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S StAr | Thursday, January 21, 2016
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Page 4: France expresses thanks to Norman Aasen
Shea Theodore Scores His First NHL Goal! Page 12
Kicking It Up For Ukrainian New Year
Abbotsford opts for ‘Marshall road plan’ By TYLER OLSEN Aldergrove Star
JOHN MORROW PHOTO
Members of the Yevshan intermediate dance group perform ‘Poltava’ during Ukrainian Club of Abbotsford’s Malanka New Year celebration. Each year, Canadians of Ukrainian heritage celebrate their Christmas and New Year - Malanka - two weeks after the rest of us. This year, the Ukrainian Club of Abbotsford’s event featured the Yevshan dancers and a delicious traditional meal. More than 140 participated this this year’s event held at Sts. Joachim and Ann’s Church hall in Aldergrove.
A plan to create an east-west thoroughfare by linking Marshall and King roads near Abbotsford International Airport has been given council approval. The hope is that the route will help alleviate traffic congestion on Fraser Highway and remove 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles a day from that busy route. The $9.1 million proposal approved Monday was recommended by staff despite the objections of residents of Marshall Road Extension. Staff said the proposal will cost $5 million less than another plan that would have seen two existing stretches of King Road connected. That proposal had been part of the city’s long-term traffic strategy, but depended on the removal of gravel that was not expected to be completed for another 20 to 25 years. SEE: Page 3
Ecological farm sustainability encouraged Aldergrove Star
The Township of Langley will spearhead the first program of its kind on B.C.’s west coast to reward farmers for maintaining eco-friendly areas on their lands. Such practices can be costly and the Ecological Services Initiative (ESI) was created to help farmers bear the cost of keeping waterways, forests, and other ecologically sensitive areas clean and healthy for current and future generations. “Farmers provide one of the most valuable commodities – our population’s food source,” said Dave
Melnychuk, chair of the Langley Sustainable Agriculture Foundation. “Farmers want to ensure that this resource remains sustainable, but it comes at a cost.” Langley is seen as an excellent location for a three-year Langley ESI pilot program. “Agriculture plays a huge role in the Township of Langley, and it is vital to all of us that we ensure our sustainable food production,” said Mayor Jack Froese. “Our community is home to half the farms in Metro Vancouver, and we also have acres of wetlands, forests, and creeks to protect.”
“Farmers take care of the land so that the land can take care of us,” said Melnychuk. “Feeding people is an act of stewardship, and for farmers, being stewards is in their blood.” The LSAF is partnering with the Township of Langley and the nonprofit Ecological Services Initiative to run the Langley ESI pilot project. The ESI is a farmer-led program that supports financial incentives for agricultural producers who contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Maintaining areas to include practices such as a clean water supply, erosion control, pest management, and
habitat preservation creates sustainable food production that benefits everyone. The program also helps the Township achieve its sustainability objectives. “The Township is committed to being environmentally, financially, and socially balanced and created a Sustainability Charter to help guide us into the future,” said Froese. “The Langley ESI addresses many of the Charter’s objectives, including strengthening our agricultural economy, conserving and enhancing our environment, and increasing biodi-
versity and natural capital.” Township of Langley Council approved $120,000 to fund a portion of the pilot project. “The Township’s investment will be used to leverage additional funding from sources such as the Real Estate Foundation and Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program,” said Dave Zehnder, coordinator of the ESI Program. The estimated cost of the Langley ESI pilot project is approximately $350,000. The pilot project will conclude in 2018 with recommendations SEE: Page 3
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