Abbotsford news

• Down to a fine art

  15-06-2022 16:30 via abbynews.com
  
  Gallerist Jennifer Kostuik reflects on 25 years
  
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• VIDEO: Small species, big stakes at the Greater Vancouver Zoo

  20-03-2026 02:00 via abbynews.com
  The most interesting sounds at the Greater Vancouver Zoo don’t always come from the lions.
  Inside a series of low, water-filled tanks tucked behind the public exhibits, a quieter effort is underway, one that has taken decades to refine and is now producing thousands of endangered amphibians each year.
  If you listen close enough, you can hear a sound similar to a soft knocking, a mating call of the Oregon spotted frog, a species once thought to have disappeared from Canada entirely, explain
  
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• Princeton mill celebrates approval of tenure transfer to Gorman Group’s Similkameen Forest Products

  20-03-2026 01:30 via abbynews.com
  Princeton’s mill celebrated not just new owners but a new name as well with the handover of forestry tenures from Weyerhaeuser to West Kelowna-based Gorman Bros on March 19.
  The provincial government’s approval of tenure transfer was the last step in a process that began with Gorman’s purchase of the mill and tenures in 2025, which will now operate as Similkameen Forest Products.
  The transfer of the timber tenures has happened quickly since being announced in September 2025, as
  
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• Kelowna MP Fuhr details $339M plan to modernize Armed Forces

  20-03-2026 01:30 via abbynews.com
  Canada is launching two multimillion-dollar procurement projects to strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces.
  Secretary of State and Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr made the announcements at separate events on Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 and 19, outlining plans to support the country’s space surveillance and bring modern equipment to the military.
  The investments, which combined total $339 million, are part of a larger plan to revitalize the CAF.
  Fuhr’s Defence Investment Agency (DIA) facil
  
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• Killer dies while serving time in Abbotsford prison

  20-03-2026 00:14 via abbynews.com
  A former Cape Breton man who strangled his roommate to death in 2012 has died in an Abbotsford prison.
  A press release on Thursday (March 19) from the Correctional Service of Canada states that Charles Wheeliker, 59, died Tuesday (March 17) from apparent natural causes while in custody at Matsqui Institution.
  Wheeliker had been serving a life sentence, which began in December 2013, after his conviction for second-degree murder.
  News articles indicate that Wheeliker was living with Troy Francis J
  
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• Time travel: B.C. councillor says time switch puts students at risk

  20-03-2026 00:13 via abbynews.com
  While folks across B.C. look forward to longer summer days ahead, Langford Coun. Kimberley Guiry already has winter on her mind.
  With the jump now made to permanent daylight saving time, Guiry has flagged concerns about longer dark fall and winter mornings and the impact on children’s safety.
  From early November until the end of February, she warns that kids who begin their commute around 8 a.m. will be walking to school in the dark.
  Of particular concern for Guiry are the older Langford n
  
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• B.C.’s credit rating downgrade blamed on ‘deterioration’ of fiscal management

  19-03-2026 23:44 via abbynews.com
  Moody’s credit rating agency has downgraded B.C. a notch, blaming “entrenched deficits” and a “deterioration in long-term fiscal management.”
  The Thursday (March 19) decision is the agency’s second downgrade for the province in two years, lowering B.C. to Aa2, or two notches below the top Aaa status. These credit rating decisions signal to investors that the province is a riskier place to lend money to, which, in turn, may cause B.C.’s borrowing costs to
  
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• B.C.’s credit rating downgrade blamed on ’deterioration’ of fiscal management

  19-03-2026 23:44 via abbynews.com
  Moody’s credit rating agency has downgraded B.C. a notch, blaming “entrenched deficits” and a “deterioration in long-term fiscal management.”
  The Thursday (March 19) decision is the agency’s second downgrade for the province in two years, lowering B.C. to Aa2, or two notches below the top Aaa status. These credit rating decisions signal to investors that the province is a riskier place to lend money to, which, in turn, may cause B.C.’s borrowing costs to
  
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• Spill containment and cleanup underway after train derailment near Prince Rupert

