Monday - April 15, 2024 - FVC Perspectives: April

☁️ High 12C

Good morning!

In Grade Eight, when everyone else was getting iPod Touches so they could Snapchat and play Flappy Bird, I insisted that I wanted a Kindle. I was (and remain) a big nerd. But I’m glad I did, because my Kindle is still working alright and it’s going to be great for reading on trains and buses in Europe this summer. So, basically, being a nerd pays off. Sure, for some people it pays off when they become astronauts or nuclear physicists. But a working 10-year-old e-reader is totally a close second, right?

– Grace Giesbrecht

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

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🛣 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

FVC Perspectives: April

Families in denser cities need more parks .

The Fraser Valley’s population has grown rapidly over the last decade. Few communities are expecting any slowdown, and many new families will live in homes with limited or no backyards. But the supply of parks across the region has broadly—and with a few exceptions—not reflected recent growth.

In our first call-out for our new FVC Perspectives series, we asked you what amenities people in townhomes and apartments needed more of. And you suggested that parks and recreational were most needed.

We also gave you the opportunity to provide feedback or commentary on any topic of your choosing. We had one qualifying submission and have included it in our story.

• You can find our first FVC Perspectives edition here.

• If you’d like to submit your own letter or commentary, you can do so via this form here. Please take note of our guidelines. Our next FVC Perspectives will come out in May. Watch for a new poll at the start of the month.

Related

Need to Know

🩹 Wildfire smoke and exhaust are causing skin issues [Wired]

💰️ A Chilliwack School Board trustee won a $45,000 defamation lawsuit against ex-trustee Barry Neufeld [Chilliwack Progress]

🚆 The company chosen to build the $4 billion Surrey-Langley SkyTrain has been sued by Metro Vancouver for failures associated with a wastewater treatment plant that is massively over budget [Global]

🚑 An ATV crash claimed the life of a passenger in the Chilliwack River Valley [Fraser Valley Today]

🧪 Fraser Valley students showed off their smarts at a regional science fair [Abbotsford News]

🔌 TWU is suing contractors after a power failure in one of its newest student residences required emergency repairs [Langley Advance Times]

🚔️ A man snapping a whip in a parking lot in Mission scared residents; police confiscated the whip [Mission Record]

👉 A 35-year-old Abbotsford lawyer who served on the city’s police board has died [Fraser Valley Today]

🎶 A famous clarinetist will play at the Langley Music School this week [Langley Advance Times]

🚀 A Chilliwack engineer has designed an inflatable habitat intended for space [Chilliwack Progress]

🥗 Langley Township is considering spending $4 million to restore a historic home in Fort Langley [Langley Advance Times]

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The Agenda

UFV kinesiology program gets competitive 

Spaces in the University of the Fraser Valley’s kinesiology program will no longer be assigned in the same way recreation centres hand out swim lessons. 

As The Current has written, UFV’s domestic enrolment has lagged over the last decade. But that hasn’t been the case for the university's uber-popular kinesiology program. Each year, around 500 prospective students apply to pursue a bachelor of kinesiology at the university, but only about 160 are admitted. 

To allocate the spots, the university has historically used a first-come, first-serve process for all those who meet the minimum admission requirements.

The university, though, is moving to change that. It says the current process can make things challenging for rural and low-income students with unreliable internet or outsiders unfamiliar with the process—including first-generation university students or those without UFV connections. In response, the university is moving to a competitive process that will prioritize students with the best grades. Students with middling grades, but relevant experience, can also write a letter to highlight those advantages. The university is also looking to set aside a certain number of seats for Indigenous applicants.

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🤝 Now hiring

• General manager at Sidekick Brewing in Chilliwack

• Landscape and horticulture technician at the City of Abbotsford

• Staff pharmacist at Walmart in Abbotsford

• Office assistant at the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Mission

• Sales associate at Greenhawk Equestrian Sport in Langley

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🗓 Things to do

🎻 Community concert: The Chilliwack Community Band is holding its annual free spring concert at Cooke's Presbyterian Church on April 16, at 7pm. More details online.

🎙️ Comedian: Comedian Ron James will perform at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Tuesday, April 16. Details online.

👵 Senior’s meeting: Langley Seniors in Action will be hosting its monthly meeting at the Langley Senior Resources Society building on April 17 at 10am. Guest speaker Shannon Woykin will be discussing Langley's Meals on Wheels program. Email [email protected] for more information.

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Catch up

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