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YEAR IN REVIEW: Looking back at October headlines in Hope

Sustainability, housing and economics ruled in October
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October 2019

• Construction began in earnest and applications were being taken for the affordable housing project known as The Ryder. The building is now almost complete and should be ready for its residents by the spring. The complex is aimed at low-income tenants and is a separate project from the newly proposed supportive housing down the road, which would aim to house people who are experiencing homelessness.

• Some people were surprised to see one of Canada’s most famous newscasters at the Hope Brigade Days in September.

Peter Mansbridge was in town, speaking with residents about life in ‘small-town Canada.’ He traveled to many small towns over a matter of months, in order to create a CBC documentary called The Way You See It.

READ MORE: Mansbridge documentary to feature Hope, B.C.

• Hope received the tourism boost it so desperately needs, in the form of a hotel tax this year, and the announcement was made in October. It went along with a change in marketing strategy as well, and the area is now referred to as Hope Cascades and Canyons.

The tax is collected by room providers from their guests, and directed to the province. That money can then be used locally to make improvements that will attract more tourism to the area.

The area hosts a total of 29 properties and 632 rooms. By this time next year, a conservative estimate of $80,000 in tax revenue is expected to be generated, says AdvantageHOPE executive director Shannon Jones.

• Hope students were leading the way with recycling efforts in October, and it’s a trend that has carried through the school year.

Coquihalla elementary students diverted huge piles of recyclables that they would normally toss in the trash, through an innovative, hands-on, student-led recycling program. The Grade Six students taught the rest of the school about plastics like sandwich bags, yogurt tubes and other disposable items that could be easily washed, and then hauled to a recycler.

READ MORE: Hope students leading the way with recycling efforts

• About 40 people gathered in front of the District of Hope municipal office on Friday, eager to share their message of climate change with the community.

They were joined by reportedly millions of like-minded individuals worldwide who did the same in their own communities, for a youth-led global climate change strike. While some major cities, including Vancouver, were forced to grind to a halt for the crowds that emerged, Hope’s strike was peaceful and kept to the grass and sidewalks.


 

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Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
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