Fraser Valley

This is an image of the Abbotsford Campus of the University of the Fraser Valley. In this picture, you can see the entire campus with several buildings surrounded by green grass, trees, sidewalks, and parking lots along with a road that is in front of farms.

Co-author of UFV extreme heat mapping report says society unprepared for future extreme weather events

July 26, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

The co-author of a recent University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) report says more work needs to be done to address future extreme weather events.

The report, titled “Extreme Heat Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning,” was conducted on behalf of Leq’a:mel First Nation and the City of Mission.

“The extreme heat risk map produced [in the report] was based on the details of the unprecedented and lethal heat dome in the Fraser Valley from June 25 to July 1, 2021,” and then compared various climate projection models against the actual extreme heat risk that occurred three years ago, according to the report.

“The changes that are coming with climate change are massive,” said Dr. Afia Raja, a co-author of the report, and the head of UFV’s Planning, Geography and Environmental Sciences department.

“In our research, we saw that our preparedness plan was very, very weak, and whatever was done was a reaction,” Raja said.

An aerial shot of Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley. The roadway is pictured with moderate to high traffic. It is daytime. the surrounding vegetation indicates this picture was taken in the fall or early spring.

‘Vitally important’ Highway 1 widening project underway through Langley

June 28, 2024 by Mike McCulloch

The Government of British Columbia is advising motorists to be prepared for overnight lane closures and construction zone speed reductions to facilitate the widening of Highway 1 between 216 Street and 264 Street through Langley.

The project, which is one phase of B.C.’s Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program, which most recently resulted in the newly reopened Glover Road crossing, will create high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in each direction.

“It’s vitally important,” Dan Coulter, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, and MLA for Chilliwack, told CIVL Radio.

The widening of Highway 1 between 216 and 264 streets is expected to continue into 2026, and cost $345 million, with $96 million of those funds coming from the federal government and the remainder funded by the provincial government.

UBC paper probes managed retreat from Sumas Prairie to restore Sumas Lake, mayor calls it ‘ridiculous’

June 18, 2024 by Mike McCulloch

A new University of British Columbia (UBC) research paper proposes it could be cheaper to allow the lakebed under the Sumas Prairie to swell to its banks.

It estimates it would cost $1 billion to acquire lakebed properties and allowing Sumas Lake to return versus the $2.4 billion cited to harden flood mitigation infrastructure and prevent a replay of the November 2021 flood in the Fraser Valley.

Author Riley Finn, a staff researcher at UBC’s Martin Conservation Decisions Lab, estimated the cost using B.C. property assessment data, overlayed with a map of the lakebed. The paper imagines a managed retreat using principles of Indigenous law developed by West Coast Environmental Law.

Mayor of Abbotsford Ross Siemens calls the proposal “ridiculous,” a position the executive director of the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, and a former Semá:th First Nation Coun. Murray Ned sees as ironic.

A large, illuminated, puppet with the likeness of a mink hovers feet above an audience of predominantly children. One of those children has raised their arm, apparently to try to pet the puppet. The puppet has a glowing light-yellow hue, with a black nose and eyes that are lined black. The puppet is depicted with a brown and yellow iris, and has scruffy hairs hanging off of its face and body.

Luminous Waters returns to Abbotsford to mark National Indigenous History Month

May 30, 2024 by Mike McCulloch

The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford is showcasing a pair of performances based on a children’s book it published called Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa – or Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, honouring National Indigenous History Month.

The book was written by museum staff with Stó:lō knowledge keepers.

Three large, illuminated puppets to tell the story of Semá:th X̱ó:tsa – or Sumas Lake – before it was drained by colonial settlers 100 years ago, according to organizers. This year, students from Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (ASIA) – Sumas Mountain will be featured in the performance.

First, the puppets will appear at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival on Saturday.

The performance on June 3 at 7 p.m. is open to the public, while school groups are invited to attend the show on June 5. Teachers who are interested in bringing their class to the free show can contact The Reach for more information.

National Indigenous History Month is observed in June.

A group of pro-LGBTQ supporters and organizers gather at a park. There are five people pictured in the foreground. They are looking at the camera and smiling while posed underneath a portable events tent and around two foldable tables. On one of those tables is a loudspeaker and a small mixer, cables, and microphone. There are two rainbow coloured pride flags placed on top of this table. Another table is covered with the trans pride flag, which has five stripes, two light blue, two pink, and one white in the center. There are rolled up sheets of cardstock and markers used to make posters on top of this table. In the background is a second tent.

‘There’s still a lot of homophobia in Abbotsford’ — pro-LGBTQ rally held on May 17

May 22, 2024 by Mike McCulloch

Members of No Space For Hate Abbotsford, a group that mobilizes to oppose anti-LGBTQ demonstrators, were joined by volunteers of Fraser Valley Youth Society and Fraser Valley Pride, to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Friday, May 17.

About a dozen people took part in the event in Jubilee Park, which featured a loudspeaker playing music, two tents, which were festooned with various styles of pride flags, and buttons which read slogans of support, such as, “Ask me for my pronouns.”

CIVL Radio spoke to several of the people who gathered in Abbotsford to observe the day that has been marked globally starting May 17, 2005.

A group of people stand on the sidewalk at a busy intersection. They are waving Palestinian flags and banners with messages in support of Palestine.

Community group rallies for Palestinian human rights in Abbotsford

April 16, 2024 by Charles Brockman

A dedicated and growing community of activists in Abbotsford has spearheaded their own demonstrations to support and show solidarity for the citizens of Palestine as rallies and protests continue this week across the country.

