The Chilliwack
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Falcons and Storm in New Years Eve showdown.
Looking back at the top news stories of 2013.
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Welcome to the driver’s seat
There are a few coupes still available and one that is worthy of consideration is this new 2014 Honda Accord Coupe V6. Zack Spencer
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Visit the Honda Accord Coupe photo gallery at drivewayBC.ca
Honda’s contemporary on a dying breed 2014 Honda Accord Coupe V6 t’s fascinating to watch trends in the auto industry play out over time. Some changes happen quickly, with one manufacturer coming out with a feature, hen the rest of the industry following suit. Backup cameras would be a good example of this. Other trends are much slower, changing because of demographic fluctuations. One example of a slow-moving trend is he two-door coupe falling out of favour and its replacement by sedans and crossovers. This trend is greatly affected by baby boomers getting older and buying more for practical reason, rather han styling. n the 1980s, and even the beginning of the 90s, there were plenty of coupes o choose from and they sold well. But where are the Honda Prelude, Toyota Celica, Pontiac Sunfire and Ford Probe coupes? Now gone and many not replaced with newer models. I’m thrilled t th t th f
which are both 4-cylinder way the radio stores and equipped models. The top retrieves pre-set radio trim is the EX-L Navi with stations. It took a long V6. This top trim level is the time to set the stereo model seen here: it comes up and having to go with LED projector headback and forth between lamps, 18-inch wheels and different screens is not duel chrome exhaust tips. If you like the idea that intuitive. The rest of The 4-cylinder equipped the dash is large, with big models come with halogen of a smart looking car cup holder and plenty of headlamps and 17-inch storage areas. that is well equipped alloy wheels. The coupe The steering wheel and powerful, you starts at $26,400, a $2,500 buttons and heat controls premium over the regular might want to move on on the dash use first rate an Accord Coupe. sedan but when the switches and they are sedan is equipped with placed with precision. Zack Spencer alloy wheels, the price is Drive Another trend almost identical. The EX-L that Honda is bucking, with this Accord is $30,100 for the leather and navi and Coupe, is the inclusion of a 6-speed the V6 premium is $35,500. Not an manual transmission and V6 engine. The inexpensive car but most are very well latest movement is to turbo or superequipped. charged 4-cylinder engines to replace V6
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Inside It’s a big and comfortable coupe. The back seat is actually usable for adults and the front seats are very
V6 uses more at 10.0L/100km in the city and 6.1L on the highway. Verdict When I started reviewing cars back in the early 1990s, cars like this were common: a mid-sized sedan with a V6 engine and a manual transmission. I can clearly remember driving a Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima and Accord equipped this way. While most companies are moving away from this design, Honda is sticking with it for now. Soon Honda will have smaller turbocharged 4-cylinder engines available and this big coupe might too be fitted with something more efficient. If you like the idea of a smart looking car that is well equipped and powerful, you might want to move on an Accord Coupe V6 before it follows the latest trend.
power plants and duel clutch automatic transmission in favour of a manual. I’m glad that Honda still offers this layout;
Question OF THE WEEK:
What is your favourite car colour and why? Please explain why you have made that decision.
?
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
Go to drivewayBC.ca to submit your answer.
Safety Tip: Over the past five years, 10 people were killed and 36 were seriously injured in impaired driving related crashes in B.C. between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Share the responsibility of being the
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Chlorination order hard to swallow
No medical pot on ag land, says Chilliwack
The Progress looks back at what made news in 2013 Chilliwack tried to fight the chlorination order. In fact thousands of residents signed a petition last spring against the idea of adding chlorine to Chilliwack’s pristine drinking water in 2013, joining in with city council which also opposed it. But in the end they were overruled by concerns about public health risks and legal liability of leaving it untreated. City of Chilliwack had no choice but to comply with the order issued by Fraser Health’s medical health officer, who signed the order for a secondary disinfectant to be added in March. It was the upshot of an E. coli reading, and the ones logged prior to that, and his analysis of the risk it posed to human health. Dr. Paul Van Buynder, Chief Medical Health Officer and Vice-President Public Health for Fraser Health said there was no other option other than permanent chlorination. “Over the years, Chilliwack’s water system has been compromised on many occasions resulting in fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria entering the distribution system,” Van Buynder said. “After a review of the relevant data and conversations with public works staff at the City of Chilliwack, it is my assessment that ongoing secondary disinfection of the water supply system with chlorine or an equivalent compound is necessary to ensure a safe drinking water supply.” A huge mobilization erupted online, netting more than 5,000 signatures for a petition against chlorination. “Council is extremely disappointed to hear this news, but we have no option but to comply with the Fraser Health Authority mandate,” said Mayor Sharon Gaetz at the time. She thanked the thousands of residents who made their voices heard and fought for Chilliwack’s water. Work on Chilliwack’s new $900,000 permanent and full-time chlorination system will be completed in the new year. Update: The good news is that the system upgrading is not going to increase water rates, after all. The changeover to a permanent water disinfection system is expected to be 100 per cent complete by spring of 2014.
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Top Stories of 2013
The City of Chilliwack – and many residents – fought hard to keep chlorine out of its water supply after Fraser Health detected E. coli contamination. However, in March the city was ordered to comply. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
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Chilliwack was one of the first communities in B.C. to decide what to do when federal laws come into effect for growing medical marijuana. Council chose to restrict the production by com- Top Stories mercial of 2013 gr owers to a “special industrial zone,” and the reasons cited were to prevent irritants like offensive odours, security risks, and bright lights. Council approved bylaws in 2013 regulating medical marijuana grow operations (MMGOs), and prohibiting them in all zones in Chilliwack, except an amended M6 special industrial zone. One of the implications is that the medical grows will not be allowed to grow in agricultural areas. Other types of businesses operating in the M6 zone include abattoirs or slaughterhouses, asphalt manufacturers and sewage treatment plants, and now MMGOs. Although Health Canada will retain responsibility for inspections and enforcing regulations, the city can control specific conditions in the special industrial zone. Update: The city has to be ready in time for when the federal rules kick in on April 1, 2014, hence the new bylaws now in place. Other cities have made similar regulations, some opting to allow the production on ag land, others also restricting it to industrial zones. jfeinberg@theprogress.com Twitter.com/chwkjourno