Thursday, October 12, 2023

☀️ High 20C

Good morning!

I never quite get used to how sunny it can be in October. Sure, the winter—and all the rain that comes with it—is on the way, but it isn’t here yet. You’ll notice the newsletter looks a little different today. Tell us what you think! And if you want to support our local journalism, you can become a member here.

– Grace

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

WORTH KNOWING

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope

⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here

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

NEWS

The valley from the sky

The Fraser Valley has changed dramatically over the last two decades. So has technology.

This summer, we used aerial imagery to give readers a bird’s eye view of how the valley’s cities and towns have evolved over 20 odd years.

You can look at each piece here: Abbotsford | Langley | Mission | Chilliwack | Small towns / Land and rivers

Each story contained a half-dozen or so images focusing on specific recent changes. But we could only touch on a small slice of the valley. Luckily, the techniques we used to write those stories are available to anyone with a computer and some time on their hands.

Along with each story, we promised to hold a session to show our Insider members how anyone with a computer can find years of aerial imagery to learn about their neighbourhood, community or region. Now that moment is upon us.

Next Thursday at 1pm, Tyler will hold a webinar to show participants how to use free software to track changes in their communities. He’ll also unveil a handful of new discoveries, take questions, and talk about a new set of aerial imagery programs that makes the process easier—and more revealing—than ever.

All our reporting is possible only because of the backing of our Insider members, which is why we’re reserving this online meet-up—and another later this month featuring two bloggers-turned-mayors—for those supporters. We’ve got a 100-person limit on our Zoom account, so register early if you want to take part. If we hit our limit, it will be on a first-come first-serve basis. Depending on interest, we’ll either immediately send out a recording to latecomers or hold a second webinar.

Insider Members can register for our aerial imaging walkthrough here. On Friday, you’ll get an email with a link to the Zoom meeting. If you can’t make it, we will post a video for members following the meet-up. You can become a member here. If you’re a student, senior, or otherwise unable to pay our full price, email us. We don’t want people to miss out because of personal circumstances, while recognizing that quality journalism isn’t free and we are not yet financially profitable.

Related

Need to know

🦉 An emergency order to save endangered spotted owls was rejected by the federal government [The Narwhal]; Read our coverage of efforts to save the endangered owl here [FVC]

🚔️ Mission RCMP is asking for help locating two missing teenage girls [Mission Record]

🛣️ Chilliwack can’t afford to keep waiting for a Highway 1 expansion, one councillor said [Chilliwack Progress]; we wrote about local politicians’ questions for the province on the project here [FVC]

⛸️ A five-rink expansion to the Langley Events Centre could start before Christmas [Langley Advance Times]

🚍️ Chilliwack School District warns that school bus routes might not be consistently offered due to a bus driver shortage [Fraser Valley Today]; In September, we wrote about the fees paid by parents for their children to ride school buses in each district [FVC]

👩‍💼 Local entrepreneurs are celebrating small business week [Langley Advance Times]

🍻 Six craft breweries in Chilliwack are helping raise funds for adaptive bicycles [Chilliwack Progress]

👉️ Protestors both for and against SOGI resources gathered outside the Chilliwack School District office, again [Chilliwack Progress]

🧑‍⚕️ Kwantlen Polytechnic University opened a new nursing lab at its Langley campus [Langley Advance Times]

💵 An Abbotsford couple donated $1 million to start an interventional radiology suite at Abbotsford Regional Hospital [Fraser Valley Today]

🛶 Two dozen teams competed in canoe races in Fort Langley last weekend [Langley Advance Times]

🎃 A family in Chilliwack has been running a major Halloween decoration display for over 10 years; the display has returned for another season this year [Fraser Valley Today]

➡️ Chilliwack is looking for companies to design a bridge over the Hope Slough [Chilliwack Progress]

SPONSORED BY NOVEL BIOME

Calling healthy 12-40 year olds in the valley!

Did you know your gut contains trillions of microbes that could help save lives? Novel Biome is on a mission to harness the incredible potential of gut microbes to develop life-changing treatments. But they need your help.

If you're healthy, between 12-40 years old, and reside in the Fraser Valley region, you could be the stool donor they're looking for. Not only will you have the chance to make a real impact on the health and well-being of millions of people, but you'll also be compensated for your valuable contribution. Not a candidate but know someone who is? Check out their referral program!

Ready to be a part of something amazing or know someone who is? Learn more about becoming a stool donor.

The Agenda

New non-profit buys Hope affordable housing project

A landmark affordable housing apartment building in Hope has been sold to another local housing non-profit. The Current reported last December that the Anhart Community Housing Society was hoping to sell The Ryder, a 40-unit building, just a couple years after opening the facility.

At the time, Anhart’s Chief Financial Officer Crystal Wiebe said the non-profit had decided to stop operating affordable housing facilities and focus on simply building more of them.

Anhart had listed the building for $10 million. On Wednesday, the province said it had provided an $8.7 million housing grant to the Fraser-East Affordable Housing Society so it could buy the building. The price was arrived upon following an appraisal of the building, the province said.

The Fraser-East Affordable Housing Society appears to be a new organization devoted solely to operating the Ryder, according to the organization’s new website.

Asphalt Rehab

Has your road seen better days?

The City of Chilliwack has laid out the local roads designated for “asphalt rehabilitation” next year.

Heavily trafficked roads like Lickman Road and Hocking Avenue are among the routes that will get better pavement next year. You can see the full list here.

💾 Throwback Thursday

This photo of a fox hunt in the Fraser Valley was taken between 1977 and 1983. The traditionally English sport, where hounds track foxes for hunters on horseback through rolling hills, found another home in the fields and forests of the valley. The sport remains popular today.

🗓 Things to do this week/end

🎸 Concert: Fleetwood Magic, a Canadian tribute to Fleetwood Mac, will play the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Saturday, Oct. 14. Tickets online.

🌱 Extreme weeding: Help the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve get rid of invasive English Ivy at a volunteer event on Saturday, Oct. 14. Participants should be comfortable with mild bushwhacking. Details online.

🍇 Grape smashing: Township 7 Winery in Langley is hosting its annual Grape Stomp competition on Sunday, Oct. 15. Get a team of six to eight people together, don costumes, and prepare to step on some fruit while drinking wine. Details online.

Want even more? Insider members get a comprehensive events listing every Thursday, plus a weekly Saturday round-up edition with behind-the-scenes content. Becoming a member costs less than $2 a week and helps support the ongoing production of The Current’s newsletters and in-depth journalism. 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.