Abbotsford news

• Abbotsford pulls out all the stops for Diwali

  28-10-2026 21:30 via Abbotsford News
  
  The future of Abbotsford is looking very bright as the Festival of Lights, also known as Diwali, approaches once again, with multiple events planned around the city.
  While Diwali is known for many things, one of its more common festivities includes the lighting of oil lamps called diyas.
  These lamps are placed in rows at houses and temples, celebrating various Hindu religious moments.
  The five-day celebration also involves plenty of food, prayers, fireworks, and decorative displays.
  With more th
  
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• Newly elected school trustee misses first orientation session due to Hawaiian vacation

  28-10-2026 22:01 via Abbotsford News
  
  Newly elected school trustee Eric Nyvall has answered back from claims and criticism on social media that he was absent from an Abbotsford board of education welcome and orientation session on Tuesday (Oct. 27).
  Nyvall confirmed his absence with The News and stated that he informed district staff about the existing plans. He has also booked additional time in the office to catch up.
  “In early August, well in advance of any commitment to seek election, I booked travel for my daughter and I,”
  
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• Darker drives, greater risks: How not ‘falling back’ should change driving habits in B.C.

  28-10-2026 21:45 via Abbotsford News
  
  A B.C.-based safety organization says roads in the province are about to get more dangerous for professional drivers, not to mention motorists who don’t drive for a living.With clocks not “falling back” an hour this weekend, B.C. drivers will spend mornings in more darkness and low light.
  Road Safety at Work, which aims to improve the safety of people who drive for work or work at the roadside, urges employers and drivers to prepare for reduced visibility and fatigue, and also consider cha
  
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• Vernon’s SilverStar Mountain voted 5th best ski resort in North America

  28-10-2026 21:30 via Abbotsford News
  
  North Okanagan residents know SilverStar Mountain Resort to be a winter paradise rivalling any other.They might be surprised at how many people from far and wide feel the same way about their local ski resort.SilverStar has been ranked fifth among the best ski resorts in North America in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, earning a score of 93.26 out of 100.
  The North American ranking lists 15 resorts. Deer Valley in Utah placed first with a score of 97.78, followed by Sun
  
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• RCMP track woman wanted on warrant to Hope

  28-10-2026 21:11 via Abbotsford News
  
  Coquitlam RCMP is asking for the public’s help in locating a woman wanted on a Canada-wide warrant who is believed to be in the Hope or Kamloops areas.
  Chelcey Hodder, 43, was last seen at 2:30 p.m. in the area of ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park in Coquitlam on Oct. 23.
  She is wanted on a warrant of committal after failing to return to her facility as ordered.
  The Coquitlam RCMP Investigational Support Team tracked Hodder to Hope, and it is believed she is either still in the Hope area or is trave
  
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• Parks Canada rolls out Rogers Pass winter permits in final season of current avalanche agreement

  28-10-2026 21:00 via Abbotsford News
  
  Winter permits to access the Rogers Pass backcountry are returning this fall, with few changes for what looks to be Parks Canada’s final season managing the area under its current avalanche agreement.
  Glacier National Park’s winter permit system takes effect for the 2026-27 ski touring season starting Nov. 15, after Parks Canada opened the online quiz for obtaining permits and parking passes on Oct. 15.
  Since 1995, this system has allowed winter recreationists to access the park’s backcoun
  
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• Truck driver charged after 52 bricks of drugs seized at Abbotsford border

  28-10-2026 20:55 via Abbotsford News
  
  A truck driver has been charged one year after allegedly trying to smuggle 52 bricks of drugs across the Abbotsford-Huntingdon border crossing.
  An RCMP press release on Wednesday (Oct. 28) states that officers at the port of entry in B.C. found the suspected drugs after searching a commercial truck and trailer on Oct. 22, 2025.
  The release states that Khushwinder Singh Gill, 47, of Canada was arrested and an investigation was launched.
  Charges were approved Oct. 19 against Gill and consisted of
  
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• Salmon Arm true believer in running to appear in a Stan Lee Universe comic book

  28-10-2026 19:58 via Abbotsford News
  
  Already a super kid in his parents eyes, Salmon Arm’s Kennett Woodhurst is making new fans as Super Ear, his superhero identity.
  As of Tuesday, Oct. 27, the five-year-old True Believer was in first place in the quarter finals of Stan Lee’s Super Kid, a contest run by the Stan Lee Foundation, named after the legendary comic book writer and creator/co-creator of many famous Marvel Comics characters including The Fantastic Four, Thor, The Avengers, Black Panther, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man and Spide
  
