Friday - Nov. 24, 2023 - Boardwalk Umpire

☀ High 8C

Good morning!

I recently met a friend from the Sunshine Coast who was in Abbotsford for an event. They didn’t have a car, so they had flown to Vancouver then taken SkyTrain to Lougheed Station, where they hopped on the Fraser Valley Express. They weren’t familiar with the route and had expected, based on its hourly frequency, for it to be mostly empty. Instead, they found themselves on a packed bus.

This, of course, wouldn’t be a surprise to regular riders. The route is incredibly popular. But it’s easy for anyone who doesn’t rely on it to forget how many people now shape their lives around the route. It’s also interesting to imagine how such a route could further transform transportation in the Fraser Valley, if supported properly. But I continue to find it weird that a government that talks so much about the importance of non-car forms of transportation hasn’t actually thrown more support behind such a successful initiative.

– Tyler

Support local journalism by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.

Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

🚘 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

Boardwalk Umpire: Abbotsford planners ponder plan for popular planks

Mill Lake Park’s boardwalk might be the most-loved piece of park infrastructure in Abbotsford. Unless you’re pushing a scooter, wearing roller blades, a little shaky on steep inclines, or responsible for maintaining the thing. Then it can be a nightmare.

As city planners look to shape a new plan for Abbotsford’s most popular park, the fate of the boardwalk hangs in the balance, with staff seeking to preserve what people love about the boardwalk, while solving the problems it poses for others.

In September, city staff revealed a variety of potential changes and asked the public to weigh in on a new long-term plan for Mill Lake Park. Potential changes include the removal of the popular boardwalk along the water surface, the expansion of the beach area, the addition of a plaza, and the banning of bikes on the park-wide circuit path. Earlier this month, staff returned to a city committee meeting to further explain their thinking and gather even more insight.

• Today, Tyler writes about the next stage of planning for the future of the park—and the factors influencing the fate of the popular boardwalk and the possibility of swimming in the lake itself.

Related

Need to Know

🚔 Chilliwack Mounties want to speak to two women who helped a victim in an incident in Salish Park a month ago [Chilliwack RCMP]

⚠ A child rapist banned from Langley has been released to live in Surrey; police there have issued a public warning [Global]

⚖ The lawyer for two animal rights activists appealing their conviction say they their actions were necessary to expose abuse at an Abbotsford hog farm [Tri City News]

👋 The White Spot that was once Langley’s last drive-in restaurant is now closing [Langley Advance Times]

👍 A take-an-item, leave-an-item “community cupboard” has opened near Mill Lake in Abbotsford [Abbotsford News]

✒ Abbotsford Police say extortion letters are being sent to local businesses, potentially en masse [Abbotsford Police]

⚖ Former Abbotsford school trustee Barry Neufeld’s defamation trial has wrapped up after days of arguments and cross-examination [Chilliwack Progress]

💧 A water company has donated flats of bottled water for those impacted by Hope’s ongoing boil water advisory [Hope Standard]

🍴 An expanding brunch chain has opened a new location in Langley [Dished]

⏱ Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium will get a new score clock next year [Abbotsford news]

🌈 Three of four candidates in Hope’s by-election responded to a questionnaire by the local pride organization [Hope Standard]

📸 Celebrate National Career Month with UFV! Learn “How to Recruit Yourself” on November 30 at 5 pm at the UFV Abbotsford campus. FREE headshots available! Register here.*

*Sponsored Listing

Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!

Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.

The Agenda

Mission physician shortage impacted by licensing issues

A physician with 20 years of medical experience in India and her cardiologist husband are working for Fraser Valley non-profit organizations instead of filling Mission’s doctor shortage because of bureaucratic obstacles.

Jen Cook, from Mission Division of Family Practice, told Mission council Monday that they are two of several experienced physicians who could be practicing locally but aren’t because of licensing issues and a lack of residency opportunities.

Cook said the division of family practice placed an ad in the British Medical Journal’s career section to try to entice doctors to the area. Of 13 physicians who responded, seven met with Cook over Zoom. All seemed enthusiastic to start, but after hearing about the process to get licensed, only two remain interested. And neither of those physicians, Cook said, would be able to arrive locally within the next two years. And it would be another three years before either could start up an independent practice.

One of those physicians, who hails from South Africa, is a quality improvement lead in Africa and would be ready to move to Mission immediately.

An array of obstacles and delays face any physician looking to come to Canada, Cook said. She said rules in Alberta are much simpler.

BC recently brought in a new law to make it easier for international professionals to gain recognition for their credentials. Some of those changes will help physicians. But there remain major obstacles and limitations. Cook noted that Mission has a seat in a new “practice ready assessment program” meant to fast-track the process. But for that one seat, Mission received 54 applications.

Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.

Become a Current member today and join 1,200+ other local supporters who help keep our lights on.

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

💾 Flashback Friday

The first Huntingdon School, seen here in 1908, was a 20-foot by 34-foot building on Sumas Way. It was joined by a second building for older kids in 1910. According to The Reach Gallery Museum, an even larger school with indoor plumbing was built two years after that. The school burned down in 1928 and was replaced the following year. It was eventually closed in 1980.

🗓 Things to do

Santa tea: Gladwin Heights United Church will hold its annual Holiday Market and Tea on Saturday, complete with a special visit from a certain super-jolly somebody. Details online.

Langley Christmas market: The Fort Langley Senior’s Hall will hold its 3rd annual Christmas Market Extravaganza in Fort Langley on Saturday, Nov. 25. Details online.

Sip and shop: Old Yale Brewing in Chilliwack is hosting a holiday sip and shop on Sunday, Nov. 26. Find more info online.

Fraser Valley Current Insider members get a full weekend events roundup on Thursdays and Saturdays. Become a member here.

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

Catch up

That’s it!

Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥️ 

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.

And before you go, please let us know:

Help share The Current

Wouldn’t the Fraser Valley be better if more people had access to local, quality news – and didn’t have to rely on social media? Share The Current with your friends and help us build better communities.