• Jean Mara Phoenix - Abbotsford News

    Jean Mara Phoenix  Abbotsford News
  • Trio of Conservatives back out of scheduled Abbotsford provincial candidates debate

    Trio of Conservatives back out of scheduled Abbotsford provincial candidates debate
    A provincial candidates debate scheduled for the University of the Fraser Valley has been cancelled after all three Conservative Party of British Columbia candidates withdrew their previously confirmed participation.The event, which was set to occur on Monday (Oct. 19) was supposed to feature Abbotsford South, Abbotsford West and Abbotsford-Mission candidates from both the BC NDP and the Conservatives.The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and the UFV Student Union Society shared the news of the deb
  • B.C. Conservatives remove Vancouver candidate after alleged Hitler posts

    B.C. Conservatives remove Vancouver candidate after alleged Hitler posts
    The B.C. The B.C. Conservative Party announced it is dropping Vancouver-Strathcona candidate Jordan McIntosh after the NDP’s Vancouver-Quilchena candidate Callista Ryan accused him of posting online about Hitler and the Holocaust using an anonymous account under the moniker “DeathNight.”
    Ryan posted screenshots of the posts on Thursday (Oct. 15), in which DeathNight is shown saying that Hitler did not specifically hate Jews, and that “Lots of Jews died because there were
  • Conservatives promising to build a women and children’s hospital in Surrey if elected

    Conservatives promising to build a women and children’s hospital in Surrey if elected
    The Conservative Party of BC appears to have borrowed an election promise from Surrey mayoral candidate Doug McCallum to see a third hospital built here if it wins the provincial election.
    The party’s leader, Lorne Doerkson announced October 15 that if a Conservative government is elected on October 24 it would build a new Women and Children’s Hospital in Surrey “so families no longer have to travel an hour or more into Vancouver for care.”
    Toggling back to the October 17
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  • Conservatives pledge to scrap new Massey Tunnel, build bridge instead

    Conservatives pledge to scrap new Massey Tunnel, build bridge instead
    Conservative Party of BC Leader Lorne Doerkson says if his party forms government, they would abandon plans to build a new eight-lane tunnel to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel in favour of a 10-lane bridge.
    The party issued a press release Thursday morning (Oct. 15) committing to a 10-lane George Massey Bridge, completing the Surrey Hospital in Cloverdale (already underway and set to open in early 2030), and building a new Women and Children’s Hospital in Surrey.
    Original plans by t
  • More police, prosecutors: CentreBC unveils public safety plans

    More police, prosecutors: CentreBC unveils public safety plans
    CentreBC is promising to hire 500 additional RCMP officers and 60 Crown prosecutors over five years as part of a provincewide safety plan announced in Surrey today (Oct. 15).Party leader Elenore Sturko, who is running in Surrey South, outlined CentreBC’s commitments outside Surrey Provincial Court, joined by members of her party, ahead of the Oct. 24 provincial election.“This is something near and dear to my heart,” said Sturko at the beginning of her announcement.Sturko explai
  • Abbotsford provincial election candidates respond to questions

    Abbotsford provincial election candidates respond to questions
    A total of 19 candidates are vying to be MLAs in Abbotsford’s five ridings in the provincial election on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Abbotsford News asked them to answer the following questions (the last two in 50 words or less): 1) What is your occupation?’) Where do you live? 3) Why should electors vote for you? 4) What are your top two issues?
    ABBOTSFORD SOUTH
    LEAH BALLANTYNE (NDP)
    1) Advocate, lawyer, consultant and adviser
    2) Fraser Valley
    3) I’ve spent 26 years solving problem
  • Grants offered for senior services and research in Fraser Valley

    Grants offered for senior services and research in Fraser Valley
    The Maplewood Care Foundation is now accepting proposals for funding of up to $50,000 for community-based seniors services and research in Abbotsford and the eastern Fraser Valley.
    Several grants of up to $20,000 are available, with some limited grants available up to $50,000 for 12 months (December 2026 to December 2027).
    Applications are being accepted until Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. for the Local Impact Grants for community-based organizations whose work addresses social isolation and loneliness among
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  • Central Okanagan Search and Rescue manager to speak on international stage

