Abbotsford news

• Mayors told low-income transit pass needed

  25-06-2026 19:45 via abbynews.com
  Many residents of Metro Vancouver are in desperate need of a low income transit pass, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation was told at its meeting on June 25.
  Chris Ng, an organizer of of Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders, reminded the mayors that in order for people to have a job they need to be able to get to it.
  “Given the cost of living and unemployment crisis that we’re facing I think that it’s very clear that we need relief,” Ng told the mayor
  
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• ‘I’m not guilty’: Lumby murder suspect makes final arguments in his own trial

  25-06-2026 22:23 via abbynews.com
  
  North Okanagan murder suspect Vitali Stefanski made his closing submissions in his own B.C. Supreme Court trial Thursday, when he maintained his innocence while offering a scattered account of the leadup to his ex-wife’s death, and told jurors why he should believed instead of the Crown.
  Vitali pleaded not-guilty last month to second-degree murder in relation to the death of ex-wife Tatjana Stefanski, whose body was found with seven stab wounds and more than a dozen other sharp-force injur
  
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• ‘Without one, the whole network falls’: Princeton joins multi-city flood partnership

  25-06-2026 22:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Princeton has joined hands with Merritt, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope to secure funding from the federal government to rebuild after floods that devastated these communities.
  The West Coast Resiliency Partnership (WCCRP) is a collaboration between these five cities who have had their transportation, energy, food supply and economic corridor heavily impacted due to floods.
  Princeton mayor Spencer Coyne explained how Princeton, Merritt and Abbotsford were some of the most damaged communities du
  
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• Nanaimo RCMP ask kids to stop following criminal TikTok trend

  25-06-2026 22:00 via abbynews.com
  
  A social media trend has resulted in thousands of dollars in local property damage and RCMP reports from frustrated residents.
  Started in 2025, the “TikTok Door Kick Challenge” involves youth, primarily between the ages of 13 to 15, according to the Nanaimo RCMP, who are “aggressively kicking, pounding or striking residential doors doors during late night or early morning hours, before running away and recording the reactions for social media.”
  “These incidents are
  
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• Wildfire burning out of control northeast of Whistler

  25-06-2026 21:42 via abbynews.com
  
  A wildfire burning northeast of Whistler is currently 6.5 hectares, B.C. Wildfire Service says.
  The Cougar Mountain wildfire, which is about 15 kilometres south of Pemberton, was discovered on Wednesday (June 24). It’s currently deemed as burning out of control.
  B.C. Wildfire Service says lightning is the suspected cause.
  There are two initial attack crews and one unit crew on site as of Thursday at noon. They’re working alongside officers and helicopter support.
  B.C. Wildfire servic
  
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• 50,000+ coming to Surrey’s FVDED, one of B.C.’s biggest EDM festivals

  25-06-2026 21:14 via abbynews.com
  
  Close to 50,000 dance music fans will turn Surrey’s Holland Park into a giant block party July 3-4 during the 2026 edition of FVDED in the Park.
  The annual festival of EDM (electronic dance music) will feature close to 60 artists/DJs at what will be the biggest FVDED fest yet, as last year’s daily capacity of 24,000 has been upped to around 27,000 for each of the two days.
  “We’ve been working for a couple years now to expand a bit,” said festival founder/planner Alv
  
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• Man dead after ‘altercation’ in West Vancouver: Homicide police

  25-06-2026 20:40 via abbynews.com
  
  A 43-year-old man is dead after an “altercation” in West Vancouver Wednesday, homicide police say.
  West Vancouver Police Department was called to a home in the Squamish Nation village of X̱wemelch’stn in West Vancouver shortly after midnight for a report of an “altercation,” according to a news release from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Thursday (June 25).
  When officers arrived, they found a 43-year-old man who was pronounced dead at the scene.
  A 3
  
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• Abbotsford softball player laces up cleats for Canada Cup

