Thursday, June 8, 2023 edition - A new Fire and Smoke Hub

Thursday, June 8, 2023 | 🌤 High 27C

Good morning!

I asked you at the start of the week if the increase in summer traffic has deterred you from enjoying the outdoors. A majority (nearly 60%) of those who responded said it has impacted your summers and you now tend to stay within your own community. I’m not sure why, but that came as a slight surprise. I guess I was hoping to learn you had some tricks up your sleeve about how you beat the summer rush.

Also, this rarely happens but it looks like we stumped you with this week’s Current Cam. Care to try again? We shared a new perspective. Scroll down and have a look.

Thanks to Donna, Lynette, and Laurence for supporting The Current by signing up for an Insider membership. Find out what all the hype is about and how you can join here.

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast

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

NEWS

The Current’s new Fire and Smoke Hub

Last year, wildfire smoke filled the Fraser Valley in mid-October. In 2023, the smoke has returned earlier than ever, thanks to two early season fires west of Harrison Lake.

The two fires have doubled in size each of the past two days sending smoke down Stave Lake and into the Fraser Valley. There might be some relief on the horizon, but in the meantime, we’ve created a new Smoke and Fire Hub with an array of information to keep tabs on the situation. We will update it throughout the summer and fall, when necessary and useful.

The hub includes:

• Details on local wildfire sizes, locations, growth, and distance from settlements

• Satellite imagery and data

• Smoke sources and forecasts

• Weather and wind forecasts

• Fire danger and fire ban information

• News stories from other media

You can check it out here. We will update it around noon Thursday.

Need to know

🛰 The International Space Station passed directly over the valley at 1:24pm yesterday. Here’s what it saw. [ISSAboveYou/Twitter]

📈 The Bank of Canada hiked interest rates again Wednesday [Financial Post]

🏡 This year’s PNE Prize Home is located in Langley [PNE Prize Home Lottery]

🔥 The Chehalis River fire is now 800 hectares [BC Wildfire Service] / Here’s what burned yesterday [NASA]

🔥 The Statiu Creek fire is now 73 hectares [BCWS]/ Here’s what burned yesterday [NASA] The Statiu Creek fire is the highest local firefighting priority given its distance to Sasquatch Mountain Resort; more in our fire & smoke hub [FVC]

✈️ An Abbotsford aviation company is providing aerial support to battle wildfires [Abbotsford News]

🦉 A environmentalist group is taking the federal environment minister to court to prevent the extinction of the spotted owl [Vancouver Sun]; The Current wrote about the endangered species, read that story here [FVC]

🚍 The Fraser Valley’s striking bus drivers want to negotiate with their employer [The Tyee]

💵 How eligible homeowners—particularly seniors—can defer their property tax bill [Vancouver Sun]

💨 An air quality advisory has been issued for the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver as two wildfires near Harrison Lake continue to burn [Metro Vancouver]

👉 The editor of the Chilliwack Progress was fired after controversial social media posts; the editor of the Abbotsford News will take over on an interim basis [Vancouver Sun]

🏒 Abbotsford’s Jake Virtanen has re-signed with a German-based hockey team [Abbotsford News]

🚔 One person was injured in a crash on Langley’s University Drive [Langley Advance Times]

🤔 The federal government is considering creating a national disaster response agency [CityNews]

🪴 Garden expert Brian Minter shares what can still be planted in June [Vancouver Sun]

👮🏻‍♂️ A Chilliwack man was sentenced to four years in prison for an attempted kidnapping and assault last year [Chilliwack Progress]

📷 CURRENT CAM: No one correctly answered this week’s Current Cam! Scroll down and try again.

🎫 Single tickets and six-packs are now available for the Fort Jazz Fest Cool Blues Show Jul. 21-22.*

*Sponsored Listing

The Agenda

A Fort Langley waterfront remodel

Fort Langley’s waterfront could get a makeover.

The Langley Township is looking to gather feedback from the public “to reaffirm and/or update previous public input” about the community’s waterfront lands.

The Township plans to complete a technical review of the area to determine what amenities may be feasible in the area. Past public consultations have shown an appetite for public gathering and performance spaces, improved walking and cycling links, additional parking, watersports facilities, and improved water access. (Find a summary of past public engagement results here.)

The deadline for submissions is June 18. Take the survey here. 

Mission seniors housing tower renovated

Renovations are complete at a 61-unit Mission apartment building for seniors.

The eight-storey Welton Towers building is 50 years old. With $5 million in BC Housing funding, the building received new flooring, bathrooms, appliances, cabinetry and fixtures, along with energy-efficiency upgrades. The building is owned and operated by a local non-profit.

The three-year renovation project cost the province an average of $83,000 per unit.

