Friday, April 28, 2023 edition - Crossborder Nooksack flooding talks have yet to start, a year after they were announced

Friday, April 28, 2023 | 🤯 High 27C | Forecast

Good morning!

Every grandparent I have is coming to town this weekend for my younger sister’s university graduation. It’s looking busy but I’m excited to see everyone together and celebrate her getting her teaching degree! I didn’t get a big graduation celebration during the pandemic, and I was a little bummed at the time. But now I’m watching my sister try to plan dinner reservations for a party of 12 on graduation weekend and I’m suddenly not all that disappointed. I’d much rather enjoy everyone’s company than plan the weekend. Should I have offered to help? Definitely. But it’s too late now.

Tyler has an interesting behind-the-scenes story about the interview for today’s story, and the difficulties in interviewing key people for the Fraser Valley transit strike. Insider members can watch for that in tomorrow’s Saturday newsletter.

Thanks to Keith, Lynn, and Nicole for being members! You can join our membership and support local journalism here.

NEWS

Politicians are still talking about talking

Eighteen months since the flooding of Sumas Prairie, international talks about the Nooksack problem have yet to begin in full. Instead, officials have spent the last year just figuring out who will be at the table.

In March of 2022, the British Columbia and Washington State governments announced they were creating a “Nooksack transboundary flooding initiative.” Details about just what exactly that meant would be announced that spring, a press release promised.

A year later, the public is still waiting for details, with the two governments yet to decide just who will take part in talks. Last week, Rick Glumac, the BC government’s political liaison to Washington State, admitted to The Current that “progress has been slower than anyone I think would want.”

• Today, Tyler writes about the lack of progress on international talks and Glumac’s prediction of when discussions will actually begin.

Need to know

👨‍🎨 The Chilliwack Mural Festival has announced the artists who will painting six new murals in the city this summer [Chilliwack Mural Festival/Facebook]

🏦 A reported hostage situation in a Chilliwack bank ended in a suspect’s arrest; police described the situation as an armed robbery [Chilliwack Progress]

🐶 Volunteers gave an animal shelter’s yard in Aldergrove a big glow-up [Aldergrove Star]

🏫 Seven schools in Abbotsford will get HVAC or electrical upgrades; one will see interior renovations [Abbotsford News]

🏞️ A new floodplain mapping project was completed for Langley’s Nickomekl River [Langley Advance Times]

💵 Peters First Nation near Hope received $50,000 to help develop a plan to lower utility costs and access to telecommunication networks for clean energy projects [Hope Standard]

➡️ An Abbotsford MLA called for small business loans to cover costs of vandalism repairs and security upgrades [Abbotsford News]

⚖️ The first-degree murder trial for a Chilliwack man accused in a Halloween night killing ended when he pled guilty to manslaughter [Chilliwack Progress]

🛍️ M&M Food Market is undertaking an aggressive coast-to-coast expansion, wanting you to grow alongside with them. Learn more about opening a franchise in Abbotsford or Mission.*

⚡️ Do you work in tech? Then sign up for Button Inc.’s free twice-monthly newsletter and up your digital communications, user experience, and customer relationships!*

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The Agenda

Heat and high avalanche risk prompt rare warning

Officials have issued a rare and urgent warning about the danger of avalanches over the next five days. Avalanche Canada issued a “Special Public Avalanche Warning” for a massive swath of British Columbia’s backcountry. The warning applies to all the Fraser Valley’s mountains.

It warns that “a dramatic increase in temperatures is expected to destabilize the snowpack, resulting in dangerous, destructive avalanches.” The warning is in effect until the end of Monday.

“Regions with persistent or deep persistent slab avalanche problems will be especially problematic, with avalanches potentially involving the full depth of the snowpack,” Avalanche Canada forecaster Mike Conlan said.

All backcountry users, including hikers and anyone else in avalanche terrain are warned to “leave a wide margin for error,” stick to relatively flat terrain, and avoid overhead avalanche hazards.

More erosion work along the Fraser in Abbotsford

Work to start shoring up the banks of the Fraser River along Matsqui Prairie in Abbotsford is finally expected to begin in January.

For more than a decade, the city has been watching the Fraser River eat away at land between the river and the dike protecting Matsqui Prairie. The city has previously received a $10 million grant from the project to help pay for the work.

To plan the project, and consider how rock spurs and other improvements could change the flow of water, scientists created a massive model of the Fraser River, Abbotsford’s engineering general manager Rob Isaac told council Monday.

The project is now fully designed, and the city expects to begin work on the most urgently needed rock spurs in January.

The $10 million of funding from the province has not yet been spent and has generated another $1 million in interest. But the combined total is still less than the projected $18 million total cost of the work that is needed. The city has asked the federal government for more assistance.

On the radio

Are you opening this around 7:45am? If so, Tyler is scheduled to talk about Lytton’s rebuild this morning with the host of The Daily Edition on Sirius XM Channel 167 (Canada Talks). You can listen live here.

Things to do

🍟 Food trucks: The Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival is returning with its Downtown Chilliwack Block Party from April 29 to 30. Find live music, mini donuts, chips-on-a-stick, barbecue and more. More info online.

🚁 Fly for free: GirlsFly2 returns to Abbotsford International Airport this weekend featuring free helicopter flights for first-time female fliers of any age, along with a host of organizations and aircraft on the ground. Details online.

😁 Comedy fundraiser: Cares Counselling Society hosts a comedy fundraiser featuring the Vancouver Improve Centre from 7 to 10pm at the Abbotsford Legacy Sports Centre. Featuring dessert, a silent auction, and more. Tickets online.

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