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Good morning!

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is coming up soon, and it’s a good time to revisit the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reports and 94 Calls to Action.

The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a very long document, comprising six volumes of several hundred pages each. The 535-page summary of the final report is a comprehensive document that distills the work done during the six years when the Commission was active in investigating the legacy of residential schools in Canada from 2008 to 2015. The executive summary is available for free online to read or download.

The Commission concluded its work with 94 Calls to Action for individuals and governments wishing to play an active role in reconciliation. The Calls to Action are also available online.

Today’s main story dates back to September 2023, when former editor Tyler Olsen delved into Fraser Valley municipalities’ progress in reconciliation and the Calls to Action. It would be interesting to revisit this concept this month and discover whether the municipalities have made any progress.

What is reconciliation, and how can we all actively work towards it? Let me know your thoughts.

– Lubna

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🛣 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

Your Fraser Valley city and reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation falls on Tuesday, Sept. 30 this year. In 2023, the Current did a deep dive into the progress Fraser Valley municipalities have made so far on the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report.

Eight years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada delivered a sobering report on the residential school system, along with 94 calls to action to start repairing its damaging legacy.

Of those calls to action, three specifically called for action by municipal governments. Ahead of this year’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we asked Fraser Valley city governments what, if anything, they have done to address those calls to action.

Some governments said they were mostly following the lead of the provincial government and that their hands were tied. But others were able to point to concrete actions taken relating to the calls to action.

• You can read their responses below

• You can read all the calls to action here.

• You can also start reading the summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The report contains detailed, factual evidence of what occurred in Canada’s residential schools.

Read more here.

Related

Need to Know

🔥 The Mine Creek wildfire has reached 483 hectares and forced closure of the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt, with evacuation alerts issued for 84 properties including Brookmere. [Hope Standard]

🚨 Mission emergency crews responded to reports of a house fire with visible flames on Tuesday afternoon, only to discover the source was an unattended burning pot on a stove with no injuries or significant damage. [Mission City Record]

🏉 Abbotsford teenagers helped BC Bears U17 teams capture the inaugural O'Neills Challenge Cup during their Ontario tour, with both boys' and girls' squads winning two of three matches against eastern Canadian opponents. [Abbotsford News]

🔍 Chilliwack RCMP are asking for public assistance to locate 49-year-old William Michael Dow, who has ten active Canada-wide warrants after failing to appear for sentencing on 2020 charges. [Fraser Valley Today]

🏛️ Fraser Valley Regional District ranked fourth most efficient among BC's 27 regional districts for controlling spending and limiting small business tax increases. [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🚌 BC Transit will raise monthly pass prices and introduce new fare policies in Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, and Hope starting October 1, while discontinuing 10-ride products. [Agassiz Harrison Observer]

🪖 Canadian and U.S. army personnel will conduct Exercise Cougar Castle from September 8-21, a two-week fast-water bridging training exercise involving 90 soldiers working on the Fraser River near Island 22. [Hope Standard]

👮‍♂️ Abbotsford officers detained a suspect for inappropriate public behavior at a Highstreet playground Wednesday and need anyone who witnessed the incident to contact investigators. [Fraser Valley Today]

☺ TODAY’S SMILE: Congrats to Gerry Borden for being the first reader to correctly identify Wednesday’s Current Cam location as Westminster Abbey in Mission.

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The Agenda

Abbotsford to kick-off 2025 Culture Days

Abbotsford will host the official provincial launch of the B.C. Culture Days on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10:30 am – 2:00 pm, at The Reach Gallery Museum at 32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford. The Culture Days events and performances will continue until Oct. 12.

The launch ceremony will start with an Indigenous welcome and remarks from dignitaries, followed by live music, cultural performances, exhibit tours, and family-friendly art activities.

Culture Days are three weeks of culture and art-related events throughout B.C., including performances and festivals, public art exhibits, and more.

“BC Culture Days provides a meaningful opportunity for everyone to celebrate our province’s vibrant tapestry of arts and culture, right here in Abbotsford,” said Abbotsford Mayor, Ross Siemens in a statement. “We are proud as a city to host the opening event and look forward to highlighting the invaluable contributions of artists, creators, and cultural organizations that strengthen and enrich our communities.”

Some of the highlights of Culture Days in the Fraser Valley are guided mural walks, family-friendly art workshops, and musical performances. Below is a list of some of the events scheduled in Abbotsford.

• Community Faces Window Mural by Bella Nielsen of Sunflower Signs will transform portraits of local residents into a large-scale temporary public artwork.

• The Reach Gallery Museum will host a CITI/SEEN Mural Walking Tour with Curator Kelley Tialiou,

• Michelle Msami’s exhibit Tracing Presence will explore multidisciplinary expression.

• Beyond Boots and Cats: The Art of Beatboxing with Scribbly Doodle performance.

• Spelexilh wool weaving with Anjeanette Dawson, where participants create their own woven quarter bag.

• Theatre Games with Gallery 7 Theatre, inviting locals to step into performance through playful acting exercises.

More information about Culture Days events in other parts of the Fraser Valley is available on the festival’s official website.

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🗓 Things to do

Adults-only zoo event: Friday, September 6, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM at Greater Vancouver Zoo featuring craft beer tastings from local breweries, live music, and animal encounters with keepsake tasting cups included.

Interactive art installation: September 5-14 at Fort Langley Community Hall, 9167 Glover Road, where visitors collaborate with artist Gwenyth Chao in "/stāj/ 3.0" exploring food scraps as sculpture and alternative ways of knowing through cooking and experimentation.

Open water swimming competition: Saturday, September 7 at Cultus Lake Main Beach with three distances (750m, 1.5km, 3km) starting between 8:00-8:20 AM, including mandatory swim safety floats and optional support paddlers.

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Catch up

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