  25-06-2026 20:40 via abbynews.com
  
  A familiar face will be donning the Maple Leaf this July at the Canada Cup Women’s International Softball Championship, as Abbotsford’s Callum Maskill once again represents her country on the world stage.
  Maskill, who previously competed under the surname Pilgrim, has been a part of the women’s national team at every Canada Cup since 2019.
  As an outfielder, she has been able to make quite an impact on Team Canada, even contributing four hits and three runs at the recent 2026 WB
  
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• Metro bus riders lose 44K hours per week to traffic congestion

  25-06-2026 20:30 via abbynews.com
  
  Every weekday Metro Vancouver bus riders collectively lose more than 44,000 hours to traffic congestion.
  That’s what TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn told the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation at its June 25 meeting.
  “That’s time lost to traffic instead of getting to work, school or family. That comes at a cost to both customers and to our bottom line, accounting for about 13 per cent of our annual bus operating cost,” Quinn noted. “That’s why since 20
  
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• Baby goat JoeJoe dies ‘relaxed, safe and dearly loved’ at Victoria farm

  25-06-2026 20:30 via abbynews.com
  
  It was supposed to be a happy milestone, but as Beacon Hill Children’s Farm got ready to celebrate its 41st anniversary this month, things took a turn.
  On June 12, farm staff were forced to euthanize baby goat JoeJoe born just over five months before.
  “He was a lovely, goofy little guy who loved to jump, play, eat, snuggle and sleep,” the farm said on its Facebook page. “By mid-April, we noticed he was moving slower than his brothers, staring into space and less eager to
  
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• Alberta man charged in 4 sexual offences investigations, one involving B.C. girl

  25-06-2026 20:30 via abbynews.com
  
  A Grande Prairie man is facing a number of sexual offence charges, and a count of forcible confinement, stemming from four investigations.
  Grande Prairie RCMP announced the charges against 32-year-old Joseph Kidd on Thursday (June 25). Kidd, of Grande Prairie, is facing 17 charges from four investigations between April 17 and June 18.
  The victims range in age from 12 to 18 years old.
  Kidd was released from custody three times. He remains in custody until his next court date on July 2.
  Supt. Mark
  
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• Donations needed in Abbotsford for kids’ summer food program

  25-06-2026 20:16 via abbynews.com
  
  As the school year comes to a close, Archway Community Services is asking for donations to support the Summer Starfish Pack Program over the next two months.
  The Starfish Pack program provides food-filled backpacks to students every weekend through the school year.
  Rebecca Thuro, manager of food security at Archway, said when school-meal programs and Starfish packs pause for the summer, “it can leave a significant gap.”
  “For many families, school meal programs are a lifeline,&r
  
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• Ontario man, 29, charged in B.C. human-trafficking investigation

  25-06-2026 19:25 via abbynews.com
  
  A 29-year-old Ontario man is facing multiple charges in connection with a B.C. human-trafficking investigation.
  Jahail Green was charged May 11 with trafficking in persons, procuring a person to provide sexual services, material benefit from trafficking, material benefit from sexual services, advertising sexual services and assault, B.C. RCMP announced Thursday (June 25).
  The alleged offences occurred between January 2025 and January 2026.
  Police said the investigation began in May 2025.
  Investi
  
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• 9 vehicles impounded in Abbotsford for excessive speeding

  25-06-2026 19:22 via abbynews.com
  
  The Abbotsford Police Department recently conducted a two-day excessive-speeding blitz and impounded nine vehicles that recorded an average speed of 113 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
  Media relations officer Sgt. Paul Walker said the highest recorded speed in the area – along Simpson Road near Millwright Drive – was 126 km/h.
  Walker said the blitz began after a resident contacted police in May to report that many vehicles each day were travelling at dangerously high speeds along the route.
  
