Chilliwack is growing, that much is clear.

New census figures show that over just the last five years, the City of Chilliwack has added more than 8,000 people, while the surrounding area has grown by nearly 10,000 people. Over the past decade, the City of Chilliwack has grown by a staggering 15,3367 new residents.

This growth will likely continue over the coming decade, and sometime within the next five years, the Chilliwack census agglomeration-which includes Fraser Valley Regional District Area E, the District of Kent, Harrison Hot Springs and 15 Indian Reserves-will welcome its 100,000th resident.

Think about that for a second.

The City of Chilliwack, along with the Fraser Valley Regional District, should be praised for the work its done over the past decade regarding parks and cultural amenities. But those local governments must redouble their efforts to ensure all those new residents-along with the old ones-don’t overwhelm Chilliwack’s infrastructure.

And governments will need to respond to the region’s rapidly aging population.

The most obvious need is for decent municipal and regional transit systems. Our roads cannot absorb all those new residents if they all have to drive everywhere. Fortunately, growth isn’t always a problem; today, bus systems have thousands more potential clients than they did at the turn of the millenium. That should make a bus link-if not a rail one-between Abbotsford and Chilliwack finally possible.

A larger population base also means a larger customer base for local businesses. There needs to be co-operation between residents, businesses and politicians to stop the scattershot approach to development and create vibrant local shopping areas.

Finally, we need to help those left behind by all the growth. The opening of Ruth and Naomi’s new facility was one step in that direction. But Chilliwack’s Health Contact Centre was also supposed to be open by now. It’s not. If we want to be a city of 100,000 people, we must act like one and deliver on our promises, especially to the most vulnerable in society.