Abbotsford news

• ‘New wave of nurses’ integrating harm reduction into health care in B.C.

  13-12-2025 17:00 via abbynews.com
  As the effects of the toxic drug crisis become an intrinsic part of health care, nurses on Vancouver Island are having to adapt to what that means for keeping patients healthy.
  On Dec. 2, Vancouver Island University fourth-year nursing students hosted a harm reduction education panel along with the VIU Harm Reduction Alliance, intending to raise awareness about the toxic drug crisis, challenge stigma and foster a safer community.
  Nursing professor Sarah Lovegrove told the News Bulletin that harm
  
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• Demko makes 23 saves as Vancouver Canucks shut out Rangers 3-0 at MSG

  17-12-2025 03:35 via abbynews.com
  Thatcher Demko made 23 saves for his 10th career shutout, leading the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
  Evander Kane, Liam Ohgren and Conor Garland scored for the Canucks (13-17-3), who have won the first two games on a five-game road trip. Jonathan Quick stopped 14 of 16 shots and took the loss in goal for the Rangers (16-15-4). New York is a dismal 4-10-3 on home ice.
  Kane opened the scoring just 1:46 into the game, taking a fee
  
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• Flooding creates new Coquihalla River channel through Hope golf course

  17-12-2025 01:51 via abbynews.com
  A new channel of the Coquihalla River has cut through the Hope Golf & Country Club, due to last week’s heavy rainfall and atmospheric river conditions.
  The channel — along with silt, gravel, and other river debris on the course— could be seen Tuesday morning (Dec. 16) flowing through the green and turning hole No.7 into an island. It’s estimated that 10 to 15 per cent of the golf course was washed away by the Coquihalla River last Thursday (Dec. 11) due to overflowing
  
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• B.C. working on financial guarantee program for impacted Cowichan case landowners

  17-12-2025 01:34 via abbynews.com
  The province of B.C. is working on a program to provide a financial guarantee for Cowichan title land property owners.
  This would entail backing mortgages and business loans for owners of land within the slice of Richmond’s Lulu Island where a First Nation was ruled to have an Aboriginal title claim.
  B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barbara Young found that the Cowichan Tribes First Nation has title rights to the public lands in the area, and the right to “negotiate in good faith” to
  
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• White Rock author celebrates B.C.’s coastal fascination with ferries

  17-12-2025 01:30 via abbynews.com
  You can’t get anywhere on the B.C. coast without taking a ferry.
  For some, it’s a welcome chance to observe and appreciate the abundant delights of marine life, varied terrain and vegetation – while, for others, it can be simply a tedious several-hour pause in a busy schedule.
  But if you have the opportunity to read – or even leaf through – Derek Hayes’ imaginatively written, sumptuously illustrated Coastal Connections – A History of British Columbia Fer
  
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• Premier Eby visits Abbotsford farmers as flood conditions improve

  17-12-2025 00:45 via abbynews.com
  Only four days after Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens publicly criticized the federal government for not sufficiently protecting the region from the threat of flooding, the city had a special visit from Premier David Eby and several ministers to show that the city can continue to count on support from the province.
  The City of Abbotsford shared that the premier was part of a small group of local and provincial politicians who stopped off at several locations throughout the city on Tuesday (Dec. 16)
  
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• Calls mount in B.C. for pipeline value changes to be postponed

  17-12-2025 00:44 via abbynews.com
  BC Assessment’s proposed changes to its pipeline valuation model are receiving more pushback as local governments brace for substantial losses in tax revenue that would result if the changes come into effect next year as planned.
  The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) board of directors has written a second letter urging the Minister of Finance to formally request that the proposed changes to pipeline assessments be immediately postponed, until local governments can be engaged in a &
  
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• B.C. grandma seeks federal fiscal support for CPP recipients raising grandkids

  17-12-2025 00:30 via abbynews.com
  A Kelowna grandmother is helping lead a petition drive to support seniors receiving Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits to help off-set gaps in financial support for taking on the legal responsibility to raise their grandchildren.
  Sharon Whiting, who has raised her now 17-year-old granddaughter since she was five, said she was shocked to discover the only CPP child benefits are extended to those receiving CPP disability or for children who have lost a parent under the Survivor’s Benefit.
  Wh
  