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• 3 people on board firefighting plane that crashed in NWT

  25-06-2026 19:16 via abbynews.com
  
  NWT Fire says the “serious incident” involving a bird dog aircraft near Fort Simpson on Wednesday was a crash, and that three people were onboard the aircraft.
  NWT Fire did not provide information about the occupants or their condition in an update on Thursday morning, nor did the RCMP, who indicated that the Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead in the investigation.
  The incident was first reported publicly in an NWT Fire social media post just after 9 p.m. on Thursday.
  The
  
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• Two men charged in connection to extortion-related shooting in Surrey

  25-06-2026 19:03 via abbynews.com
  
  Four Surrey men have been arrested in connection with an extortion-related shooting on June 11 in Surrey’s City Centre neighbourhood.
  Arman Singh, 21, and Simarjeet Singh, 22, have been charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm each. The other two men have not been charged with a criminal offence “at this time,” but as they are foreign nationals, they are in the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), police said.
  Arman and Simarjeet are in custody
  
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• Surrey man, 50, dead after crash on Highway 1 near Hope

  25-06-2026 18:46 via abbynews.com
  
  A 50-year-old Surrey man is dead after a single-vehicle incident on Highway 1 near Hope on Wednesday (June 24).
  “Criminality” is not suspected in the fatal crash, according to Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, media relations officer of the BC Highway Patrol.
  The driver of the older-model white Ford F-350 pickup with a camper “drove off the road” on Highway 1 eastbound at Flood Hope Road, near Hope, according to the witnesses on the road who called it in, the release said.
  “
  
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• 50-year-old Surrey man dead after fatal crash on Highway 1 near Hope

  25-06-2026 18:46 via abbynews.com
  
  A 50-year-old Surrey man is dead after a single-vehicle incident on Highway 1 near Hope on Wednesday (June 24).
  “Criminality” is not suspected in the fatal crash, according to Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, media relations officer of the BC Highway Patrol.
  The driver of the older-model white Ford F-350 pickup with a camper “drove off the road” on Highway 1 eastbound at Flood Hope Road, near Hope, according to the witnesses on the road who called it in, the release said.
  “
  
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• Nanaimo native once again takes Canadian hammer throw title

  25-06-2026 18:30 via abbynews.com
  
  A Nanaimo native has once again taken a national title in hammer throw.
  Ethan Katzberg, who trains at Kamloops Track and Field Club, won his fourth-straight hammer throw championship at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa on Saturday, June 20, in the senior category – his best throw went 81.13 metres, a press release stated.
  His first throw went 78.80 m, his second 80.06 m, third 75.36 m, fourth 80.06 m, fifth 80.72 m with the 81.13 m in his sixth try.
  Katzberg was pleased
  
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• Verdict reserved in B.C. killing linked to gang feud

  25-06-2026 17:30 via abbynews.com
  
  A man known as one of the province’s most dangerous gang members now awaits his fate in a first-degree murder trial after 46 days in B.C. Supreme Court.
  Ekene Anigbo is accused of killing 57-year-old Naramata resident Kathleen Richardson inside her home on June 9, 2021.
  Anigbo’s trial started on March 2, in which the Crown told the court the defendant and co-conspirator Jalen Falk confined Richardson in her basement with zip ties and duct tape before shooting her twice in the head.
  T
  
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• Transit Police report 103% property crime rate increase, 1st quarter 2026 compared to same period last year

  25-06-2026 17:15 via abbynews.com
  
  Metro Vancouver Transit Police statistics for the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year indicate a 103 per cent increase in the rate of property crimes against boarded public transit passengers, and a five per cent increase in police files to a total of 3,489 in the first three months of this year.
  The rate of crimes against people, per 100,000 boarded passengers, rose by 11 per cent to 338 actual crimes compared to 320.
  Over that same time frame this year compared to last
  
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• WORLD CUP DAILY, June 25: Canada preps for Sunday playoff vs. South Africa in Los Angeles

  25-06-2026 16:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Daily FIFA World Cup soccer match updates and news for Black Press Media publications.
  Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday sets up a Round of 32 playoff match with South Africa in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, noon start time.
  With a win or draw in Vancouver, Canada would have clinched top spot in Group B, won by Switzerland instead.
  In Group A action Wednesday, South Africa scored a big 1-0 win over Korea Republic in Monterrey, while unbeaten Mexico took down Czechia 3-0 in Me
  
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• Travelling with dogs is fun; make it safe as well