    Central Okanagan Search and Rescue manager to speak on international stage
    Search and rescue training and practices is a world-wide effort, and now, a local member is getting to speak on an international stage.
    Duane Tresnich, search manager for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR), left for Reykjavík, Iceland on Wednesday, Oct. 14 as he’s been invited to be a guest speaker at the 18th annual Rescue26 International Search and Rescue Conference.
    “Duane will speak about the important connection between search and rescue and social media, explorin
  • Police identify woman found dead at Central Saanich landfill

    Police identify woman found dead at Central Saanich landfill
    A woman found dead at a Central Saanich waste disposal facility has been identified, police say.
    Central Saanich Police announced the update on Wednesday, one day after officers responded to a report of a body found at the facility.
    Efforts are underway to notify the woman’s next of kin, police said in a media release.
    The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, with assistance from Central Saanich Police.
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  • COLUMN: B.C. flu and COVID vaccine rollout is too little, too late

    COLUMN: B.C. flu and COVID vaccine rollout is too little, too late
    Where are B.C.’s vaccines?
    Influenza A and COVID are already spreading. Another flu season in B.C., another round of vaccination arriving too late.
    Last week, the Provincial Health Officer finally announced that flu vaccination for the higher risk population will start on Oct. 13. Thereafter the general public will be receiving vaccination notifications until early November.
    Of course, Dr. Bonnie Henry is well aware that it takes another two weeks after vaccination for full antibody protec
  • Eby vows to cut $45 charge for low-income seniors bus pass, bring in Surrey Charter

    Eby vows to cut $45 charge for low-income seniors bus pass, bring in Surrey Charter
    BC NDP leader David Eby was in Surrey on Thursday morning (Oct. 15) for another campaign event as the B.C. election date nears.A Chevron gas station on 120 Street is where Eby and other NDP candidates gathered for two transit-related promises and a vow to give Surrey its own charter.If re-elected, Eby said the NDP would eliminate the $45 charge for low-income seniors to get a bus pass, and would commit to have Bus Rapid Transit run from Surrey to White Rock with $250 million in funding for a pro
  • Abbotsford rent reaches highest point in past 6 months

    Abbotsford rent reaches highest point in past 6 months
    September marked back-to-back months of rising rental prices in Abbotsford, with average asking prices now reaching the highest point since February.
    The latest report from Rentals.ca revealed that Abbotsford prices increased from $1,772 in August to $1,819 in September, marking a 2.7 per cent monthly increase.This brings the city to an unfortunate milestone of having the highest average rental asking price in the past seven months. The last time Abbotsford had a monthly decrease in rent was bac
  • Kelowna athlete to be inducted into the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame

    Kelowna athlete to be inducted into the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame
    Known as one of the most dominant middle blockers in Canadian volleyball history, former Kelowna Senior Secondary and UBCO athlete Marisa Field has been named to the Volleyball BC Hall of Fame for the class of 2026.
    ​Field helped the UBCO Thunderbirds win back-to-back CIS National Championships in 2008 and 2009, en route to earning the 2009 May Brown Trophy as UBC’s Outstanding Graduating Female Athlete.
    ​On the international stage, Field represented the Senior National Team fo
  • Chad Cowie seeks school board seat in Abbotsford

    Chad Cowie seeks school board seat in Abbotsford
    Chad Cowie is running to become an Abbotsford school trustee in the municipal election on Saturday, Oct. 17.
    Cowie is a father of two Abbotsford public school students, a local business owner, and an educator with approximately 20 years of teaching experience in Canada and internationally.
    He holds degrees from Simon Fraser University and Trinity Western University and has served as treasurer of the Yale Secondary parent advisory council.
    Cowie’s campaign – “Higher Standards, B
  • ‘I have done nothing’: North Saanich planner and mayoral candidate refutes firing

    ‘I have done nothing’: North Saanich planner and mayoral candidate refutes firing
    “There were no grounds to terminate me,” says a North Saanich director of planning fired by the district this week in the wake of an internal investigation.
    Council announced Tuesday (Oct. 13) it was firing Felice Mazzoni, hired for the role in 2023, after an independent investigator determined a “breakdown in trust” caused staff work issues district-wide.
    North Saanich said the district received multiple complaints regarding Mazzoni – who is also running for mayor
  • Homicide suspected after man’s body found at Surrey roadside

