrate the Family Day long weekend.

Related

Need to Know

💲 The United States has imposed a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada, and Canada has responded with its own tariffs [CBC] / BC has yanked American liquor from store shelves [CBC] / Donald Trump said Canada could escape tariffs by becoming a state [NBC]

⚖ A Langley woman has pleaded guilty to human trafficking, assault, and sexual exploitation of minors [CBC]

🤸‍♂️ Chilliwack gymnast Zachary Clay received a comeback award from Sport BC, after recovering from a significant injury to attend the Paris Olympics [Abbotsford News]

🩺 Langley MLA Jody Toor was fired from her position at a company offering ‘psychedelic therapy’ after claiming to have medical credentials [The Tyee]

🚔 The death of a person in a fire at a Langley homeless encampment is now a homicide investigation [Global]

⚖ A Chilliwack man received house arrest for his role in a $47 million money-laundering scheme tied to illegal cannabis sales [Chilliwack Progress]

👉 Locals are raising money to help a Langley man targeted in a recent home invasion [Aldergrove Star]

🔊 Plans to rezone land in Langley for industrial uses drew both support and opposition at a Township meeting [Aldergrove Star]

🐖 Extra worker training and other ‘corrective action’ is required at a pig processing plant in Chilliwack after video showed alleged abuse at the site [Chilliwack Progress]

⛔ A US official says a temporary shutdown of the Aldergrove border crossing would not affect people going into Canada from the United States [Langley Advance Times]

🚔 Police arrested a shirtless man wielding an axe in Columbia Valley last week [Chilliwack Progress]

⛏ UFV researchers are seeking new ways to find lithium [Fraser Valley Today]

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KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Know a learner curious about University?

KPU’s Discovery Days is an interactive opportunity for high schoolers to explore their future. Whether in Surrey or Langley, students can discover hands-on programs that spark curiosity and ignite passion. From Arts to Trades, KPU offers unique opportunities for real-world experience and career readiness.

Future students will meet faculty, tour the campuses, and get a taste of university life—all while learning how KPU’s flexible schedules and practical approach can shape their success.

Discovery Days is all about empowering future students with the insight and inspiration to make informed decisions about their next chapter. Don't let the young learners in your life miss out on this unique event happening on February 10 and 21. Register now!

The Agenda

Chilliwack will replace one of its woodchippers, which the city’s operations team use almost daily. 📷 Victor Yarmolyuk/Shutterstock

Chilliwack to buy woodchipper, tractor, brine-maker

Chilliwack’s upcoming purchase of a new woodchipper sparked jokes in council about an infamous BC log splitter—but unlike the wood splitter, Chilliwack’s equipment is unlikely to become the target of a scandal.

The city currently owns two tow-behind wood-chippers, one of which is due for replacement this year. The wood chippers, which cost a little under $100,000, are used almost daily by the city’s operations crew to manage the city’s trees.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, when council approved the purchase of the wood-chipper, Coun. Chris Kloot jokingly said the city might be able to buy a second-hand one from the provincial government. Coun. Jeff Shields said that he was going to volunteer to store it at his house.

The provincial equipment in question was actually a wood-splitter, purchased by then-legislature clerk Craig James before 2018. In 2019 then-Abbotsford MLA and BC Legislature Speaker Daryl Plecas released a bombshell report outlining questionable expenses incurred by James and then-sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz. Among the many items in the report was a $3,200 wood-splitter, which was being kept at James’ Vancouver Island property. The wood-splitter became the symbol of the spending scandal which ultimately led to James’ and Lenz’s firing. (A wood-splitter is a relatively small device used to split round pieces of wood so they can be burned in a fireplace. Wood chippers are much larger and are used to turn branches into wood chips.)

The city also plans to purchase a new Kubota tractor for $120,000, replacing the John Deere used for turf maintenance, snow clearing, and other parks-related tasks. Chilliwack staff will also be switching out its manual brine making system—used to salt the city’s roads in winter—for an automatic one that can increase brine production and keep the concentration of salt more consistent. That machine is also expected to cost around $100,000.

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🤝 Now hiring

Indigenous elder/knowledge keeper consultant at Archway Community Services in Abbotsford

Assistant in the crime analysis unit at the Township of Langley

Staff lawyer at the City of Abbotsford

Capital projects manager at Seabird Island Band

Automotive painter at Raydar Collision Group in Hope

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

Classifieds

  • Signup/Donate Wandering Warriors Hike for Mental Health April 26-27 [LINK]

Annual FVC members can find a link to submit their annual classified in the weekly FVC Insiders Edition. Become a FVC member here.

🗓 Things to do

UFV feedback: UFV is soliciting feedback on what programs and courses Hope residents would like offered at their local campus. The university is hosting 'community conversations' Tuesday and Wednesday. Find times, and register for session, online.

Theatre night: Dark Glass Theatre presents Schooled, personal stories of discovery and transformation, at The Reach Galley Museum on Saturday at 7pm. Details and tickets online.

Career fair: Stó:lō Aboriginal Skills & Employment Training is hosting a career fair on Wednesday from 10am to 3pm at Chilliwack Landing Sports Centre. Details online.

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Catch up

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