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48-540: As opposed to a purely military function, the Canadian SAS was originally given functions of airborne firefighting, search and rescue and aid to the civil powers. However, once officially sanctioned, the SAS was assigned the functions of being initially a parachute company but able to be the cadre of up to three parachute battalions, provide demonstrations of their capabilities throughout the nation, and "preserve and advance

96-635: A compromise was reached in the ongoing negotiations in Washington, D.C., and the matter was then settled by the Polk administration (to the surprise of its own party's hardliners) to avoid a two-war situation, and another war with the formidable military strength of Great Britain. In early June 1846 the British offered to negotiate the boundaries between the United States and British North America in

144-638: A few days. Ground-level ozone tends to be from local sources in the valley and varies with prevailing winds. With prevailing winds from the northeast during the late fall and winter, air quality is seldom a problem. Air quality in the Fraser Valley at times exceeds the Canada-Wide Standard (CWS) for ozone (at Hope) and is close to exceeding the CWS for Particulate Matter. In colloquial usage, "Fraser Valley" usually refers only to that part of

192-721: A result of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and fears of the re-asserted American expansionist intentions. The two British colonies were amalgamated in 1866 as the Colony of British Columbia . When the Colony of British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, the 49th parallel and marine boundaries established by the Oregon Treaty became the Canada–US border . In order to ensure that Britain retained all of Vancouver Island and

240-596: Is considered the head of the Fraser Delta . From there the river passes through some of the most fertile agricultural land in British Columbia—as well as the heart of the Metro Vancouver region—on its way through the valley to its mouth at Georgia Strait . During the last ice age , the area that would become the Fraser Valley was covered by a sheet of ice, walled in by the surrounding mountains. As

288-494: Is defined as ending at Yale, Hope is generally to be considered the southern end of the canyon, partly because of the change in the character of the highway from that point, and perhaps also because it is at Hope that the first floodplains typifying the course of the Lower Fraser are found. Downstream from Hope, the river and adjoining floodplains widen considerably in the area of Rosedale , Chilliwack and Agassiz , which

336-639: Is included within the Lower Fraser Valley. The Upper Fraser Valley means from Chilliwack and Agassiz to Hope. The phrases "Fraser Valley towns" and "Fraser River municipalities" include Delta and Richmond, though the colloquial "in the Valley" means from Surrey and Coquitlam eastwards. The "Tidal Fraser area" is usually defined as the area of the Fraser from the mouth at the Pacific Ocean to

384-434: Is now possible to compare BC communities on a variety of measures. Comparative data on four measures— fine particulate matter , ground-level ozone , nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide —shows the Fraser Valley to have better air quality than Vancouver on several measures. For example, Fraser Valley communities had less than half the levels of nitrogen dioxide, and were lower in fine particulate matter and sulphur dioxide (on

432-521: Is one of the largest tidal freshwater lakes in the world . Oxbow lakes and side-sloughs are a common feature of the Lower Fraser's geography. The two main oxbows are those of Hatzic Lake and the Stave River on opposite sides of Mission, although that of the Stave has been silted in and part of it drained for a man-made lake. Around Fort Langley is an oxbow formation, mostly swamped in at the time of

480-557: Is the northernmost area of rice cultivation in the world. As the valley population grows and traffic increases, air pollution becomes an increasingly important issue; various controversies have risen over the years (most recently over " Sumas 2 ", a defeated proposal for a power plant just south of the Canadian/USA border) as to whether or not air pollution is a problem, and if it is a problem, how this should be addressed. Air quality monitoring has improved in recent years and it

528-486: The Fraser Valley Regional District , though that consists of only about half of the actual Fraser Valley, and is made up of the municipalities and incorporated areas from Abbotsford and Mission eastwards to Hope. It also includes areas not in the Fraser Valley, particularly the lower Fraser Canyon from Boston Bar to Hope. The term "Central Fraser Valley" refers to Mission and Abbotsford and

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576-496: The Hudson's Bay Company . (Also included in the region was the southern portion of another fur district, New Caledonia .) The treaty provided for joint control of that land for ten years. Both countries could claim land and both were guaranteed free navigation throughout. Joint control steadily grew less tolerable for both sides. After a British minister rejected the offer of U.S. Presidents James K. Polk and John Tyler to settle

