To close out a busy year of reporting, The Chilliwack Progress is taking the opportunity with this last edition of the year to look back and reflect on what has made the headlines for our community in 2023.
There is scouring of all the online coverage and in our archives to be done, considering which stories were most popular and which topics brought out the strongest opinions and feelings. There are happy milestones, successes, and developments, along with sadness and tragedy to sift through as well.
Chilliwack’s 2023 ended on a bright note, literally, with the new downtown core sparkling and radiating with the magic of Christmas. The revitalization of the beloved downtown core featuring the District 1881 redevelopment covering an entire city block east of Five Corners has been a complex process spanning decades.
So for those who’ve embraced living and working downtown all that time, the glittering beauty of 1881, as hundreds of people mill about at any given moment, has been nothing short of a miracle.
It’s been a long time coming, and there are even more improvements in store for 2024.
But as with anything, it’s not the full story. Recent studies tell us that locally, homelessness is at an all-time high. A drive to the city’s edges will show you where people are living outside, instead of inside.
This is not unique to Chilliwack, but we feel it is incumbent upon anyone in power in this city to work toward sustainable solutions. The constant drive to develop affordable housing solutions has not kept pace with the need, and the overflow is seen in encampments that are growing in size.
2023 was also a time for sadness for many, and we’ve highlighted a few of those community losses in this edition, including this city’s last living Legion member who fought in the Second World War. But it’s not a complete list; there were so many leaders including former Cheam Chief and elder June Quipp, and the incomparable Dr. Melanie Madill. There were also the many lost to opioid overdose, most of who remain nameless as that health epidemic continues.
For more than 100 years, this newspaper has told stories about Chilliwack and its people. And all of those people are difficult to say goodbye to.
Finally, summing up a year in review offers us a chance to catch our breath, even if only for a few days.
We hope you take the time to read this week’s stories and reflect with us as we face a new year together as a community. To best find them, scroll through our Local News tab for headlines marked “Year in Review 2023.”
-The Chilliwack Progress