Abbotsford news

• FVRD chair to seek 2nd term solutions with ‘collaboration, commitment and creativity’

  04-12-2025 23:23 via abbynews.com
  Patricia Ross, chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) is starting her second term at the helm of the board pledging to view challenges as “opportunities.”
  The FVRD conducted elections for board chair and vice-chair at the Nov. 27 meeting, as required by legislation.
  “Thank you, board members, for electing me as your board chair for another term. I am honoured to be trusted as your chair,” said Ross in the Dec. 4 release from FVRD.
  “During these uncertai
  
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• B.C. First Nations not pleased to be sidelined by pipeline political maneuvers

  10-12-2025 02:00 via abbynews.com
  While it may just be the subject of political gamesmanship in Ottawa, for representatives of B.C.’s First Nations, a pipeline built without consultation challenges the sanctity of their territory, their way of life and their economic livelihood.
  On Tuesday, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced a motion in the House of Commons supporting the construction of a B.C. oil pipeline in an apparent attempt to use an agreement signed by the prime minister and Alberta to divide th
  
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• Delayed Kelowna murder trial back in court

  10-12-2025 01:15 via abbynews.com
  WARNING: This story contains graphic details that some readers may find upsetting.
  After multiple delays, the murder trial for a Kelowna woman restarted on Dec. 8.
  Gabriella Sears, a transgender woman, is facing charges of second-degree murder and interference with human remains in the June 2021 death of Darren Middleton.
  Following Sears’ arrest, she confessed to police that she had killed Middleton. After a voir dire, however, the judge ruled the confessions may not be used as evidence in
  
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• Accountability demanded in wake of newlywed B.C. Indigenous man’s death in care

  10-12-2025 01:05 via abbynews.com
  More than 80 people packed into a room in Duncan’s Cowichan Community Centre on Dec. 8, gathering in grief, anger and solidarity to support the family of Leonard Sylvester III.
  Sylvester a 38-year-old member of the region’s Penelakut First Nation died following what his widow describes as a cascade of medical failures at Cowichan District Hospital and Victoria General Hospital.
  The event brought together grieving family members, Indigenous leaders, health advocates and representative
  
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• Crews investigating site of rock slide near Summerland

  10-12-2025 00:00 via abbynews.com
  Crews are investigating the site of a minor rock slide on Highway 97, north of Summerland.
  The slide occurred on Monday, Dec. 8, around 4:30 p.m.
  While this is close to the site of previous rock slides, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said the Dec. 8 incident is south of and unrelated to the existing North Beach slide site.
  One rock, roughly the size of a microwave, hit the highway, and smaller rocks were scattered around the south lanes.
  One vehicle was hit by falling rock. However,
  
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• Feds introduce justice reforms sought by family of slain Kelowna woman

  09-12-2025 23:30 via abbynews.com
  The federal government introduced a justice reform bill on Tuesday (Dec. 9) that strengthens penalties for intimate partner violence by designating femicide and hate-related killings as first-degree murder.
  A history of abuse, sexual violence or coercive control would be used to make this determination.
  This is one of the changes sought by the family of Bailey McCourt, a 32-year-old woman killed in broad daylight in downtown Kelowna last July. Her former partner, James Plover, who was released p
  
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• Mission neighbourhood targeted with gunshots for 2nd time since 2024

  09-12-2025 22:55 via abbynews.com
  A Mission home “appears” to have been targeted with gunshots for the second time in as many years on Tuesday morning (Dec. 9).
  According to a statement from Mission RCMP, the detachment responded to reports of shots fired outside a Kenney Avenue residence near Mission Sports Park at approximately 2 a.m.
  No one was injured in the incident. Officers found spent bullet casings outside the house and witnesses reported seeing a white 4-door sedan speeding away after the shooting.
  Police s
  
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• B.C. police blame ‘social media personality’ for inciting dangerous driving

  09-12-2025 22:30 via abbynews.com
  A “social media personality” organized a gathering of roughly 100 youth in Mission in which vehicles were driving dangerously, RCMP say.
  The Mission detachment said in a news release that the group of young people in vehicles gathered in the mall parking lot on London Avenue last Thursday (Nov. 27).
  Police said the vehicles driving dangerously were impeding customers’ access to stores and restaurants. Tickets were issued to “obvious” offenders and the crowd was disp
  
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• Abbotsford woman among top 1% of McDonald’s GMs worldwide

  09-12-2025 22:27 via abbynews.com
  An Abbotsford McDonald’s employee has been honoured for being among the top one per cent of the company’s general managers globally.
  Michele Kushnerenko, who works at the McDonald’s Clayburn location, recently received the Ray Kroc Award.
  The award is McDonald’s highest honour, recognizing those “who lead by example through their actions and behaviours, and achieve superior business results,” according to the company’s website.
  This year, 392 winners wer
  
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• UFV creating next generation of changemakers with new course