624-521: The Royal 22nd Regiment , First Special Service Force and "F" Section of Special Operations Executive in France. The company was formed as a standard infantry company with a company headquarters and three platoons; a fourth "services" platoon added in 1948. The unit had no distinctive insignia. The Canadian SAS Company carried on in its mission of providing the nucleus of an airborne battalion that became

672-466: The "whole British press" greeted the news of the Senate's ratification of Lord Aberdeen's proposed treaty with "a sigh of relief" and "universal satisfaction" comes close to being accurate. The Whig, Tory, and independent newspapers agreed in their expressions of satisfaction with the treaty. Though a few newspapers had at least mild reservations, completely absent was the strong condemnation that had greeted

720-452: The 2011 Census, 76.47% of the Fraser Valley regional district in BC have English as mother tongue ; Punjabi is the mother tongue of 10.02% of the population, followed by German (3.49%), Dutch (1.39%), French (1.07%), Korean (0.69%), Spanish (0.66%), Tagalog (0.35%), Chinese, n.o.s. (0.33%), and Vietnamese (0.30%). Today, the Fraser Valley has a mix of land uses, ranging from

768-426: The British hoped this vote would pass the Senate. On June 12, the Senate voted 38–12 recommending that President Polk accept British proposals to negotiate this boundary. Votes in favor included 18 Democrats and 20 Whigs, whereas 11 Democrats and one Whig voted against. Three Democrats and three Whigs abstained. The treaty was negotiated by US Secretary of State James Buchanan and Richard Pakenham , British envoy to

816-935: The Canadian portion of the Fraser Lowland as well as the valleys and upland areas flanking it. It is divided into the Upper Fraser Valley and Lower Fraser Valley by the Vedder River mouth at the eastern foothills of Sumas Mountain , although the Lower Valley section upstream of McMillan Island and the Salmon River mouth (at Fort Langley ) used to be called the Central Fraser Valley up until 1995 (see Central Fraser Valley Regional District ). Administratively,

864-654: The Fraser River basin downstream of the Fraser Canyon . The term is sometimes used outside British Columbia to refer to the entire Fraser River sections including the Fraser Canyon and up from there to its headwaters , but in general British Columbian usage the term refers to the stretch of Lower Mainland west of the Coquihalla River mouth at the inland town of Hope , and includes all of

912-469: The Fraser Valley comprises parts of the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District . The main population centres in the Fraser Valley are Greater Vancouver , Abbotsford and Chilliwack . This section of the Fraser River is known by local indigenous peoples as "Sto:lo" in the Halqemeylem language of the area, and this term has been adopted to refer to all of

960-452: The Fraser but help drain its lowland. The Fraser is tidal as far upstream as the town of Mission and, across the river, the City of Abbotsford , which is at the Fraser's closest approach to the international boundary, about 6 miles north of Sumas, Washington . Pitt Lake , one of the Fraser's last tributaries and among its largest, is so low in elevation, despite its mountain setting, that it

1008-676: The Fraser's lower tributaries have floodplains of their own, shared in common with the Fraser freshet. Of varying size these include the Harrison River , Chilliwack River ( Vedder River ), Hatzic Creek and Hatzic Lake, the Stave , Alouette , Pitt and Coquitlam Rivers . Also incorporated in the Fraser delta region are the Nicomekl and Serpentine River floodplains and the Sumas River drainage, which flow to saltwater independently of

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1056-718: The Mission bridge. Everything in between there is influenced greatly by ocean tides, including the largest tidal lake in North America, Pitt Lake. The south shore of the Central and Upper Fraser Valley is also known colloquially as the " Bible Belt " of British Columbia and is home to many of Canada's largest churches, notably the Mennonite Brethren and the Dutch Reformed Church , a reflection of

1104-689: The Mobile Striking Force in 1949, replacing the SAS. Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia , Canada and northwestern Washington State . It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the North Shore Mountains , opposite the city of Vancouver BC, to just south of Bellingham, Washington . In casual usage it typically describes

1152-666: The Puget Sound region entirely, as the Americans were busy elsewhere with the Civil War. The San Juans dispute was not resolved until 1872 when, pursuant to the 1871 Treaty of Washington , an arbitrator ( William I, German Emperor ) chose the American-preferred marine boundary via Haro Strait , to the west of the islands, over the British preference for Rosario Strait which lay to their east. The treaty also had

