July
• On June 28 (but appearing in the July 7, 2023 edition), a man was fatally shot by RCMP while inside the Fraser Canyon Hospital’s emergency room. The deceased was part of a collision that took place at the Zopkios off-ramp on Highway 5. Several people were taken to hospital and, while in the emergency room, the deceased and another injured man got into an altercation. This led to the Hope RCMP getting involved. An interaction then took place between a Hope RCMP officer and the deceased, resulting in the officer fatally shooting the man.
• On June 30 (but appearing in the July 14, 2023 edition), the Hope community helped Doris Nazer, a Second World War veteran, celebrate her 100th birthday. Taking place at her residence, a big birthday bash was held for Nazer with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 228 (Hope Legion), Mayor Victor Smith, MLA Jackie Tegart and her granddaughter Joanne Woolham, friends, loved ones, and other Hope residents all visiting her and celebrating with her.
• It was an exciting moment for Kaleb Peters-Joe who went on to represent Hope in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) that took place in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) from July 15 to July 23. Peters-Joe, who was part of the main roster for Team B.C’s 16U male softball team, and his family held a bottle drive to help the young athlete with his travel costs for NAIG.
• In July, Blue Triton, who extract water near Hope, said they were “happy to abide” by the B.C. government’s decision to ask water bottling companies to reduce their extraction acitivity. Over the summer, a state-of-emergency was declared for B.C. due to the number of and severity of wildfires across the province. In July, Hope found itself dealing with at least four local wildfires and a heat wave warning.
• On July 20, Chawathil First Nation hosted a blanket ceremony and dinner to honour the firefighters that were fighting the wildfire at Davis Lake in Mission. Organized by First Nation Health Authority (FNHA), Chawathil was asked by Terrie Davidson, the Boothroyd Band’s Health Director, if they would be willing to host an Acknowledgement Dinner for the Trail Blazers, who were fighting the 215 hectare fire.
• A peaceful protest took place on July 29 during Spuzzum First Nation’s First Fish Ceremony. Despite the protest, the ceremony continued unencumbered. A tent for a protest had been set up at the front entrance of the site. The protest was formed by members of Spuzzum who want Spuzzum’s Chief James Hobart and Coun. Diana Stromquist to resign due to a number of reasons.
August
• On Aug. 14, one person was taken to the Fraser Canyon Hospital, for non-life threatening injuries, following a plane crash in the fields near the Hope Airport.
• Lizann Hirsche, a woman missing since July 30, was found safe and sound in the Othello Tunnels on Aug. 10.
• On Aug. 14, Cathy Harry and her son-in-law and riding partner, Yan Chouinard, doubled their fundraising goal for Tour de Cure. Harry and Chouinard raised $4,147 which was matched by Kal Tire, garnering a total of $11,111. This was Harry and Chouinard’s fifth year riding in the Tour de Cure which took place from Aug. 26 to Aug. 27.
• On Aug. 18, evacuation orders for issued and alerts were issued for residents of Boston Bar, Lytton First Nation, Kanaka Indian Bar Band, Boothroyd Indian Band, and Siska Indian Band after the Kookipi Creek wildfire near Boston Bar grew to an estimated 13,674 hectares. An evacuation shelter became available at Camp Hope. The fire was discovered on July 8 but “exploded” on Aug. 17 after being fanned by winds. Highway 1 between Hope and Lytton was also closed in both directions during this time.
• On Aug. 17, the Nahatlatch Fire Lookout tower northwest of Boston Bar was destroyed by the Kookipi Creek wildfire.
• On Aug. 18, REO Rafting and Yoga Resort lost most of its facilities to the Kookipi Creek wildfire.
• On Aug. 20, Ryan Villiers was announced as the winner for Hope’s 2023 World Class Chainsaw Carving competition. Villiers was also the winner for the People’s Choice award. The competition ran from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20, with 15 chainsaw carvers competing.
• On Aug. 20, the Hope Arts Gallery celebrated and commemorated their 25th anniversary. The gallery’s official birthday took place on May 1, and a small gathering took place onsite in August to celebrate decades of art and culture in Hope.
• On Aug. 28, Crystal Sedore emailed her resignation as a District of Hope councillor due to her new job obligations as a Housing Specialist working with the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation in Klemtu. Sedore’s resignation left a seat now vacant on the council and, with three years left for the term, a byelection would be taking place in November.
• Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon re-opened in both directions on Aug. 29. It was closed for more than a week due to the Kookipi Creek Wildfire.
September
• Officially announced on Sept. 1, Brendan Jones and Milan Jaic became the new managers of New Hope Cinema (formerly known as Hope Cinema Cafe).
• On Sept. 6, Yale First Nation elected Troy Terrance Peters as their new chief. The final count was 46 votes for Peters and 24 votes for David Moreno, his rival candidate. He takes over from former Chief Ken Hansen who, after seven years, announced on Feb. 12 that he would not be running again.
• The 54th Hope Brigade Days took place from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10. The annual festival was once again a great hit with, in addition to the usual festivities, a performance by the Seattle Cossacks. Blackjack Billy were the headliner/mainstage act on the second day with Karen Lee Batton opening for them.
• In honour of their 75th anniversary, the Hope Legion commissioned DRIFT Mural Co. to create a stunning new mural of their building which celebrates and honours the contributions of those who serve in uniform. The mural was made just in time for the Legion’s community barbecue, hosted on Sept. 17, which commemorated the anniversary.
