Tuesday, May 23, 2023 — Welcome (x9) to Hope

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 | 🌧 High 15C | Forecast

Good morning!

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I’m not a big fan of large groups of people where I don’t know anyone. I’m not someone who will walk up to a random stranger and start up a conversation unless it’s for, say, a news story (then it’s weirdly easy). But on Friday, I drove to Vernon to spend the weekend around a group of 17 guys I’ve never met in my life. And yet, I wasn’t anxious at all about it.

I headed to Vernon (my hometown) for an old-timers (and older-timers) soccer tournament after having found a local team that needed another player or two. I’ve written in the past about meeting friends through sports. Pursuing a similar goal—kicking that ball—really does make everything else easier, and by Monday, I had a dozen more friends. Of course, four soccer games later, I also had legs that could barely move. But no pain, no gain, I suppose.

Thanks to our newest members Gloria and Leonard. You can join them and support our work here.

NEWS

Who needs just one big welcome sign when you can have nine?

It’s possible that no BC community appears on as many highway signs as Hope. Wherever you go in southwestern BC, you’ll likely find a sign directing you to the tiny Fraser Valley community.

And soon, it will be impossible for any driver to miss when they finally reach their waypoint. The tiny community is commissioning the construction of nine different welcome signs, four of which will be massive in scale. But the municipality won’t say how much it intends to spend.

• Today, Tyler looks at a famous highway town’s attempt to put its mark on local roadways. 

Need To Know

🚨 After reports of gunfire in, Mounties urged residents of a Chilliwack neighbourhood to ‘shelter in place’ and stay away from windows [CBC]

❌ The Supreme Court shot down former Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld’s defamation lawsuit, citing the importance of free speech [CBC] / You can read the decision here [SCC]

🌽 Agassiz Produce looks set to re-open after an extended closure following a stop-work order [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🚔 A car thief led police on a chase from Mission to Vancouver and then all the way to Hope before concluding in a pipeline tunnel [Mission Record]

🚴‍♂️ A cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run in Langley early Friday morning [Global]

👉 The Abbotsford Christian School stuck with a policy aimed at protecting LGBTQ students despite criticism from a parent group [Abbotsford News]

🚃 Agassiz’s historic caboose will be getting a facelift and new paint job [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🚌 Langley Township is pressing the province to get a rapid bus line created along 200 Street [Langley Advance Times]

🚑 A crash in the Chilliwack River Valley injured several people, one seriously [Chilliwack Progress]

⚠ Rising water along the Fraser closed Derby Reach Park in Langley [Langley Advance Times]

💦 The Fraser River’s waters are expected to recede a bit over the coming week [BC River Forecast Centre graph]

🔥 Fire broke out at the RCMP’s local highway patrol headquarters in Chilliwack [Chilliwack Progress]

🏀 The Langley-based Vancouver Bandits signed their head coach and GM to a full-year contract, the first of its kind in the Bandits’ professional league [Vancouver Bandits]

🔎 A missing Saanich man was last seen in Hope [Fraser Valley Today]

🎄 Learn about growing Christmas trees at the Christmas Tree Growers Conference being held this year in Salmon Arm, BC from Thursday, Sept. 7 to Saturday, Sept. 9. More info here.*

*Sponsored Listing

SPONSORED BY COMMUNITAS SUPPORTIVE CARE SOCIETY

Rewarding career in Chilliwack brings growth

Herma's job as Activities Coordinator has been fulfilling and rewarding. She works in Chilliwack with aging adults who live with persistent mental health concerns. Herma never feels like she's counting the hours until she goes home, as she finds her work engaging and meaningful.

Herma's daily activities involve spending time one-on-one with someone, helping them with errands, going out for coffee, playing games, or working on crafts. She has developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the people she serves, as they have taught her a lot about herself, including the vitality of a team when each member uses their strengths

Read more about Herma's career and how its challenges have brought growth and blessings.

The Agenda

Mission rejects highway townhome project

Mission council rejected a proposal last week for an apartment building and townhome complex along Lougheed Highway in Hatzic.

A developer had applied to build 60 townhomes and a six-storey 44-unit apartment building on a four-acre lot near Hatzic. The property had previously been designated for tourist-oriented commercial uses. But at a council meeting last week, Mission Mayor Paul Horne said he would prefer to see the site used for retail purposes. Coun. Jag Gill suggested the site might also be suitable for light industrial uses, given its location along the highway.

Although staff had recommended sending the proposal to a public hearing, pointing to the need for housing, no councillors expressed support for the application. Council unanimously rejected the proposal and Horn suggested staff return to the developer for further discussions.

Middle school expansions top Abbotsford school wishlist, again

The Abbotsford School District latest wishlist for new or expanded schools includes the exact same 11 priorities as last year’s document. The top three priorities—expansions to two middle schools and a secondary school—have now appeared at the top of the list for three consecutive years.

The district’s new capital plan again prioritizes the need to boost capacity by 200 students at both Abbotsford Middle School in central Abbotsford and William A Fraser Middle in the Clayburn area, and 300 students at WJ Mouat Secondary School.

You can click here to see the entire capital plan, which also requests funding for seismic improvements for the Bakerview Centre of Learning.

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