THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2015
25 CELEBRATING
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Agassiz and Harrison in 2015
In this issue of the AgassizHarrison Observer, we take a look back at what was making news in 2015. January Mother Nature welcomed the new year with a storm that wreaked havoc on the entire eastern Fraser Valley, hitting the District of Kent, Harrison Hot Springs and surrounding communities particularly hard. What began as a beautiful snowfall turned into ice and rain, leading to heavy snow-laden trees, ice on power conduits and tree branches falling on power lines. While power outages stretched across the Lower Mainland, giant swaths of customers in this community were without power on and off for up to three days. The power outages forced the shutdown of all Fraser Cascade schools. Village of Harrison Hot Springs and District of Kent crews were out Monday morning clearing the snow. But all was quiet as businesses remained closed due to the lack of power. BC Hydro said the eastern Fraser Valley was definitely the “hardest hit” in the province Monday. The power outages began in the early morning and, at its peak, affected approximately 14,000 customers. District of Kent staff were drinking in the relief of finally owning the right of way to the water reservoir. Residents were able to finally raise a glass the district’s director of corporate services, who had worked to ensure the statutory right of way was signed over to the district. Staff had discovered four years ago that the District did not have legal access to its water reservoir site, despite completing construction in 2007. Agassiz resident Tammy Wood took her cooking to a whole new level this year after being named as one of the 50 finalists in MasterChef Canada. The reality TV show features amateur cooks from across Canada vying for the $100,000 prize and accolades as a master chef. Although Wood was eventually eliminated in April, she made Agassiz proud on the show with her positive
Photos clockwise from the top: An early ice storm knocks out power, takes down trees and closes schools; Tammy Wood does Agassiz proud with her performance on MasterChef Canada; the FVRD and Sts'ailes First Nations sign a memorandum of understanding; an ambition expansion plan for Hemlock Resort is unveiled.
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