Abbotsford news

• Brenda Hordal (nee Will)

  07-08-2026 22:30 via abbynews.com
  
  It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Brenda. Brenda was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1954 and passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 26 this year of natural causes brought on during the start of her battle with cancer. Brenda is survived by her husband of 36 years, Tim, sister Jay (Ed) and brothers Darral and Randy. Brenda was a very thoughtful and caring person who always considered the needs of others first. She was such a loving, devoted and steadfast wif
  
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• Driving hazards in wildfire areas include smoke, debris

  08-08-2026 14:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Wildfires have closed numerous highways and roads throughout the Southern Interior, Cariboo, and Okanagan, and drivers are being warned that smoke, poor visibility, heat, and debris could make driving more dangerous on many roads.
  Avoiding unnecessary travel near wildfires is the safest bet, but if you have to drive, have a safety plan. That’s the advice from Road Safety at Work, with Program Director Trace Acres saying bluntly, “If you don’t need to drive through wildfire cond
  
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• COLUMN: What a Columbia Valley power outage taught me about preparedness

  08-08-2026 14:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Until last Sunday, Aug. 2, I’d never seriously considered packing spare food, cash, fuel or a satellite phone on road trips.
  That changed after I found myself among nearly 18,000 East Kootenay residents living between Golden and Canal Flats who had lost power due to wildfire-related damage to BC Hydro’s transmission systems.
  I set out the day before for Radium Hot Springs to explore Kootenay National Park. I’d never been south of Golden, making the experience full of excitement
  
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• UPDATE: Trout Creek added to Summerland evacuation orders for Bald Range wildfire

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  2:20 a.m.
  Evacuation orders have extended south of Summerland and now include Trout Creek.The Bald Range wildfire is spreading rapidly and threatening human life and safety.Everyone in the area should leave immediately.Highway 97 remains closed in both directions from 500 metres north of Hardy Street in Peachland south to the Pyramid Picnic Area in Kickininee Provincial Park.Evacuees should leave the area by travelling south toward Penticton.Evacuation orders have extended south of Summerland an
  
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• UPDATE: Peachland properties on evacuation order, Highway 97 closure extended

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  Update: 2:02 a.m.
  An evacuation order has been expanded to properties on Brenda Mine Road and in the Renfrew and Upper Princeton areas. Residents on evacuation order should leave their properties immediately to keep safe.
  DriveBC has also extended the Highway 97 closure. It now stretches from 500metres north of Hardy Street in Peachland to the Pyramid Picnic Area in Kickininee Provincial Park.
  The following addresses are covered in the order:
  Aikens Road (all properties)
  875 Brenda Mines Road
  Bl
  
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• UPDATE: Part of Peachland on evacuation alert as Bald Range wildfire pushes north

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  3:45 a.m.
  A new evacuation alert has been issued for properties in Peachland for the Bald Range wildfire.The properties on alert are:4900 Brenda Mines Road
  5503 Glen Lake Forest Service Road
  6000 Sanderson Avenue
  Silver Lake Forest Service Road (All Properties)
  4421 – 4440 1st Street
  4402 – 4479 2nd Street
  4405 – 4478 3rd Street
  4416 – 4475 4th Street
  4411 – 4445 5th Street
  4445 – 4460 6th Street
  5810 – 5819 Arthur Street
  5803 – 5821 Atkinson Cresc
  
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• UPDATE: Highway 97 closed, Summerland evacuated from raging wildfire

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  Update: 1:02 a.m.
  Highway 97 is closed in both directions through Summerland as the Bald Range wildfire continues to spread.The closure starts 500 metres north of Hardy Street in Peachland and extends south to Bentley Road in Summerland.Update: 12:57 a.m.
  The RCMP has closed the northbound lanes of Highway 97 coming into Summerland, according to reports.DriveBC has not provided an official update on the highways within the current wildfire impacted areas.
  Update: 12:24 a.m.
  All of Summerland in
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuation order issued for parts of Peachland due to Bald Range wildfire

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  UPDATE: 5:28 a.m.
  An evacuation order has been issued for the Upper Princeton and Renfrew neighbourhoods in Peachland due to the Bald Range wildfire.Central Okanagan Emergency Management is telling the residents to leave the designated area immediately.
  Failure to do so could result in injury and loss of life.
  This alert will remain in effect until further notice.The following addresses are covered in the order:
  Aikens Road (all properties)
  875 Brenda Mines Road
  Blacksmith Place (all properties)
  
