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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, M AY 9 , 2 0 1 4
BCAC sees progress in ALR changes But revisions to Bill 24 don’t go far enough, says the B.C. Ag Council Jennifer Feinberg The Progress The Agricultural Land Reserve is about “preserving” farmers and farm families for B.C.’s future — not just the preservation of farm land, said Stan Vander Waal, chair of the British Columbia Agriculture Council. The BCAC head and owner of Rainbow Greenhouses in Chilliwack was reacting to proposed amendments put forth recently for Bill 24, the Agricultural Land Commission Act. Steps to engage the council’s leadership in the development of Bill 24 rules and practices was “a step forward” made by the new Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick, noted Vander Waal, one “reflective of the new minister’s recent efforts on behalf of agriculture.” BCAC directors and its membership played a key role in the consultation that led to the minister’s announcement. “The BCAC ALR Steering Committee was directly involved in the amendments made to Bill 24,” said Vander Waal. “We feel good about having had some input.” Unfortunately, the farmers didn’t get everything they asked for, he noted. The provincial government still wants to divide the ALR into two zones, with the entire Fraser Valley as zone 1, while the rest of the province as zone 2. The BCAC wanted to keep it to a one-zone system. “Although government is moving forward with amendments to the proposed bill, BCAC remains firmly opposed to two zones.” A one-zone system would provide “reasonable opportunities” for regional representatives to consider community need, he said. BCAC, representing about 14,000 B.C. farmers and ranchers obtained two significant commitments from the minister. One was direct engagement in the rules and regulation process, along with the Continued: ALR/ p17
The Royal Hotel is offering a special room rate during the film shoot. “They could sit in the coffee shop and watch all the movie people go by,” said Royal Hotel manager Leonard Wiens. “The advantage is that if you do happen to get a room out front with one of the little balconies, there could be some pretty good views of the action.” JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Bird’s eye view of movie shoot mayhem Filming of ‘Monster Trucks’ to start Tuesday Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Come on down. Chilliwack is preparing for a massive influx of movie production excitement in the downtown core next week. Principal photography for Monster Trucks by cinematic mogul Paramount Pictures gets underway Tuesday. Businesses will remain open during the filming and everyone is encouraged to visit the during the shoot — even if parking close by might get a little tricky. Traffic flow changes, parking
restrictions and road closures are all expected. “Any time there is a movie shoot in town, it can mean good publicity for us,” says Leonard Wiens, general manager of the Royal Hotel on Wellington Avenue. They’re even going so far as to offer a special room rate from May 13-28 at the historic hotel. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to get a little closer to the moviemaking magic, Wiens said. “They could sit in the coffee shop and watch the action and the movie people going by,” he offered.
The star power for the $100-million film includes Amy Ryan (The Office) and veteran actor Danny Glover as a junkyard owner. They’ll be joining 20-somethings Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class), and Jane Levy (Suburgatory). “The advantage (for anyone at the hotel) is that if you do happen to get a room out front with one of the little balconies, there could be some pretty good views,” the Royal Hotel rep said. There’s another side to it, of course. “I would suggest this will be a mixed bag of success and challenges overall for the downtown area. But we’re inviting every-
one to come on down and be a part of it anyway,” Wiens said. The owner of Find a Treasure on Mill Street said it’s her first experience with a film production as an area shop owner. “At first I was a bit leery about it, having just underwent three months of road closures for the Mill Street project,” said Claudia Earl. “But in talking to some of the downtown merchants and customers who went through this before, I think it’s actually going to be good.” The film will blend live action sequences with computer-generated animation, directed by Continued: MOVIE/ p6
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