Monday - May 27, 2024 - Chilliwack to slash heat pump rebates

🌥 High 17C

Good morning!

I have a strong belief that the VHS is the superior media form for young children. Unless a kid sticks their little fingers into the casing and pulls out the ribbon, the cassettes are not easily broken and a child is able to insert the tape into the VCR themselves. Put the TV on the right setting and boom, they are in control of their own movie choices. Big buttons make for easy stops and starts for bathroom breaks, and the post-video rewind is a built-in transition to another activity.

(The debate on screen time will have to be for another day: sometimes mom just needs to drink a cup of tea in relative peace.)

The biggest benefit of the VHS, however—and all other forms of physical media—is the fact that I am the only one who can make a movie disappear. Netflix doesn’t get to decide when our Shrek obsession is over. I do.

– Grace

P.S. In case you missed it over the weekend, we decided to share the weekly’s Insider edition with everyone! You can find it in your inbox, or you can find it here. (If you like it, and you aren’t a member yet, consider subscribing.)

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

From ‘wasteland’ to nature park

For decades, Horne Pit has been a “grey wasteland” on Langley’s western border. Soon, it could be home to the community’s newest park.

Once an active gravel mining operation, Horne Pit has been sitting idle since at least the 1990s. The Township of Langley owns the nearly 70-acre property, and for a long time let development pass the pit by, leaving piles of topsoil and asphalt rubble dotting its landscape.

Nature did not ignore the mine, however.

Over time, groundwater seeped up into the open pits, creating a new wetland within the scoured landscape. In the absence of both mining and construction, sections of Horne Pit grew ecologically important—establishing its own ecosystem that proved surprisingly resilient to the impacts of resource development.

Six years ago, Langley Township decided it was time to do something with Horne Pit, and created a plan that would introduce housing, a school, and a firehall to the site. But now, after opposition from environmentalists and a push from the province, Langley is considering giving nature a helping hand in reclaiming more of the property.

• Today, Grace looks at Langley’s Horne Pit and the potential for a new raised nature park in the former gravel pit.

Related

Need to Know

🔊 Langley residents suggested pickleball, a pool, and a daycare, among other ideas for a new community centre [Langley Advance Times]

🏒 Former Vancouver Canucks centre Manny Malhotra will be the new head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks [Vancouver Canucks]

💦 The budget for a large spray park in Mission is now approaching $5 million [Mission Record]

🤝 The BC Conservatives and the BC United Party will not be joining forces in the upcoming election [Vancouver Sun]

🔥 As BC’s wildfire season starts, this is what you need to consider in your evacuation plan before an emergency hits [The Tyee]

⚠ A young Soowahlie woman was aggressively approached by a man near Cultus Lake, prompting a warning from the park board [Fraser Valley Today]

🗳 Chilliwack MLAs Kelli Paddon and Dan Coulter each were officially nominated to run for the NDP this fall [Chilliwack Progress]

💰 Harrison Hot Springs has spent $35,000 on legal bills since the last election [Agassiz-Harrison Observer] / Last week, we reported Abbotsford’s legal costs were nearly $6 million in 2023 [FVC]

🚗 The pandemic drastically reduced Canadian trips to Point Roberts, and it doesn’t look like it will be bouncing back [Salish Current]

🔢 Crows can “count” to four, and are the only animals other than humans that can do so [Nature]

🎨 The 45th Harrison Festival of the Arts is still accepting artists for their Artisan Market on the beach this July. Click here for more information.*

*Sponsored Listing

SPONSORED BY THE CITY OF ABBOTSFORD

Abbotsford's Official Community Plan

The City of Abbotsford is updating their Official Community Plan.

The project will strengthen Abbotsford’s plan for
growth and development in the coming decades.

Get involved to shape your city! Attend an open house or take the survey from May 11 to June 7. Full details here.

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

The Agenda

Chilliwack lowering rebates for heat pumps after spending $250,000 in one year

Chilliwack council has decided to drastically reduce the amount of money residents get when they buy a heat pump, after spending nearly all of its budget in one year.

The city began participating in the CleanBC Better Homes rebate program last April. The program lets British Columbians get money back when they purchase a heat pump ($6,000 rebate), upgrade their electrical ($500 rebate), or purchase a heat pump water heater ($1,000). Participating municipalities can offer their residents a top-up on those rebates to encourage more people to switch to environmentally friendly heating and cooling options.

When Chilliwack joined last April, it decided to give residents a significant bonus: $2,000 for heat pumps, $1,500 for electrical upgrades, and $1,000 for water heaters. It allocated $250,000 from provincial climate action funding to pay for the rebates. The goal was to “kickstart the program,” a staff report said, and that has certainly been the case. Within one year, the $250,000 has been nearly depleted.

Chilliwack has now received another round of provincial climate action funding, and will be putting another $250,000 into the rebate pot. But to make the program last longer than one year, Chilliwack will be cutting the municipal money participants receive.

Instead of $2,000 from Chilliwack for a heat pump, participating residents will be getting $350. Instead of $1,500 for electrical upgrades, it will now be $500. And instead of $1,000 for water heaters, it will now be $350. (These rebates continue to be in addition to the provincial rebate.) Applications in process now will get the larger rebate; applications after July 1 will get the smaller amount.

FVC reader shares insights on highway bridge guardrails

On Friday, Tyler wrote about his annoyance at a highway sign that warned of a damaged guardrail between Chilliwack and Abbotsford. John Pijl, an FVC reader who used to work for the Ministry of Highways, replied with some interesting information about highway bridge guardrails—and even why the seemingly redundant warning may exist: to let drivers know that the ministry is aware of the guardrail. John also wrote about how bridge railings along the highway have changed over time. You can read the full email here.

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🤝 Now hiring

• Library Technician at the University of the Fraser Valley in Mission

• Industrial Electrician at Molson Coors in Chilliwack

• Office Administrative Assistant at K-Town Carpets and Flooring in Abbotsford

• Photographer at Five Rivers Production in Langley

• Campground Worker at Coquihalla Campground in Hope

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

🗓 Things to do

Art show: The Mission Artists Association is showcasing its annual show and sale from tomorrow to June 15. The opening reception is on Saturday at the Rock Family Gallery. Details online.

Farm fest: EcoFarm Fest is back on June 1 at the EcoFarm Discovery Centre in Abbotsford. Enjoy live music, pony photos, local food, and more from 10am to 4pm. Details online.

Bridgerton market: Head to Festina Lente Winery and Meadery in Langley for a Bridgerton-inspired Historical Romance Market on Sunday. Wear your best regency outfit and peruse the shops. Details online.

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Catch up

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