August 2019
• A rainbow crosswalk was given the green light from Hope council, after a 4-3 vote in chambers on Aug. 27. The crosswalk, which has not yet been painted, will be funded through a grant obtained by the Hope and Area Transition Society. Once it’s painted, it will be one of several in the region that have recently been created, in an effort to show inclusivity for all people.
• A Hope organization’s wheelchair van was stolen, and then recovered on a backroad near Hope. The Hope Care Transit van, which is the only vehicle for hire that will take people in wheelchairs into Chilliwack and beyond, was found on Silver Skagit Road and eventually restored and put back into service.
• Hope firefighter Fred Robinson was surrounded by peers on Aug. 26, as he was honoured for 50 years of service. He received 50-year bars and a plaque from Mayor Peter Robb, alongside Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy. Several local firefighters were also in attendance.
• The federal government settled a land claim this year, for a Seabird reserve gaffe. Seven First Nations bands receive about $21 million each as a settlement aimed at reconciliation, and a special event was held to recognize the efforts.
• More than 2,000 cyclists rolled into Hope this August, after a two-day trek from Cloverdale to fund cancer research.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer began on a Saturday morning and had an overnight break in Chilliwack. In total, the riders clocked in more than 200 km each, and many of them are cancer survivors themselves. It was the first year the ride ended in Hope, due to fires the previous year that changed the route.
• The 2019 Chainsaw Carving Competition was another success this summer. Thirteen carvers from this area and around North America joined the competition this year. They each created one main piece out of a large piece of wood provided by organizers Thursday morning, and many of them competed in several speed carving competitions as well.
• It didn’t take long for a meeting between residents and the RCMP to boil over with frustration on Wednesday afternoon.
The police announced in July that they would hold a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ event at the Blue Moose Coffee House, and that residents could bring their concerns and learn more about local policing. The room set aside for the event quickly filled beyond capacity, and spilled out into the main area of the restaurant as residents vented their frustrations to various RCMP members.
Within just five minutes of the meeting starting, multiple conversations broke out and it became impossible for the audience to hear beyond the din. Some people left the meeting at that point, realizing the venue would not facilitate the type of meeting they were expecting. Many suggested that a town hall style meeting would better address the needs of Hope residents. Later in the year, an event like that was also held, with much less uproar.
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