Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 edition - Can a Mennonite volunteer army help rebuild Lytton?

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 | 🌤️ High 20C

Good morning!

My sister started her first year teaching in an elementary school classroom this week. Meanwhile, my Dad started his very last first week of school before he retires after decades teaching middle schoolers. All the best to all the teachers out there with your classes and students this year!

Thanks to new subscribers like Kristy and Bradley! You can join them and become a member here.

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

How volunteers could spark Lytton’s much-delayed rebuild

The Mennonites are coming to Lytton.

When homes finally start going up in Lytton, one of the very first may be constructed by an international organization with the ability to call on an army of volunteers.

For a remote, destroyed village with few local resources and a much-delayed recovery, it could end up being a match made in heaven.

• Today, Tyler writes about the Mennonite Disaster Service’s plans to build a single house in Lytton—and how the non-profit is preparing to take an even bigger step next spring to help the beleaguered village.

Need to know

🐻 A life-size grizzly-bear-shaped barbeque crafted by Chilliwack welding students won top prize in a national competition [Chilliwack Progress]

🔥 The Bear Mountain wildfire is not expected to grow any larger [District of Kent]

🚌 The Chilliwack School District is hiring five more school bus drivers [Fraser Valley Today] Have you ever been a school bus driver? We want to talk to you! Email us.

🚵‍♂️ An Abbotsford woman is biking 111 kilometres to raise money for grandmothers raising orphaned children in Africa [Abbotsford News]

🧑‍🏫 UFV education programs will be moved to its Mission campus by 2024 [Mission Record]

⛪️ Churchgoers shared memories of the church that burned down in Chilliwack last week [Chilliwack Progress]

🚲️ A cycling fundraiser is raising money for Ruth and Naomi’s Mission in Chilliwack [Chilliwack Progress]

🚤 A lost boat slowed traffic on Glover Road in Langley Tuesday afternoon [Langley Advance Times]

🚵 Cops for Cancer’s Tour de Valley kicks off next week [Langley Advance Times]

🚐 A motorhome crashed into a powerpole in downtown Mission; its driver refused to take a breathalyzer test [Mission Record]

⛸️ Free ice skating will start in Chilliwack next week [City of Chilliwack]

📷 CURRENT CAM: Congrats to Julissa Goodnough, who was the first to identify the Slug Trail in the Chilliwack Community Forest as the location of yesterday’s Current Cam photo.

SPONSORED BY VANCOUVER TECH JOURNAL

Calling all entrepreneurs!

Join Vancouver Tech Journal and Jason Fried, the co-founder and CEO of 37signals (the makers of Basecamp, HEY, and much more), for an in-depth conversation on innovation and the future of entrepreneurship. As the co-author of bestsellers “Rework” and “Remote”, Fried is an innovator, trailblazer, and movement-maker.

On Sept. 21, join him and hundreds of entrepreneurs at Downtown Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre.

Tickets start at $29. Get yours today, and use the code VTJP20 to get 20% off!

The Agenda

Mission sees $8 million logging windfall

Mission has tucked more than $8 million in forestry profits into a new bank account slated for future capital projects, thanks to what is anticipated to be a record logging year for the municipality.

Mission operates its own community forest, within which both recreation activities and considerable logging takes place. The logging—and the financial benefits of it—aren’t new (in 2021, the city made $2.8 million from forestry operations) but their scale is.

Last year, the city created a new “Forestry Legacy Reserve” as a separate reserve in which the proceeds from logging activities can be collected before being doled out. Already, the reserve, which began 2023 with a balance of $2.3 million has far more money than anticipated. (Some money is also set aside to fund ongoing forestry operations and capital investments.)

Through the first half of 2023, the city shovelled more than $6 million into the reserve. Even after the city spent a half-million dollars, the reserve still has more than $8 million. That’s far more than the $2.6 million projected just last fall. The cash came in part because of significant sales thanks to a strong market for utility poles.

In a report this week to council, staff say that utility pole prices have since declined “so the early release was timely.” Staff said the financial boon is because of both the timing of the utility pole sale and lower stumpage costs (the amount paid to the province, which owns the land within the community forest). With more logging available to be harvested later this year, city staff expect the financial windfall to continue.

Kookipi Creek fire burned six homes, 21 other buildings

The Kookipi Creek wildfire destroyed six homes, Fraser Valley Regional District officials revealed Wednesday. The fire also destroyed 21 recreational and maintenance buildings. Although still classified as “out of control,” the wildfire is no longer considered a direct danger to any communities.

Evacuation orders for the fire’s vicinity have been lifted, though several evacuation alerts are still in effect. The FVRD has published a re-entry guide for residents returning to the area. The guide warns returning residents to be aware of serious risks that may be posed by charred buildings, chimneys, destroyed chemical containers, and other debris. The guide also includes advice on how residents can visually check the stability of trees. You can read it here.

SPONSORED BY ABBOTSFORD TECH JOURNAL

Innovation you can eat

Imagine Abbotsford claiming its place as BC's hub for agricultural innovation, education, and commercialization.

Imagine the University of the Fraser Valley launching a world class MBA in agricultural leadership and technology.

Imagine unlocking thousands of well-paying jobs close to home.

Now let's stop imagining and start doing - at Abbotsford Tech District.

Throwback Thursday

Pink salmon have been splashing up the Fraser River—and other nearby rivers including the Chilliwack and Harrison Rivers—for the last few days. Pink salmon runs happen every other year and are popular with Fraser Valley fishers. The Fraser River has long been home to salmon fishing of various types—the photo above, from the 1890s, shows fishing boats powered by sail and oar on the lower portion of the Fraser River.

🗓 Things to do

Ongoing, Sept. 7 to 13

🎭️ Play: Bez Arts Hub in Langley presents the comedy Every Brilliant Thing, until Sunday, Sept. 17. Tickets available online.

🎪 Circus: The American Crown Circus will be performing in Abbotsford from Thursday, Sept. 7 to Monday, Sept. 11. Tickets online.

👨‍🎨 Art exhibition: The Fraser Valley Biennial, a touring art exhibition that displays work from prominent local artists every two years, will make a stop at the Kariton Art Gallery in Abbotsford from Saturday, Sept. 9 until Saturday, Sept. 30. Details online.

🌳 Genealogy sessions: Drop in to the Mission Library beginning Tuesday, Sept. 12 to share your family tree, get answers to your questions, and help with research from volunteers with the Mission Genealogy Club and Aboriginal Genealogy Network. Details online.

Members get access to our full weekly events listing. Become a member here.

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

Want to promote your business to 30,000+ engaged locals?

Contact our partnerships team today

Have a tip? Email us