Throwback Thursday

Photographer Nick DeWolf captures a wing walker at the 1971 Abbotsford Airshow.

The Abbotsford Airshow officially took off in 1962 when the Abbotsford Flying Club started the event to promote aviation. The first show attracted 15,000 people. Three years later it would become the largest airshow in Canada, according to the airshow’s website. 

By the 1970s the airshow was recognized nationally. In 1971, The Snowbirds made their official debut in Abbotsford. DeWolf captures some spectacular images of the 1971 show. (Enjoy his online album here.)

This year’s show is scheduled to begin Aug. 11. Find details here. 

Current Cam

Wednesday’s Current Cam photo of this building yielded no correct responses (even by a certain reader who should definitely know it by sight). We showed the building from the bottom. Here’s the building as seen from the sky. Can you identify it now?

Fill out this form with your best guess—or with a picture we can use in a future edition.

🗓 Things to do

Ongoing, June

🛶 Paddle the Slough: The Friends of the Camp/Hope Sloughs are hosting their 2023 Paddle the Slough Challenge. Participants are encouraged to travel the sloughs, snap pictures or take video, and enter them for a chance to win prizes. Register online. Maps will be provided.

🍓 Farmers market: The Langley Community Farmers Market takes place at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum every Wednesday 3 to 7pm. More online. 

🎟 Theatre: Wild Light will be performed on select days until June 17 at Langley’s Bez Arts Hub. The play about a family’s second chance at life takes places off the coast of Prince Rupert and is inspired by true stories of BC lighthouse keepers. Tickets online.

🥕 Farmers market: The Abbotsford Farm & Country Market happens every Saturday from 9am until noon in Jubilee Park.

🚘 Car show: Hugs in a Mug Coffee Bistro in Abbotsford hosts a bi-weekly car show every other Wednesday until Sept. 20. All cars, trucks and bikes are welcome. Enjoy food and beverages, with draws taking place every week.

🌽 Farmers market: The Fort Langley Village Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday from 9am to 3pm. Details online. 

Thursday, June 8

🖼 Arts Extravaganza: The Chilliwack Society for Community Living presents its Arts Extravaganza at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre now until Saturday. Details online.

🌈 Pride open house: Archway Community Services is hosting an open house for 2SLGBTQIA+ people 55-plus at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre in celebration of BC Seniors’ Week. Details online. 

📖 Book discussion: Books and Borscht, a weekly lunch and book discussion at the Mennonite Heritage Museum, will feature the contributors to Diverse Tapestry. Thursday at noon. Call 604-758-5667 to register.

Friday, June 9

🎥 Film screening: The Chilliwack Museum is hosting a free screening of Unarchived, a feature documentary highlighting community archives from across BC to reveal some of what has been erased from the official record. Details online.

🏎 Car race: Mopac Friday Night Street Legals return to Mission Raceway Park. Free admission for Mission residents and kids under 12. Tickets online. 

🖼 Arts Extravaganza: The Chilliwack Society for Community Living presents its Arts Extravaganza at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre now until Saturday. Details online.

Saturday, June 10

🚲 Bike ride: MS Bike Fraser Valley celebrates its 25th anniversary with this year’s ride. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Langley. Details online.

🌿 Invasive species workshop: Fraser Valley Conservancy is hosting an invasive species workshop at the Agassiz Library. The presentation will be followed by a walk-and-talk in a local park. Register online. 

🖼 Arts Extravaganza: The Chilliwack Society for Community Living presents its Arts Extravaganza at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Details online.

🏁 Agassiz Speedway: The Agassiz Speedway hosts the DRYCO / Coastline Street Challenge. Details online. 

🎂 Bakehouse birthday: Lepp's Bakehouse in Abbotsford is celebrating its birthday with a buy one get one 50% off sandos, free cake, and live music! Details online. 

👉 Cedar weaving workshop: Learn about cedar and create your own cedar bracelet at this special Indigenous History Month event hosted by the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve. This hands-on workshop will incorporate Halq'eméylem language and teachings. Register online. 

Sunday, June 11

🎉 Culture Day: Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day will take place at Trethewey House. The celebration will include storytellers, artisans, activities for kids, and a drum-making workshop. Details online. 

🚲 Bike ride: MS Bike Fraser Valley celebrates its 25th anniversary with this year’s ride in Langley. The event concludes Sunday. Details online. 

Monday, June 12

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

Tuesday, June 13

🧶 Quilting: The Abbotsford Quilters Guild will hold its last meeting of the spring at Ross Road Community Church. All levels of quilting experience are welcome. For more information contact Carole LeFler at 604-853-0867 or Donna Zimmerman at [email protected].

Wednesday, June 14

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

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