1200-661: The U.S. since the Treaty of 1818 . The Treaty of 1818 set the boundary between the United States and British North America along the 49th parallel of north latitude from Minnesota to the "Stony Mountains" (now known as the Rocky Mountains ). The region west of those mountains was known to the Americans as the Oregon Country and to the British as the Columbia Department or Columbia District of

1248-482: The United States. Foreign Secretary Earl of Aberdeen was responsible for it in Parliament. The treaty was signed on June 15, 1846, ending the joint occupation and making Oregonians south of the 49th parallel American citizens, with those north of it becoming British. The Oregon Treaty set the border between the U.S. and British North America at the 49th parallel with the exception of Vancouver Island , which

1296-573: The West Coast in both Canada and the United States. The interaction of indigenous peoples and settlers led to the growth of Chinook Wawa , a pidgin language that was used throughout the Fraser River Valley until the early 1900s. Industrialization of the river began with the use of the traditional trade waterway by steamboats and eventually, roads and railways were built, fueled by and in turn fuelling further population growth. Today,

1344-499: The air mass collides with the Olympic Mountains . The cold air from the Fraser Valley can also flow out over the Pacific Ocean. Lanes of convective ocean-effect clouds and showers are produced as heat and moisture modify the very dry, frigid air mass. These then typically organize as a low pressure system which returns the showers to the coast south of Canada, often bringing snow to unusually low elevations. According to

1392-598: The boundary at the 49th parallel north , American expansionists called for the annexation of the entire region up to Parallel 54°40′ north , the southern limit of Russian America as established by parallel treaties between the Russian Empire and the United States (1824) and Britain (1825). However, after the outbreak of the Mexican–American War in April 1846 diverted U.S. attention and military resources,

1440-652: The commission decided in favor of the United States, awarding the San Juan Islands to the U.S. The treaty states that the border in the Strait of Juan de Fuca would follow “the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island.” It did not, however, specify which of several possible channels was intended, giving rise to ownership disputes over the San Juan Islands beginning in 1859. Other provisions included: Ambiguities in

1488-419: The fort's foundation, which was drained and made part of the fort's farm and remains farmland today. The system of sloughs and side-channels of the river is complicated, but important sloughs include those around Nicomen Island , Sea Bird Island and flanking the river from Rosedale to Sumas Mountain , on the western side of Chilliwack . In winter, the Fraser Valley occasionally plays a significant role in

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1536-466: The heavy settlement of the Valley by post-war Dutch and German immigrants, as well as the Canadian headquarters of many Christian/ Evangelical para-church organisations such as Focus on the Family and Power to Change, the Canadian branch of Cru_(Christian_organization) , formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. Voters in south shore ridings typically elect right-wing candidates, while in ridings on

1584-463: The ice receded, land that had been covered by glaciers became covered by water instead, then slowly rose above the water, forming the basin that exists today. The valley is the largest landform of the Lower Mainland ecoregion, with its delta considered to begin in the area of Agassiz and Chilliwack, although stretches of floodplain flank the mountainsides between there and Hope. Several of

1632-537: The indigenous peoples of the Fraser Lowland , other than the Squamish and Musqueam . The indigenous peoples of the area have long made use of the river valley for agricultural and commercial exploits and continue to do so today. The Indigenous people were not consulted in the Treaty of Oregon , which saw the United States and Great Britain define and recognize each other's claims to the area. This overstepping of jurisdiction inevitably led to conflict as Great Britain

1680-617: The latter measure, Abbotsford and Chilliwack were among the lowest of all BC sites). In certain weather conditions during the summer, prevailing westerly winds blow air pollution from vehicles and from ships in Vancouver harbour east up the triangular delta, trapping it between the Coast Mountains on the north and the Cascades on the southeast. Air quality suffers. This usually occurs during a temperature inversion , and lasts for

1728-619: The most important transportation through the region are the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway transcontinental main lines, the Lougheed Highway (Hwy 7), and the Trans-Canada Highway ( Hwy 1 ). After descending through the rapids of the Fraser Canyon , the Fraser River emerges almost at sea level at Yale , over 100 km inland. Although the canyon in geographic terms