  09-12-2025 22:25 via abbynews.com
  Times are tough, and the future is uncertain, meaning innovators are needed now more than ever.
  To address this issue, UFV has announced the impending launch of its newest certificate program, which puts complex problem-solving at the forefront of student education.
  The Social Innovation Certificate is a two-year program created by associate professors Anna Griffith, Linda Pardy, and Martha Dow.
  Students will learn how to efficiently solve problems across a variety of fields, including business,
  
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• Police: Abbotsford truck driver lights candle to mask smell of alcohol

  09-12-2025 21:30 via abbynews.com
  A professional truck driver from Abbotsford allegedly tried to cover up the smell of alcohol by lighting a candle after he was stopped by police on Dec. 4.
  An RCMP press release issued on Tuesday (Dec. 9) said the incident occurred at about 9 a.m. that day, when the driver was pulled over in Fruitvale – near the city of Trail – by BC Highway Patrol.
  The release said, at the time, the 52-year-old man was driving a Peterbilt tractor-trailer – owned by an Agassiz trucking company
  
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• Fort St. James man sentenced to life for 2022 murder

  09-12-2025 21:20 via abbynews.com
  A Fort St. James man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 shooting death of John Lazarre.
  On Feb. 25, 2022, Fort St. James RCMP officers were called to reports of shots fired on Spruce Road. According to police, when officers arrived, they found 36-year-old John Lazarre deceased.
  Thomas Duncan, now 33, was later arrested and charged in connection with the killing. Ducan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for Lazarre’s death.
  On Wednesday, Dec. 3, in provincial court, Dunca
  
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• Parole revoked for former B.C. pharmacist convicted in death of common-law partner

  09-12-2025 21:00 via abbynews.com
  WARNING: this article contains content related to domestic violence (gender-based violence), which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been harmed by domestic violence (gender-based violence), contact Archway Society for Domestic Peace at 250-542-1122 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  A former Vernon pharmacist convicted of manslaughter has had his day parole revoked.
  The Parole Board of Canada reviewed the case involving Shaun Ross Wie
  
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• Parole revoked for B.C. manslaughter convict

  09-12-2025 21:00 via abbynews.com
  WARNING: this article contains content related to domestic violence (gender-based violence), which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been harmed by domestic violence (gender-based violence), contact Archway Society for Domestic Peace at 250-542-1122 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  A former Vernon pharmacist convicted of manslaughter has had his day parole revoked.
  The Parole Board of Canada reviewed the case involving Shaun Ross Wie
  
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• Peter J Froese

  09-12-2025 20:30 via abbynews.com
  Peter J Froese, dearly loved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and close friend to many, passed from this world into Glory on December 5, 2025. Peter was born on June 15, 1928 in Einlage, Russia. In spite of the great hardships at the time in Ukraine with famine, persecution and war, he remembered his childhood as being a happy time. After World War II, Peter immigrated to Canada and met the love of his life, Rita, in Vancouver. They were married in 1951. In 1955, Peter and Rita we
  
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• Chicago punk rockers Rise Against coming to Okanagan Valley

  09-12-2025 20:30 via abbynews.com
  Rise Against is Okanagan-bound.
  The Chicago-based alternative punk rock quartet will take the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre (PTCC) stage on March 27, 2026, as part of the North America-wide tour alongside fellow punk band Destroy Boys.
  Rise Against formed in 1999 and has since released 10 studio albums, including Ricochet (2025).
  Among the band’s gold or platinum-certified records feature rock radio staples like Prayer of the Refugee (2006) and Savior (2008).
  Penticton is one of tw
  
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• VIDEO: Navy sailor plucked from dark, stormy waters off Vancouver Island

  09-12-2025 19:50 via abbynews.com
  Professionalism and training aside, the relief is palpable as rescuers talk through the search for a sailor overboard in a video shared by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria.
  The voices chatter outlining the location, resources on route, the flare and a dark spot nearby quickly identified as the man they were seeking.“Outstanding,” says one searcher.
  “He just waved his hand up he’s alive,” says another.
  JRCC Victoria was alerted to a person overboa
  
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• THE MOJ: Future of Quinn Hughes with the Canucks is an issue with many layers

  09-12-2025 19:30 via abbynews.com
  “It’s definitely becoming interesting.”
  That’s the text reply we received from an NHL executive when we asked about Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes and teams inquiring about him with the Canucks.
  As first reported by HNIC’s Elliotte Friedman this past Saturday, the Canucks took a call from the New Jersey Devils, who were asking about Hughes’ status.
  Friedman followed that up on his ‘32 Thoughts” podcast by saying that the Detroit Red Wings have a
  
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• BC Lions’ 2026 season kicks off in Kelowna, no games at BC Place til July 25

  09-12-2025 19:30 via abbynews.com
  With the FIFA World Cup of soccer coming to Vancouver, BC Lions won’t play at BC Place Stadium until Week 8 of the 2026 CFL season.
  The Lions start with two home games in the Okanagan during “Touchdown Kelowna” battles with Calgary Stampeders (June 27) and Edmonton Elks (July 4), both 4 p.m. kickoffs at Apple Bowl.
  BC’s first game at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place is Saturday, July 25 vs. Toronto Argonauts, following the seven World Cup games scheduled at the stadium in
  
