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There’s another candidate in the race for the NDP nomination in the Chilliwack-Hope riding.
Kathleen Stephany announced yesterday she’d be seeking the nomination to run in the by-election.
Stephany is a professor in the nursing program at Douglas College and has previously worked as a Coroner and Manager of Special Investigations.
She joins FVRD Area A director Dennis Adamson in the nomination race.

One potential NDP candidate for the Chilliwack-Hope by-election has decided against running. Lakhvinder Jhaj, who ran in 2009 in the BoundarySimilkameen riding, had planned to run but pulled out for personal reasons. That leaves FVRD Area A director Dennis Adamson as the only confirmed candidate. Gwen O’Mahony, who has run federally and provincially, was expected to announce before Christmas that she’d be seeking the nomination but so far there’s been no official word. The Liberals meanwhile say they plan to announce a strong candidate some time in the new year, while the Conservatives have a nomination meeting planned for January 17th. John Martin has said he’ll be seeking the Conservative nomination.

A 17-year-old girl from Abbotsford has died after she took some ecstasy with her friends at a sleepover last weekend.  Apparently she was taking the drug to control her weight, and died after having a bad reaction.  Police say Cheryl McCormack was at a sleepover with 3 of her friends and they all took ecstasy pills.  All 3 of the friends are OK, but Cheryl was taken to hospital in critical condition on Saturday and passed away yesterday.   Police are now trying to track down where the girls got the drugs from.

Once again, there will be no transit service in Chilliwack and Agassiz on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Years Day.
Also, theyre closing early tommorrow, and only running regular service on New Years Eve.  Its a lot different down the road in Abbotsford, where they’re getting service every one of those days, as well as New Years Eve service till 2:30am.  But Joanna Linsangen with BC Transit says its a different set of circumstances….she says it comes down to how transit systems are funded.

“If we were to look at the Central Fraser Valley system, we have multiple partners there….so funding does come from BC Transit through the Province of BC, but also from the District of Mission, and the City of Abbotsford, and at some point, Mayor and Council from Abbotsford decided that they would be putting money forward to provide additional service on those holiday periods.”

For a full transit schedule, go to www.bctransit.com 
By the way, Operation Red Nose will not be on the road this weekend, but will be next weekend.

It was a circus on the Coquihalla Hwy yesterday, with 25 vehicles going off the road.  VSA highway maintainance say it was mostly people who were speeding.  The road conditions are not good right now, with compact snow and ice in sections between Hope and Kamloops.
So you’re heading to the interior to visit relatives for the holidays, Allan Lamb with the BCAA has a tip…just drive to the conditions.

“Tow truck drivers tell me all the time that they pull more 4 wheel drives than all wheel drive vehicles out of the ditch, and they have this false sense of confidence, that if you have a 4 wheel drive, you can go faster.”

Lamb also suggests bringing a small candle for warmth, along with gloves, jacket and boots.

The Owl Forest, between Post Creek and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park, is one of the last vestiges for spotted owl habitat in BC, and in fact, the world.  With the bird on the brink of extinction, you’d think we’d want to protect that.  Yet according to Friends of the Chilliwack River Valley, the Ministry of Environment, has granted exemptions to log certain parts of the forest, and did so under Barry Penner’s watch.
NDP Member of Parliament Peter Julian was one of many concerned citizens up at the site this week stressing the importance of protecting the biggest trees in the forest.  He says he will use his political clout if he has to.

“IF, it turns out that the provincial government refuses to listen to people of this area, then the federal government has a role, and I’ll be making sure the federal species at risk legislation applies, and that the federal government gets involved.”

Julian says his family has a cabin at Post Creek, and for him, its the centre of BCs nature.  He says to have the province even contemplate removing the habitat seems inconceivable.  The forest was deemed a wildlife habitat area in 2007.

The province maintains there has not been a confirmed spotted owl sighting in this harvest area in the past 20 years, but Glen Thompson with Friends of the CRV says without these big trees, there is NO chance the owl could survive here.  He wants Penner to explain his role in these negotiations and the subsequent approval of the exemptions.