  19-03-2026 23:33 via abbynews.com
  A mudslide triggered by heavy rain derailed a freight train near Prince Rupert earlier this week, disrupting service along the key northern corridor to the city’s port—and later revealing a significant diesel spill.
  On March 16, 27 CN Rail cars derailed approximately 20 kilometres south of Prince Rupert, near Mile 80 on Highway 16.
  Initial reports indicated that no spills had occurred, but subsequent assessments confirmed that at least one car was leaking, according to the Ministry o
  
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• Sexism or playful parody? B.C. car commercial sparks debate

  19-03-2026 21:30 via abbynews.com
  Some people aren’t happy with a Vernon Kia parody car commercial that pokes fun at female stereotypes.
  And while the car dealership’s commercial has sparked a degree of online backlash, one of the saleswomen that stars in the video suggests some people are missing the point.
  “You can absolutely trust us to sell you a car, maybe just don’t let us drive it,” says saleswoman Nicole Zbitnoff in the video titled Vernon Kia Girls Parody Commercial next to her female sales
  
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• Atmospheric river up to 50-80 mm of rain prompts warning for Coquihalla, Highway 3

  19-03-2026 20:52 via abbynews.com
  Heavy rain is making its way to two stretches of B.C. Interior highway.
  Just after 11 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 19, Environment Canada issued yellow-coded rainfall warnings for the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton due to heavy rain and high freezing levels.
  From now until Friday afternoon, the Coquihalla stretch is expecting 50-80 mm of rain, while Highway 3 is forecasted close to 50 mm.
  “An atmospheric river will remain over southern B.C. today thr
  
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• Abbotsford experiences first drug-related deaths of the year

  19-03-2026 20:45 via abbynews.com
  After only one month into the new year, there have already been several lives lost to drugs in Abbotsford.
  The latest report from the BC Coroners Service revealed that three people had suffered from fatal drug overdoses, which is two per cent of all drug-related deaths in the province.
  This is only half of the ratio of these deaths that occurred in Abbotsford last year, with the city representing four per cent of fatal overdoses in B.C. in 2025.
  Abbotsford also makes up far fewer of the deaths t
  
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• B.C. partnering with Whitecaps, viaSport to build mini soccer pitches

  19-03-2026 20:21 via abbynews.com
  To celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup and ensure the tournament leaves a lasting provincial impact, the B.C. government is partnering with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and sports improvement organization viaSport to fund 20 mini soccer pitches to be built in all regions of the province.
  “We want to make sure that British Columbians from all over British Columbia are able to benefit from this legacy project,” said Anne Kang, tourism, art, culture and sport minister, in a Thursday announc
  
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• South Cariboo woman helps document the 2025 Canadian 1,052 UFO sightings

  19-03-2026 20:00 via abbynews.com
  For decades, a team of Canadians has documented reports of unidentified flying objects, commonly known as UFOs.
  Every year since 1989, Ufology Research has released the Canadian UFO Survey, a summary of all major sightings of UFOs reported in Canada. For the last two years, South Cariboo’s Leanne Sallenback has been helping write the report as Ufology Research’s communications specialist.
  “It’s a fascinating time, because there is a renewed interest in this topic, especia
  
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• South Cariboo woman helps document 2025’s 1,052 Canadian UFO sightings

  19-03-2026 20:00 via abbynews.com
  For decades, a team of Canadians has documented reports of unidentified flying objects, commonly known as UFOs.
  Every year since 1989, Ufology Research has released the Canadian UFO Survey, a summary of all major sightings of UFOs reported in Canada. For the last two years, South Cariboo’s Leanne Sallenback has been helping write the report as Ufology Research’s communications specialist.
  “It’s a fascinating time, because there is a renewed interest in this topic, especia
  
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• Kelowna pastor, businesses face $70K civil suit due to unpaid rent

