Wednesday - March 5, 2025 - Harrison considers waterfront parking passes for residents

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Good morning!

I’m an avid news consumer, both recreationally and professionally. When the news is like it is this week, I end up scrolling social media and while I learn a decent amount, my time would probably be better spent doing some concentrated reading and moving on. Does this make me a '“doomscroller”? Maybe. Some of it is probably healthy. Much is probably not.

I do hope that the format of The Current’s newsletter provides a healthier, less stress-inducing way to consume news. So I was very pleased when a new member, Kaitlyn, emailed to explain why she decided to support us. Here’s what she wrote:

“I became a paid member after being a subscriber for months and reading the FV Current every morning. After the recent calls for more subscribers, I felt it was important to contribute to the news that I've been consuming. Also, I've found myself doom scrolling TikTok and need a new way to get the news.”

Those emails, as much as the financial support, really do keep us going. So thanks to Kaitlyn and everyone else who has subscribed. If you’d like to join them, you can do so here.

– 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

Despite international student dip, UFV may avoid major budget cuts

The University of the Fraser Valley doesn’t expect a dip in international enrolment to force dramatic budget cuts.

New caps on international students have led to drops in the enrolment of foreign students, whose tuition fees heavily subsidize the education of Canadian students. That has caused some Canadian universities to plan for large spending cuts. But although the University of the Fraser Valley is also set to tighten its budget, a new draft budget shows it expects to retain most of its foreign students and tuition revenue while increasing tuition for new students.

Meanwhile, the same budget, which is no longer visible to the general public, shows that UFV’s new student housing project is behind schedule, with completion no longer expected by this summer.

• Today, Tyler writes about UFV’s new budget and its hope that it will avoid cuts facing other post-secondary institutions.

Related

Need to Know

🔊 Justin Trudeau said Donald Trump’s tariffs were designed to collapse the Canadian economy—and make it easier to annex the country [CBC] / The American commerce secretary suggested the Americans may be looking to rescind some of their tariffs [Global]

🏫 The BC government’s 2025 budget predicts a large deficit and features few ‘splashy’ announcements [CHEK]

👉 An investigation into a prolific racist far-right account suggests it has ties to Abbotsford—and Trinity Western University [Daily Dot]

🗳 Former Abbotsford MLA and BC cabinet minister Mike de Jong says the Conservative Party has rejected his application to run for a seat in the next federal election and deemed him ‘unqualified’ [Castanet/CP]

🎤 Country star—and former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman—Darius Rucker will perform in Abbotsford in October [Exclaim!]

🚔 Chilliwack Mounties seized drugs and guns from three Mission homes earlier this year [Mission Record]

🚧 Highway 1 was closed Monday after a serious crash in Chilliwack [Chilliwack Progress]

👉 The family of a Filipino man struck and killed by a gravel truck in Chilliwack is raising money to bring his body home [Chilliwack Progress]

👉 A draft of Mission’s new Official Community Plan suggests turning First Avenue into a pedestrian-only street after highway improvements occur [Mission Record]

📝 FVC Insider Member Wayne Hogg died last month; you can read his obituary here [Dignity Memorial]

🎨 Explore creativity this spring break with Kids’ Art Classes at The Chilliwack Cultural Centre! Fun, engaging, and hands-on art experiences await March 17 to 28! Check out upcoming classes at The Chilliwack Cultural Centre.*

*Sponsored Listing

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The Agenda

Harrison considers giving locals parking passes

Harrison Hot Springs residents want to be able to pop down to the beach or the village. And they want to do so without constant visits to the parking meter.

Harrison’s new mayor, Fred Talen, told council in a meeting earlier this month that he’s heard plenty of residents bring up their concerns with parking in and around the village and the beach. Council agreed to ask village staff to look into the idea of a resident parking pass that a local could either receive or purchase, instead of asking them to pay every time they want to pick up some takeout or a cup of coffee.

Councillor Michie Vidal noted that the issue is not a new one, and previous solutions were built into the village’s current parking situation. Free parking spots with 15-minute limits were designed for the pickup and drop-off functions that a local pass might also address. She also noted concerns that passes could turn Esplanade into extra parking for nearby condo buildings that don’t currently have enough spaces for their resident’s vehicles.

Vidal also pointed out there are benefits to paid parking. Businesses in the village get to see more turnover as visitors come and go more often than they might otherwise. And, importantly, the revenue generated from the parking pays for beach maintenance and the seasonal workers required for the resort town’s functioning under floods of tourists every summer.

The council, including Vidal, agreed that village staff should research the idea and propose some options for council in the future.

Correction

In yesterday’s members’ food section, we incorrectly wrote that The Sprouted Oven is closed on Sundays. A member and customer of the bakery corrected us. The business is closed on Saturdays but open on Sundays.

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🗓 Things to do

Women and art: The Kariton Art Gallery hosts Women in Art, a celebration of female artistry for International Women's Month, in collaboration with Abbotsford's Open Space throughout the month of March. An opening reception will take place at the Kariton Art Galley on Saturday at noon. Details online.

Mission market: The monthly Mission City Farmers Market is being held Saturday from 10am to 2pm at the Clarke Theatre. Details online.

Live music: Alison May performs Thursday from 6 to 9pm at Old Yale Brewing in Chilliwack. Details online.

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

Catch up

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