Chilliwack city council met for the final time in 2011 yesterday…it also happened to be the first meeting for new councillors Jason Lum and Ken Popove.  One item of contention on the agenda concerns a couple of properties on Coach Lamp Drive and Stevenson.  A developer wants to build homes on the land, so the city needs to send an application to the Agricultural Land Commission to have the land excluded from the ALR.  While council doesnt seem to be disagreeing that the land should be developed, the Mayor is in disagreement that the application should be sent with support from council.  Sharon Gaetz was the only one who voted to send it without comment, saying this is eventually going to come to back to them for a public hearing, and she doesnt want it to seem like council is already bias.

Council also recieved a report yesterday which included recommendations on what could be done at Carey Point, with the flooding concerns. 
The flood plain in that area is expected to see flooding every couple of years at least, and the continuing erosion means the Orchard Slough could expand.  The consultants have recommended a small check dam across the slough, at a one-time cost of $75,000.
They also gave 3 options for access roads, which could also provide some level of flood protection for residents.  Those living in the area seem to be in favour of the most expensive option, at $5.1 million.  Now, the city will have to go to the province and see if they could get funding, but Emergency Management BC has said in the past that funding would not be made available to protect farmland outside a protected dyked area.

Besides that, council approved a couple of applications for grant funding…one for $250,000 in funding to help build a new all weather field and ball diamonds at Townsend Park, and another for $20,000 to support development of a Learning and Brain Fitness pilot project for seniors at the YMCA.

They also approved a name change for Yarrow Park, which will be called Yarrow Pioneer Park.  Renovations are being done at the park and will include some heritage features.

Anyone taking golf lessons at Chilliwack Golf and Country Club next season are in for a treat.  General Manager Bryan Ewart announced today that former LPGA pro Jennifer Greggain is the new Director of Instruction.  Greggain spent 2 years on the LPGA Tour, 4 years on the Futures Tour, and has been playing the CN Women’s Tour since 2004.  Ewart says in a press release, “Jennifer has played the game of golf at the highest levels, both in college, and on the LPGA Tour. She joins our team with tremendous credibility and professionalism.  As a pillar in the Fraser Valley golf community, Jennifer will provide the leadership and direction to make Chilliwack Golf & Country Club one of the best golf instructional facilities in the province of British Columbia.”

Greggain is excited to get going…

“I am highly motivated to bring golf instruction and training to the next level here in the
Fraser Valley.  My vision is to offer world class golf instruction using the
most innovative techniques and technology.”

The club plans to introduce a new golf academy in the spring.

The annual tour of lights in Chilliwack is on right now, so if you’re looking for something Christmasy to do with the family, a nice drive around town looking at the holiday displays can get you in the spirit!  Mark Andersen with the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board says last week they picked up 95 seniors from a few homes in town and took them around to look at the lights, and then over to Brian Minter’s display at the Country Garden.  He suggests you take a look at the map, and take the family out for a ride. He says they scaled back the event for the seniors from 9 buses to 2 this year, but the people they did bring had a wonderful time, and the money they saved, they donated to Chilliwack Community Services.

For a map of this year’s suggested route, check the link below:

http://www.chilliwack.com/lightstour/lightstourmap.pdf

If you’re address is not on there, and you’d like it to be, call 604-792-0912.

Residents are used to separating their garbage from their recyclables…it only makes sense that they have that same option when they’re out and about.  The Chilliwack Downtown BIA has purchased and donated 10 garbage/recycling bins to the City, that have been strategically placed throughout downtown.  Alvin Bartel, the Director and Chairman of the Urban Design and Greening committee, likes what he sees.

“Partnering with the City of Chilliwack to install and maintain these new units is greatly appreciated by the BIA.  It was time to move to a unit that was designed to separate waste from recyclable items and at the same time look aesthetically attractive”.  

Kathy Funk, Executive Director of the BIA, says the old garbage cans would often overflow, making more work for the cleanup crew, and this will certainly help make downtown a more attractive place.  

“I am pleased that the Urban Design committee is focusing on these improvement projects as it is important to our merchants that we continue to support their efforts in attracting customers to their stores”.

The new bins also have space on the side to slide in placards, so they can advertise local events.