  19-03-2026 20:00 via abbynews.com
  Kelowna pastor and entrepreneur John Perks, along with his businesses, is being sued for more than $70,000.
  A civil suit was filed by Impact Upstream Ventures Inc. in Kelowna on Mar. 13 against Perks, 1486327 B.C. LTD, Western Canada Food Tours Inc., and JQA Enterprises Inc. after Impact owner Al Hildebrandt claims rent had gone unpaid for two months at its property 2041 Harvey Avenue.
  Perks was renting the building from Hildedbrandt’s company and operated several businesses through the ve
  
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• Abbotsford music teacher sentenced for harassment of 2 students

  19-03-2026 19:35 via abbynews.com
  A former Fraser Valley music teacher has been sentenced to time served and three years of probation after previously pleading guilty to the criminal harassment of two students.
  Bevin van Liempt, 34, was sentenced March 12 in Abbotsford provincial court to two counts of criminal harassment – one in Abbotsford and the other in Chilliwack.
  Van Liempt had been a prominent figure in the local music scene for many years, holding teaching positions at the Bakerview Music Academy and other organiz
  
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• Fraser Health social-prescribing team receives $1.3M boost

  19-03-2026 19:15 via abbynews.com
  The concept of ‘social prescriptions’ – prescriptions for wellness – has been gaining traction in recent years, and new funding will see a Fraser Health team help it advance provincewide.
  Dr. Grace Park and Margaret Lin are co-leads of one of two Fraser Health teams chosen for Michael Smith Health Research BC awards supporting research aimed at strengthening care for older adults living at home.
  With the funds – $1.3 million – Park and Lin “will collabor
  
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• Report released on Chilliwack drunk-driving arrest that led to woman’s broken jaw

  19-03-2026 19:03 via abbynews.com
  A public report has now been released that details an incident between Chilliwack RCMP officers and a woman they arrested for attempted to drive drunk.
  The incident took place outside a bar in the early morning hours on Nov. 23, 2024. It began with an intoxicated women “apparently intending to drive home” and ended with her having a broken jaw and being arrested.
  The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. took over the incident, and the report was concluded on Oct. 14, 2025
  
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• B.C. man dies in Belize due to ‘fall from height’

  19-03-2026 18:56 via abbynews.com
  A Kelowna man who was found dead in Belize on March 11 likely died from a lengthy fall, said Central American authorities.
  On Wednesday, March 11, a Canadian senior, later identified as 72-year-old Thomas David Harman was found dead on his drifting catamaran around 96 kilometres off the Belize shore, said Greater Belize Media.
  A cruise ship close by reported a distress call by a woman, who said her husband suffered cardiac arrest. The woman was rescued by the cruise ship but when Belize’s
  
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• KPU Surrey to host annual Anti-Racism Symposium

  19-03-2026 18:06 via abbynews.com
  Racism in health care will be in the spotlight at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) Surrey’s fourth annual Anti-Racism Symposium on March 23.
  The Anti-Racism Symposium is presented by the Office of Equity and Inclusive Communities at KPU.
  The day-long event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Eniola Salami, a family physical and Black Health advocate at the University of Alberta.
  Salami will present White Coat, Black Girl: A Personal and Professional Reckoning with Racism in Medicine.
  In
  
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• Big concerts, some free tickets at FIFA Fan Festival for World Cup in Vancouver

  19-03-2026 18:00 via abbynews.com
  Mötley Crüe, Kx5 (the Kaskade and Deadmau5 collaboration), Metric, Flo Rida, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Bob Moses and many others will headline FIFA Fan Festival concerts in Vancouver during the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament.
  Concerts will be held at the PNE’s new amphitheatre during the 28-day festival, June 11 to July 19, featuring rock, pop, hip-hop, indie, electronic, roots and other sounds.
  The series, announced Thursday (March 19), will feature “global chart-toppers to
  
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• Abbotsford Canucks extend losing streak to 3 games

  19-03-2026 18:00 via abbynews.com
  The latest Abbotsford Canucks road trip didn’t start off on the right skate, with the Wednesday game resulting in a 3-1 loss against the Ontario Reign.
  The first goal of the game was scored by the Reign when Kenney Connors snuck the puck past Canucks goaltender Jiri Patera only a few minutes into the match, despite being down one skate blade due to a blocked shot earlier in the play.While Patera managed to hold off the Reign throughout the rest of the period and the entirety of the second
  
