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Crews battle fire outside Harrison Jessica Peters Black Press Fire crews were called in Thursday put out a small fire that popped up overnight near the small village of Harrison Hot Springs. The fire was reported to be about 2.5 hectares in size, at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning, and helicopters were sent into the river valley to extinguish the flames. The fire is on Agassiz Mountain, to the west of Harrison Hot Springs. Heavy smoke is coming into the southern Harrison Lake area from the river valley. There have been 160 lightning strikes over the last few days in the Fraser Valley, causing at least 16 fires. However, fire information officer Mike McCalley said that this fire is being considered human caused and is under investigation. The fire is also what is known as an interface fire, which means it is endangering infrastructure. In this case, the infrastructure being threatened are BC Hydro wires. The fires is located four kilometres from the Village of Harrison, on the south side of the river. McCalley noted that there will be limited access to the river, for public safety. The BC Wildlife Management Branch has sent in six helicopters, an air tanker, and 28 firefighters to deal with the flames, which are occurring on “fairly steep terrain.” Residents and visitors to the area will be noticing a lot of smoke as they work to contain the fire, which McCalley said is about three hectares. “Fire crews are working really hard to (keep the fire away from the wires),” he said. “It’s very early on in this fire.” The fire has now been listed as a “fire of note” on their website, at www. bcwildfire.ca. Continued: FIRE/ p6
Nick Hurley promotes safe longboarding to kids through workshops. The city has devised a new strategy to balance the needs of longboarders and the community. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
New longboarding strategy seeks compromise Jennifer Feinberg The Progress When longboarders coast down a steep and curvy road in Chilliwack, things can get a little tricky. If they stick to the bike lane or side of the road, it’s usually ok. When they commandeer the entire width of the road, with riders two and three abreast, complaints start coming into city hall from angry citizens. A new strategy seeks to strike a balance between the needs of recreational longboarders, and those of the rest of the community. Coun. Chuck Stam, also TAC chair, said in coming up with the new approach, they tried to stay “sensitive” to the needs of local youth and the longboard-
ing community. So while they still want to encourage healthy, active lifestyles, it has to be balanced with respect for all road users. Arterial and collector roads, which are the most heavily used and where traffic cannot be impeded, will see recreational longboarding prohibited in Chilliwack. That means they won’t be able to weave down roads like: Elk View Road, Teskey Way, Promontory, and Weeden Drive. In each hillside neighbourhood in Chilliwack, the plan is to allow at least one residential road where longboarders will be allowed to do their thing. They’ll use criteria like grade, visibility, and width, when determining on which streets they should permit the practice.
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Chartwell Drive is one example where they’ve decided to allow longboarding based on the criteria. “Council would be remiss if we did not say that we have a concern about safety,” said Mayor Sharon Gaetz. “Kids often feel invincible — but they’re not.” The new longboarding strategy will help keep everyone safer, she said. Coun. Jason Lum agreed the approach taken by Chilliwack on this was a balanced one. “I’m glad to see we’re not taking a heavy-handed approach,” he said, referring to the total ban being considered by Coquitlam. Recreational longboarding is characterized by a type of downhill boarding with multiple trips, and multiple riders, as
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well as high rates of speed. It’s contrasted with a type of solo longboarding used more for direct transportation and commuting. Longboards are wider and longer than skateboards, with larger wheels. It’s a complaint-driven process, and no changes were made to any bylaws. If a resident makes a complaint, city staff will evaluate the road, using the new criteria, and determine if it’s permitted or prohibited. Snappy new signage will go up to clearly show where longboarding is allowed, as well as where it is not. Unlike in West Vancouver and North Vancouver, where crashes and accidents are often in the news, the sport has not posed significant problems in Continued: LONGBOARD/ p4
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