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• UPDATE: All of Summerland ordered to evacuate as wildfire approaches Highway 97

  08-08-2026 09:27 via abbynews.com
  
  Update: 12:24 a.m.
  All of Summerland in its entirety is under evacuation order due to the Bald Range wildfire.Everyone must leave the area immediately. Members of the RCMP, Search and Rescue and BC Wildfire will be expediting this action.
  Highway 97 still appears open from Penticton to West Kelowna including Drought Hill. Highway 97C has no reported closures. DriveBC has not provided an update on the highways within the current wildfire impacted areas.
  What you should do:
  • Follow the evacu
  
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• PHOTOS: Wildfire rapidly spreading, encroaching on Peachland, Summerland

  08-08-2026 06:02 via abbynews.com
  
  The Bald Range wildfire has grown to 5,000 hectares since being discovered a little before 5 p.m.The wildfire sparked along Princeton-Summerland Road northwest of Summerland in the late afternoon of Aug. 7.Evacuation order are in place Brent Road and Log Chute Road area south of Peachland, Faulder, from Darke Lake south to Bathville Road, including Garnet Valley and the Deer Ridge area, west of Cartwright on Prairie Valley Road and the Princeton-Summerland Highway to kilometre 15.People in these
  
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• UPDATE: Some Westside residents can return home as OKIB rescinds evacuation order

  08-08-2026 03:09 via abbynews.com
  
  Update: 6:09 p.m.Some residents on Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) land on the Westside can return home as the band has rescinded an evacuation order early Friday evening.The following areas are no longer under an evacuation order as of 5 p.m. Aug. 7: All of Desert Cove, 32, 34 and 41 Antoine Rd. to Gottfriedson Road, all residents of Spotted Eagle Drive., Hawhola Road, Smitken Road, and Wilfred Road.The OKIB notes that properties on independent water systems are permitted to return to the area iden
  
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• Canada’s biggest taxonomy lab to call Esquimalt home

  08-08-2026 02:30 via abbynews.com
  
  Canada’s biggest taxonomy lab, rooted in Victoria, supporting environmental monitoring programs across the country for decades, is moving to Esquimalt.
  Biologica Environmental Services Ltd., established in 1994 as a specialized aquatic environmental laboratory, currently houses 34 scientists, technicians, taxonomists, and support staff in 488F Bay Street.
  Speaking to Victoria News, president Tara Macdonald said that they chose to move to Esquimalt because they think it is an operational fi
  
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• RCMP investigating three more fires following string of suspcious blazes in Shuswap

  08-08-2026 01:37 via abbynews.com
  
  North Shuswap firefighters responded to more fires along Squilax Anglemont Road on Friday – two days after tending to a string of suspicious blazes now being investigated by the RCMP.The Scotch Creek/Lee Creek, Celista and Anglemont fire departments were back in action Friday afternoon, Aug. 7, after three spot-sized grass fires were discovered in the Scotch Creek area near Copper Cove Road.
  “Thanks to the quick actions of residents and people passing by, as well as the fire departme
  
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• Overnight closures planned for Highway 99 in Delta Aug. 10, 11

  08-08-2026 01:35 via abbynews.com
  
  There will be overnight delays on Highway 99 in Delta on Monday, Aug. 10 and Tuesday, Aug. 11 as crews install new bridge girders for the 78th Street overpass.
  The closures will be in effect between the Highway 91 and Highway 17 interchanges so that work can be completed safely.
  Closures will start each evening with single lanes in each direction before progressing to full highway closures one hour later.
  Southbound lane closures will start at 7 p.m., followed by a full southbound closure at 8
  
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• ‘I’ve lost about 8 people to suicide,’ youth delegate tells Inuit council in Nunavut

  08-08-2026 01:28 via abbynews.com
  
  The severe state of mental health issues among youth in the North isn’t a shock to anyone anymore, says 22-year-old Gwen Natsiq.Representing Canada as a youth delegate at the Inuit Circumpolar Council’s general assembly in Iqaluit, Natsiq spoke about how she’s been personally affected by Nunavut’s high rate of suicide.
  “In the past five years alone, I have lost around eight people to suicide,” she said.There are generally 25 to 37 suicides in Nunavut each year
  
