Long a predominantly agricultural community, Chilliwack has become the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. Chilliwack is surrounded by natural beauty that affords opportunities like hiking, fishing, biking, camping and golf. In this interview, we asked Mayor Sharon Gaetz her thoughts on what makes our city a great place to live and work and other matters.
What makes Chilliwack special?
"Chilliwack has a small-town feel but we have big-city amenities," said the mayor. "We have amazing hiking and walking trails, community spirit, there's low taxation here, and new community facilities: swimming pools, hockey arenas, Heritage Park, libraries, a cultural centre; an artificial turf field. All the bells and whistles of a big city. For me that's what makes it a really wonderful place to live. Out our back door is Cultus Lake; on the other side, Harrison; we're just very spoiled here.
Fishers come here from all over the place. We have world-renowned rivers and the sturgeon fishing that we have here where people are so ecstatic to be able to see one of these amazing giants in the river. When the salmon run, the Vedder River is full of fishers."
Mayor Gaetz talked extensively about the many community groups in Chilliwack that make the city a better place to live and that help build town pride.
"We really do have so many good service clubs in Chilliwack. All the service clubs are represented; they're all doing amazing work. They're helping us with things like building trails and supporting some of the social issues in Chilliwack. We also have many, many churches that are working to try to make Chilliwack a better place too."
As to how the city helps these groups, Gaetz said, "Last year we gave out over $243,000 in permissive tax exemptions. So that's quite substantial. We gave over $1,137,000 to various community groups for their programs and we support many community events."
The city funds youth programs as well as seniors programs and it tries to connect partners in the community. The mayor is also a big supporter of Friday evenings in the summer when she enjoys attending the Downtown Chilliwack Business Improvement Association's Party in the Park, which the city and others sponsor.
"We bring in a night market of vendors, food vendors and people selling produce, selling goods, jewellery, cupcakes, whatever you can think of, clothing, scarves, hats, pottery, honey, all down the main street. We always have a few good bands in the evening. People bring their chairs out and just sit out there and listen to the music and visit with their neighbours. It really has built a lot of spirit in our community and is something our community is very proud of."
Open for business
Chilliwack has a reputation as a city that welcomes business and council works hard to protect that standing. The city works closely with the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation, whose slogan is "live, work, play, prosper."
"John Jansen is the president of this corporation and they are highly motivated," said Gaetz. "They have a board that is comprised of business leaders from throughout our community who volunteer their time here, there's a progression in how they pay taxes. If they're putting in a million dollars or more of improvements or they build a new building, then they have a graduated taxing system where the first year they pay 20 per cent, second year 40, third 60. So it's advantageous for companies to come in and be able to make that investment. I think it's really noteworthy to say also that most of the people who live in Chilliwack actually work in Chilliwack. Only 13 per cent go out on a daily basis to work, play or shop. I don't think that happens in most communities so we have what we need here right here in our community."
Revitalizing the downtown core
A big focus for city council is revitalizing our downtown and talking with all the social service partners who work there about how to create a healthier community. Mayor Gaetz encourages people to visit www.chilliwackdowntownplan.ca to learn more about the shared vision for a healthy, sustainable and thriving community.
"We saw that our downtown was aging and that social issues were starting to appear, including prostitution and drug dealing. We were able to purchase and take down an old hotel that was wellknown for crime and we've seen a marked difference in our crime stats in the area. We have now started to assemble properties.
We've expropriated the building right beside the hotel and we're hoping to be able to put together a package for developers to come forward and show us what they can do. The goal will be to create a community in the downtown. We're fortunate because people are getting excited about this and really seeing a future for the area."
Additional priorities
Gaetz plans to use her current mandate to focus on expanding transit in Chilliwack, so that it becomes a fully functioning service that people are glad to use and that meets their needs. Other priorities remain providing quality drinking water, maintaining our roads, public safety, and continuing to facilitate a great quality of life.
"We've always had a really great working council who value relationships and working together," added Gaetz. "They're very forward thinking and I feel very proud to be the leader of such a group. I want to be sure that when people move to Chilliwack, what they think about is clean water, clean air, delicious food that's grown right out of the ground, hiking trails, anything that's healthy, everything that is good. I want to be known as the mayor who really protected that and made sure that the residents who live in our community have a voice."