    Homicide suspected after man’s body found at Surrey roadside
    Homicide police are investigating after a man’s body was found at the side of the road in the 6100-block of 156 Street in Surrey early Wednesday afternoon, October 14.
    Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton, of the Surrey Police Service, said the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is on the case.
    The body was found at 1:07 p.m., Houghton said.
    Police are asking anyone with information, CCTV or dash-camera footage to contacted the IHIT information line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at i
  • Vehicle fire causes eastbound lane closure on Okanagan Connector

    Vehicle fire causes eastbound lane closure on Okanagan Connector
    An early morning vehicle fire is impacting drivers travelling eastbound on the Okanagan Connector on Thursday morning.
    While there’s little details of the vehicle fire at this time, it occurred around 1 a.m. on Oct. 15.
    As a result, the right lane eastbound of the Okanagan Connector is closed from Brenda Mines Road to MacDonald Creek. Additionally, the left lane has been reduced to a 50 km/h zone.
    UPDATE #BCHwy97C has reopened at Brenda Mine Rd. An eastbound right lane closure remains in p
  • UPDATE: Eastbound lane reopened on Okanagan Connector after vehicle fire

    UPDATE: Eastbound lane reopened on Okanagan Connector after vehicle fire
    UPDATE 11:18 a.m.
    The eastbound lanes of the Okanagan Connector at Brenda Mines Road is fully open again following an early morning vehicle fire.
    At this time, the burned vehicle remains on the shoulder and is expected to be picked up later today.
    Original
    An early morning vehicle fire is impacting drivers travelling eastbound on the Okanagan Connector on Thursday morning.
    While there’s little details of the vehicle fire at this time, it occurred around 1 a.m. on Oct. 15.
    As a result, the
  • VIDEO: Big Easy Funk Ensemble performs in Harrison Oct. 23

    VIDEO: Big Easy Funk Ensemble performs in Harrison Oct. 23
    A musical taste of New Orleans is coming back to Harrison Hot Springs.Big Easy Funk Ensemble will grace Harrison’s Memorial Hall on Saturday, Oct. 23, with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.The BEFE pays tribute to the rich musical traditions of New Orleans and blends it with their own West Coast flair. Their influences include funk, jazz, soul and the blues.BEFE is a nine-member band complete with a three-piece horn section of Andrew Benton (saxophone), Kevin Tang (trombone) and Ryan Naso (tr
  • Help your dog have a better Halloween

    Help your dog have a better Halloween
    Halloween can be exciting for us, but for some dogs, it can be a surprisingly stressful evening.
    The doorbell keeps ringing. People who normally look familiar are suddenly wearing masks and costumes. Children are running up to the house, there are unusual noises outside, and there is a constant stream of activity that your dog doesn’t normally experience.
    Some dogs take it all in stride. Others need more support.
    The best thing you can do is think about your dog’s individual needs an
  • Thanking her rescuers

    Thanking her rescuers
    Bettany Plummer will have to miss Halloween, but she’s been told she will be home from hospital in time for Christmas.
    Plummer, an Abbotsford resident, was walking back to her home with groceries from the Freshco store in Aldergrove on Fraser Highway near Station Road around 9:45 a.m. on the morning of Friday, Oct. 3 when she was hit by a vehicle and dragged under its wheels.
    “I had the pedestrian crosswalk,” Plummer told the Langley Advance Times.
    “It was my turn to go,
  • Abbotsford pedestrian struck by car in Aldergrove thanks her rescuers

    Abbotsford pedestrian struck by car in Aldergrove thanks her rescuers
    Bettany Plummer will have to miss Halloween, but she’s been told she will be home from hospital in time for Christmas.
    Plummer, an Abbotsford resident, was walking back to her home with groceries from the FreshCo store in Aldergrove on Fraser Highway near Station Road around 9:45 a.m. on the morning of Friday, Oct. 3 when she was hit by a vehicle and dragged under its wheels.
    “I had the pedestrian crosswalk,” Plummer told the Langley Advance Times.
    “It was my turn to go,
  • Eby defends his record, Doerkson tries to gain trust during B.C. election debate

