The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Students raise funds for victims of Philippine typhoon .
Anti-gang unit plays the guilt card.
Bardock adds size to Chiefs blueline.
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Death of door-to-door delivery deals harsh blow Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Reaction in Chilliwack to the Canada Post decision to phase out door-to-door mail delivery and rely on community mailboxes has been swift. Elimination of urban delivery over a five-year stretch will be a blow to certain segments of the community. The elderly, shut-ins and those with mobility issues are likely going to face challenges just accessing these community mailboxes. “I feel sorry for veterans who are incapacitated and can’t get out, especially in winter,” said Jim Harris, founder of Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack Historical Society. “It’s going to be hazardous for some to get their mail and will add hardships. I understand that Canada Post has to run a business, but it shouldn’t be on the backs of those who really need door-to-door service.” The delivery cuts and stamp increases are part of a new five-point plan by Canada Post Corporation to cut losses and streamline operations. It cites declining use of postal mail – a billion fewer pieces of mail were delivered last year compared to 2006 – as households shift to online bill payments and other digital communication. The price of stamps will also go up from 63 to 85 cents each if bought in booklets, or $1 for individual stamps. It means up to 8,000 fewer postal workers will be needed, which Canada Post says will be shed by attrition, as nearly 15,000 workers are expected to retire or leave voluntarily over the next five years. “With its current labour costs, Canada Post has a much higher cost structure than its competitors in the private sector have,” Canada Post said in a press release. “This is simply not sustainable.” The reduced workforce and other changes are expected to save a combined $700 to $900 million per year.
UFV campus planner Craig Toews (second from right), along with (from left) MLA Laurie Throness, MLA John Martin, advanced education minister Amrik Virk, and president of BW Global Structures Inc. Timothy Kendrick stand inside UFV’s three-storey greenhouse during a tour of the new Agriculture Centre of Excellence on Thursday. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
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Ministers hail B.C.’s centre for agri excelKatie Bartel The Progress The B.C. Minister of Advanced Education has fielded several questions as to why the University of the Fraser Valley was chosen for the Agriculture Centre of Excellence. His response: “Why not UFV?” Amrik Virk, minister of advanced education, toured UFV’s not-yet-completed demonstration barn and the stateof-the-art greenhouse facilities Thursday morning. With roofers working over-
head and diggers outside, Virk listed off several farming statistics to the agriculture students, fellow politicians, UFV dignitaries, and media touring with him. The five per cent of agricultural land reserve (ALR) that’s based in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Okanagan produces 85 per cent of the province’s total farming revenue. Of that, over 50 per cent comes from Chilliwack. “Rather than ask ‘Why here?’ I ask ‘Why not here?’” said Virk. “What better place to put a centre of excellence.” The provincial government
contributed $1 million to the $2.5 million facility last April. The 783-square-metre demonstration barn will simulate larger facilities on a much smaller scale giving students hands-on practical experience, as well as providing an important research tool for animal care. The barn will house poultry, pigs, cows and horses. One side will be heated for the poultry and pigs, and the other side kept cold for the cattle. There’s going to be broilers and wide automatic nests for the free-run chicken and turkeys, as
well as grower rooms and farrowing nurseries for the swine. On the cattle side, there will be a single milking pit equipped with all the high-end equipment of a large dairy farm. “When students come in here, instead of milking 500 cows, they’ll be milking one, but with all the latest technology,” said Paul Gumprich, head of the livestock department at UFV. “This is a barn like something you might have seen back in the 1950s with family farms that had everything.”