Whether you get around the Fraser Valley by car, bus or super-rickety sailboat, today’s local headlines have something for you. Also, the Abbotsford Centre has a pro sports tenant and the historic downtown has hipsters, so you know things are a-changing. We’ve also included a couple big stories from last weekend, in case you missed them:
Variable speed limits coming to Fraser Valley - READ
Installation will begin this week for a congestion-based speed limit system on a 24-kilometre section of Highway 1 through Chilliwack, from the Sumas River bridge to Prest Road. Read more…
Greyhound to end bus service in B.C. - READ
Greyhound Canada says it is ending its passenger services on all routes between B.C. cities. The bus services are relied upon by thousands of British Columbians but will end on Oct. 31. Read more…
Revitalization of downtown Chilliwack eyed - READ
Monumental change is coming to an of Chilliwack that desperately needs it. City of Chilliwack has awarded the long-awaited redevelopment contract to transform 3.75 acres of prime land in downtown Chilliwack to an Abbotsford company. The site will see a combination of retail, commercial, residential and mixed-used development, in a multi-year, multi-phased development. Read more…
City looks to re-open Centennial Library building - READ
The city wants to reopen the currently unoccupied building, with new tenants to include Tourism Abbotsford and a coffee shop with a patio. Read more…
Duct tape used to haul boat nets driver hefty fine in Abbotsford - READ
Over the weekend, a driver was hit with $2,100 fines after attempting to use a makeshift trailer to tow a precariously balanced sailboat stabilized with pallets and duct tape. The photos are interesting, to say the least. Read more…
New Fraser Valley pro basketball team set to take flight - READ
The Canadian Elite Basketball League, which is set to debut in 2019, will officially launch the Fraser Valley franchise and announce its team name, colours and logo inside the Abbotsford Centre next Monday at 11 a.m. The team is set to play its home games inside the Abbotsford Centre, and will compete against five other clubs from across the country in a 20-game regular season schedule that kicks off in May. Read more…
Abbotsford farmland has ‘redevelopment’ potential, says seller seeking $20 million - READ
A massive plot of farmland next to the University of the Fraser Valley is up for sale, with the sellers suggesting the site could see redevelopment. The 88-acre King Road site is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and thus currently off-limits to non-farm uses. But the owner is seeking $20 million, more than twice the per-hectare price that farmland normally fetches in the Lower Mainland. Hay and berries are currently farmed on the site, which also comes with a 70-year-old 1,700-square-foot house that is rented on a month-to-month basis. Read more…
Kelly Chahal to seek re-election - READ
Chahal, a member of the AbbotsfordFirst slate, has announced she will seek re-election this fall. Chahal is currently serving her first term, having been elected in 2014. Read more…
From historic to hip-storic: Abbotsford’s downtown changing with the times - READ
A cafe bursting with hipsters and young stroller-pushing parents. A shop selling $9.50 juices next door to a gluten-free bakery. A microbrewery serving IPAs in mason jars. This isn’t Brooklyn, East Vancouver or even Fort Langley. It’s the new face of Abbotsford’s historic downtown. Read more…