Monday - May 26, 2025 - New roof for North Bend pool

🌧 High 18C

Good morning!

Last week, I did interviews about caterpillars, a trip to the library, sports day, a hike, and a grocery store tour. You guys don’t get to read any of those though.

The interviews were part of my presentation about journalism to Promontory’s Kindergarten classes. Thank you to all the Insiders who helped me figure out exactly how to describe the work that journalists do—although as it turns out, the kids were more excited to see my camera than learn about the ethos of journalism.

The kids did ask some great questions about my work though, and we worked together to write some pretty fun little articles on the spot. They also left with their very own journalism notebooks, so if you see mini reporters roaming around Chilliwack this week, that’s why.

– Grace

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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

Diamond plan for highway interchanges

The widening of Highway 1 will bring a brand new type of interchange to the Fraser Valley—and leave motorists briefly driving on the “wrong” side of the road.

A “diverging diamond” interchange under construction at 264th Street will be the first of its kind in British Columbia. A similar junction is tentatively slated for the junction of Highway 1 and Sumas Way/Highway 11 in Abbotsford.

The highway interchange design is intended to make left-turns easier and less dangerous. And although drivers may take some time to adjust to a twisting new traffic pattern that is, by design, not straight-forward, experts say that the complicated design is easier to navigate than one might think.

• Today, Tyler writes about the massive new junctions coming to the two key interchanges.

Related

Need to Know

💔 Abbotsford’s Filipino Canadian Society has cancelled its annual independence day celebration after Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival tragedy [Abbotsford News]

📦 Langley’s Urgent and Primary Care Centre has moved from Langley City to Willowbrook [Langley Advance Times]

💲 Chawathil First Nation near Hope has received $100,000 to develop its economy and promote the region as a tourist destination [Hope Standard]

🩸 United Way says the Fraser Valley needs 7.6 million free period products this year [Fraser Valley Today]

🚧 A Chilliwack family of developers have bought St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church, renovated the building, and now hope to rent it out [Chilliwack Progress]

🌲 Comedian Ron James is coming to Abbotsford and Mission this June [Mission Record]

🚧 Langley’s 208th Street will be closed for night paving over most of June [Langley Advance Times]

👀 An American immigration lawyer says Canadians are right to be nervous about travelling across the border [Maclean’s]

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The Agenda

North Bend pool building to get new roof, solar panels

The Almer Carlson outdoor pool in North Bend will be getting a new roof for its facilities building next year—and residents likely won’t need to miss a swimming season to make it happen.

The outdoor pool, which is operated by the Fraser Valley Regional District, is open from July to September each year. The FVRD plans to replace the roof and the solar heating panels installed on it at the end of this season.

The regional district is seeking quotes from contractors for the project, which would see the old roof removed, and the new roof installed. (New solar panels would be added separately.) The new roof will need to meet or exceed BC’s top FireSmart rating.

Contractors have until the end of the month to submit their quotes. Construction is expected to get underway in September, with work finished up before July of next year.

First Halq’eméylem diploma graduates to cross the stage in June

Eight students will be the first graduates from the University of the Fraser Valley’s new Halq’eméylem graduate diploma.

The Current wrote about the program in 2022 as part of a series on Halq’eméylem and the people working to keep the language alive. Courses for the graduate program were offered for the first time that year, and were aimed at helping Halq’eméylem teachers become more proficient in the language.

Seabird Island language curriculum developer Dianna Kay, one of the students in the diploma program, said teaching Halq’eméylem was one way to make sure there was space for Indigenous people within academia.

Teaching Halq’emeylem has “always been around achieving higher education within Western society,” Kay said in 2022. “But it also belongs in our hearts.”

On June 11, diplomas will be handed to eight graduates: Brenda Pierre, Courtney Charlie, Beatrice Stewart, Leanne Joe, Dallas James, Sophia Moreno, Diana Charlie, and Kay.

The graduates are the first to receive the school’s Upriver Halq'emeylem Graduate Certificate and the Upriver Halq'emeylem Graduate Diploma.

You can read The Current’s full story on this history of Halq’eméylem language teaching here.

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🤝 Now hiring

• Early childhood educator at Th’à:les qas Smestiyexw (Heart and Soul) Childcare Foundation in Hope

• Park worker at Chilliwack Lake

• Emergency veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley in Langley

• Director of environmental services at the City of Abbotsford

• Mechanic at Reliable Diesel Tech in Mission

Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!

🗓 Things to do

SARA celebration: SARA for Women celebrates 50 years of supporting female survivors of violence on Wednesday at The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford. The night will include inspiring stories, delicious food, and community connection. Details and tickets online.

Improv concert: The Sons of Granville return to Agassiz for the final concert in the Cheam Vista Classical Concert Society's 2025 season on Thursday. The group performs improv and features the viola, guitar, and cajon. Details and tickets online.

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

Catch up

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