Tuesday - Nov. 26, 2024 - Swiftie scholars invited to UFV conference

☁ High 6C

Good morning!

You think you are in the clear, but then it happens. Waking up bleary eyed one weekend morning, wondering why your daughter’s hair looks different than it did last night. Realizing your son now has an unexpected short trim on one part of his head. Heading downstairs and seeing the handfuls of hair in piles on the floor, and scissors lying innocently on the coffee table.

Yes, we had our first child-haircutting incident. It wasn’t as disastrous as I had feared. I fixed my daughter’s hair with the kitchen scissors, and she now has some choppy, face-framing layers. My son, however, may need professional help.

– Grace

P.s. Do you know Marie Weeden? She an important figure in Chilliwack’s history—and her contributions to the Chilliwack archives are playing a key role in our upcoming history edition. I’d love to learn more about where she is today. Reply to this email and we can chat!

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope (We have had to temporarily change our forecast links to the Weather Network due to a technical error.)

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

NEWS

Q&A: The Langleys are not the same, city mayor says

Everyone thinks Langley is a monolith. But the little urban centre that is Langley City really has more in common with places like White Rock, New Westminster, and Port Moody, Mayor Nathan Pachal says.

In a wide-ranging interview midway through Pachal’s first term as mayor, The Current asked Pachal about Langley City’s place within the wider region and his relationship with Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward. We also asked him about how the city planned to balance environment and development within its borders, and touched on some of the progress he has seen in the city over the last two years.

• Today, we share Grace K.’s interview with Langley City Mayor Nathan Pachal at the two-year mark of his term.

• This is likely the last in a series of mid-term interviews with the mayors of Fraser Valley communities. You can read the others here: Popove (Chilliwack) | Smith (Hope) | Horn (Mission) | Siemens (Abbotsford) | Pranger (Kent) | Talen (Harrison Hot Springs)

• The Current has not been able to secure an interview with Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward, despite multiple requests.

Related

Need to Know

🚔 BC’s police watchdog is investigating after a woman was injured in Chilliwack when she was taken into custody over the weekend [Fraser Valley Today]

🛑 Border officers intercepted $6.6 million in cocaine being smuggled over the Aldergrove and White Rock border crossings [Aldergrove Star]

👶 The Abbotsford school district wants babies to volunteer as educators for the district’s Roots of Empathy program [Abbotsford News]

🪒 Five Hope Fire Department members are growing their moustaches to raise funds and awareness for men’s mental health [Hope Standard]

🚲 A UBC study found mountain biking now causes more spinal cord injuries than hockey, football, or skiing; a BC spinal surgeon is calling for change [Vancouver Sun]

🤝🏼 Lead with purpose, dare to be different. KPU’s Melville School of Business offers 23+ programs designed for entrepreneurs ready to shape the future. Register today.*

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The Agenda

Swiftie scholars unite (UFV’s version)

The University of the Fraser Valley is gearing up to host an academic conference on the pop culture icon Taylor Swift in advance of her concert in Vancouver this December.

Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to BC Place from Dec. 6 to 8. Swiftie Scholar, an academic conference on the singer’s cultural impact, is coming to UFV’s Abbotsford campus on Thursday, Dec. 5. The full day event will touch on topics in feminism, identity, and media studies. The goal is to use pop culture as a way to engage people in deeper academic conversations.

Talks include Seeing like a Settler: Taylor's Version, with Erin Morton; Exploring the Intersection of Taylor Swift and the Book Publishing Industry, with Jarin Pintana; Negotiating Parasocial Relationships in the Swiftie Fandom, with Brian Donovan; and Unveiling The Girl Boss Sexual Contract, with Tinca Lukan.

Attendees can participate virtually or in person. Details and tickets are available online.

Santa mail delayed by Canada Post strike

Letters from Saint Nick will likely be delayed until after the holidays due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.

Canada Post brings letters to Santa Claus from more than a million children each year. Typically, letters sent before Dec. 6 will be guaranteed a reply from the big man before the holidays. But the national strike has shut down mail movement, and that means no letters getting to or from the North Pole.

“It is our hope that postal operations can resume as quickly as possible at this critical time for customers,” Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu said in an email. “When operations do resume, we will help Santa by delivering a response to every letter sent to him this year.”

The strike has been ongoing since Friday, Nov. 15. Mail is not being processed or delivered, and some post offices are closed. Mail will be delivered on a first-come-first-served basis when the strike is over.

Discussions at the bargaining table have not been fruitful so far. A special mediator has been brought in to help Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers come to an agreement. Canada Post is asking for changes that would allow for weekend mail delivery and “flexible staffing.” Union representatives are asking for better pay stability and security. The two groups continued to meet over the weekend with the mediator.

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Classifieds

• Aldergrove Christmas Art Show Nov. 30 10am-3pm, free admission [LINK]

• Fraser Valley Stamp Club meeting Dec. 10 at 6 pm [LINK]

Annual FVC members can find a link to submit their annual classified in the weekly FVC Insiders Edition. Become a FVC member here.

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Catch up

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