Monday - Oct. 23, 2023- New Nooksack plans

🌧 High 10C

Good morning!

At the bottom of our newsletter today, members can read recommendations about the best places to find good cups of tea, as well as Tyler’s own (mildly monstrous) tea set up.

I’m not picky about tea, but I know a good cup when I taste it. The best cup of tea for me is at my grandparent’s house. They make perfect, strong Orange Pekoe (steeped for seven minutes exactly) with milk and sugar after lunch and dinner. I’ve tried to make it that way myself, but I can never get it to taste quite the same.

– Grace

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WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

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

NEWS

What the Nooksack international agreement means

Just before the two-year anniversary of the 2021 Nooksack and Sumas Prairie floods, the BC and Washington State governments have finally signed an agreement that sets out how they, several First Nations, and local governments will work together to try to prevent a future disaster.

• Today, Tyler writes about the agreement, and what it says about the state of flood prevention plans on both sides of the US/Canada border.

Related

Need to know

❄ Snow is forecast for the Coquihalla Highway today [CFJC]

🔥 Burning permits for Langley Township will be available next week [Township of Langley ]

📚 The owner of the now-closed Tractorgrease café in Chilliwack has written a book about his business and musical journey [Chilliwack Progress]

🍭A box of free candy raised the suspicions of trail users in Agassiz [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

👉 Self-isolation during the COVID pandemic led to an increase in drug deaths [CTV]

🔊 BC care aides are overworked and subject to poor working conditions and violence [Vancouver Sun]

🐔 Avian flu has been found at a Chilliwack poultry farm [Fraser Valley Today]

🍬 Mission businesses will hand out candy to kids on Halloween afternoon [Mission Record]

👻 How a Langley family is using Halloween to build a tighter community [Langley Advance Times]

🛶 Two dozen paddlers journeyed down the Fraser to call for protection for fish habitat [Chilliwack Progress]

🍎 A new cidery has opened in Agassiz; the owners have planted hundreds of trees to grow cider-specific apples [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🌲 Abbotsford Tech District will mean high-quality education and well-paying jobs close to home. It will build up not out, preserving trails on Sumas Mountain.*

*Sponsored Listing

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The Agenda

Abbotsford expects $11 million unexpected investment windfall

It’s not $11 million for free, but it’s pretty close. The City of Abbotsford expects to have $11.4 million more in the bank by the end of year than it had previously expected, thanks partly to two provincial grants sitting in the bank collecting interest.

The city, like all municipalities, socks away money to be used for future projects in various reserves. But the money doesn’t just sit there in a normal bank account. Municipalities invest their reserves in safe financial instruments that pay out interest.

Abbotsford’s reserves have been growing for some time. But they were even greater than expected this year thanks to two provincial grants. Those grants—one came following the provincial government’s surplus, the other was for drinking water project improvements—amounted to about $152 million and pushed the size of Abbotsford’s total reserves to $755 million. That extra money sitting in the bank earned Abbotsford nearly $6 million in extra interest.

Higher interest rates accounted for an additional $5.6 million boost to the city’s investment earnings, leaving Abbotsford’s total earnings on the year projected at more than $28 million—more than $11 million than had been forecast. That money will go back into the reserves to be used for capital projects.

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As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!

🗓 Things to do

Halloween: The Kilby Historic Site is hosting a "slightly frightful" day of family fun to celebrate Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 28. Wear your costume and a bring a bag to trick-or-treat. Details online.

Halloween dance: The Jason Lane Band and the Bad Pennies will play at the Eagles Hall, Abbotsford on Saturday, Oct. 28. Dancing is encouraged and costumes are mandatory. Details online.

Independent film: Ginger Snaps, an independent film about a teenage werewolf, will be shown on Friday, Oct. 27 at The Banquet Room in Abbotsford. Details online.

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Catch up

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