  25-06-2026 14:30 via abbynews.com
  
  Summer is made for adventures and for many of us, that means bringing our dogs along for the journey. Whether it’s a road trip, a weekend hike, or a few nights away at a hotel, traveling with your dog can create some of the best memories of the season.
  But warmer weather also brings unique challenges, so it’s important to think ahead about how to keep your dog safe and comfortable.
  The biggest challenge is often the heat itself. Dogs don’t handle high temperatures the same way
  
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• Farmers lament severe water cuts as historic drought grips North Okanagan

  25-06-2026 14:30 via abbynews.com
  
  As a drought never before seen in the area parches the North Okanagan, local water purveyors are stressing that tough decisions will need to be made to ensure taps don’t run dry later this year.
  And when regional district staff spoke to farmers in person Tuesday evening, many farmers expressed dismay at the tough decisions they could have to make with their animals, their fruit trees and their livelihoods.
  Staff from Greater Vernon Water and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) h
  
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• Sq’éwqel First Nation opens soccer mini-pitch near Agassiz

  25-06-2026 14:00 via abbynews.com
  
  It’s a whole new ball game for the Seabird Island community.
  The Sq’éwqel First Nation celebrated the opening of the “Be The Change” mini soccer pitch. The pitch is a collaboration between Seabird Island, Adidas and Hope and Health.
  “This opening celebrates the dreams and potential of Indigenous youth while demonstrating what is possible when communities, partners, and young people come together with a shared vision,” said Hope and Health CEO Dean Gill.
  
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• Vancouver Bandits coach suspended by league

  25-06-2026 02:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Vancouver Bandits coach Kyle Julius has been handed a three-game suspension by the league after an incident with a fan during the June 18 game against Winnipeg Sea Bears, a game that saw Winnipeg win 114-81.
  Julius was initially handed an indefinite suspension after the confrontation.
  A statement issued Wednesday, June 24 confirmed Julius would be back.
  “Following a thorough review, the Canadian Elite Basketball League has suspended Vancouver Bandits Head Coach Kyle Julius for three games
  
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• Man arrested in Abbotsford in relation to extortion investigation

  25-06-2026 01:44 via abbynews.com
  
  A 22-year-old man was arrested in Abbotsford on Tuesday (June 23) and has been charged in connection with an investigation by the B.C. extortion task force.
  A press release from the B.C. RCMP states that the investigation began when Metro Vancouver Transit Police pulled over a vehicle in Surrey on Aug. 10, 2025 and found two loaded handguns inside.
  The investigation revealed a possible connection to extortion-related activities, and the task force took over the lead in September, the release sta
  
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• B.C. appeals court allows opioid class action to proceed, criticizes delay tactics

  25-06-2026 01:30 via abbynews.com
  
  The B.C. Court of Appeal will allow a class action brought by the province against opioid manufacturers to proceed, calling the companies’ repeated attempts to relitigate the class certification “unhelpful.”
  David Eby, then B.C.’s attorney general, filed the lawsuit in 2018 against opioid manufacturers to recover the health-care costs associated with the drugs’ alleged overprescription and the nationwide addiction crisis that ensued.
  Chief amongst the claims is that
  
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• Old tires make Abbotsford playground more accessible

  25-06-2026 01:15 via abbynews.com
  
  Nearly 1,500 old tires are being put to good use in Abbotsford as they’re on their way to becoming a new, more accessible flooring for a popular playground.
  According to the City of Abbotsford, the existing rubber tiles at the Spud Murphy Park playground have reached the end of their life and are in need of replacement.
  Tire Stewardship BC took this opportunity to step in and provide a total of 1,497 tires to be recycled and turned into a poured rubber surface for the playground.
  The organ
  
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• Wildfire south of Lillooet sized at 50 hectares on Wednesday

  25-06-2026 01:11 via abbynews.com
  
  A wildfire has broken out south of Lillooet and is sized at 50 hectares.
  The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) say the fire is out of control and is located near Riley Creek.
  It was discovered on Wednesday, June 24 with the last update coming in at 3:35 p.m.
  The suspected cause of the wildfire (number K70659) is lightning.To report information about this fire, the Kamloops Fire Centre can be reached at 250-554-5965 or [email protected].
  
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