1776-596: The region west of the Rockies. Some US senators such as Charles Gordon Atherton and Benning Wentworth Jenness were combative and were in favor of rejecting British proposals to negotiate. However others, such as both Alabama senators ( Arthur P. Bagby and Dixon Hall Lewis ) as well as both Massachusetts senators ( Daniel Webster and John Davis ) were in favor of accepting British proposals. The Senate agreed that they would vote on whether or not to recommend President Polk accept British offers to negotiate. Watching closely,

1824-414: The regulation of immigration and the continuation of mining on the river by the indigenous inhabitants and the new immigrants. This war was part of a series of local conflicts surrounding the arrival of settlers ahead of American and British capacity to maintain order and refusal to cooperate with or recognize indigenous land claims and demands. These conflicts were pivotal in many aspects to the settlement of

1872-689: The river's north side elections sway between left-wing and right-wing parties regularly. Treaty of Oregon The Oregon Treaty was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country ; the area had been jointly occupied by both Britain and

1920-559: The southern Gulf Islands, it was agreed that the border would swing south around that area. Ownership of several channel islands, including the San Juan Islands remained in dispute. A bloodless confrontation known as the Pig War erupted in 1859 over ownership of the San Juans, which was not resolved until 1872. Ultimately, arbitration began with German Emperor Wilhelm I as head of a three-man arbitration commission. On October 21, 1872,

1968-591: The techniques of SAS (Commando) operations developed during World War II". The Canadian SAS Company performed an arctic rescue mission in 1947 and provided flood relief efforts in the Fraser Valley in 1948. Appointed as the Second-in-Command, but acting as the first and only Officer Commanding of the unit was Major Lionel Guy d'Artois , a savate instructor who served in World War II with

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2016-407: The unintended consequence of putting what became Point Roberts, Washington on the "wrong" side of the border. A peninsula, jutting south from Canada into Boundary Bay , was made by the agreement, as land south of the 49th parallel, a separate fragment of the United States. According to American historian Thomas C. McClintock, the British public welcomed the treaty: Frederick Merk's statement that

2064-613: The urban and industrial centres of Vancouver , Surrey , and Abbotsford through golf courses and parks to dairy farms and market gardens . Agricultural land in the valley – much of it protected by the Agricultural Land Reserve – is intensively farmed: the Fraser Valley brings in nearly 40% of British Columbia's annual agricultural revenue, although it makes up a small percentage of the province's total land area. The Fraser Valley, specifically in Abbotsford ,

2112-414: The valley beyond the continuously built-up urban area around Vancouver, up to and including Chilliwack and Agassiz, about 80 km east, and abutting the border with Washington's Whatcom County ; news media typically also include the built-up eastern suburban areas of Vancouver which a few decades ago were mixed farmland and forest, typical of "the Valley". The Fraser Valley region is also the namesake of

2160-484: The weather regime along the west coast of North America as far south as California , acting as a natural outlet for the intensely cold Arctic air mass which typically sits over Western Canada during winter. Under certain meteorological conditions strong winds pour out of the Fraser Valley and over the relatively warmer waters of the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca . This can cause ocean-effect snow, especially between Port Angeles and Sequim , where

2208-491: The wording of the Oregon Treaty regarding the route of the boundary, which was to follow "the deepest channel" out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and beyond to the open ocean, resulted in the Pig War , another boundary dispute in 1859 over the San Juan Islands . The dispute was peacefully resolved after a decade of confrontation and military bluster during which the local British authorities consistently lobbied London to seize back

2256-494: Was incapable of exercising the control they claimed over the river valley. As a wave of immigrants flooded into the Fraser River Valley because of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush , the British were unable to maintain order without the cooperation of the local indigenous peoples, and the Fraser Canyon War broke out. The war was resolved with a series of treaties, none of which remain to this day, but which evidently included

2304-399: Was retained in its entirety by the British. Vancouver Island, with all coastal islands, was constituted as the Colony of Vancouver Island in 1849. The U.S. portion of the region was organized as Oregon Territory on August 15, 1848, with Washington Territory being formed from it in 1853. The British portion remained unorganized until 1858, when the Colony of British Columbia was set up as

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