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• Dead bird, rats found at murder scene, court hears at Kelowna murder trial

  16-12-2025 23:45 via abbynews.com
  WARNING: This story includes details from a murder trial and may be triggering for some readers.
  Staff Sergeant Timothy Russell said in the more than 60 homicides he’s investigated, the 2021 murder of Darren Middleton is one of the worst scenes he has ever attended.
  The RCMP officer was on the witness stand in Kelowna Supreme Court again on Dec. 16, testifying in the second-degree murder trial of Gabriella Sears.
  Middleton’s body was discovered in a bathroom at Sears’ residence
  
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• Suspect asks for ‘sexual acts’ before 2 attempted abductions in Mission

  16-12-2025 23:30 via abbynews.com
  A man in a white SUV is suspected of trying to abduct two women from a “vulnerable sector” of the community in Mission on Monday (Dec. 15).
  Mission RCMP said in a news release that, in separate incidents, the man asked the women to perform a “sexual act” before trying to pull them into his vehicle. In the first incident, the woman was allegedly bear-sprayed.
  Police are searching for a 6-foot-tall South Asian man with short hair, a beard, and tattoos on his arms in connect
  
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• Suspect asks for ‘sexual act’ before 2 attempted abductions in Mission

  16-12-2025 23:30 via abbynews.com
  A man in a white SUV is suspected of trying to abduct two women from a “vulnerable sector” of the community in Mission on Monday (Dec. 15).
  Mission RCMP said in a news release that, in separate incidents, the man asked the women to perform a “sexual act” before trying to pull them into his vehicle. In the first incident, the woman was allegedly bear-sprayed.
  Police are searching for a 6-foot-tall South Asian man with short hair, a beard, and tattoos on his arms in connect
  
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• Man wanted by Calgary police on 30-plus charges arrested by Surrey police

  16-12-2025 23:30 via abbynews.com
  A man wanted by Calgary police on more than 30 charges has been arrested by Surrey Police Service officers.
  On Oct. 29, Calgary Police Service contacted SPS asking for help finding and arresting a man who was wanted and believed to be in the Surrey area, an SPS release said.
  SPS’s prolific offenders team led the local search and liaised with the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Provincial Crown, and the RCMP’s E Division Fugitive Return Program.
  On Thursday (Dec. 11), Tyler Joshua Evo
  
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• ‘Highly respected’ pro trucker killed in crash that closed Rogers Pass

  16-12-2025 23:00 via abbynews.com
  For the second time in less than two years, an Armstrong trucking company is mourning the loss of one of its drivers and colleagues.
  Reimer Bros. Trucking Ltd. is mourning the death of Darren Samoleski of Vernon, involved in a fatal collision on Friday, Dec. 12, on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Rogers Pass area near Revelstoke.
  “Samoleski was a highly respected professional driver with nearly 40 years of experience and more than four million miles driven during his career,” the com
  
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• $448K raised in 64th annual Knights of Columbus B.C. charity appeal

  16-12-2025 23:00 via abbynews.com
  $448K raised in 64th annual Knights of Columbus BC charity appeal
  B.C.’s knight in shining armour.
  The Knights of Columbus BC State Council wrapped its 64th annual charity appeal this weekend.
  Held on Saturday, Dec. 13, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Vancouver, the appeal grossed more than $448,000 that will go to the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids program, Special Olympics, hospital foundations, local food banks, and other organizations to help support people in need.
  Archie C
  
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• B.C. First Nation approves massive $2B deal tied to gold mine restart

  16-12-2025 21:30 via abbynews.com
  Members of the Tahltan Nation in northern B.C. have delivered a decisive endorsement of a benefits agreement tied to the revitalization of the Eskay Creek mine, voting in favour of a deal worth almost $2 billion in combined cash, contracts and wages.
  The vote, held Dec. 13 and 14, concerned whether to approve an Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) with Eskay Creek Mining, which the Tahltan Central Government said would provide $1.2 billion in direct payments and $570 million in Tahltan contracts and
  
