Friday, April 14, 2023 edition - Does deforestation make summers even drier?

Friday, April 14, 2023 | 🌤 High 13C | Forecast

Good morning!

Earlier this week, I wrote about my suit dilemma. Quick update: The old suit fits and has been deemed acceptable by my wife. Recently, I saw someone online observe that fashion seems to be changing much slower. Clothes changed a ton between 1962 and 1973 and much less between 2012 and 2023. You know what else has changed a ton over the last 10 years? The value of money. So my old suit will do just fine, thank you very much. Now I just have to find my shoes. And my socks. And get all the wrinkles out of my good-dinner shirt.

Thanks to Karen, Kenneth, James, Darren and the handful of local politicians who have signed up to become members. Whether or not you’re a politician, you can become a member here. (Doing so won’t get you politicians any special treatment, but you will be able to rest a little easier the next time you proclaim your support for local journalism to your constituents. Though you might also want to actively refrain from adding to the cost of journalism, but I’ll spare the rant.)

NEWS

Does deforestation make summers even drier?

Bill Hardy remembers when it used to frequently rain in the summer.

“I’m old enough now, and lived in Vancouver long enough, that I remember when it rained through the summer every couple of nights,” says Hardy, the president of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association and a speaker at the Chilliwack Rotary Club’s Climate Fair this weekend.

The summer rain is much rarer now. In Abbotsford, the amount of rainfall each summer has plummeted in just two decades. Vancouver has also seen a sharp drop.

A changing global climate certainly has an impact on precipitation trends. But Hardy suggests disappearing trees and greenspaces is also likely affecting the Lower Mainland’s weather—and maybe even the amount of rain we get each year.

This weekend, Hardy—a disciple of local garden guru Brian Minter and the operator of a Maple Ridge horticulture business—will speak at the Chilliwack Rotary Club’s Climate fair.

• Today, Tyler talks to him about the need for more trees and greenspaces in the Lower Mainland’s densifying cities and the effects that urban deforestation may have on the weather itself.

Hardy is one of many speakers at the first-ever Chilliwack Rotary Climate Fair this weekend at the Landing Sports Centre. The fair includes a trade show, job fair, and numerous speakers, including Dr. Carin Bondar, Brian Minter, and Eddie Gardner. You can see the full list and schedule here.

Need to know

🗺 Chilliwack’s provincial riding boundaries will be dramatically different than first proposed last fall [Chilliwack Progress]

🗺 Hope’s MLA says she will stick with her current riding, even though she won’t live in it after the boundaries are redrawn [Hope Standard]

🔥 An RV fire on Othello Road near Hope and another blaze nearby early Thursday morning are both considered suspicious [Hope Fire Department/Facebook]

👏 A Langley man is hoping to find the anonymous good Samaritan who saved his life [Langley Advance Times]

👍 A Chilliwack man has been recognized after volunteering more than 3,500 hours with the Chilliwack Hospice Society [Chilliwack Progress]

🔥 A transformer on a hydro pole caught fire in Mission [Mission Record]

🚒 Chilliwack firefighters squelched an early morning garage fire Thursday [Chilliwack Progress]

🎉 Today is Vaisakhi; this is an explainer of what Vaisakhi is [World Sikh] / Surrey’s parade will take place April 22 

🚓 A driver who triggered a three-vehicle crash in Langley in March sped away, leaving two injured drivers in their wake [Langley Advance Times]

🏍 A 15-year-old Chilliwack boy will be racing superbikes against some of the country’s best riders before he even qualifies for his driving license [Fraser Valley Today]

🐛 A Langley woman was grossed out when she found bugs in her Easter candy [Castanet]

🥽 A massive demand for swim lessons in Abbotsford has thousands of people waiting for a spot [Abbotsford News]

🌷 Get ready for tulip traffic: the Abbotsford Tulip Festival opens this weekend, the Chilliwack Tulip Festival opens next Wednesday; you can check the latest traffic conditions on Google here [Google]

The Agenda

Big increase Chilliwack dump fees, small jump for curbside collection

Fees to use Chilliwack’s dump are increasing.

Citing inflation and higher expenses, Chilliwack council approved a 10% increase to disposal fees at the Bailey Landfill. A load of garbage that was $100 to dump last year will be $110 by the middle of next summer.

A similar adjustment for the Parr Road Green Depot will result in a 7% increase. The depot, which accepts wood, construction, and yard waste, previously charged $70 to dump a load of non-contaminated natural waste.

Both sets of new fees will come into effect on July 1.

Rates for curbside collection fees, though, will only go up by 3%—the same amount they went up last year. These will come into effect on May 1.

Langley to host 10-day craft beer (and more) celebration

Langley breweries, cideries, and distilleries will celebrate local craft beverages next month with a 10-day festival.

Langley’s tourism agency has announced that local businesses will host 12 events during the inaugural Langley Craft Beverage Week from May 12 to 21. Among the events will be the sixth annual Brewhalla Fort Langley Beer & Music Festival. In addition to their own offerings, all vendors will be pouring a limited edition Langley Loop collaboration beer: Waterways Black Currant Hazy Pale. A portion of proceeds from beverages will be donated to Watershed BC.

Event hosts include the Trading Post, Brookswood Brewing, Fraser Valley Cider, Roots & Wings, Five Roads Brewing, Camp Beer Co., The Barley Marchant, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Farm Country Brewing, Dead Frog Brewery, Brewhalla Fort Langley, Smugglers Trail, and Locality Brewing.

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