• On Sept. 23, School District 78 held their first powwow, “Honouring Our Survivors,” at the Shxw’ōwhámél Community Building. The event was a great success with communities honouring residential school survivors, celebrating different Indigenous cultures, and powwow dancers from across the province showing off their best moves.
• On Sept. 25, a ceremony was held for the arrival of the Project Heart Canoe, a canoe of student created artwork that honours residential school survivors and expresses a message of healing, at the Silver Creek Elementary School.
October
• After hearing from locals, the District of Hope council unanimously voted during the Oct. 11 council meeting to reject a rezoning application for a 4-storey rental apartment complex at 455 Coquihalla St. This decision means that Centrum Group Enterprises (who are the developers) will continue their plans to build a 3-storey apartment condominium complex at the site.
• In October, the B.C. government purchased the Ryder apartment building in Hope. The purchase, which is part of a $19-billion housing investment by the government, prevents the “much-needed affordable housing” from being privatized and allows Ryder’s current tenants to remain in their rental properties.
• On Oct. 13, an excavator hit the walkway by the Silver Creek Elementary School. The walkway was removed and there are no plans to rebuild it. The District of Hope instead plans to build a crosswalk at that location.
• On Oct. 12, digging finally began at the new location for the Hope Station House. The Station House is being moved to the property at 919 Water Ave, with hopes to relocate the building by Spring 2024.
• Hope officially made its mark on the North Pole when Leon Nielsen, who works as a carpenter for the Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS Alert), put up the Hope sign at the base. Nielsen is a Hope local who, at the time, finished his first eight weeks with CFS Alert. He went back to CFS Alert on Oct. 31 for another eight weeks at the North Pole.
• On Oct. 18, the environmental group Wilderness Committee — represented by environmental law charity Ecojustice — took the Federal government to court for Ottawa’s failure to protect the endangered northern spotted owl despite an “imminent threat” to its recovery.
• On Oct. 25, Hope Communities in Bloom (HCiB) was recognized for their 10-plus years of community excellence and volunteerism. Communities in Bloom (CiB) awarded HCiB with their 5-Bloom Street Banner as well as an additional award for their “Outstanding Community Involvement” in 2023.
November
• On Nov. 4, MEDITECH Expanse — a new electronic health record system — was launched at the Fraser Canyon Hospital. It was first launched successfully in April 2023 at the Eagle Ridge Hospital.
• In the Nov. 10, 2023 edition, a couple from the Windmill Seniors Manufactured Home Park (MHP) on Flood Hope Road told the Hope Standard that they were disappointed after failing to get a “proper resolution” from the District of Hope about their complaints. The couple, along with 16 other MHP residents, had been dealing with dust, noise, and light pollution — caused by a neighbouring property that had two construction companies working on it — for 8 months, with the noise lasting until early in the morning.
• Announced on Nov. 1, a team from the Fraser Canyon Hospital was awarded the 2023 Fraser Health Above and Beyond Innovator Award — which was awarded to them for creating and implementing the Rural Emergency Competency Education Pathway, the first of its kind in Canada.
• Debuting on Nov. 11, the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum was featured in an episode of Our War.
• On Nov. 14, two men — one who was armed and broke into the room of a resident at Riverside Manor — were arrested in Hope thanks to the joint effort of the RCMP. According to RCMP — which included RCMP from Hope, Chilliwack, Kamloops, and Merritt, along with the Police Dog Service and the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team — the “multi-jurisdictional investigation” started Tuesday morning with vehicle theft in Chase followed by attempted robberies in Kamloops with a firearm before ending in Hope.
• On Nov. 15, five months after it was started, Sq’ewá:lxw First Nation (Skawahlook) has finally unveiled its new totem pole. The pole was created by Coast Salish artist and carver George Price (who is from Seabird Island First Nation). Price started the project at the end of June.
• On Nov. 21, the District of Hope formally announced Gurvinder Pal Singh Soi as their new Communications and Systems Analysis advisor.
• On Nov. 25, Dusty Smith was elected in the District of Hope byelection. This is his third time on council and he is now the sixth member of the current council. The other candidates for the byelection were Bonny Graham, Arthur Green, and Hondo Stroyan. A total of 708 votes were cast and Smith earned 261 votes.
• On Nov. 30, Hope’s boil advisory was finally lifted after two weeks. Residents were first alerted on Friday afternoon (Nov. 17) that a water advisory was in effect in parts of the district, after E. coli bacteria was detected during “diligent regular testing protocols.”
December
• In December, School District 78 officially announced that they had hired Michelle Vandepol as their new school food coordinator to elevate their food security efforts and programs.
• On Dec. 1, Boston Pizza Hope (BPH) raised and donated $3,800 for Hope Christmas Angels. This was matched by Boston Pizza International. The location had it’s grand open in the middle of December, a year after it was first announced that it would be coming to Hope.
• On Dec. 11, during a council meeting, Dusty Smith was officially sworn-in. The ceremony was attended by district staff and other council members.
• On Dec. 11, the District of Hope officially introduced Robin Beukens as their new director of community development.
• On Dec. 16, a Baskets and Bannock ceremony was held at the Yale Historic site to celebrate the return and viewing of Indigenous artifacts at the museum. The ceremony was hosted by Forager Foundation in partnership with the New Pathways to Gold Society (NPTGS) and led by Elders and Knowledge Keepers from First Nation communities involved in the museum.
• On Dec. 29, Barry’s Trading Post officially closed after 99 years and three generations of family, community, and business in Yale. The store was only a few months shy of its 100th anniversary.
READ MORE: Looking back at the top headlines for 2023
@KemoneMoodley
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