Friday - March 14, 2025 - Langley store wants to split in half

⛅ High 8C

Good morning!

We are so close to reaching our goal of 200 subscribers. Really, really close.

Tyler and I are so grateful to all the people who have signed up to support the Fraser Valley Current so far, and we need just a few more to become Insider members to hit our target. The funds from your memberships will go to support our writing, pay for our newsletter distribution system, and potentially help us hire more journalists in the future. Your membership is also tax deductible—something to keep in mind for next tax season. (You can find information on that, and other questions, on our updated FAQ site here.)

Right now Insiders are learning about a doorbell for fish. You can join their ranks by becoming a member here.

– Grace

Keep local journalism alive by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.

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

The dam, the myth, the legend

It started, ironically, with an American. In January 1975, New York State senator Bernard Smith, a noted environmental champion, introduced a bill to officially recognize a new state animal: the beaver.

Prompted by a local newspaper columnist asking if Canada had a more deserving claim, Sean O’Sullivan, a 23-year-old Conservative member of Parliament, sprang into action.

“There must be more to life than just financial facts and figures,” he told the House of Commons in defence of his private member’s bill to make the beaver the symbol of Canada. “There must be things to touch one’s soul and heart and emotions, if we are to be complete persons and a whole nation. That is the importance of symbols.”

• Today, we are sharing a story from our colleagues at Canadian Geographic that considers the complicated history behind Canada’s most iconic animal.

• Did you know the Fraser Valley is home to a beaver that is not actually a beaver? The mountain beaver is actually a burrowing animal that is considered to be the most primitive rodent in existence. You can learn more about it here. 

Related

Need to Know

❗ An Abbotsford woman is calling for help to bring her daughter home after she was detained while trying to enter the United States [CityNews]

👉 Sts’ailes council members say former chief Ralph Leon Jr. has been spreading ‘misleading claims’ in his campaign to be reelected as chief [Sts’ailes First Nation/Facebook] / Leon was removed from his position after council accused him of misappropriating roughly $50,000 in funds and failing to attend key meetings [CBC]

⚖ A Langley realtor who dragged an Alberta cop with his vehicle will have to wait until fall to find out if his sentence appeal is successful [Langley Advance Times]

🚓 Two people are dead after their vehicle crashed into a telephone pole [Abbotsford News]

📣 A group of Chilliwack high school students visited Lytton and its mayor; they were told they could help the village by sharing its story [Village News] / Denise O'Connor told The Current the same thing last year when we wrote about how visitors can support Lytton [FVC]

⚡ Would-be Tesla owners will no longer be eligible for BC Hydro’s EV rebate program, as BC hits back against American tariffs [CBC]

🌻 A Ukrainian refugee and journalist shares how he and other Ukrainians have adapted to life in BC [The Tyee]

👷🏽‍♀️ Check out some of the important work being done by Abbotsford City Council over the past few weeks in their latest spread.*

*Sponsored Listing

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.

MEMBERS ONLY

This week’s FVC Insiders’ Edition

In tomorrow’s members-only newsletter, Tyler explains why UFV might expect to be able to avoid job cuts despite a potential decline in international students. (You can find the story that sparked Tyler’s column here.) He’ll also reveal the results from last week’s poll: are Insiders more detail-oriented or vibes-based?

Get this weekend’s edition in your inbox tomorrow at 7am—and support our daily journalism—by becoming a member here.

The Agenda

Walnut Grove corner store may be split in two

The owner of Langley’s Walnut Grove Food Market is looking to physically divide his store in half in an attempt to keep his business viable.

Ji Woong Kim visited council recently to present a petition asking the Langley Township to let him open a vape store in one half of his Walnut Grove Food Market. Kim said a substantial portion of his sales currently come from cigarette purchases, but that an increasing number of customers are starting to vape instead.

Stores that sell vape pens are not allowed to have minors in the building, according to provincial regulations. Kim’s convenience store is also not zoned for e-cigarette sales.

“This restriction presents a significant challenge as many small businesses, including ours, rely on e-cigarette sales to remain financially sustainable,” Kim told council. He also noted that American tariffs will also add even greater economic challenges for small businesses.

Kim’s proposed solution of dividing the store building in half, with one dedicated store for vapes and another for “family-friendly retail,” would allow his company to “continue serving our community while complying with the regulations.”

At the end of his presentation to council, Kim gave his petition to staff. Council has not yet addressed Kim's request.

Share

You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/march-14-2025/—into a social media post.

Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.

Become a Current member today and join 1,200+ other local supporters who help keep our lights on.

As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!

🗓 Things to do

Oral history: Leah Ballantyne comes to the Agassiz Library Saturday for a presentation about oral histories and Elder’s knowledge, and how they relate to watershed management. Registration is required. Details online.

Cancer fundraiser: The third annual Hearts of Gold Gala is at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Saturday to raise money for childhood cancer research. The fundraiser gala includes a silent auction, a live auction, casino games, dancing, and cocktails. Details and tickets online.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.

Help share The Current

Wouldn’t the Fraser Valley be better if more people had access to local, quality news – and didn’t have to rely on social media? Share The Current with your friends and help us build better communities.