Sumas Mountain Rural Property Owners Association

Gravel Mine or Secret Land Grab Strategy?
November 13, 2017

The universally hated Sumas Mountain gravel quarry application is one step closer to being approved, despite extreme opposition from virtually all local residents, the FVRD,... (read more)

A Summary of Tuesday's Meeting on the Draft OCP
April 28, 2016

The meeting held this past Tuesday on April 26th at Straiton Hall was well attended by Sumas Mountain property owners --- approximately 120 people came,... (read more)

City moves to impose new OCP...
April 20, 2016

Major impact on Sumas Mountain property owners The City of Abbotsford has released its new Official Community Plan in draft form, and it has... (read more)

Summary of Meeting at Straiton Hall re Forest Fire Prevention
July 16, 2015

Yesterday night's meeting at Straiton Hall was well-attended by Sumas Mountain residents, with 50 people coming out. Also present were 9 officials from various levels... (read more)

Rest in Peace: Straiton pioneer Olive Moody dies
September 2, 2014

It's with sadness that we note the passing of Olive Moody (nee Mathers) on July 17th at the age of 92. She was the last... (read more)

Rest in Peace: Sumas Mountain pioneer Jessie Keys dies
May 30, 2013

It's with sadness that we note the passing of Jessie Keys (nee Mathers) on May 23rd. Jessie was the youngest of seven children born to... (read more)

A summary of the All-Candidates Meeting on Tuesday
May 2, 2013

Just a quick recap on Tuesday's meeting at Straiton Hall. We were pleased with the turnout --- about 75 people were in attendance, almost all of... (read more)

Concerned about gravel pits? Come to the All-Candidates meeting at Straiton Hall
April 16, 2013

An all-candidates meeting is being held at Straiton Hall on April 30th at 7:00 pm with the specific topic of "Gravel quarries on Sumas Mountain"... (read more)

Is the SMEMP really dead? No, and it may be metastasizing...
March 25, 2013

Despite assurances from City Hall that the Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan/Study is "dead", the Board of Directors of SMRPOA remains skeptical. Rather than being... (read more)

Update on SMEMP: Council flip-flops, Mayor invokes "executive order" privilege
January 9, 2013

First, we (the board of directors of SMRPOA) want to apologize for being so tardy in getting this message out. After the December 10th Council meeting... (read more)

A big week for Sumas Mountain property owners
December 11, 2012

This past week has been an eventful one for members and friends of SMRPOA, and for all those concerned with property rights here on the... (read more)

Not again... More FOI emails reveal shocking pattern at City Hall
November 26, 2012

The Sumas Mountain Rural Property Owners Association has obtained copies of emails between Abbotsford staff and Metro Vancouver which reveal an alarming attempt to undermine... (read more)

Drainage tax on your property? Soon a reality unless we act immediately...
November 23, 2012

City Hall has told rural residents of Sumas Mountain and Bradner that they will be considering the implementation of a "drainage fee" on each of... (read more)

Bill MacGregor & Patricia Ross on tape: blatantly contradicting top official, say SMEMP WILL go to council...
November 19, 2012

Council members Bill MacGregor and Patricia Ross are now saying that the SMEMP has NOT been abandoned, that it must be publicly debated, and that... (read more)

On tape: Top city official says SMEMP is NOT going to council
November 15, 2012

"What we heard from you folks is that you did not want us to go down this path, so we're not." Those were the... (read more)

A summary of the October 24th Straiton Hall meeting...
October 29, 2012

Just a recap on the City of Abbotsford's meeting held at the Straiton Community Hall October 24, 2012: We would like to thank the Mayor, Council... (read more)

FOI document reveals more damaging information...
October 19, 2012

The Sumas Mountain Rural Property Owners Association has obtained a copy of an email between City staff and a "conservancy" land trust. The email (sent... (read more)

FOI results start to trickle in... What will we find?
October 13, 2012

After stonewalling a portion of our Freedom of Information requests for the past 4 months, the City has begun releasing some (not all) documentation relating... (read more)

City stonewalls FOI requests for details on Sumas Mountain plan
October 5, 2012

City staff have continued to show their disdain for the residents of Sumas Mountain by delaying the release of crucial documents relating to the notorious... (read more)

City says pigeons, swallows and seabirds are "at risk" on Sumas Mountain
September 21, 2012

According to a document released by the City of Abbotsford, there are approximately 3 dozen "Species at Risk" living... (read more)

Sumas Mountain's "most wanted" list now released...
September 20, 2012

In response to your requests, the City has kindly provided an updated version of the so-called "Species at Risk" which are said to live on... (read more)

A summary of the September 11th Straiton Hall meeting
September 11, 2012

Tonight's meeting at Straiton Hall regarding the Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Study/Plan was well attended, with approximately 90 people turning out. The City was well... (read more)

Update on the Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan/Study
September 5, 2012

First, the good news: the City says it has removed the wildlife corridors, zero-disturbance zones, buffers, and other contentious elements of its environmental management plan/study,... (read more)

More relevant documents: Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan/Study
September 3, 2012

We've put together a few additional documents regarding Sumas Mountain which the City has kindly provided us. Some of these documents are difficult to find... (read more)

City delays release of certain SMEMP/Study documents until October 3rd
August 28, 2012

Some time ago (June 6th 2012) we submitted a Freedom of Information request to the City for all documents relating to the Sumas Mountain Environmental... (read more)

More questions about the Sumas Mountain plan/study...
July 31, 2012

The more we think about the Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan/Study, the more questions come to mind. Here are... (read more)

Highlights of the July 31st Straiton Hall meeting
July 31, 2012

Tonight's "open house" at Straiton Hall regarding the Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan/Study was very well attended, with estimates of close to 150 people, standing... (read more)

Straiton Hall meeting July 31st --- city staff to host "open house" on the Sumas Mountain Plan (now "Study")
July 25, 2012

Please make plans to attend the upcoming (July 31st) "open house" at 6:00 PM at Straiton Hall --- it is being hosted by Abbotsford city... (read more)

City Council briefly discusses/debates plans for Sumas Mountain
July 23, 2012

Abbotsford's plans for Sumas Mountain were briefly discussed and debated at today's executive council committee meeting. Council was asked by staff to receive report "EDP... (read more)

City Hall sends letter to residents re plans for Sumas Mountain
July 20, 2012

A letter was recently sent by Jay Teichroeb (one of the managers at city hall) to mountain residents advising us of two upcoming meetings at... (read more)

Relevant documents: Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan
July 18, 2012

We've put together some relevant documents regarding City Hall's plans for Sumas Mountain. Some of these documents are hard to dig up on the web... (read more)

A layman's overview: Sumas Mountain Environmental Management Plan
July 16, 2012

The SMEMP is still in draft form as of July 2012 --- it hasn't been adopted yet by City Council. However, it potentially affects the interests... (read more)

Metro Vancouver, Sumas Mountain, and Abbotsford City Hall - Part 1
July 4, 2012

It was recently reported that the City of Abbotsford had turned over several hundred acres of city-owned land on Sumas Mountain to Metro Vancouver for... (read more)

City Hall "notice of disposition" of approximately 400 acres on Sumas Mountain
July 2, 2012

The City of Abbotsford announced in May 2012 its intention to dispose of what looks to be approximately 400 acres of city-owned land on Sumas... (read more)