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Bylaw tickets going unpaid across region Jennifer Feinberg The Progress The numbers are in for the eastern Fraser Valley bylaw enforcement for last year. Of all the bylaw infraction tickets issued across the region in 2014, more than two-thirds remain unpaid. A staff report to Chilliwack council detailed the statistics for the Upper Fraser Valley Bylaw Adjudication System, which serves five local governments including: City of Chilliwack; District of Kent; Fraser Valley Regional District; District of Hope; and, Village of Harrison Hot Springs. The municipal governments issued a total of 727 tickets for various bylaw infractions. Of those, 204 were paid with no dispute. Another 72 disputed tickets were forwarded to the Bylaw Adjudication System for parking, water and sewer infractions, animal control issues, noise complaints, unsightly premises, signage, nuisance infractions and building regulation offences. Between the five local governments of the Upper Fraser Valley, 451 tickets remain outstanding, the majority of which have been forwarded to a collection agency, according to the report.
RCMP offer tips to avoid mail theft The Chilliwack RCMP is asking people to be careful with their mail given a recent rash of postal thefts. While the RCMP and Canada Post inspectors try to track down the thieves who have hit several apartment buildings and rural areas, Cpl. Mike Rail offers some helpful tips. “Collect your mail daily. If you go away, contact Canada Post to hold delivery until you return and never send cash in the mail.” Get more tips and info at canadapost.ca/postalsecurity. Anyone with tips about mail theft is asked to call the RCMP at 604-7924611 or Crimestoppers (anonymously) at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Aerobatic pilot Super Dave Mathieson has been grounded by Transport Canada due to noise complaints. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Super Dave grounded due to complaints The Progress The roar of Super Dave Mathieson’s aerobatic aircraft has been grounded over noise complaints. The full-time air show pilot, who made Chilliwack his home base a few years ago, received notification from Transport Canada earlier this month that he could no longer perform the aerobatics under 2,000 feet at Chilliwack Airport, citing proximity to “noise sensitive or livestock” areas. “I am now stopped in my tracks,” Mathieson said. “As an air show pilot, if I can’t do these manoeuvres that take me almost to the surface, I can’t prepare for the air shows.” The pilot said he was told by federal officials that the complaints
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were the reason for the decision. He characterized the effort to ground him as a “witch hunt” and said the complaints started when he moved here and started practising the aerobatics. He might have to move. The decision will likely cost him a spot on the Great Pacific Media show Air Show on Discovery, which was gearing up to shoot a brand-new season of documentary episodes. “They just took everything away from me,” Mathieson said. “Now there’s nothing to film.” Super Dave has to regularly practise the aerobatic manoeuvres for safety reasons, said crew chief Michelle Nieforth, who is also the Super Dave team safety observer, and Mathieson’s partner. The practice runs are 12 minutes twice a day, to practise the flips and
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rolls of the plane before he heads out to various North American air shows for the summer season. Super Dave is a regular air show performer at the free Chilliwack Flight Fest and many others, and now has to use other communities to practise his stunts over airport runways. Some of the moves have him zooming toward the ground in his tiny one-seater, only to pull the nose up at the last minute away from the surface. It’s all about that critical split-second timing that must be continually choreographed and rehearsed to get the cues timed absolutely perfectly. Team Super Dave had to get permission from the land owner, which is the Chilliwack Airport and Mathieson was again issued a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) from Transport Canada for
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2015, the special permit that allows him to do the aerobatics below 2000 feet. Everything was a go — or so they thought. In a letter dated April 8, from the Civil Aviation department of Transport Canada, a federal official reminded Mathieson of his “responsibility” to ensure compliance with the conditions of the SFOC permit. “We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that Chilliwack Airport (CYCW) does not support the use of this SFOC as per the following standard condition: c) the site of operation is not located in the vicinity of noise sensitive areas, such as residential areas, etc. “Please be advised that use of your SFOC at Chilliwack airport for aerobatics below 2000 feet AGL is
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