Welcome to the FVRD, a place of spectacular beauty, rich quality of life and a thriving economy. Having traveled the world, I can confidently say that there is no place else I’d rather call home.

We have a unique mix of beautiful, pristine areas and city living.  Whatever you want is at your doorstep.

Outdoor recreation is at its finest here with opportunities that satisfy various outdoor needs including fishing, hiking, boating, snow skiing, boarding and shoeing; waterskiing, windsurfing, golfing, bird watching, white water rafting, mountain biking, and horseback riding.  In addition to all that, we have fantastic riverside and mountain walking trails.

Each area within the FVRD has its own unique attractions, including stunningly beautiful vistas in Chilliwack River Valley, Chilliwack Lake, Fraser Canyon and historic Yale and Boston Bar, Pitt Lake, Stave Lake, Harrison Lake, Cultus Lake, Hope Princeton Highway, Coquihalla Highway, and historic First Nations locations.

There are many annual tourist events to choose from such as the Abbotsford Agrifair, Chilliwack Exhibition, Abbotsford Berry Festival, Agassiz Corn Festival, Mission Folk Music Festival, Blues Festivals in Hope and Chilliwack, Harrison Sand Castle Competition, the Harrison Festival of the Arts, Eagle Fest, Hope Brigade Days, and the Mission Raceway.

We are serviced by major transportation corridors of CN, CP and SWR railway, 5 provincial highways, the Trans Canada Highway and West Coast Express.  In addition, Abbotsford’s International Airport serves a consistently growing number of Fraser Valley and eastern Metro Vancouver residents, boasting over half a million passengers a year to date. It is a vital link in the BC transportation network.  Regional airports such as Abbotsford are playing a major economic development role, locally, provincially and nationally.  Abbotsford International employs 1,600 people and has an annual economic impact of more than $250 million on the local economy. 

We are in close proximity to the major centre of Vancouver and professional sports teams centered there as well as close proximity to Whistler and the 2010 Olympics.  Our own rural Electoral Areas feature world class recreation and leisure opportunities including Manning Park and Hemlock Valley as well as historic significance such as the Fraser Canyon, Harrison Lake, the Kilby Museum, and the Alexandria Bridge.

Agriculture is the greatest economic driver here with vast diversity including pastures, vegetables, flowers and bulbs, greenhouses, dairy, beef, turkey, pork and chicken.  We have some of the most productive and richest farmland in Canada if not the world.  A whopping thirty-five percent of the province’s farm gate receipts are from the Fraser Valley.  The most recent census of agriculture shows total farm gate receipts in excess of $921 million dollars.

The Abbotsford Hospital and Cancer Centre is the third Regional referral centre in the Fraser Health Authority offering a wide range of health care services to residents in the central and eastern Fraser Valley.   It is the fifth cancer centre in the province, offering a full range of detection and treatment options, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation oncology.

The best thing about any place, however, is the people.  It is their cultures and attitudes that really create the charm of a place. We have much to be proud of here, geographically speaking, but our population of approximately 257,000 wonderful and culturally diverse people is what we are most proud of.