Monday - Oct. 20 - When a Chilliwack farm meets a Vancouver icon

Good morning,

First off, thank you to everyone who’s written in with feedback about the stories you want us to cover and how we can make this newsletter even better. Your ideas help guide what we do each week—so please, keep them coming. You can always reach me directly at [email protected].

This week’s feature takes us to Chilliwack, where Local Harvest Farm is growing more than just produce. It’s nurturing a vision for what local, sustainable food can look like—and how farms in the Fraser Valley can inspire change far beyond their own fields.

– William

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope | Mission

🚘 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.

Feature Story

The humble Chilliwack farm behind a Vancouver restaurant’s most beautiful plates

A decade ago, Dan and Helen Oostenbrink set out to grow clean, chemical-free food for their Chilliwack community. Today, their 37-acre farm, Local Harvest, supplies the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Botanist restaurant—proving that humble soil can shape world-class cuisine. Read how their regenerative dream found its way to the city’s finest plates.

→ Read the full story.

Need to Know

🚫 Parole officials rejected Kruse Wellwood's day parole application after discovering 100 sexually deviant drawings depicting torture and learning he concealed communications with someone claiming to be 17, fifteen years into his life sentence for murdering Kimberly Proctor [Black Press Media]

🏏 Canadian Aviation College owner John Ling suffered nine baseball bat strikes from masked attackers outside his Pitt Meadows residence as his wife intervened and daughter fled, with police recovering a GPS tracker from his vehicle [Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News]

⛳ The Nick Taylor Charity Classic at Cultus Lake Golf Club generated over $550,000 in its ninth year supporting First Tee Fraser Valley, Jumpstart programs, UFV scholarships, and community services, pushing the tournament's total past $2.5 million [Abbotsford News]

🎵 Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" placed 42nd on Rolling Stone's 250 greatest songs of the 21st century, with the magazine crediting the Mission singer's track for launching the social media virality era in pop [Mission City Record]

🏕️ Provincial parks officials commenced work on 32 new drive-in camping spots at Rolley Lake Park targeting spring 2026 opening, following last year's addition of 17 walk-in sites and accessibility improvements [Mission City Record]

🍾 Multiple suspects allegedly took thousands of dollars in merchandise during a 5:20 AM break-in at Brookswood Liquor Store on 200 Street, with a $5,000 reward offered for arrest information [Fraser Valley Today]

🏪 Intruders smashed through Walmart's front entrance at 3122 Mt. Lehman Road around 3:20 AM Wednesday, forced open an automated teller machine, and disappeared with cash before police patrols located them [Fraser Valley Today]

⚖️ Former MLA Rich Coleman filed a court response denying Mayor Eric Woodward's defamation claims over fire truck purchase videos, arguing the statements were fair comment on public matters and invoking anti-SLAPP protections [Langley Advance Times]

SPONSORED BY BC DAIRY

When land, culture & food collide

Erik Blaney, a farmer on Tla’amin Nation land, is reviving generations of tradition by planting food, building processing capacity, and nurturing community resilience. He fights climate shocks, systemic barriers, and disconnection — all while turning soil into sovereignty, healing, and hope. Read more.

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What’s New

Abbotsford unveils new neighbourhood park in Aberdeen

Residents of West Abbotsford have a new place to gather, play, and explore with the opening of Engineer Park, a 3.5-hectare green space in the Aberdeen neighbourhood. The City will officially celebrate the park’s completion with a public grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, October 25, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Tucked between Fraser Highway and Bertrand Creek, Engineer Park takes its name from the Royal Engineers, who first surveyed the land and built the area’s early roads in the mid-1800s. The park’s design also nods to Aberdeen’s railway history, once home to a Great Northern Railway station in the early 1900s.

Developed through two rounds of community consultation, the park features two playgrounds, a sport court, picnic shelter, seating areas, open green space, and an off-leash dog area. A boardwalk connection to Maclure Road is planned for completion in 2026.

“Creating accessible and welcoming spaces that connect neighbours and promote healthy and active living is an important focus for City Council,” said Mayor Ross Siemens. “Engineer Park is a great new park and a wonderful space for residents to connect, play, and enjoy the outdoors.”

Saturday’s opening celebration will include hands-on building activities, a scavenger hunt, games, and free hot drinks and treats for attendees.

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🗓 Things to do

Very Very Improv: Langley-based comedy troupe performs family-friendly improvisation on Monday, October 20 from 8:00-9:45 PM at 20230 64 Ave in Langley, creating scenes from audience suggestions.

Crossroads Cabaret: Cirque des Morts Vaudeville Society presents a 19+ cabaret at Rotary Hall Studio Theatre on Tuesday, October 21 at 7:30 PM featuring circus acts, burlesque, drag performances, and celebration of authentic living for $45-$60.

Brushes and Brews Doormat Workshop: Locality Brewing hosts a hand-painted fall doormat workshop on Thursday, October 23 from 6:00-8:30 PM at 7111 252 St in Langley, with materials, instruction, and first beverage included for 25 participants.

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Catch up

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