The Chilliwack
Progress Thursday
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Grammy winning artist Shaggy coming to Chilliwack.
Field to Fork showcased at UFV.
Westeringh snipes three to snap slump.
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Corporate support has a place in schools: Besler
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Katie Bartel The Progress Despite being raked over the coals at last week’s all-candidates meeting for his support of corporate sponsorships in public schools, Ben Besler is not standing down. In fact, the school trustee candidate is calling out fellow candidates for their opposition of corporate sponsorship. “If local businesses want to help our schools offer more choices and higher quality education we should welcome them with open arms,” said Besler in a press release issued Monday. Besler cited the school district’s Policy 907 advocating for business and community involvement in schools as long as it enhances educational opportunities for students and doesn’t serve as commercial motive. When contacted by The Progress, Besler provided such examples as the Ford Drive one 4 UR school program; McDonald’s promoting literacy in elementary schools with a free Happy Meal for students who read 50 books; Mertin GM, and other local businesses, sponsoring the G.W. Graham Grizzlies football team. “Our [district] motto is Partners in Learning – that’s what I’m supporting,” said Besler. “Some of my opponents appear to be suggesting a drastic change of course for School District 33. The zero-tolerance approach toward business funding in our school district suggested by both Dan Coulter and Karen Jarvis on Nov. 13 would severely limit the options available to our teachers to provide extracurricular programs for students.” At the all-candidates meeting Jarvis said business had no place in education. “My kids aren’t here to promote business, they’re here to be educated – I don’t see how that can be a healthy marriage,” she said. Coulter is also against private funding in schools.
Council approves rezoning for River’s Edge Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Traffic and parking were the main concerns of the lone speaker at Tuesday night’s public hearing about a riverfront development on Peach Road. Rezoning changes for the proposed 42-acre River’s Edge development were later approved by council, complete with green elements like trails and a “tree park.” Peach Road resident Todd Longstaff rose to the micro-
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Salvation Army volunteers are launching the annual Christmas Kettle Drive Friday across Chilliwack with the help of Santa Claus (Don Nicholson) to fund local Sally Ann programs all year long. See kettle story, page 5. JENNIFER FEINBERG/ PROGRESS
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phone to complain there wasn’t even sufficient parking for existing developments in the area. “The traffic has easily tripled since I moved here,” he told council. Peach Road is also too narrow as it is, he noted, let alone able to accommodate all the additional parking spots required when they construct more than 300 new residences. “To keep adding more and more homes into this area, it seems we’re just packing people in,” without keeping pace with
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infrastructure, Longstaff said. “We already have a lot of traffic congestion.” Director of engineering David Blain responded by telling council that curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements were coming “some time in the future,” along with road widening on Peach Road. Longstaff wasn’t convinced. “You can add more sidewalks to Peach Road, but what are they going to do when they get to the end?”
When a councillor asked staff about getting from Peach Road to the nearest convenience store, the dismayed resident said quietly: “You can’t get there from here.” However certain road works were included from the outset as part of the new subdivision application, along with a traffic study that will be updated by the applicant, and a master plan for Keith Wilson Road i mprovements that’s also in the works, Blain said. Continued: RIVER/ p12
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