May 9 - Council Highlights

From the meeting on May 9, 2022

Mayor’s Update

Mayor Pranger regrettably announced the passing of Fraser Valley Regional District Director Terry Raymond. Director Raymond served the communities of Boston Bar, North Bend, and Canyon Alpine for 20 years. Mr. Raymond was a strong advocate and supporter of the health care system in our region and will be missed.

Mayor Pranger was elected as Chair for the Fraser Valley Regional District Hospital Board. This will provide opportunities to represent the District and advocate for health care in our area.

In her report, Mayor Pranger thanked the Cheam Vista Classical Concert Society for continuing to bring good music to our community. The last concert is taking place Tuesday, May 31^st and features Alexander Weinmann on Harpsichord and Chloe Meyers on Violin. Concerts are held at the Riverside Christian Reformed Church located at 7542 Morrow Road. Doors open at 6:30 pm and performances begin at 7:00 pm. For more information, contact Jacquie Zuidhof at 604-819-6460.

Mayor Pranger had the pleasure of attending the Santo Niño de Cebu Shrine groundbreaking mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. The grand opening is scheduled for August 20, 2022, with an expected attendance of approximately 5,000 people. Father Dennis thanked District of Kent Council for the Grant in Aid to cover the building permit. For more information on this event, please visit stanthonyagassiz.ca.

Capstone Interviews

Councillor Post and Councillor Spaeti were honoured to be a part of the Capstone Interviews for this year’s graduates of Agassiz Elementary Secondary School. A high school capstone project is a way for students to demonstrate the culmination of skills and knowledge gained through their academic career by completing a long-term project at the end of the student’s high school career. Congratulations to all the students, your future is looking bright.

The Eagles of the Fraser Valley

In her report, Councillor Schwichtenberg highlighted a speaker series she attended featuring David Hancock. Mr. Hancock is a biologist, conservationist, writer, publisher, and lecturer who has spent most of his life studying west coast and arctic wildlife.

Currently, he is undertaking studies of the bald eagles along the northwest coast. Councillor Schwichtenberg pointed out that when David Hancock began his career in the early 60’s, there wasn’t a single pair of nesting bald eagles in the Fraser Valley. Today there are over 600. Everyone is encouraged to view the bald eagles, find out how at fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca. If you would like to learn more about David Hancock, visit his website at hancockwildlife.org.

Local Government Awareness Week

Mayor Pranger proclaimed May 15 through 21, 2022 as Local Government Awareness Week. This annual initiative is aimed at building public awareness of local government roles and responsibilities and encouraging public participation in local government processes. For more information on some District services available, check out the videos available at: kentbc.ca/LGAW.

Portable Pump Approved

Council unanimously supported the purchase of a used portable pump at a cost of up to $22,000. During past freshet seasons, the District has required additional pumping capacity at the Kilby Ditch. The portable pump will also be valuable during flood events or culvert replacements and provide the option to bypass sanitary.