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- Monday - Jan. 27, 2025 - Supportive housing in Hope
Monday - Jan. 27, 2025 - Supportive housing in Hope
Tyler Olsen
January 27, 2025
☀ High 6C
Good morning!
I frequently see other reporters complaining about negative comments on stories or social media posts. We are lucky both to have great readers, and to not rely on social media platforms that frequently bring the worst out of people. It’s a pain people can’t get local news on Facebook, but it’s nice I don’t have to look at the comments sections there.
I’m pretty sure that the people who leave comments on social media posts aren’t what a statistician might call a representative sample of all readers. Not all comment-leavers are unreasonable or angry, of course. But unreasonable and angry people comprise a much larger share of commenters than they do in society as a whole. That can leave anyone who reads a comment section with a misguided view of society. It also feeds on itself, as unreasonable people scare away more sensible folk. I’m not sure how any of this gets solved. But I’m happy that our little community is, if anything, more reasonable than might otherwise be expected.
– Tyler
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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
Return of the fish weir
A beach seine is wheeled into position in the shallows of the Vedder River before the team peels it into the current. 📷 Amy Romer
On an overcast afternoon in early August, Siyamexwelalexw (Troy Ganzeveld) paces up and down the bank of the Vedder River in Stó:lō territories.
He was hoping to have had the fish weir in place by now. Water levels are higher than average, because of a late snowmelt, and a part of him wonders whether the weir will succumb to the river’s relentless flux.
As the crew cranes the metal weir into the river, no one is confident whether it will stay.
“It’s a mixture of nervousness, tension and excitement,” says one biologist.
Related
Need to Know
🚨 A Mustang fleeing police crashed into another vehicle on the Abbotsford-Mission bridge early Friday morning [Global] / BC’s police watchdog is investigating [IIO]
🚓 Langley RCMP used pepper spray and Tasers to break up a crowd of 200 unruly street racers Friday night [CBC]
🍺 The closure of Bricklayer Brewing in Chilliwack could be a sign of things to come in the craft brewing industry [Global]
🎥 Eight Abbotsford elementary school students will star in a video project documenting 12 years of schooling [Global]
❌ CN Rail’s signal and communication workers are set to go on strike if an agreement isn’t reached by Tuesday [Freight Waves]
🗳 Three people are officially running for the empty seat on Chilliwack’s school board [Chilliwack Progress]
🤝 Sixty acres of land in Mission have been returned to the Leq'á:mel, Máthxwi, and Semá:th nations [Mission Record]
🏆 A new journalism award will honour the contributions of Chilliwack agricultural writer David Schmidt [Chilliwack Progress] / Schmidt passed away unexpectedly in 2023 at the age of 73 [Country Life in BC]
🍷 The wine world is in Vancouver this winter! Learn how you can get free tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival, February 22-March 2.*
*Sponsored Listing
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The Agenda
A three-storey building in Hope would provide supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities. 📷 District of Hope
Hope housing project set for council sign-off
A long-standing plan to build a three-storey housing project in Hope will come before council again tonight.
The proposed 14-unit, long-term care facility would become the first independent living housing facility for adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities in Hope.
The project, which is led by the Fraser Inclusive and Housing Society (FISH), was first presented to council in March 2021. Half of the units include accessibility features and can accommodate future modifications to improve accessibility, according to a report to council.
The property was donated to FISH by a longtime Hope resident. Council has been broadly supportive of the project, with Mayor Victor Smith touting the concept in an interview with The Current last fall.
FISH hopes to be allowed to construct the new building closer to the back boundary of the lot at 477 Hudson Bay St.
If council grants the necessary development variance permit, visitors will be able to turn off Hudson Bay Street and into one of six parking stalls at the front of the building. Staff supported the requests and don’t expect there to be any traffic disruptions to the road.
If council approves the parking and development variances, FISH must still apply for a building permit before construction.
-Josh Kozelj, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
First Nation to buy marina, motel, and apartment building
The economic development arm of a north Fraser First Nation says it is buying two Harrison Hot Springs businesses and a Chilliwack townhouse complex.
Sq’éwqel Development Corporation, the business arm of Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island) First Nation, is “in the process of acquiring” the Harrison Hot Springs Marina, the Harrison Grand Motel, and the Pine Court Apartments in Sardis, according to a Facebook post.
The band says it is buying the properties to generate investment revenue for the First Nation. The Facebook post says the sales are expected to be finalized “within the next three months.”
The marina is a narrow strip of land between Rockwell Drive and the lake. It includes 225 boat slips and a lease of 4.3 hectares of offshore space. It had been listed for sale for $5.9 million, as The Current reported in October.
The Pine Court Apartments had been listed for $6.5 million. The complex includes 36 townhomes. It had been a strata before its owners decided to list it for sale as a single entity. The site had been marketed as a prime investment opportunity, with land use rules permitting new mixed-use buildings on the site.
The Harrison Grand Motel sits along the village’s waterfront and was recently renovated.
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🤝 Now hiring
• Deputy fire chief at Langley City’s fire department
• Assistant manager at Denny’s in Abbotsford
• Project co-ordinator at the Mission Division of Family Practice
• Parks ambassador at the BC Parks Foundation in Chilliwack
• Sexual assault worker at the Hope & Area Transition Society
Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!
🗓 Things to do
PJHL hockey: The Aldergrove Kodiaks host the White Rock Whalers in Pacific Junior Hockey League action at the Aldergrove Community Centre. Tickets at the door are $12 for adults, $5 for kids (cash only).
Tango dancing: Matsqui Community Hall in Abbotsford hosts drop-in beginner tango lessons from 7:30 to 9:30pm on Wednesdays in January. Cost is $15 for the lesson and dance. Email [email protected] to register.
Culture feedback: Mission residents wanting to provide comments on the city’s new culture master plan and venue development strategy can visit the Clarke Theatre Tuesday from 7 to 9pm. More info online.
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