Friday - Sept. 13, 2024 - Sumas border expansion 'megaproject' on horizon

🌧 High 18C

Good morning!

We (and by we, I mean Tyler) write a lot about health care. Hardly any of it is good. Over-spending, under-servicing, excessive wait times, and inadequate bed numbers. You name it, Tyler has written about it.

These things are important to share, so we can see the flaws in the system and work to make it better. But, there are good things about healthcare too! And that’s why, for this month’s FVC Perspectives call out, we want to hear your good news stories about health care in the Fraser Valley.

Instead of disease rates and corporate pay hikes, we want you to tell us about successful surgeries, nice nurses, dedicated doctors, and helpful vaccine clinics. You can do so in the form here.

– Grace

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.

🛣 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

Health board members do important work, but raises still 'fairly outrageous,' former appointee says

Health authority board members do a lot more than just attend meetings, but the recent pay hikes handed out are still “fairly outrageous,” a former Fraser Health board member who served under both the NDP and BC Liberal government says.

In late August, The Current broke the news that board members for BC’s six health authorities received a 53% pay bump compared to the previous year. The pay hikes were the result of a 72% increase to retainers and a 44% increase to meeting fees. The raises left some members making as much as $2,000 for each full day of meetings.

Markus Delves, a board member and accountant who chaired Fraser Health’s audit committee, told The Current that he and his colleagues did work outside of the formal meetings for which they were paid, and that board members could play a useful role in delivering health care to communities. But even so, he said the pay now being doled out to board members seems too much.

“I think it’s fairly outrageous how much it’s dramatically increased over the years,” Delves said.

• Today, Tyler talks to Delves about what health authority board members do—and how they get paid.

Related

Need to Know

🏗 An unfinished townhouse project in Langley will be listed for sale, after the original builder couldn’t find a better way to pay back their creditors [Langley Advance Times]

🧯 A nearly-complete affordable housing development in Mission was lit on fire, had its gas line broken, and had several floors flooded last weekend, police say [Mission Record]

🐟 The discovery of 3,500 Salish suckers is behind the delayed construction on Prest Road in Chilliwack [Fraser Valley Today]

💔 Former NHLer Stephen Peat died after being hit by car in Langley two weeks ago; he had suffered from brain injuries due to his hockey career, and ended up homeless despite having made millions in his career [Langley Advance Times]

✏ More than 400 voters turned out for advance voting in Harrison Hot Springs on Wednesday [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🗳 A Chilliwack lawyer is running as an independent in the upcoming provincial election because he sees no ‘moderate alternative’ on the ballot [Chilliwack Progress]

🦉 Wildlife advocates say the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort should kiboshed because it infringes on spotted owl territory [Chilliwack Progress] / The area is also home to a second resort proposal, which covers a similar area; a similar project in a location far to the east has also been proposed by the Spuzzum First Nation [FVC]

📢 BC NDP leader David Eby has promised to scrap BC’s consumer carbon pricing—if the federal government lets them get rid of it [Global] / BC Conservative leader John Rustad says Eby is copying his position [Fraser Valley Today]

The Agenda

Sumas border expansion 'megaproject' on the horizon

A massive expansion of the Sumas Border crossing into the United States could speed travel south, while also potentially transforming the tiny Washington State community over the next couple years.

Plans to expand the crossing were first announced in January, and last week locals in Sumas got a closer look at what it would mean for their community. Without expansion, deficiencies in the crossing would "remain or worsen over time and compromise" the ability of authorities to protect the border, according to a presentation to residents. The Salish Current, a Washington State non-profit news organization, reported that upgrading the crossing on the US side could require the demolition of 10 structures across 14 acres on the north side of town.

If that could have a negative impact on the community, then the flip side is the scale of the construction. The expansion of the Sumas and Lynden projects would be defined as a "megaproject" that could bring an influx of money to businesses and contractors in the area. You can read the Salish Current's story here.

Yale gets a new (old) store

More than six months after the closure of Barry’s Trading Post in Yale, the tiny Fraser Valley community has seen a key business re-open.

The town’s former gas station—which had closed in 2021—has re-opened, with both gas sales and a sizeable convenience store. The gas station is operating under the Canco banner. It’s the fourth different gas franchise to take a stab at the site. Between 2007 and 2021, Tempo, Race Trac Gas, and Esso all sold gas at the station.

Share

You can share this newsletter by forwarding it or copy and pasting this link—https://fvcurrent.com/p/september-13-2024—into a social media post.

Classifieds

• For sale: Remote control chairlift. $800 obo. Email me. [email protected]

• Son Valley Compassion Care loves to help seniors! [LINK]

• 2 Ikea folding cots with cover, $60 each. [email protected].

• 2017 Kia Sportage EX 164k km $16.5k obo 604-250-3317 Chilliwack [LINK]

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

🗓 Things to do

Shred-a-thon: The Communitas Shred-a-thon happens in Abbotsford on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 10am to 1pm. Shredding is $10 a bankers box. All funds go to support people with disabilities through Communitas’ services. Details online.

Car show: The Historic Pharaoh's Car Club is returning to Fort Langley for its charity car show on Sunday, Sept. 15. The show is open to the public and will be supporting two local charities. Details online.

Fundraiser: Chilliwack Citizens for Change is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 5:30pm. Tickets online.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

That’s it!

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