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- Wednesday - May 15, 2024 - A new plan for a controversial development
Wednesday - May 15, 2024 - A new plan for a controversial development
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Good morning!
While reading Graceās piece about Chilliwackās traffic-calming revisit in yesterdayās Agenda section, I clicked on a link and learned that while speed humps were still going to be banned, ātraffic buttonsā would not. These traffic buttons are little mini-roundabouts, like those found in my old Chilliwack neighbourhood. I was aghast because I had just assumed that city planners would have realized that this intersection design, while effective at slowing traffic, was a nightmare for anyone actually walking on one of the roads. At least they are in my old neighbourhood, where they are placed on roads without sidewalks. If youāre walking near a buttonāespecially if you have a dog or a kidāand see a vehicle approaching the junction, you need to flee onto someoneās yard to let the car navigate the roadway. Traffic-calming is normally a good thing. But a little bit of common sense is required. Hopefully any new buttons come with sidewalks attached.
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ā Tyler
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Traffic & Weather
š¤ Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
š Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBCās latest updates.
š£ 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 art of being a Fanatic
For Zach Meisenheimer and other members of the Fraser Valley Fanatics, cheering on Vancouver FC is only one part of what it means to be a supporter. š· Fraser Valley Fanatics
They are the diehard fans. The ones waving flags and singing songs; those who shape their weekend plans and family moments around watching soccer; those who are with their team through thick and thin.
Across the globe, you can find them packed into the far end of stadiums large and small, standing all game and providing the boisterous community atmosphere for which soccer games are known. (And which has made television shows like Ted Lasso and Welcome to Wrexham global hits.) And last April, you could find them at Willoughby Community Stadium in Langley, hoisting a huge Star Wars-themed banner to a professional team that had never once played an hour of league soccer.
It was a lot of passion for a club that was brand new. So much so that one might wonder: just who are these people who would invest so much passion, time, and energy in support of a brand new team?
But youād be missing something. Because as much as those supporters were there to cheer on their new team, they were also there to cheer on soccer, Canada, and the notion of fandom itself.
Related
Need to Know
š„ A thief was caught on camera making off with six extra flats of eggs from a self-serve store [Fraser Valley Today]
š The University of the Fraser Valley officially installed its new chancellor [UFV]
ā A prisoner was sentenced for a razor-blade attack on another inmate in an Abbotsford prison [Abbotsford News]
š° A Langley man won $1 million in the lottery [Langley Advance Times]
š§ A Chilliwack road was closed when an excavator struck a gas line [Chilliwack Progress]
š Trinity Western University faculty signed their first collective agreement [Langley Advance Times]
š A Chilliwack man has been located after being reported missing earlier this week [Chilliwack RCMP]
š A Langley expert says mowing your grass every other week can lead to more dandelions, which is good ābee foodā [Aldergrove Star] / You can read our story on a Chilliwack bee-lover here [FVC]
š Scientists say more auroras are likely over the coming months [Nature]
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The Agenda
New highway development would be denser than rejected plan
After Mission council rejected a Lougheed Highway development last year because it lacked retail spaces, a new plan for an even denser project has been submitted to city hall. But itās unclear if it will meet a fate similar to its predecessor.
Last spring, council unanimously rejected a plan to construct a 40-unit apartment building and 60-unit townhouse complex near Hatzic Lake. Councillors also took issue with the density of the project.
The new plan would see even more housing, with up to 160 units in a handful of townhomes and three apartment buildings. The apartment buildings would include retail space on the ground floor, satisfying councilās complaint about the lack of commercial space.
Staff had recommended that council give a necessary Official Community Plan amendment first reading in order to kickstart a referral process. But in a rare move, the item was yanked from the agenda for Missionās council meeting last week. A city spokesperson said it was removed from the agenda at the developerās request.
Abbotsford school district hires two dozen uncertified teachers
Two dozen uncertified teachers have been filling vacancies in Abbotsford schools since February, according to a staff report presented to Abbotsfordās school board last night.
The teachers were hired to cover instances when certified on-call teachers couldnāt meet the demand for substitutes. The report, from superintendent Sean Nosek, said the uncertified teachers were ā chosen from a pool of 138 candidates and were subsequently provided training to prepare them for supervising students and facilitating classroom instruction.ā
Nosek writes that āmost, if not allā of the recruits want to become certified. Twenty-eight different teachers have filled in 635 times since February. The feedback, Nosek said, āhas been tremendously positive.ā
Last year, the Chilliwack School District hired uncertified teachers to watch classes. That move was described by Chilliwack Teachers Association president Danielle Bennett as unprecedented in a large BC district. Bennett said uncertified teachers didnāt have the training āto maintain the education services that our students deserve.ā
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š Things to do
Heat and smoke talk: Fraser Health will be holding a presentation on heat and wildfire smoke at the Hope Library on Thursday. Details online.
Butterfly release: The City of Langley Library will be releasing Painted Lady butterflies at Douglas Park on Thursday. Butterfly storytime and craft at the library at 10:45am, butterfly release at the park at 11:45am. Details online.
Glow-in-dark theatre: Dino-light, a glow-in-the-dark theatrical puppet production is at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre Thursday. Tickets online.
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