    Eby defends his record, Doerkson tries to gain trust during B.C. election debate
    Right off the top during the first and only televised leaders’ debate before British Columbia’s provincial election, NDP Leader David Eby was forced to defend his early election call.
    He says the NDP’s one-vote majority simply wasn’t cutting it, forcing his colleagues — some sick with cancer, others new parents — to vote from hospital beds just to keep the government from falling.
    “This was not a government that was able to deliver the big swings that yo
  • Tumbler Ridge shooting accused co-conspirator denied bail: U.S. judge

    Tumbler Ridge shooting accused co-conspirator denied bail: U.S. judge
    The alleged Washington State co-conspirator in the fatal mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge has been denied bail.
    Accused James Cody Bryant, a Bellingham resident, was in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington courthouse in Seattle Tuesday (Oct. 13) for a detention hearing. Judge Mary Alice Theiler ordered Bryant to be detained and remanded in custody. Bryant is next scheduled for a preliminary examination on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.
    Bryant was arrested Oct. 7 in Bellingham, Wash. and ch
  • NDP releases costed platform with added spending, new taxes on wealthy

    NDP releases costed platform with added spending, new taxes on wealthy
    The NDP released a fully costed party platform just hours ahead of a scheduled debate between party leaders on Wednesday.
    Costing estimates include added spending for projects and priorities and added taxes for the wealthiest 3.88 per cent of residents. This keeps the deficit on a similar track as the last provincial budget.
    The platform also relies on projected economic growth, the speculation and vacancy tax and a proposed unsold condo tax to fill coffers.
    The projected budget deficit would be
  • NDP release costed platform with added spending, new taxes on wealthy

    NDP release costed platform with added spending, new taxes on wealthy
    The NDP released a fully costed party platform just hours ahead of a scheduled debate between party leaders on Wednesday.
    Costing estimates include added spending for projects and priorities and added taxes for the wealthiest 3.88 per cent of residents. This keeps the deficit on a similar track as the last provincial budget.
    The platform also relies on projected economic growth, the speculation and vacancy tax and a proposed unsold condo tax to fill coffers.
    The projected budget deficit would be
  • BC Place record: 5 Bruno Mars concerts in Vancouver Oct. 14-21

    BC Place record: 5 Bruno Mars concerts in Vancouver Oct. 14-21
    Wednesday (Oct. 14) is the first of five nights of concerts for American entertainer Bruno Mars at BC Place in Vancouver.It’s a record run of shows at the big stadium for any musical artist, eclipsing Taylor Swift’s three concerts there in 2024 and The Jacksons’ three in 1984.
    Live Nation-produced The Romantic Tour marks the first full headline tour in nearly a decade for the Honolulu-born Mars, following his 24K Magic World Tour of 2017.
    This week, the four other concert dates
  • 5 Bruno Mars concerts at BC Place in Vancouver starting Wednesday, Oct. 14

    5 Bruno Mars concerts at BC Place in Vancouver starting Wednesday, Oct. 14
    Wednesday (Oct. 14) is the first of five nights of concerts for American entertainer Bruno Mars at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.It’s a record run of shows at the venue for any musical artist, eclipsing Taylor Swift’s three shows there in 2024 and The Jacksons’ three in 1984.
    The Live Nation-produced The Romantic Tour marks the first full headline tour in nearly a decade for the Honolulu-born Mars, following his 24K Magic World Tour of 2017.
    This week, the four other concert da
  • B.C. Conservatives promise separate municipal, provincial election periods if they win

    B.C. Conservatives promise separate municipal, provincial election periods if they win
    B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson promises that if his party wins the snap election on Oct. 24, he will introduce a bill to ensure local and municipal election periods never overlap again.
    “The provincial campaign has swallowed the local one,” he said in a social media video released Wednesday. “Healthcare, public safety, and the cost of living are all critical issues, and the people running for your city hall or your school board deserve their own moment to discuss them.

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