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Trustee byelection attracts 14 hopefuls Chilliwack voters go to the polls Dec. 12 The Chilliwack School District byelection has drawn 14 candidates – more than twice the number that ran in the last byelection. The official nomination period closed at 4 p.m. on Friday, leaving five weeks before the Dec. 12 voting day. The byelection was called following the recent death of longtime school trustee Martha Wiens. Those hoping to secure a seat on the board are: Alisha Atkinson, Ray Blanchette, Paula DeWit, John Edwards, Angelina Gosselin, Karen Jarvis, Brian Mielke, Marion Mussell, Bob Patterson, Megan Praat, Perr y Sherstobetoff, Robert Stelmaschuk, Lisa Thébault, and Doug Wiens. Advanced polling will take place at City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be voting opportunities at Chilliwack General Hospital/Bradley Centre from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 11, and from 3-5 p.m. at Cascade Lodge on the same day. General voting day is Saturday, Dec. 12 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Polling locations are at Chilliwack Middle School Gymnasium (46354 Yale Road); Cultus Lake Community School Gymnasium (71 Sunnyside Avenue); Rosedale Traditional Community School Gymnasium (50850 Yale Road); and, Sardis Elementary School Gymnasium (45775 Manuel Road). A byelection held in 2013 to replace Louise Piper drew only six candidates. Dan Coulter won that election. The total number of votes cast was 1,453.
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A City of Chilliwack bylaw officer records the demolition of the old Safeway building downtown Monday morning.
GREG KNILL/ PROGRESS
Safeway comes down with a crunch and a crash A building that stood vacant for more than a decade took just minutes to come down Monday morning. Demolition of the old Safeway building on Main Street had been in the works for weeks. Seen as a key piece in the revitalization of the downtown, the property – which occupies a full city block – has long been eyed for its development potential. However years of inactivity prompted the City of Chilliwack to call on the owners to tear the
building down. In August council tabled a resolution that would require the owners to demolish the building within 90 days and sell the property. Sobeys, which had acquired the land when it bought Canada Safeway Ltd., moved swiftly. Before the resolution passed, it agreed to put the property up for sale and take the structure down. “Sobeys is in full agreement that the properties in their existing condition are not appealing
nor do they add to our mutual with ease. A handful of people stood by desire to have a vibrant downtown,” wrote Sobeys vice presi- to watch. The demolition is dent Earl Brown in not the final chapa letter to Mayor ter for the property. Sharon Gaetz. video-online] Just last week On Monday, Chilliwack city after nearly two council approved weeks of prepa- www.theprogress.com a rezoning that rator y work, the changed it from giant backhoes from Clear view Grinding Ltd. commercial to high-density resimoved in. Massive wood timbers dential and CD-15. The land is currently for sale, that gave the building its characteristic shape were pulled down for $3.2 million.
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