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• UPDATE: Woman, 27, killed by falling tree branch in Chilliwack park during windstorm

  16-12-2025 21:27 via abbynews.com
  A 27-year-old woman walking with her two young children in Chilliwack was killed when a tree limb fell on her during a windstorm Monday.
  Chilliwack RCMP released new information Tuesday, confirming that the children were not physically hurt, and that they will not be releasing the woman’s name.
  The woman and her children were walking on a trail near the dog park at Island 22 on Dec. 15, and police received a call about the incident at 3:12 p.m.
  “The weather at the time was severe and
  
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• Sweeney Singers present annual holiday concert in Abbotsford

  16-12-2025 21:01 via abbynews.com
  The Sweeney Singers present their 37th annual Christmas concert in Abbotsford on Friday, Dec. 19.
  A Christmas Celebration takes place at 7:30 p.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 2777 Townline Rd.
  The program will feature sacred and secular Christmas music, including classics, jazz, contemporary and folk selections.
  “The group continues to live up to its deserved reputation for producing a delightful program of diverse choral music demonstrating pure vocal sound, balanced blend, sensitive in
  
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• Former Wet’suwet’en chief has ban from territory reissued by B.C. court

  16-12-2025 21:00 via abbynews.com
  After multiple days of testimony over the course of 2025, a former elected chief and current Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief has had a court order barring him from his community extended, 30 years after being convicted of multiple sexual assaults.
  The Dec. 15 decision to extend the court order against Stanley George Nikal, age 78, is in part due to his continued claims that the charges were the work of a conspiracy against him, up to and including paying off the jury in his 1995 trial.
  
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• B.C. sets up program to test new tech for firefighting, emergency management

  16-12-2025 20:50 via abbynews.com
  B.C. is creating a program to allow companies that make technology used for wildfire suppression and flood mapping to test their gear in real-world applications through an InnovateBC “testbed.”
  This platform is being provided so the industry can test new tech, while the province gets a chance to see what works best.
  Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced the program as floods continue to wreak havoc in the Fraser Valley.
  “We know the technology has to play a bigger role in help
  
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• PHOTOS: Vehicle access restored at Hope hospital as windstorm cleanup continues

  16-12-2025 20:49 via abbynews.com
  Vehicle access was restored to the Fraser Canyon Hospital Tuesday morning, as Hope cleaned up following a heavy windstorm.
  A fallen tree and power lines blocking the main entrance to the hospital were removed by the morning of Dec. 16, and District of Hope crews could be seen throughout town cleaning up the damage caused by the windstorm the previous night.
  Winds up to 100 km/h blew through the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon and caused massive damage and power outages for more than 40,000 BC Hy
  
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• Balmy B.C. breaks weather records

  16-12-2025 20:45 via abbynews.com
  It’s beginning to look a lot like spring.
  Winter has yet to hit most of the province with snow.
  Instead, record-breaking temperatures blasted 28 communities across B.C. Monday, Dec. 15.
  The hottest spot was Kamloops as the mercury rose to 18.6 degrees Celsius. That broke the 1962 record of 13.3.
  It felt more like summer in Comox at 16.9, breaking the 1976 record of 15.6.
  A very warm Victoria of 16.8 broke the 1999 record of 14.3.
  Duncan broke a 1956 record of 14.4 on Monday with a new reco
  
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• B.C. man sweeps away curling club fears, replaces aging ice plant out of own pocket

  16-12-2025 20:15 via abbynews.com
  Santa came early for Peace Arch Curling Centre in White Rock, with a $2-million donation for a new, much-needed ice plant and floor.
  Bruce Buchanan, a White Rock resident since 2012, grew up in St. Stephen, N.B., where his grandfather built the small community’ s curling club.
  Although he didn’t get into curling until last year, both of his parents were avid curlers their whole lives. Buchanan eventually moved to White Rock, where he was driving along 16 Avenue one day and noticed a
  
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• Floods force Okanagan Impromptu basketball final