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• Vancouver Goldeneyes defeat Sirens 5-2 as Annas shine in victory

  19-03-2026 17:46 via abbynews.com
  It was a night of victory for the Annas.
  Anna Shokhina and Anna Segedi scored their first goals as Vancouver Goldeneyes on Wednesday (March 18), helping the team defeat New York 5-2.
  The Vancouver Goldeneyes hosted the New York Sirens at the Pacific Coliseum in front of 9,226 people.
  Shokhina and Segedi both scored for Vancouver during the first seven minutes of the game, giving Vancouver a two-goal lead. New York’s Sarah Fillier responded quickly and brought her team within one at 7:15 in
  
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• More than 300 guests attend Executive Presence luncheon in Abbotsford

  19-03-2026 17:34 via abbynews.com
  A luncheon featuring female-led businesses and presentations welcomed more than 300 guests on March 11 in Abbotsford.
  Executive Presence: Stress Wisely was held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre.
  Among the exhibitors on hand were a custom hand-bound journal maker, a leadership development consultant, a hand-crafted masala and sauce provider, an insurance and financial planning business, and a distillery that provided samples of their special menu gin and tonic water.
  Keynote speaker Rob
  
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• Marianne Przybylski

  19-03-2026 16:30 via abbynews.com
  Marianne Susi Przybylski passed into the presence of her Saviour on March 11, 2026. She was born in Königsberg, Prussia on July 6, 1934, the third oldest of 7 children born to Paul and Susanna Kramer. Following the second world war, the family emigrated from Germany to Canada in 1951. They settled in Winnipeg, where Marianne met her future husband, Paul, who was also a European immigrant. Paul headed to northern BC to work at the aluminum smelter under construction in the brand-new communit
  
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• Bringing the heat: 7 temperature records broken in B.C.

  19-03-2026 16:15 via abbynews.com
  The wave of warm weather broke records in multiple cities across the Okanagan and Cariboo regions.
  In total, seven B.C. cities, all in the Okanagan and Cariboo, broke temperature records on Wednesday, Mar. 18, according to Environment Canada.
  Topping every city was Osoyoos as 22.7 C was recorded, breaking a two-year record for Mar. 18, after reaching 22 C in 2024.
  Next was Kamloops, which broke a 116 year record. On Wednesday, the city known as the tournament capital of Canada reached 21.8 C, be
  
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• Heavy rain expected for Fraser Valley until midday Friday: Environment Canada

  19-03-2026 15:59 via abbynews.com
  A “long episode of rain” for the Fraser Valley is expected to continue through Friday (March 20).
  A yellow rainfall warning from Environment Canada remains in effect with the latest update projecting between 100 and 120 mm from Thursday morning (March 19) to Friday.
  The prolonged atmospheric river event will bring periods of heavy rain across the Fraser Valley, including Agassiz, Hope, Chilliwack, Mission, and Abbotsford.
  Environment Canada says snowmelt from higher elevations could
  
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• 41-year-old faces charges in connection to Abbotsford robbery

  19-03-2026 15:30 via abbynews.com
  A 41-year-old man his facing multiple charges after an alleged robbery at an Abbotsford gas station on Tuesday (March 17).
  According to a social media post from the Abbotsford Police Department, Kevin Oakley has been charged with robbery, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and obstructing a peace officer.
  Officers were called to the robbery at 9:21 a.m. at a Clearbrook Road gas station.
  Police said the suspect threatened staff with a weapon before fleeing on a bicycle with cash and
  
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• Pattern games: A fun way to help anxious or reactive dogs

  19-03-2026 13:30 via abbynews.com
  
  If you share your life with a dog who gets anxious or reactive, you know how tough those moments can be for both of you. The good news is there’s a simple, surprisingly fun tool that can really help.
  They’re called pattern games. These aren’t just tricks to keep your dog busy—these games provide a predictable, structured routine that makes them feel safe and confident.Pattern games offer dogs something many of them naturally seek out – predictability. When a dog kno
  
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