APRIL
Man slides into Cascade Falls: What started as a few hours of free time to check out a Cascade Falls landmark ended in a near-death experience for one UFV student. Cole Nutma said he was lucky to be alive after he fell into a pool of water above the iconic waterfall. He used a last-ditch effort of strength and adrenaline to pull himself out of the pool just before he would have cascaded to a sure death almost 100 feet below.
Steel ‘M’ chosen as public art piece: Mission’s downtown core would soon look a little more industrial. Dean Lauze’s large steel “M” was selected as the public art project for the corner of Welton Street and Second Avenue as part of Mission’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
Car rams blockade, four injured: Four Mission RCMP officers were injured and three vehicles damaged when a car rammed into a blockade. All the officers received minor injuries. The suspect fled on foot, but was eventually taken into custody.
MAY
Candidates talk jobs, taxes: Only two candidates in the Abbotsford-Mission riding attended a public debate at the Clarke Theatre in Mission. Liberal Simon Gibson and Green Party candidate Jennifer Holmes were present for the all-candidates meeting. Missing from the event were NDP candidate Andrew Christie and the Christian Heritage Party’s Dan Cameron.
D’Eith edges out Dalton, Gibson wins:
Bob D’Eith went to bed late, exhausted from a night where he narrowly defeated incumbent Liberal MLA Marc Dalton in one of the province’s closest ridings. D’eith tentatively defeated Dalton, 9,843 votes to 9,723. Simon Gibson, on the other hand, was the clear winner in his riding.
Mayor wants to play hardball: Complaints about Mission’s new recycling system weren’t just limited to some members of the public. Council voiced its concerns regarding the new program. While many residents were critical about the new regulations requiring the separation of glass products and plastic wrap, several councillors wanted to know why Recycle BC (formerly MMBC) wasn’t doing more to make returning these items more efficient and convenient.
JUNE
District seeks funding for water meters: Mission took another step towards having water meters installed into every home on the municipal water system. The district made an application for funding to allow the installation of water meters throughout the community. Mission’s proposed Water Meter Infrastructure Project would see 9,000 meters installed at an estimated cost of $15.5 million.
Parents push to reopen school: Parents and residents of Stave Falls wanted their school re-opened. Representatives of the Stave Falls Community Association, along with a group of supporters, attended the Mission school district’s committee of the whole school meeting to provide information on the possible fate of Stave Falls Elementary. The group asked the board to hold a pre-registration to more accurately assess the number of students that could potentially attend the school.
Meet Mission’s new inspector: Annette Fellner appeared at ease in her new position as officer in charge of the Mission RCMP detachment. Two weeks into her new job, she had already been meeting with members of the community to better understand what they felt the top issues and priorities should be.
Canada turns 150: Organizers of the Mission Canada Day celebration were expecting a great family-friendly party. Organizer Joanna McBride, the special events coordinator at Fraser River Heritage Park, expected a big crowd to turn up. With that in mind, there were more activities this year than in past celebrations. As well as celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday, it was also Mission’s 125th, so the celebration had a local flair.