Monday, June 12, 2023 edition - The life of an artist

Monday, June 12, 2023 | ☀ High 26C

Good morning!

I sat in on a fascinating presentation Friday by a BC weather forecaster. He spoke at length about the long-term forecasts we all hear about. The weather increasingly impacts our lives and so we all want to know what’s coming down the line. But while scientists can look at ocean temperatures that can broadly suggest temperature trends, those same meterologists caution that it’s a guide, not a crystal ball.

“Just don’t trust any long-range precipitation forecast,” he said. You’ve seen the forecast maps, but he pointed us to an even-more interesting map. This one doesn’t predict the future—instead it reflects how accurate past predictions have been. And predictions for different seasons and different places vary incredibly.

Thanks to new members like Belinda, Benjamin, Judy, and Janice for helping support The Current and our journalism. You can join them here.

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

NEWS

The life of an artist: ‘It’s not for the faint of heart’

Nancy Arcand’s comeback to the Harrison Festival of the Arts was left in the hands of a jury.

Like many prominent artisan markets, a selection committee determines if an applicant meets the threshold to be a vendor. Just applying doesn’t guarantee a spot and the process can be tense for novice artists. But for Nancy, it's actually what makes the Harrison market so special.

“It’s very well organized,” she said. “The artists are unique and different which makes it desirable for people to come.”

Nancy worked the market for a dozen years before taking a step back. She has since launched a new company and was ready to return. Nancy just had to wait for the festival organizers to give her the greenlight.

• Joti spoke to Nancy about what it takes to cut it as an artist and her return to the summer’s Harrison Festival of the Arts.

Need to know

⛳️ Abbotsford golfer Nick Taylor became the first Canadian to win the Canadian Open since 1954.

😲 Abbotsford Golfer Adam Hadwin tried to celebrate on the green with his friend and a bottle of champagne, but was tackled by a security guard [Video: Kayla Grey] / (His wife said he is OK and ‘apologized to the security guard for being tackled’) [Jessica Hadwin]

👉 Langley’s school board foundation has $10,000 in requests for respect and diversity support, but no money to provide [Langley School Board foundation]

🚓 Local highway cops will stop attending calls for service on highways within municipalities and local politicians aren’t happy [Chilliwack Progress]

🔥 The Statlu Creek wildfire near Sasquatch Mountain Resort is now considered ‘being held’ [BC Wildfire Service]

🐰 More than 150 rabbits were seized from an Abbotsford property; the owner says the animals were fine [Abbotsford News]

🔥 The Chehalis River fire is still out of control but hasn’t grown much thanks to the weather [BC Wildfire Service]

👉 We will try to update our fire and smoke hub Monday afternoon [FVC]

✈ A new mural at Langley Regional Airport celebrates women aviators [Langley Advance Times]

💍 Police in Abbotsford seized more than $100k in jewelry that is believed to have been stolen [Abbotsford News]

❎ Mission council rejected another Hatzic-area Highway 7 development because of traffic concerns [Mission Record]

🏫 The recently re-opened Langley Secondary is already in need of another expansion [Langley Advance Times]

☺ TODAY’S SMILE: Ledgeview Golf Club members celebrated Nick Taylor’s victory [Twitter]

SPONSORED BY DRAGON BOAT BC

Meet at the intersection of culture and sport

The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival is almost here!

The continent’s biggest dragon boat festival is hitting False Creek June 24-25, and there's more to see than ever before!

Showcasing Chinatown and Indigenous groups, dragon boat races every 11 minutes throughout the day, the TD Main Stage's 100% local lineup with Dear Rouge and SABAI, you can’t miss a second of the action. Then, when you need to recharge, take your pick of an expanded food truck selection, craft market with GotCraft, plus lion and dragon dances across the festival.

Save the date for the ultimate summer kickoff party!

The Agenda

McKee Peak plan returns for another public hearing

A new public hearing on Abbotsford’s controversial McKee Peak Neighbourhood Plan is taking place Monday. The plan sets to guide development on the lower reaches of Sumas Mountain and has been criticized by trail groups, recreational users, businesses, and a major landowner.

Although an hours-long public hearing was already held in the spring, a new hearing is required because the city withdrew the plan due to "procedural issues. A new hearing will be held Monday. If it follows the same process it as in the spring, council would make a final decision at another date.

You can read our in-depth story on the issues surrounding the plan here.

Mission OKs new cannabis store

A new cannabis outlet may be coming to the Silverdale area in Mission. Council agreed to support an application by Boss Cannabis to operate a store along Highway 7, just south of Silvermere Lake.

Only Coun. Ken Herar opposed the proposal, which must now be approved by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch. No nearby residents or businesses provided comments on the application.

NEWS

Environmentalists fight Langley development ahead of Monday hearing

A controversial proposal to develop 37 acres of wetlands and greenspace in the centre of Langley’s Gloucester Industrial Park will head to a public hearing Monday night.

Local environmentalists have been fighting an application by Vancouver real estate company Beedie Group to rezone a 92-acre property. Beedie is seeking to have about one-third of the property redesignated for industrial land. The remaining 55 acres of environmentally protected land would be transferred to the Langley Township.

When the Gloucester Industrial Park plan was first created in 1988, the lands were designated for a future golf course. The plan and parcel size was amended in subsequent years but a golf course was never designed.

The land is located at the headwaters of Nathan and West creeks. Groups like the Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners have asked the public to preserve the entirety of the parcel.

“Its headwaters, a wetland located in the middle of Gloucester Industrial Estates, is not only a biodiversity hotspot (home to beaver, deer and countless migratory birds), but also plays a pivotal role in flood mitigation,” the group posted online.

A petition calls for the wetlands to be left “undisturbed.”

On May 29, Township council voted to send the project to a public hearing. That hearing will take place Monday at 7pm. Details about that can be found here. 

In an email, one local environmentalist wrote that the future of the site was “coming to an ugly conclusion.”

“The land is one complex ecosystem and the boundaries that will slice it up have been drawn for the convenience of the developer and without an environmental assessment,” he said.

Should the plan be finalized, the Beedie Group will pay $14 million to the Township’s Community Amenity Contribution fund as part of the transaction.

Things to do

🍺 Pint night: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers are hosting a pint night at Hope’s Mountain View Brewing Monday at 7pm to explain the fundamentals of shooting and how to become a better shooter. Register online.

📸 Photography exhibit: The Chilliwack Visual Artists Association is hosting “Impressions through the Lens,” an exhibit presented by the Abbotsford Photo Arts Club until July 15. Details online.

🎶 Musician Danny Michel returns to perform at Langley’s Bez Arts Hub on June 18. In-person or live stream tickets available online.

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