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• UPDATE: Evacuation alert rescinded for Inonoaklin Creek wildfire east of Vernon

  08-08-2026 01:15 via abbynews.com
  
  An evacuation alert in place for a single property near a wildfire off Highway 6 has been rescinded.
  The Regional District of Central Kootenay pulled back the notice Friday, Aug. 6 for the Inonoaklin Creek blaze.
  Meanwhile hot, smoky and dry conditions continue to challenge crews fighting wildfires throughout the province.
  The situation is much the same at the 1,223-hectare Inonoaklin Creek blaze near Needles, east of Vernon.
  “Local smoke concentrations have increased,” the BC Wildfi
  
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• ATVBC recommends members postpone riding due to fire risk

  08-08-2026 01:15 via abbynews.com
  
  One B.C. organization that advocates on behalf of off-road riders is recommending that its members postpone riding until conditions improve, while another says that it respects whatever decision its members make.
  On Aug. 5, both the Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia (ATVBC) and the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC (4WDABC) issued statements about the current situation in the province’s backcountry.
  ATVBC has recommended that its members postpone any riding they have planned
  
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• Auditor general of Canada reviewing Nunavut drinking water management

  08-08-2026 00:58 via abbynews.com
  
  Nunavut’s drinking water management is coming under scrutiny from the highest oversight office in the country.The Auditor General of Canada will conduct a performance audit of the territory’s drinking water management.The audit results are expected to be released in 2027.“As this audit is still in the planning phase, its scope, methodology, and timelines are still being determined,” the Office of the Auditor General of Canada stated.The auditor general independent scrutin
  
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• Terrace pilot killed in helicopter crash while fighting wildfire in Greece

  08-08-2026 00:29 via abbynews.com
  
  A Danish pilot living in Terrace has been killed in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire west of Athens, Greece on Aug. 2, 2026.
  Two helicopters, one piloted by Rune Kyndal, 46, came into contact with each other in midair, European news agencies report.
  Kyndal and a Greek firefighting coordinator were killed when their helicopter crashed. The British pilot of the second helicopter made an emergency landing and he and a Greek coordinator are now in hospital.
  Kyndal had worked as a heli-sk
  
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• Vancouver Bandits advance to western finals

  08-08-2026 00:00 via abbynews.com
  
  At this stage of the season, style points don’t matter.
  “Just win the day. I said after the game, it wasn’t pretty, but this time of year, it’s survive and advance,” said Vancouver Bandits general manager Kyle Julius, who returned to coaching duties on Thursday night.
  Julius had stepped away from coaching duties earlier in the season after accepting a coaching position in China, but retained his role as the Bandits’ general manager.
  With Vancouver entering the
  
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• UPDATE: Some residents not following evacuation orders for Quilpituk Creek wildfire

  08-08-2026 00:00 via abbynews.com
  
  UPDATE: 3:00 p.m.
  Central Okanagan Emergency Management (COEM) is urging residents to follow the evacuation orders due to the Quilpituk Creek wildfire burning near Westside Road.
  ​COEM said it is aware that some residents have decided to remain in areas currently under order to evacuate and that anyone choosing to stay must evacuate immediately.
  ​“If you are in an evacuation order area, leave now. An evacuation order is not a suggestion. It is a life-safety measure,” sai
  
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• Kelowna native shortlisted in Rugby Photographer of the Year contest

  08-08-2026 00:00 via abbynews.com
  
  A Kelowna native is being showcased on an international level after her photograph of a university rugby game was shortlisted by the Rugby Journal.Katrina Laurila has one of her sports photos on display in Twickenham, England at the World Rugby Museum after her photo made the top 20 in the landscape category for the Rugby Photographer of the Year contest.The photo, taken in Kelowna, captures a match between her post-secondary institute, Trinity Western University, and the University of British C
  
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• Dave Sidhu to seek re-election to Abbotsford council