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• Barrie Wood

  28-10-2026 19:58 via Abbotsford News
  
  1931-2026
  Our beloved Dad, Barrie Wood, passed away peacefully on August 26, 2026, in his 95th year.
  Born in Winnipeg on December 28, 1931, to Barrett and Grace Wood (Giles), Dad grew up in Regina before venturing west to Vancouver, where he met his love, Patricia Amidon. A long-time resident of Abbotsford since 1971, Dad enjoyed a successful career in electrical sales with Gough Electric.
  Dad loved travel, bowling, playing cards, and spending time with family and friends at our place in Birch B
  
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• OpenAI suing to stop B.C. privacy commissioner’s Tumbler Ridge investigation

  28-10-2026 19:52 via Abbotsford News
  
  OpenAI filed a lawsuit in B.C. on Monday seeking to stop an investigation by the province’s privacy commissioner into the connection between the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s use of ChatGPT and the February school shooting.
  The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is seeking production of all of alleged shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT logs, as well as all documents related to the company’s decision not to report the activity to police until after the shootings.
  Privacy com
  
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• YouTuber’s arrest in Kelowna caught on livestream, 911 call unfounded

  28-10-2026 19:20 via Abbotsford News
  
  A Vancouver-based Youtuber was arrested while live streaming a soccer tournament in Kelowna.Kelowna RCMP said a 911 call came in around 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 for an individual in possession of a firearm and making threats at a recreation complex in the 4000-block of Gordon Drive.While on a live stream, Bashar Kudmani was seen being arrested by officers and escorted out of the facility.The allegations made on the 911 call were unfounded, said Cpl. Stephen Lang with the Kelowna RCMP.“No
  
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• THE MOJ: B.C. Lions host Roughriders Saturday in CFL West Division semifinal

  28-10-2026 19:11 via Abbotsford News
  
  LIONS LOOKING TO PUNCH TICKET TO EDMONTON: The B.C. Lions (10-8) face the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-8) at BC Place on Saturday (1:30 p.m., TSN; 730 CKNW; Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600), with the winner advancing to next Saturday’s Western Final in Edmonton against the Elks (13-5). The Riders eliminated the Lions from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but both games were played in Regina – including last year’s 24-21 loss, in which the Riders scored the winning touchdown with ju
  
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• Abram Schroeder

  28-10-2026 18:34 via Abbotsford News
  
  In Loving memory~
  Born March 9, 1929 to parents Henry and Maria Schroeder in the family home in Altona, Manitoba. He passed away peacefully, attended by his Family, in the Abbotsford hospital on Oct 20, 2026 at the age of 97.
  He is survived by his children. 2 boys (Ian Schroeder) (Martin Schroeder)and daughter (Linda Neudorf) 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Predeceased by his wife of 52 years Norma ( Blaine) and daughter Mona (Cross)
  Over the years Abe owned and operated various loc
  
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• Rick Hansen guest of honour at exclusive documentary screening in Williams Lake

  28-10-2026 16:09 via Abbotsford News
  
  Rick Hansen was recently excited to be back home in Williams Lake for a gala event featuring an exclusive screening of his story that sparked an ongoing mission to create a world without barriers and find a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury.
  “This is where it all started,” Hansen told the Williams Lake Tribune on Saturday, Oct. 17 from the Gibraltar Room at the Cariboo Memorial Complex.
  Hansen was left paralyzed from the waist down in June 1973 after the vehicle he was riding lost
  
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• UPDATE: 2 stretches of Highway 97C impacted by vehicle incidents

  28-10-2026 15:29 via Abbotsford News
  
  UPDATE 8:20 a.m.
  In addition to the right lane eastbound closure on the Okanagan Connector, a stretch of Highway 97C between Rey Lake Road and Beech Road, south of Mamette Lake is also closed in both directions due to a vehicle incident.
  Emergency crews and traffic control is on scene while an assessment is in progress.
  Original
  The eastbound right lane of the Okanagan Connector between Highway 5A and Loon Lake Road is blocked due to a vehicle incident, says DriveBC on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28
  
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• Okanagan Connector eastbound right lane blocked due to vehicle incident: DriveBC

  28-10-2026 15:29 via Abbotsford News
  
  The eastbound right lane of the Okanagan Connector between Highway 5A and Loon Lake Road is blocked due to a vehicle incident, says DriveBC on Wednesday morning, Oct. 28.
  It’s unknown when the incident happened or how many vehicles are involved. The highway is covered in snow but it’s unknown if weather played a factor in the incident.
  The incident originally closed both lanes eastbound, but the left lane was opened at 7:25 a.m.
  A vehicle recovery is currently underway.
  More to come.
  
