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- Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 edition - A rough patch on the greenway
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 edition - A rough patch on the greenway
Grace Giesbrecht
October 19, 2023
🌧 High 17C
Good morning!
There was a time when bloggers were derided as basement-dwelling cretons who spent too little time living in the real world and too much time writing about things they didn’t know. We’ve moved past those stereotypes, in part because it turned out that many of the bloggers of the early 2000s did know a ton about important issues—often more than more respected institutions and media.
Still, when you think of the types of hobbies or jobs that leads one to a position of real political power, blogging is probably not near the top of the list. And yet, last October, the voters of two different Lower Mainland municipalities elected bloggers to lead them.
That seems like an interesting story, right? Well, I’m going to write it. But I’m going to try something new. Next Thursday, I’m jointly interviewing Langley City Mayor Nathan Pachal and New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone over Zoom and we’re going to open that chat up so Current Insider Members can listen in and even ask a couple questions. Insiders will find details and a link to register just below this. If you’re not a member yet, you can become one here. (Then just access the newsletter through our website after logging in to find the link. Keep in mind we have a 100-person capacity limit. I have no idea if we'll hit that.)
– Tyler
Members: My joint interview with Nathan Pachal and Patrick Johnstone will take place Thursday, Oct. 25, at 2:30pm. To register, click here. Our Zoom room has a maximum capacity of 100 people, so this will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you can’t make it, or if we hit capacity too early, we will be recording the interview and posting it online (accessible only to members).
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WORTH KNOWING
🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.
NEWS
Mission’s greenway hits a rough patch
Mission’s greenway—a major protected bike lane project—could be in trouble. 📷️ Tyler Olsen
One of the valley’s most ambitious pedestrian and cycling projects has hit a rough patch that could imperil its future.
As Mission sets to wrap up the first phase of a new cycling and pedestrian corridor bisecting the city, the design and future of the project has split council.
With no funding yet approved for the continuation of the route and complaints from the public, what happens next could depend on just how many cyclists and pedestrians use the new route—and whether drivers can figure out how to navigate a narrower roadway.
Related
Need to know
🦉 The federal government is in court over its role in the near-extinction of BC’s spotted owl population [The Narwhal]
⛪️ A Langley church is bringing back its fall fair after closing it down during the pandemic [Langley Advance Times]
🏘️ Homeowners in the Chilliwack River Valley have been stuck in limbo since floods ruined six homes in 2021 [Chilliwack Progress]
🌧️ The Langley RCMP is warning drivers to slow down during the heavy rainfall predicted this week [Langley Advance Times]
👻 A Halloween costume shop in Chilliwack has seen multiple break-ins and thefts [Chilliwack Progress]
👉️ A former district employee is suing the Chilliwack School District, alleging it violated her free speech rights [Fraser Valley Today]
✈️ A tour group from the Fraser Valley arrived home from Israel after war interrupted their travel plans [Langley Advance Times]
🏆️ The former media officer for the Abbotsford police won an award for his work during the 2021 floods [Abbotsford News]
🏗️ An excavator damaged a pedestrian overpass in Hope; council says repairs are on the way [Fraser Valley Today]
🥇 The winners of the Township 7 Grape Stomp costume contest celebrated their third year in first place [Langley Advance Times]
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The Agenda
Langley City has approved another apartment building on 55a Ave; they noted that the two smaller lots between developments could also become a small building. 📷️ Google Maps
New apartment plans coming to Langley neighbourhood
A new six-storey apartment building is coming to Langley City, but its approval creates a development puzzle in the surrounding neighbourhood.
The 126-unit building is planned for 55a Avenue, just off 200th Street near Brydon Lagoon. Langley City council rezoned the lot from a single-family home designation to facilitate the building.
Spiffy new apartment buildings populate the area, but several single-family homes remain. City staff noted that two single-family homes would be caught between the newly approved building and another apartment site under construction. The lots on their own would be too small for redevelopment under the city’s current rules.
But those rules could be changing soon, staff say. A zoning bylaw under development could reduce the size of lot required to build a low-rise apartment building, providing “flexibility for the faster creation of more housing.” The two small lots on 55a could eventually become apartments too: city staff had a design for a low-rise building in the smaller space worked up just to ensure it could be done.
Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.
As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!
SPONSORED BY ABBOTSFORD TECH DISTRICT
Fraser Valley's time to lead on food security
Last Friday, Abbotsford Tech District presented the inaugural Grounded Innovation: Agriculture and Food Summit, bringing together business, policy, and academic leaders from across the region and around the world for a crucial conversation about agricultural technology and food security.
The Fraser Valley produces half BC's food - it's time for us to lead.
🗓 Things to do this week/end
🎭️ Comedy: The Clarke Theatre in Mission will host an Arts Club Theatre Company production of The Birds and the Bees, a Canadian comedy about love, lust, beekeeping, and the artificial insemination of turkeys on Sunday, Oct. 22. Details online.
🎸 Music: The Maybelles will play shows featuring hits of the 60s and 70s at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre this weekend, from Thursday, Oct. 19 to Sunday, Oct. 22. Tickets online.
🏒 Hockey: The Langley Rivermen will play the Merritt Centennials on Friday, Oct. 20 at the George Preston Arena in Langley. 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.
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