The Chilliwack
Progress Wednesday
33
3
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Prime
Swans
Mozart
Keep the laughter going.
An extended visit by swans turns heads.
A celebration of Mozart and more.
Special
News
Scene
Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • W E D N E S D AY, M A R C H 2 6 , 2 0 1 4
Chilliwack a heavenly match for film crew Recruiting
GPs for Chilliwack
Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
jfeinberg@theprogress.com Twitter.com/chwkjourno
Program aimed at bolstering local ranks is finding success Katie Bartel The Progress
Film crews were on scene at St. Thomas Anglican Church on Tuesday shooting TV movie Match Made in Heaven. The cast and crew will be in Chilliwack until Friday.
Chilliwack is suddenly becoming a hot destination for family doctors. A new general practitioner (GP) recruitment group that was formed last fall has already brought in five new family physicians to Chilliwack, and has five more interested. A GP for Me is a joint program of the provincial government and Doctors of B.C. aimed at strengthening health care by helping residents obtain family physicians if they so desire. But first, there needs to be doctors. Fourteen per cent of British Columbians do not have a family physician; seven per cent in Chilliwack. Largely in part due to availability. In the Fraser East, approximately one in five doctors are not taking new patients, and another 64 per cent are only taking new patients under specific circumstances. The Chilliwack Division of Family Practice is working to change that. The organization has partnered with Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO) to put Chilliwack’s best foot forward with prospective physicians. Doctors get the hospital tour from the division, and the city tour from CEPCO. They’re toured through residential neighbourhoods, are informed about local schools, and the various amenities the city has to offer. “They’re being shown what the community is actually like,” said Dr. Melanie Madill, lead physician with the initiative. “In the past, it’s been up to one or two individuals to pick up the ball … and now what we have is a whole community working together. “That makes a difference.”
JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
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Cameras are rolling for a made-for-TV movie being shot in downtown Chilliwack this week at the St. Thomas Anglican church. Bumpy Road Productions is filming Match Made in Heaven for the U.S. based Up Network at locations in downtown Chilliwack. “We’re quite excited about it,” said Rev. John Sovereign of St. Thomas Anglican. The film production crew was specifically looking for a church with a bell tower. “We’re happy to host this filming,” the reverend said, adding that the film script had to be cleared and approved by the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster. “It will give us some extra visibility.” A local casting session was held last week at Coast Chilliwack for a number of background actors and extras. “It will put Chilliwack back on the map for movies,” said Rev. Sovereign. “As long as we keep getting the odd movie shot here, it’s good thing for Chilliwack and the economy.” The last shoot was the TV show Eureka, where Wellington Avenue was transformed into a typical small town in the U.S. “After bringing the director through Chilliwack last week, he was surprised and happy with the look of the town,” said location manager Michael Farias from Bumpy Road Productions. They liked what Chilliwack had to offer in terms of visuals and locales, and will be shooting at some historic locations such as the St. Thomas Anglican, Royal Hotel, Chillibowl and more. “That was the beauty of it, there wasn’t a need to change much,” said Farias. Film shoots and production dollars are always good for the local economy, especially when crews opt for local accommodations and frequent local businesses. “This one is the first film shoot in Chilliwack this year,” said Netty Tam, film commission liaison with Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation. There’s been lots of interest expressed in shooting locally, “so hopefully 2014 will be a good year,” she added. The sci-fi show Eureka had a big impact when it made downtown Chilliwack the central shooting location for the show, and returned for several seasons. “That was very positive for Chilliwack and it’s good to see the trend continuing,” said Tam.