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• Why cemeteries are sanctuaries for the living

  28-10-2026 15:00 via Abbotsford News
  
  I have a hobby that is strange to some but acceptable to others: I enjoy visiting cemeteries.
  Whenever I mention this hobby, a word I often hear is “morbid.”
  We devote October to honouring the “thinning of the veil” between the living and the dead. We dress our children up as skeletons, ghosts and ghouls. We line our driveways with skulls and headstones. We do the monster mash and the time warp in homage to a creature made from salvaged boneyard parts, and we make macabre music playlists
  
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• Victoria tops the nation in DIY Halloween costume searches; Kelowna 3rd, Vancouver 5th

  28-10-2026 14:56 via Abbotsford News
  
  Victoria has a bit of a reputation as a “last-minute city” where folks tend to purchase tickets en route to a show, and Google data shows it’s no different an approach to their Halloween costume preparation.British Columbia has emerged as one of Canada’s biggest hotspots for last-minute costume inspiration, with Victoria ranking first nationally for DIY Halloween costume searches per capita.
  B.C. ranks fifth in Canada for relative interest in “last minute costume”, as national search
  
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• Remembering Jesse: South Island crusader killed during Ukraine animal rescue

  28-10-2026 14:00 via Abbotsford News
  
  The province is mourning a South Island resident who lived and breathed animal rescue – and supporting their humans.“Jesse came into our lives and introduced us to two beautiful souls that in turn rescued us. Every encounter I had with Jesse was uplifting, full of laughter, love and compassion.”The post is just one among an outpouring online, many a refrain of love, compassion and inspiration for the Sooke man who co-founded an animal rescue more than a decade ago. Message upon message acr
  
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• Canucks end 10-game winless skid with thrilling 6-5 OT win over Anaheim Ducks

  28-10-2026 06:09 via Abbotsford News
  
  The skid is over for the Vancouver Canucks.
  Filip Hronek scored on a power play in overtime, capping a furious late rally as the Canucks beat the host Anaheim Ducks 6-5 in NHL action Tuesday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
  Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored twice for the Canucks (3-10-1) who had dropped 10 in a row heading into the contest. Liam Öhgren, Brock Boeser and Jamie Oleksiakalso scored for the Canucks, with Boeser and centre Elias Pettersson adding two assists apiece. Leevi Merilainen
  
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• B.C.’s snap election held the day after 2020 class of MLAs secured pensions

  28-10-2026 01:30 via Abbotsford News
  
  By waiting until Oct. 24 to hold the B.C. snap provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby saved several of his party’s MLAs from losing their pensions.
  Had the election been called any sooner — and there was plenty of pressure for Eby to do so as the Conservative Party floundered — several outgoing MLAs would have received no pension.
  Any member of the B.C. legislature first elected on Oct. 24, 2020, and re-elected in 2024, had their pensions vested on Oct. 23, 2026.
  NDP caucus communicatio
  
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• B.C.’s snap election called for one day after 2020 class of MLAs secured pensions

  28-10-2026 01:30 via Abbotsford News
  
  By waiting until Oct. 24 to call the B.C. snap provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby saved several of his party’s MLAs from losing their pensions.
  Had the election been called any sooner — and there was plenty of pressure for Eby to do so as the Conservative Party floundered — several outgoing MLAs would have received no pension.
  Any member of the B.C. legislature first elected on Oct. 24, 2020, and re-elected in 2024, had their pensions vested on Oct. 23, 2026.
  NDP caucus communicatio
  
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• B.C. NDP meeting to select new interim leader this week

