Wednesday, August 23, 2023 edition

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 | Today: 🌦️ High 19C

Good morning!

I’m moving to a new apartment in a few weeks and I’m slowly starting to pack everything up. I have a lot of books to gather and stick in boxes. But thankfully I still don’t own any really big furniture (besides a bed). And I’m only moving five minutes away. So, as moves go, this one is actually going to be as easy as they come.

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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

Building a farm

When Toyin Kayo-Ajayi looks at his Mission property he sees his homeland of Nigeria.

“Back home in Africa we are farmers,” he said.

His five-acre property in the Hatzic Valley might not yet be an established farm, but Toyin sees its potential.

Before purchasing the property in 2019, Toyin had been working on Fraser Valley farms for nearly two decades.

“When I came to Canada 22 years ago it was a no-brainer for me not to get into farming,” he says.

But when Toyin arrived in Canada from Nigeria ago it seemed like everyone but those from the Black community were farming.

“We have just become a consumer,” he said. “And we are bonafide farmers back home.”

• Today, Joti writes about a visit to Toyin’s farm, and his passion to inspire the next generation of Black farmers.

Need to know

🔥 The Kookipi Creek wildfire near Boston Bar is now 13,674 hectares in size and remains out-of-control; the Stein Mountain wildfire north of Lytton is at 1,431 hectares; Evacuation orders remain in place for Kanaka Bar and Boothroyd First Nation; an alert remains in place for Boston Bar and Lytton [BCWS]

🌳 Mission is closing its municipal forest to the public due to extreme wildfire risk [City of Mission]

🥅 Mission has also closed a turf field because of a ‘safety issue’ [City of Mission]

🚭️ The air quality advisory was cancelled for the Fraser Valley [Metro Vancouver]

🇨🇦 The Popkum fire chief became a Canadian citizen in a virtual ceremony while deployed fighting wildfires near Kelowna [Popkum Fire Department/Facebook]

🥋 The founder of Abbotsford’s Judo Club is retiring from his head instructor role after being part of the club for over 40 years [Abbotsford News]

👮 Several Langley RCMP officers are heading north to help with the wildfire response [Langley Advance Times]

👉️ A third of BC homicides are gang-related, more than any other province [Vancouver Sun]

➡️ A man enroute to Alaska was charged with smuggling guns across the border in Abbotsford [Abbotsford News]

🏌️‍♂️ A Murrayville family’s annual golf tournament has raised $20,000 in their son’s memory [Langley Advance Times]

🏊️ A Surrey woman swam 15km in Harrison Lake in honour of her father, who drowned in the lake 27 years ago [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]

🏳️‍🌈 The Chilliwack Pride Festival had thousands of attendees last weekend [Chilliwack Progress]

👉️ An Abbotsford grief support training course will open up for residents across the province [Abbotsford News]

💬 A non-profit is running Ktunaxa language classes via Zoom starting in September [Chilliwack Progress]

The Agenda

Construction set to begin on redesigned Abbotsford bus exchange

Abbotsford’s downtown transit exchange will temporarily move starting in September as construction begins on redesigning the city’s existing central bus stop.

The city has set aside more than $5 million to reconfigure Montrose Avenue to create a new exchange. The longstanding goal is to create “a downtown transit hub that is pleasant, has an urban feel, and is integrated with development” in the area.

In 2021, the city suggested that new bus shelters and benches, larger sidewalks, electric vehicle charging stations, bike lockers, and better crosswalks and signage were all being considered. Since then, a design has not been made public. (The Current has inquired about specifics, but BC Transit refused to provide them, saying they would do so at a later date.)

Construction of improvements is expected to be finished next summer, according to the city’s website. During construction, buses will stop temporarily along nearby McDougall Avenue.

BC Transit is also tweaking several routes, while adding increased Sunday service on its Aldergrove and Sumas Mountain routes. Details are available online.

Scholarship amounts increasing for graduate students at UFV

BC Graduate Scholarships, a provincial program that helps fund the living expenses of graduate students in the province, will be increasing by $2,500 for all new awards. Each award will be worth $17,500.

The announcement emphasized the importance of helping graduate students stay afloat amid rising living costs in the province as they study, train, and research.

At UFV, $130,000 in provincial funding will go to grad students through the scholarships in 2023-2024. Across the province, 10 schools will collectively receive about $5 million.

SPONSORED BY SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIONS

Visit Whatcom County for Farm Tours, Delicious Local Food, and More!

On September 16th from 10am-4pm, twelve farms in Whatcom County will open their (barn) doors for visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at how food gets from the farm to their plate at the Whatcom County Farm Tour. This family-friendly, free event brings folks from all over the region!

🤝 Now hiring

• Project manager assistant at ServiceMaster Restore in Abbotsford

• Human resources advisor at the Fraser Valley Regional District in Chilliwack

• Hair stylist at Great Clips in Mission

• Recreation leader at the Township of Langley

• On-call customer services assistant at Fraser Valley Regional Library in Abbotsford

Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!

📸 Current Cam

Each week we showcase a different photo from across the valley and invite readers to share their best guesses about where it was taken.

Any guesses as to where this week’s Current Cam was taken? Fill out this form with your best guess—or with a picture we can use in a future edition.

Things to do

🤸‍♀️ Gymnastics: Try out gymnastics at Fraser Valley Gymnastix’s open house and free play event in Chilliwack on Saturday, August 26. Kids under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Details online.

📚️ Book sale: The Chilliwack Rotary Club is holding its fourth annual Outdoor Book Sale on Saturday, August 26 at the west end of Townsend Park. More info online.

🎈 Langley’s 150th birthday: The Township of Langley is holding a celebration to celebrate its 150th birthday this weekend from Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27. Different parks and spots across the town will involve various free games, activities, vendors, and entertainment. More info available online.

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