  16-12-2025 20:00 via abbynews.com
  Only two weeks ago, the Kalamalka Lakers senior boys basketball team went to Kamloops and rallied past Westsyde in the second half to win the Whundas’ tournament.
  Westsyde got its revenge Saturday, Dec. 13, in Vernon, at the VSS Panther Pit in a meeting that wasn’t on the teams’ original schedules.
  Kal was up 10 at halftime, but as Lakers co-coach Tim Thorpe points out, Westsyde coach Ryan Porter had a “halftime speech for the ages.” The Whundas outscored the Lakers
  
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• Ottawa approves Anglo-Teck merger with investments planned for Trail

  16-12-2025 19:54 via abbynews.com
  The federal government has approved Teck Resources Ltd.’s proposed merger of equals with Anglo American under the Investment Canada Act, marking another major milestone toward completion of the deal.
  In a news release dated Dec. 15, Teck and Anglo American said they have received regulatory approval from the Government of Canada for the transaction, which was first announced in September and approved by shareholders of both companies on Dec. 9.
  The companies said the approval includes a se
  
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• Province taps consultant to find options for mill site in wake of Crofton closure

  16-12-2025 19:42 via abbynews.com
  The province has retained an external consultant with expertise in the pulp and paper sector to assess options for the Crofton mill site, B.C.’s Forest Minister Ravi Parmar told North Cowichan’s council during a meeting on Dec. 10.
  Parmar also discussed the possibility of a new owner acquiring the property to resume pulp and paper production, or repurposing the property for another industrial use, the municipality said in a statement.
  “Given the significant implications for our
  
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• Abbotsford School District adopts new course for 2026

  16-12-2025 19:03 via abbynews.com
  A brand new course will be available to Abbotsford students starting next school year.
  The Abbotsford board of education approved the addition of Event Planning and Leadership 11 during Tuesday’s (Dec. 9) meeting and the new course will replace Leadership 11.
  On a biannual basis, the district’s Board/Authority Authorized Course (BAAC) review committee meets to review course proposals submitted by secondary schools. For each recommended course, the board must submit to the ministry a
  
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• Festive campaign encourages adoption, fosters from FVRD’s CARE Centre in Chilliwack

  16-12-2025 18:31 via abbynews.com
  Those puppy dog eyes may be calling out to you from the CARE Centre on social media.
  The CARE Centre in Chilliwack, run by the Fraser Valley Regional District, has recently been sharing some cheerful, festive photos of their adoptable shelter dogs.
  A few of the dogs are dressed in Christmas outfits frolicking in the CARE Centre yard on Wolfe Road in Chilliwack.
  “Those big brown eyes are asking you, won’t you consider adopting a shelter dog?” reads one of the posts.
  Anyone looki
  
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• Strong winds, snowy highway conditions expected for much of Interior B.C.

  16-12-2025 16:30 via abbynews.com
  Strong winds are expected overnight Tuesday, Dec. 16 and into Wednesday morning for a large part of Interior B.C.
  Environment Canada issued a special weather statement due to a “vigorous cold front” which will bring strong southwesterly winds throughout the Interior including to the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen, Nicola, South Thompson, the Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo and the Chilcotin.
  The winds are expected to ease Wednesday morning, but may lead to tree damage, power outages and tra
  
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• Environment Canada warns of further wind, rain for Fraser Valley

  16-12-2025 16:00 via abbynews.com
  Rain is expected to continue for the Fraser Valley on Tuesday (Dec. 16) with between 50 and 70 mm in the forecast.
  Environment Canada issued a “yellow” rainfall warning for parts of the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver on early this morning, including Abbotsford, Chilliwack, North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.
  The rain is expected to be heavy at times and last until overnight tonight.
  “Another round of precipitation brought about by a Pacific frontal system, fuelled wi
  
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• Tips to make Christmas season merry, bright, and safe from B.C.’s holiday Grinches

  16-12-2025 15:30 via abbynews.com
  In the air there’s a definite feeling of Christmas, and with just one week to go before Dec. 25 there will be lots of packages arriving, plenty of shopping trips, visits to crowded malls, and perhaps plans to head somewhere else for the holidays.
  Unfortunately, this time of year also sees a rise in mail theft and distraction thefts, more thefts from vehicles and homes, and more unfortunate encounters in busy parking lots. Here are a few ways to keep yourself, your goods, your car, and your
  
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