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Court upholds waste site rezoning Jennifer Feinberg The Progress A controversial rezoning by Chilliwack was upheld Monday by the Supreme Court of BC. Critics suggested in court documents that the City of Chilliwack failed to properly notify residents of a plan by Aevitas Inc. to build hazardous waste recycling and transfer facility on the Cannor Road property. But in a judgement released Monday, Justice Peter Voith deemed the city’s notification process completely sufficient. “I am satisfied that the notice described the ‘general purpose’ of the bylaw sufficiently to enable citizens to decide whether they wanted more information on the bylaw or whether they wished to attend at the public meeting,” the judge wrote. The city published the legal notices back in November 2013, and the Chilliwack Progress ran a story before the rezoning hearing about the hazardous nature of the materials, so there was ample opportunity for the public to be well-informed, the decision noted. “The relevant staff report, which was posted on the City’s website and which was available to the public even before the bylaw received first reading, was explicit about the precise materials or substances that would be handled at the ‘waste recycling and transfer facility,’” wrote Justice Voith. “That this information was readily available to the public is confirmed by the fact that the Chilliwack Progress, a local paper, had in the week prior to the public hearing published an article about the rezoning in both the print and online versions of its paper and that Continued: AEVITAS/ p9
Sue Knudson (left) opened her motorhome on Thursday to Anna, her dog Jessie, and husband David (not pictured), after she found out on Facebook that the couple was living under a tarp behind the now-closed A&W on Luckakuck Way. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Community steps up for Anna and David Jennifer Feinberg The Progress They were down on their luck. They were tapped out. They were being harassed. But a group of Chilliwack’s Good Samaritans sprang into action to help them. The couple known as Anna and David were flat out on the streets of Chilliwack. They’d been trying to eke out an existence, with their sweet dog Jessie, on wooden palettes under tarps. They were holed up against a closed restaurant building on Luckakuck Way. When arctic outflow winds signalled the arrival of the nas-
tier winter weather, their story touched the hearts of some generous locals. It started when one person started complaining about the homeless couple, living under the tarps by the former A&W building, and cut one of the tarps up in frustration. That prompted several people to respond with acts of compassion. Greendale resident Sue Knudsen scrolled through hundreds of Facebook comments to get the gist of their story. She checked with her hubby, and then took a chance and opened her motorhome, on her family’s threeacre farm, to the couple who was
on the streets. “I thought why couldn’t they stay here? It would be warm at least. I knew the weather was going to get yucky. I knew David worked at the mall, and it is really not that far away.” She was one of several people who stepped up to give what she could to relieve the distress. The little effort to help Anna and David gained momentum. Donations started trickling in from a variety of people, and included everything from bedding, clothing, food, to dog food, a porta-potty and even an offer of a manicure for Anna. Knudsen said she’d helped
folks before after hearing about the couple’s story on social media. “It’s all coming together now,” she told The Progress. “It’s funny because I’m always on Facebook checking on all the groups, seeing what’s going on. “I was so sick of the crime and the lack of anything positive happening. I figured, what does it hurt to reach a hand out to help? I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I have made my way, and with wonderful husband, and if we can help somebody who needs a hand now, all the better.” She knows they are taking a chance.
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