  07-08-2026 23:54 via abbynews.com
  
  Abbotsford councillor Dave Sidhu has announced he is seeking re-election in the municipal election on Oct. 17.
  Sidhu said he is seeking another term “to continue providing practical, responsible and community-focused leadership while working to keep Abbotsford safe, well managed and prepared for the future.”
  “Abbotsford is the community that raised me, gave me opportunities and allowed me to build a career and raise my family,” he said.
  “Representing the people of A
  
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• Abbotsford baker uses pastries to help new mothers

  07-08-2026 23:45 via abbynews.com
  
  It’s not every day that someone can pursue their dream while also supporting a charity near and dear to their heart, but that’s exactly what Sonali Rashidi has achieved with Pastry Paradise.
  The Abbotsford baker not only opened her own business earlier this year, but also welcomed her first child into the world last year.
  While she’s loved being a mother to her daughter these past 16 months, she said the journey into motherhood had a rough start.
  “My labour and delivery w
  
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• B.C. government seeks to seize vehicle linked to Surrey extortion shooting

  07-08-2026 23:43 via abbynews.com
  
  B.C.’s director of civil forfeiture has filed a claim to seize a Range Rover that is suspected to have been involved in a February extortion-related shooting and fire in Surrey.
  The notice of claim was filed in B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria on July 31 against the owner of the 2010 Range Rover, Dayajeet Singh Billing and Jasmine Kaur, who claimed to have a “financial interest” in the vehicle.The claim outlines the series of events that occurred on/ or around Feb. 1, 2026.In the
  
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• Inquest issues 7 recommendations to reform policing practices after Haida Elder’s death in B.C.

  07-08-2026 23:38 via abbynews.com
  
  A coroner’s inquest jury has recommended seven reforms to policing practices in British Columbia, specifically regarding wellness checks, following the death of Haida Elder Jimmie Johannesson during a police wellness check in Surrey in April 2022.
  The jury delivered its verdict Wednesday (Aug. 5) after the seven-day inquest, held July 27-Aug. 5 at the Burnaby Coroner’s Court before the presiding coroner, Kristen Everett.A coroner’s inquest is a formal court proceeding conducted
  
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• RCMP officer cleared in 2024 Tsay Key Dene shooting

  07-08-2026 23:35 via abbynews.com
  
  An RCMP officer has been cleared in the officer-involved shooting of an Indigenous man in Tsay Key Dene, according to a report by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) released on Thursday, Aug. 6.
  On the evening of April 9, 2024, RCMP received a 911 call reporting that an Indigenous man had shot two family members on the traditional lands of Tsay Keh Dene.
  The civilian witness who called 911 to report the incident at their home fled to a relative’s home. A second civilian wi
  
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• UN experts call for urgent measures to protect B.C. man and family

  07-08-2026 23:33 via abbynews.com
  
  Five independent experts appointed by the United Nations are calling on the Canadian government to ensure the safety of Surrey resident and Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who has received several threats to his life.
  Singh is a Canadian citizen activist who lives in Surrey with his family and has received four “duty to warn” notices from police about “credible and imminent threats to his life.”
  Singh is known for his advocacy work in the Sikh community. He is the chairpers
  
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• Speeding motorcyclist crashes while attempting to flee police in Surrey

  07-08-2026 23:30 via abbynews.com
  
  A speeding motorcyclist attempting to flee from police crashed into a passanger car near Highway 1 in Surrey early Friday (Aug. 7).Police saw the “motorcycle travelling at a high rate of speed” and attempted to pull him over, but the driver did not stop and “fled into oncoming traffic,” where the crash happened, Surrey Police said.Emergency crews responded to the crash around 3:30 a.m. Friday (Aug. 7) on the eastbound 104 Ave onramp to Highway 1 near 160 Street.Paramedics
  
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• Canucks golf in Surrey at ‘Jake’ tournament Sept. 14 to kick off hockey season

  07-08-2026 23:23 via abbynews.com
  
  Vancouver Canucks players, coaches, management and alumni will converge on Surrey’s Northview course during another Jake Milford Charity Invitational Golf Tournament on Monday, Sept. 14.
  For a 42nd year “The Jake” will be a season-kickoff event for the NHL club prior to training camp, in Penticton from Sept. 17-20.
  Last year the charity tournament raised more than $676,000 for Canucks for Kids Fund and Vancouver Canucks Alumni Foundation.
  To enter a golf team of three participa
  
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