JANUARY
• Year-to-year property values rose in Hope by 45 per cent according to BC Assessment. The average assessed value for a single-family home rose from $428,000 to $620,000.
• A former Hope resident, Monica Mitterboeck, was presented the 2021 Award of Excellence in Nursing Education during an online ceremony held Dec. 16. She received the award from the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. for her role in developing and coordinating several education programs/initiatives.
• Tourism Hope, Cascades & Canyons won two major awards: the NWR Excellence Award in Community Engagement & Tourism Marketing — Fraser Valley award, bestowed through the 2022 Corporate Vision Canadian Business Awards. And the ‘Best in Tourism and Economic Development Specialists — Fraser Valley’ through LUX Life magazine.
•Hope’s Blue Moose received a cash reward of $2,500 after being nominated for the Murray Mazda’s Local Legends program. Blue Moose owner Wes Bergmann split the money with his staff of 12, saying it was an easy decision and very well deserved.
• COVID-19 was a problem for Manning Park Resort after several employees complained that a COVID-19 outbreak had moved through the staff before New Year’s and that management did not handle the situation properly. An anonymous, former, staff member, said that at least 20 cases were confirmed by Dec. 30. Management said they followed public and health protocols.
• In early January, plans for restoring the historic Alexandra Lodge were discussed by the new owners, Shirley and Ken Mackinnon, who purchased the property on Oct. 31, 2021. According to the couple, the property was unlivable with tons of rot damage and repairs that needed to be addressed right away.
• The Hope Secondary School (HSS) principal Rosalee Floyd spoke with the Standard, in early January, about the school’s concerns over the COVID-19 Omicron variant. She said that HSS staff were worried about schools being closed, and united in not wanting online schooling.
• The Hope Pet Food Bank was launched in early January and accepting donations of cat and dog food. The idea for the food bank started in November, when the 2021 floods highlighted to the Chilliwack-based FCM Community Cat Trappers the need for pet food in Hope.
•As of Jan. 6, the Othello Tunnels were still closed and, according to BC Parks, still in bad shape after the 2021 floods.
• In early January, the Skyview Campground was officially opened at E.C. Manning Provincial Park. The new campground offers 62 winter camping sites and 92 summer camping sites.
• Though it was still undergoing repairs from damage caused by the 2021 floods, the Coquihalla Highway officially re-opened on Jan. 18. At the time of its re-opening, drivers were cautioned that the stretch from Hope to Merritt would take around 45 minutes longer than usual, with two-lane bypass routes around 20 damaged sections.
• District of Hope councillor Bob Erickson officially resigned from council; Erickson gave the District of Hope his resignation letter at a council meeting held Jan. 10. The former councillor left Hope in 2021 when he moved to Alberta after retiring from dentistry.
• Spuzzum First Nation was cut off from the rest of the province, for four days, when Highway 1 was closed on Jan. 10 and only re-opened on Jan. 13. During this time, a close partnership with CP Rail helped the community’s concerns with getting medicine to band members.
• Hope-area paramedics responded to twice as many overdose callouts in 2021, as they did in 2020, according to numbers released by BC Emergency Health Services on Jan. 12. Callouts were up from 46 in 2021, and 40 in 2020.
• On Jan. 19, the provincial government announced that Imperial Metals Corp. is relinquishing all mining and related rights in the Skagit River Donut Hole. Environmental advocates, such as the Hope Mountain Centre (HMC) were thrilled to hear that the Skagit watershed would be free from mining activity.
• During this month, the Hope and Area Transition Society (HATS) created their new ‘Sexualized Violence Response Team.’ Headed by Anna Gladue, the program coordinator at Hope’s Jean Scott Transition House, the team focuses on education and outreach with regards to fighting against sexualized violence.
• On Jan. 18, a 74-year-old man was killed after being struck by a train in Yale. At the time, Hope RCMP were still investigating the incident.
• Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon re-opened to all vehicle traffic on Jan. 24. The route had been closed since Nov. 14, 2021, due to damage caused by heavy rain and the flooding.
@KemoneMoodley
kemone.moodley@hopestandard.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.