Tuesday, April 11, 2023 edition - Deal or no deal? Rec centre edition

Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Today: ⛈ High 8C, Low -1C | 7-day forecast

Good morning!

I’ve got to put on a suit to attend a fancy dinner at the start of May. I bought my suit 14 years ago for a new job. I worked that job for five months or so, but the suit came in handy occasionally, making an appearance on a half-dozen or so occasions. But the last time I wore it was at least five years ago. It may no longer fit. And it may look like a 13-year-old suit. I should just buy myself a good (or good-enough) mid-life suit. But I don’t want to make a habit of wearing suits nor really work in a position that demands them; and given that, I sure don’t want to spend a bunch of money on clothes I won’t wear again this decade. The only thing I know for sure is that whoever said “the clothes make the man” wasn’t a journalist.

We rolled out a fun surprise feature for members in our first members’ round-up email. It’s still a work in progress, but I think it will help give members a fun look behind the scenes, and, occasionally, the ability to lob questions at our interview subjects. Thank you to new members Dorothy, John, Leanne, and Ginny! Be like them and join up!

NEWS

Is your local rec centre a rip off—or a good deal?

Abbotsford has the cheapest rec centre passes this side of Hope—though only if you commit for a year.

In Langley, you’re going to pay a premium to hit the pool—unless you just turned 80.

And in Chilliwack, monthly passes for kids and adults are a comparative steal (but the pool might be closed when you want to use it.)

Earlier this year, a Mission councillor suggested his community start letting seniors use its pool for free. With that in mind, and Kent raising money for its own leisure centre, we put the Fraser Valley’s rec centre fees under the microscope to see which residents get the best deals, and which are paying through the snorkle.

Need to know

⚖ The trial of the man charged with killing an Abbotsford police officer in Nelson rests on a video of the incident and whether a judge believes the accused was acting in self-defence [Nelson Star]

👎 Someone did donuts on a Langley ballfield, leaving the diamonds unusable [Langley Advance Times]

🎥 The Chilliwack Independent Film Festival has been named one of the top 50 around the world [MovieMaker Magazine]

👃 A sewer pipe ruptured near the Miami River in Harrison Hot Springs, allowing some sewage to spill into the watercourse [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🏒 The Abbotsford Canucks will host playoff games for the first time in the club’s history beginning on April 19 [Daily Hive]

🛶 An Australian YouTuber kayaked the Chilliwack River in a raft he made from deadfall wood he collected [CBC]

🍸 A new bar in Chilliwack opened its doors on Friday [Fraser Valley Today]

🖥 Chilliwack residents are more obsessed with social media than Abbotsford according to a gambling website [Chilliwack Progress]

🚆 Light Rail on 200th Street in Langley? The Township is considering the possibility [Aldergrove Star]

☺ TODAY’S SMILE: This spring marks the 30th anniversary of one of film’s best chase scenes: Wallace & Gromit’s pursuit of a nefarious Penguin [YouTube]

🏘️ Why staging your home is important during the selling process. Learn more from Fraser Valley Realtor Tana McNicol.*

*Sponsored Listing

The Agenda

Langley school to finally get complementary park & fields

Nearly two years after Donna Gabriel Elementary opened its doors in Willoughby, Langley Township council finally approved extra funding to complete the adjacent playing field and community park.

Council voted to spend $2.1 million to complete the park adjacent to the school, which opened in 2021. But the grass fields aren’t expected to open until September 2024 and the park won’t be completely finished until summer 2025.

The plan for the five-acre park includes a children’s play area, walking paths, a full-size soccer field, a half-size junior soccer field and an overlapping, informal baseball area.

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