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• Abbotsford no longer only B.C. city on list of cheapest rent in Canada

  09-12-2025 19:15 via abbynews.com
  Rent continues to get cheaper in Abbotsford, as well as many other parts of the province, with B.C. rental prices now sitting nearly seven per cent lower than a year ago.
  Unfortunately, even with such a large decline over the past 12 months, B.C. rental prices still remain the highest in the country.
  But the rental market in Abbotsford is a much different story, with the city having not only the lowest average asking prices in B.C. but also one of the lowest in all of Canada.
  Abbotsford’s
  
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• Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame seeking nominations for class of 2025

  09-12-2025 18:54 via abbynews.com
  The Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame has announced it is seeking nominations for the class of 2025.
  ASHOF organizers are making the call to the public to nominate athletes, teams, coaches and sports builders who have had outstanding achievements or contributions to local sports.
  Nominations are open in the following categories:
  • Hall of Fame: local athletes, coaches and builders whose achievement have placed them in the national and international level of sport.
  • Wall of Fame: athletes
  
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• Christmas Bird Count set for Dec. 27 in White Rock, Surrey, Langley

  09-12-2025 18:38 via abbynews.com
  It’s a tradition borne of a historic holiday shooting practice.
  The 126th annual Christmas Bird Count is set for Saturday, Dec. 27 throughout Surrey, White Rock and Langley, an event that started in 1900 that is now North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project.
  Prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters were known to engage in a tradition called a Christmas “side hunt”, a CBC release noted, where groups of hunters would gather early in the morning, choose s
  
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• Deer negative for chronic wasting disease in North Okanagan

  09-12-2025 18:19 via abbynews.com
  Further testing has confirmed that a sample submitted from a male white-tailed deer harvested east of Enderby is negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
  CWD is an infectious and fatal disease affecting cervids, including deer, elk, moose and caribou.
  The initial screening test by the B.C. Animal Health Centre showed a “non-negative” finding for the sample, meaning the disease could not be definitively ruled out and required more testing. Following standard protocol, the sample wa
  
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• Abbotsford big rig driver in festive tractor-trailer caught for open liquor, being impaired: BC Highway Patrol - Fraser Valley Today

  09-12-2025 17:56 via news.google.com
  Abbotsford big rig driver in festive tractor-trailer caught for open liquor, being impaired: BC Highway Patrol  Fraser Valley Today
  
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• Rainfall warning, high streamflow advisory in effect for Fraser Valley - Abbotsford News

  09-12-2025 17:09 via news.google.com
  Rainfall warning, high streamflow advisory in effect for Fraser Valley  Abbotsford News
  
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• Inquest to be held in shooting death of neurodivergent B.C. teen

  09-12-2025 17:00 via abbynews.com
  The B.C. Coroners Service (BCCS) has announced they will hold an inquest in the shooting death of Clayton Heights teen Chase de Balinhard.
  In a Dec. 8 press release, BCCS announced the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Chase de Balinhard will be held in the new year.
  “A presiding coroner and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding this death,” Holly Tally, BCCS communications manager wrote in the release. “The
  
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• Seed planted in Abbotsford for creation of B.C.’s first memorial forest - Nanaimo News Bulletin

  09-12-2025 16:59 via news.google.com
  Seed planted in Abbotsford for creation of B.C.’s first memorial forest  Nanaimo News Bulletin
  
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• Grads reflect on B.C. opportunities as ground shifts for international students

  09-12-2025 16:30 via abbynews.com
  One ruined piece of meat showed Steven Mathews that studying and working in Nelson was the right career move.
  Mathews was a student in the kitchen at Selkirk College’s culinary management program when he accidentally wrecked specialty meat he was using in a recipe.
  At a school or kitchen in India, where he was grew up and received a bachelor’s degree in hotel management before enrolling in Selkirk in 2022, Mathews says he would have been scolded or failed for the mistake.
  But Mathews
  
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• Rainfall warning, high streamflow advisory in effect for Fraser Valley

  09-12-2025 16:22 via abbynews.com
  A rainfall warning is in effect for the Fraser Valley with between 60 and 80 mm of rain forecast for the region starting tonight.
  According to Environment Canada, periods of heavy rain are expected from Tuesday evening (Dec. 9) through Wednesday evening (Dec. 10).
  The warning includes the Fraser Valley, including Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Agassiz and Hope.
  “An atmospheric river will arrive on the south coast of B.C. bringing heavy rain tonight through Wednesday. Warm air with the sy
  
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• B.C. actor jumps from vacation to debut role as ‘chief elf’ in Netflix holiday film

  09-12-2025 16:00 via abbynews.com
  Langford’s Dominic Fox was on vacation when he received the call to audition for the My Secret Santa film for Netflix, which is currently ranking in the Top 10 movies on Netflix Canada.
  Fox, who started his acting career at the age of 11, graduated from the Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2024.
  This rising local talent is spreading festive cheer this season, making waves both locally and on the big screen as he builds an impressive early career portfolio with his first ever feature fi
  
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