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights: Fraser Valley (SPHRFV) is a group that now organizes on a weekly basis.

On Sunday, Apr. 14, they gathered for a seventh time to rally and wave Palestinian flags, this time at Abbotsford’s “Five Corners” intersection.

Ahead of Sunday’s rally, CIVL Radio spoke with Philip Sherwood, a writer from Abbotsford and one of SPHRFV’s lead organizers, about the importance of solidarity and public demonstrations from the other side of the world.

“We’re looking to build a group of people in the community who are committed to human rights for Palestinians —who want to see a just peace,” said Sherwood.

Listen to the complete audio story for more on SPHRFV’s goals, and details for their next public demonstration.

Black and white photo of a dead and decayed salmon, washed up on the bank of the Harrison River.

Fraser Valley Conservatory president warns loss of wetlands threatens salmon population, urgent action needed

March 21, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

Over a century of human development in the Lower Mainland and resulting recent weather patterns have proven damaging to salmon populations connected to the region, according to regional sources.

To help explain the risk, CIVL Radio interviewed John Vissers, a long-time activist and president of the Fraser Valley Conservatory.

“In the last hundred years, we’ve drained and eradicated close to ninety percent of these wetlands in the Fraser Valley,” said Vissers.

He explained that, historically, wetlands acted as natural regulators for flooding and drought conditions. Equally, Vissers said wetlands provide a crucial protected habitat for juvenile salmon in the ages between hatching and swimming towards the ocean.

“The wetlands absorbed the shock of [flooding and droughts], and we’ve lost that ability.”

Listen to the complete interview for details on how salmon in the region are affected by human intervention and what Vissers and others are doing to mitigate the effects.

Minister Adrian Dix is a white middle-aged man standing at a podium which reads "taking action"

BC Health Minister discusses strategies to address growing healthcare demand

February 29, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

Minister of Health Adrian Dix claimed his challenge is an “increase in demand,” as the provincial government explores options to combat the doctor shortage and long healthcare wait times in British Columbia.

“Lots of people are still struggling. We have way more people in the province. The population of Abbotsford in particular…is growing significantly,” Dix told CIVL Radio.

“And so we’re going to have to continue to build out and hire more healthcare professionals to deal with that,” he added.

Dix said while 708 new doctors began work in B.C. from April to December 2023, the province also welcomed 182,000 new residents. He added that there is a plan to introduce a medical school within the Fraser Valley Health Authority to train and retain more doctors for the region.

Listen to the interview with Dix for more details on how his ministry intends to meet critical demands.

A drone with four rotors flies over a field. Spray and water mist from underneath as the drone passes over crops and plants. A mountain and tree line envelope the backdrop.

Drone technology makes moves to take flight in the Fraser Valley

November 22, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

The power and use of drone technology is showing budding innovation in the agricultural tech fields. At a recent tech conference held at the University of the Fraser Valley, a presentation of the usage and potential effectiveness of drones was shown by Precision Crop Tech.

Pesticide use was lower and more effective, mapping and analyzing large fields took less time, even worker labour can be retooled more effectively, according to the company. Despite these overall benefits, drone usage still has barriers it needs to flyover in Canada: heavily regulated piloting licenses and pesticide testing, to name two.

CIVL spoke to Mark Vendrig, director of Precision Crop Tech, assemblers of drones in Abbotsford, as well as Tristan Bowman, sessional instructor in UFV’s agriculture technology program, to learn more about drone technology in agriculture, and the barriers that lock the technology’s full potential.

A well travelled highway road exit lined by fields of green grass. Cars and trucks drive on the highway underneath a bright blue sky. Mountains loom in the background wrapping around the highway.

Fraser Valley marks anniversary of flood, province unveils new Emergency and Disaster Management Act

November 17, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

During the Fraser Valley’s two year anniversary of its historic floods, the Government of B.C announced a new Emergency and Disaster Management Act (EDMA).

CIVL spoke to Jerry Hack, manager of the Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue, was on the ground amongst other emergency services.

“No matter how much training we have, you can’t prepare for flooding like that,” Hack says. “We’ve taken what we’ve learned from that time two years ago, and a lot of us are still on the team and a lot of us remember what to do next, and how to handle the situations next and what other equipment could we use instead of what we had.”

On Nov. 8, the provincial government introduced EDMA, a new Emergency Act that will rework the provinces emergency management policies for recovery finances, as well as reframe how the province prepares and studies climate change-based disasters.

A new food truck white with a smiling tomato on one side and the name of the restaurant Lucente's is printed on the other side of the serving window. The Italian flag is painted on the door of the truck. In the background there is a mural with a colourful sun and a floating island

Lucente’s Osteria brings family recipes to new Abbotsford food truck

October 15, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

Lucente’s Osteria ushers in a new generation of Abbotsford restaurateurs’ with the launch of their food truck at the Taste of Abbotsford in the Fall. The truck can now be found patrolling the city and popping up at local events.

Owned by wife and husband, Alicia and Perry Leonard, the pair use their combined 40 years of restaurant experience with recipes that have roots from Alicia’s Sicilian heritage to give the local culinary community a taste of authentic, homemade, and fresh Italian cooking.

“Perry and I, we did talk to my mom who did give us some recipes that come from my great great grandma. The recipes are a little bit more modernized because Italian cuisine is fresh.” says Alicia Leonard. “Vancouver, they have Asper Luigi, they have Chin Chin, and those places, the pasta is delicious. They make their own pasta fresh. But Abbotsford doesn’t have anywhere like that.”