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Candidates line up support as NDP nomination draws near Related story, page 3 Robert Freeman The Progress
Neither candidate vying for the NDP nomination in the Chilliwack riding Saturday will be able to cast the traditional ballot for themselves — because neither lives in the riding. But Dennis Adamson and Patti MacAhonic both feel riding residency won’t be an issue among party members voting at the Jan. 19 nomination meeting in Chilliwack. “I don’t think it’s really an issue,” Adamson said, during a break in his door-knocking campaign Friday. Adamson is the Yale area director at the Fraser Valley Regional District. “I believe I’m a Chilliwackian,” MacAhonic said, because even though she lives outside the riding in the Chilliwack River Valley she has worked in Chilliwack as the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and “all my mail has a Chilliwack address.” “I think I’m pretty well known,” she said. NDP electoral fortunes in the traditionally conservative Chilliwack riding seem brighter since MLA Gwen O’Mahony broke the BC Liberal hold on the ChilliwackHope riding in an April byelection called after MLA Barry Penner quit politics. And then the Chilliwack riding opened up to a possible NDP win when MLA John Les announced he would not run for re-election. According to one poll last month, if the election had been held Nov. 30 the NDP would get 48.5 per cent of the popular vote with the BC Liberals trailing at 33.1 per cent and the BC Conservatives with 10.5 per cent. Continued: NDP/ p10
Dorothy Kostrzewa was immensely proud to be in the 2010 Olympic torch relay when it came through Chilliwack on Feb. 7, 2010. Kostrzewa passed away on Friday and a book of condolences is available for signing in the lobby at city hall. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
Dorothy Kostrzewa: A legacy of service Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
The death of Dorothy Kostrzewa last Friday is being mourned by many in her beloved community of Chilliwack this week. Born August 17, 1928 as the youngest of eight children in the Chung family, Kostrzewa is being remembered for her generous warmth, enthusiasm, and fierce dedication to her community. Recognized as a trailblazer and a positive inspiration, she was the first Chinese-Canadian woman to take political office in Canada in 1971 when elected to Chilliwack city council. She was an accountant at the
Chilliwack General Hospital before entering politics. The Chung family survived the Fraser River Flood of 1948, and she came by her hard-working and tenacious nature honestly. Dorothy told a story of how she and her siblings used a raft of sorts, to dive down to retrieve fruits and vegetables from a submerged and flooded garden. Former Chilliwack Mayor Clint Hames worked with Kostrzewa on council for 18 solid years. “It was always a pleasure to work with Dorothy,” he said. “What was so interesting is that there was never a job too small for her to consider. She would attack every challenge with the same
amount of class and enthusiasm, even if it was a job that nobody else wanted.” She never said “no” to an opportunity to serve the community, and was a champion of several municipal landmarks she helped establish from the Chilliwack library, to the Chilliwack Museum, to the Cultural Centre and starting a committee to erect the Piper Richardson statue. “It always amazed me that she led such an active political life but gathered absolutely no enemies, which can’t be said for everyone else,” Hames added. “I think people acknowledged the fact that she was so sincere, and honest and willing to put the community first.”
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She served as a Chilliwack councillor for an impressive 31 years, was awarded UBCM’s long service award for 25 years. Kostrzewa worked on councils led by seven mayors, from Bill Simpson to Clint Hames. Flags are at half mast this week at city hall. Accolades, plaques and awards were numerous. She earned the Order of Chilliwack, was named Woman of the Year, and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from UFV in 2009 for outstanding community service. Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz called Kostrzewa a genuine “inspiration” who always treated everyone the same. Continued: TRIBUTES/ p10
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