March 21, 2023 edition — Chilliwack pools are open half the time they should be

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | Today: 🌧 High 15C, Low 3C | 7-day forecast

Good morning!

After watching The Bob’s Burgers Movie a couple months ago, my kids started talking a lot about sinkholes (the plot revolves around one). It turns out a sinkhole is kind of like lava and dinosaurs: a very real fact of life that we adults forget, but that can be endlessly fascinating to kids. I’ve told the kids that a sinkhole is just like a big pothole. Yet their fascination continues. And they are fascinating once you think about it: providing a window into how our very-solid earth is riven by dynamic processes and unseen forces.

Speaking of unseen forces, you know what a journalism outlet needs to survive? Money! All this week I’m going to encourage those of you who might have an advertising budget to consider joining as a partner. We have more than 30,000 subscribers across the entire Fraser Valley, and an audience passionate about a high-quality product. If you want to connect, fill out this form or email [email protected].

NEWS

No clear end in sight for staff shortages and shorter hours at Chilliwack’s pools

Public pools should have people in them.

That’s one of the things Chilliwack resident Amber Price thought when she walked past the park, packed full of families, on a cold Saturday evening in Chilliwack. But the pool at the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre next door was empty. It closed at 4pm.

“The waters were peaceful and calm and not a soul was to be seen,” she said. “And I thought ‘why is there not that same raucous fun that I’m watching 100 meters away inside of the pool where it’s warm, where there's change rooms and nice showers when you're done?’”

Price snapped a photo of the empty pool through the window and posted it to Facebook, where other locals and parents shared their concern. Many agreed that the pool shouldn’t sit empty on a weekend evening. But the centre has been closed more often than many residents expected over the last few months —including all day on Sundays.

Last autumn, the city hired the YMCA to operate both the Chilliwack Landing and Cheam Leisure Centres with the understanding the pools would be open a certain number of hours per day. Since then, though, the pools have been open for about half of the agreed-upon amount. Though that may change soon, some residents are concerned the pools—even if they open later—won’t stay that way.

Today, Grace writes about when Chilliwack’s two pools are open, when they aren’t, and why.

Need to know

👩‍🌾 UFV students designed a plastic compactor to help Agassiz farmers compress and deliver agricultural plastic waste to recycling plants [CBC]

🚗 Lower Mainland residents should keep their snow tires on an extra month, a road safety organization says [Langley Advance Times]

📰 TWU launched an online collection of retired Chilliwack journalist Lloyd Mackey’s work [Chilliwack Progress]

👉️ The IIO concluded that police officers were not at fault in an off-duty officer’s death in Langley [Independent Investigations Office]

📚️ A fence has been erected behind the Chilliwack Public Library to deter misbehaviour in the area [Chilliwack Progress]

➡️ An online campaign is raising money for an Abbotsford father with terminal cancer [GoFundMe]

🚓 Mission RCMP are searching for a woman who went missing this weekend [RCMP]

⚖️ A Chilliwack man accused of kidnapping pleaded guilty at the start of his trial [Chilliwack Progress]

The Agenda

Chilliwack buys a new fire truck

Chilliwack council will pick out the city’s new water tanker fire truck at its meeting this afternoon.

The city plans to purchase five tankers over the next five years. It has already bought two and expects them to be delivered this year. The third, a replacement for a truck that will soon be retired, would cost the city $606,901 if council selects staff’s recommended option.

Water tankers are a specialized truck that can fend off a blaze without hooking up to a nearby hydrant. According to city staff, a “substantial” portion of the city remains without pressurized water systems (including hydrants). Water tankers are better equipped to work in more rural areas and staff suggested their existence could lower insurance costs for some properties. The Chilliwack Fire Department currently runs three tankers; the city plans to replace two of these and house a fleet of five water-haulers.

A decision where the city’s next water tanker will come from, along with a new subdivision on a steep hill and a final recommendation on a cannabis shop on Yale Road, are on the agenda at Chilliwack’s council meeting later today.

‘You can’t buy what isn’t available’

Home prices may be stabilizing, in part because far fewer people are looking to sell their homes than a year ago.

For the first time in nearly a year, home prices in the Fraser Valley increased slightly in February from the previous month. They rebounded only modestly, but the head of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board suggested the market might “re-establish a level of stability.”

One major factor is a dramatic decline in the number of homes being listed. Last February, around 650 houses were put up for sale in Abbotsford, Mission, and Langley. This February, less than 250 houses hit the market. Townhouses and apartments have seen similar declines, though not so sharply.

The story is similar in Chilliwack

“We’re still not seeing as many sellers return to the market as we’d hoped, and new listings are actually currently still in decline,” Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board president Brad Latham said in a news release. “It goes without saying that you can’t buy what isn’t available, and we’d like to see a rebound in inventories over the upcoming spring season.”

In fact, despite median townhouse prices sagging by between 20% and 30% over the last year, the ratio of homes bought to those listed actually puts the townhouse market in “sellers’ market” territory, according to the FVREB.

Clarification

Yesterday’s need-to-know section included a note that HandyDart services continue to run despite the transit strike. That’s not entirely the case, however. BC Transit does say that “service for customers requiring transportation to renal dialysis, cancer treatment and multiple sclerosis appointments in Abbotsford and Mission has been deemed essential and will continue to operate during this service disruption.” But it notes that all other pre-booked trips “will be notified of cancellation.” Do you know someone who relies on HandyDart for essentials but has had a trip cancelled? We’d love to hear from you.

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Around town

THIS WEEK

👩‍🎨 The Fraser Valley Biennial local artist meet and greet is happening on March 24 at 6:30pm at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford. More details online.

🎭️ Adults interested in trying out acting can take a six-week class starting Thursday in Chilliwack. The classes are part of a series of film-related classes hosted by the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival and Chilliwack Cultural Centre this spring. Details online.

COMING UP

🌳 Agassiz residents interested in connecting with and conserving nature can join the Fraser Valley Conservancy's new Habitat Healers Ambassador Team. An information and planning session will be held April 8 from 10am to 2pm at the Agassiz Community Recreation and Cultural Centre. Details online.

🎸 Fort Langley Jazz Fest announces headliners for Cool Blues Show. Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster, Crystal Shawanda, Five Alarm Funk, Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, David GoGo, and more. See the full line-up!*

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