  28-10-2026 00:52 via Abbotsford News
  
  The B.C. NDP caucus is meeting this week to select an interim leader to replace David Eby, who announced he will step aside after leading his party to an ill-fated snap election.
  Both outgoing and new members of the legislature plan to meet.
  “Separately, the party will take a clear and honest look at the campaign and set the timing and process for a leadership race in the weeks and months ahead,” a caucus spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
  Outgoing Health minister Ravi Kahlon gave a
  
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• Drawing of lots results in new mayor for Village of Lytton

  28-10-2026 00:01 via Abbotsford News
  
  The Village of Lytton has a new mayor, after a judicial recount confirmed a tied vote for that position and the decision came down to the drawing of lots.
  Jennifer Thoss has been confirmed as the incoming mayor, after the recount and draw on Tuesday (Oct. 27). She and incumbent mayor Denise O’Connor each received 45 votes in the municipal election held on Oct. 17, and a recount produced the same outcome.
  According to CivicInfoBC, there were an estimated 198 eligible voters in Lytton in this el
  
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• Princeton council seat determined by a draw

  27-10-2026 23:58 via Abbotsford News
  
  It came down to a draw, more than a week after the local government election, to determine the final seat in the Princeton town council election.
  The election was held on Oct. 17, but the vote resulted in a tie for the fourth of four councillor seats.
  On Oct. 26, Carrie Kassa, chief election officer for Princeton, declared Tyler Willis elected as councillor following a judicial recount lot draw.
  In the election, held on Oct. 14, Willis and Paula Shackleton were tied for the fourth spot on counci
  
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• Dead humpback whale seen in area of BC Ferries collision

  27-10-2026 23:47 via Abbotsford News
  
  A dead humpback whale has been reported to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) near the site where a whale was struck by BC Ferries’ Queen of Surrey from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay terminals on Oct. 18.
  In an update on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the Marine Education and Research Society said the dead whale was sighted near the Grace Islands just over a week after reports of a ferry striking a whale in the same area.
  “Necropsy anticipated, but it is believed that external injuries indicate ves
  
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• Shuttle Storm Abbotsford aiming to grow badminton with inaugural tournament

  27-10-2026 23:42 via Abbotsford News
  
  The sport of badminton is about to receive its biggest spotlight in Abbotsford ever in a few weeks’ time.
  The inaugural Shuttle Storm Abbotsford 2026 tournament takes over the University of the Fraser Valley Athletic Centre’s North Gym for a full day of action on Saturday, Nov. 21.
  The event is open to 10 different singles and doubles divisions for ages 13 to 50-plus, with a youth and UFV student rate of $30 and an adult rate of $40 per category.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sh
  
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• 5 Abbotsford and Mission businesses receive Inclusive Employer Awards

  27-10-2026 23:40 via Abbotsford News
  
  Five Abbotsford and Mission businesses were honoured on Oct. 22 for their leadership in inclusive employment.
  More than 200 people attended the eighth annual Inclusive Employer Excellence Awards at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre in Abbotsford.The event was organized by Archway Community Services, Bethesda Christian Association, Communitas Supportive Care Society, Mission Association for Community Living BC and AKG Canada Employment Services.
  The awards received a record number of nomina
  
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• ‘We tried so hard to get help’: Mom of B.C. teen shares mental health struggles

  27-10-2026 23:34 via Abbotsford News
  
  Warning: This story deals with suicide. Those with suicidal thoughts can call or text 9-8-8 to reach BC Crisis Centre. If experiencing a mental health crisis, call 310-6789 or visit crisiscentre.bc.ca.
  Late one Thursday in September, Kyle Webber grabbed the keys to his black Volkswagen Golf and drove into the night from his Surrey home, leaving his family with more questions than answers in the weeks since then.
  A Salish Secondary grad of 2024, the 19-year-old worked at a cellphone store, had st
  
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• Abbotsford rugby player joins Team Canada for Summer Youth Olympic Games

  27-10-2026 22:57 via Abbotsford News
  
  Abbotsford athletes have long been a steady presence in the international rugby scene, with one teenager keeping this trend going by attending the upcoming Summer Youth Olympic Games.
  Mason Balzer was recently named to the U17 men’s sevens Team Canada roster, making him the first-ever Abbotsford rugby player to compete in the Youth Olympic Games.
  Joining the Yale Secondary athlete in the Senegal competition are 11 other teen rugby stars, three of whom are from B.C.View this post on InstagramA
  
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