Abbotsford news

• Robert (Bob) Garth Barkman

  16-09-2026 17:30 via abbynews.com
  
  In Loving Memory
  It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Robert (Bob) Garth Barkman on September 5, 2026 at Vernon Jubilee Hospital in Vernon B.C. at the age of 72 years. Bob was born November 28, 1953 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He came into the Dave Barkman family as a baby in Steinbach, Manitoba. As a child Bob would ride around on his bike with friends, play cops and robbers, and cowboys and Indians. In those days he would also accompany his dad, at times, to his constru
  
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• Abbotsford police looking for owners of $20,000 in stolen tools

  16-09-2026 20:39 via abbynews.com
  
  Two men are now facing break-and-enter charges after thousands of dollars in stolen goods were recovered at an Abbotsford home.
  The Abbotsford Police Department said this recent investigation stems from an Aug. 27 incident, where officers were called to a reported break-and-enter at a business in the 1800 block of Forge Place.
  Police arrived on site just before 4 a.m., but the suspects had already departed the area, with some furniture and merchandise missing from the business.
  On Sept. 11, a se
  
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• $2M from province for Chemainus wood products manufacturer for expansion

  16-09-2026 20:15 via abbynews.com
  
  A Chemainus wood products manufacturer is expanding its operations with the help of up to $2 million in provincial funding.
  Ron Anderson & Sons has broken ground on an expansion of its Chemainus manufacturing facility that will increase production capacity, introduce new prefabricated wood products and create up to 35 new jobs.
  The project is being supported through the B.C. government’s BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, which is providing funding for facility expansions and equipment upgrad
  
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• B.C. restaurants squeezed by rising costs: Report

  16-09-2026 19:46 via abbynews.com
  
  B.C.’s restaurant industry is absorbing cost pressures more sharply than the rest of the country, according to new data from EconoLease’s 2026 Hospitality Operator Report.
  The report reveals that the province’s hospitality sector is under financial pressure, due to tariffs, costs of upgrades to cooking equipment and disproportionately high startup costs.
  The report, released Sept. 15, surveyed 250 Canadian foodservice and hospitality operators and found that 90 per cent of B.C
  
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• Man arrested after midnight attacks in a Vancouver Island college campus’s residence

  16-09-2026 19:26 via abbynews.com
  
  Comox Valley RCMP are currently investigating an aggravated assault at Courtenay’s North Island College campus.
  Police responded to multiple calls at 12:53 a.m. reporting an assault with an edged weapon at one of the campus’s residence buildings. Police located two victims with injuries quickly after arriving at the scene. Officers identified and arrested the suspect, a 21-year-old man from Burnaby. The man is currently in custody pending a court appearance.
  As of 10 a.m., the scene
  
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• Abbotsford author analyzes the many names of God in new book

  16-09-2026 19:19 via abbynews.com
  
  Theology has been at the core of Grace Fox’s work for many years, with her latest project diving into a topic she believes will be able to help countless people.
  The Abbotsford author has recently finished her new book, Names of God: Growing Strong, which analyzes the seven Hebrew names of God and explores what these names can reveal about Him.
  “God has shown us what He’s like through these names,” said Fox.
  By better understanding this, she said it supports people in the
  
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• Metallica will play in Vancouver for first time in 10 years next spring

  16-09-2026 19:12 via abbynews.com
  
  Metal music trailblazers Metallica will perform in Vancouver next spring for the first time in close to a decade.
  The Saturday, May 8 date at BC Place Stadium will kick off an extended M72 World Tour, with Limp Bizkit and Avatar opening for the “Enter Sandman” band.
  Metallica last played in Vancouver in August 2017, also at BC Place.
  The new Live Nation-promoted tour, launched in 2023 and set to continue four years later, includes stadiums across North America, the company announced
  
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• 5 children rescued in the Philippines after B.C. sexual exploitation case

  16-09-2026 18:46 via abbynews.com
  
  A New Westminster man has been charged with multiple child sexual exploitation offences in an international investigation that led to the rescue of five children in the Philippines.
  Gerard Saunders, who lived in New Westminster at the time of the alleged offences, is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, making child sexual abuse and exploitation material and agreeing or making an arrangement with a person to lure a child, police said in a release Tuesday (Sept. 15).
  Saunders w
  
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• ‘No more band-aids:’ province chooses Campbell River areas for Working Forest Landscape Model

  16-09-2026 18:27 via abbynews.com
  
  The Province of British Columbia, in partnership with the Na̲nwak̲olas Council and four of its member First Nations — Tlowitsis, We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and K’ómoks — has identified areas near Campbell River as the first candidate area to explore a proposed Working Forest Landscape Model.The area was selected through targeted engagement with industry and existing land-use and forest-planning processes.
  The proposed model is a co-ordinated, three-zone approach t
  
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• B.C. attorney general ‘hopeful’ on DRIPA changes this fall, but won’t commit

  16-09-2026 04:12 via abbynews.com
  
  While B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma wouldn’t commit to amending the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) this fall after a summer of consultations with First Nations, she did say she is “hopeful” a path forward can be found.
  “Our government has been contacting various leaders. They gave us ideas. And we’re making really good progress,” she told reporters at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday. “I wi
  
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• Ski club unveils state-of-art training facility in Vernon

  16-09-2026 01:39 via abbynews.com
  
  It’s new. It’s state of the art.And it rests comfortably on a North Okanagan mountain.
  The Silver Star Freestyle (Ski) Club (SSFC) has unveiled its new dryland training facility at SilverStar Mountain Resort.
  The facility will create unprecedented training opportunities for freestyle skiers and snowboarders in B.C., Western Canada, and beyond.
  “This is a really exciting moment for freestyle skiing and snowboarding in our region,” said Carson Dorward, SSFC president. &ldqu
  
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• UFV agricultural report shines spotlight on decline of mid-size B.C. farms

  16-09-2026 01:06 via abbynews.com
  
  A recent Statistics Canada report revealed a $457 million net loss for the B.C. agricultural sector in 2024, but the BC Agriculture Council and BC Dairy have now responded with a study of their own.
  In a new report created by staff at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), the two agricultural groups cited findings that they said help paint the full picture of the current state of the agricultural sector.While Statistics Canada shared that the province’s farms suffered a total loss of
  
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• VIDEO: Team Leavitt wins pull time at Kelowna’s annual Haul for Hope

  16-09-2026 00:26 via abbynews.com
  
  The KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna was an exciting place to be the morning of Sept. 15.The annual Haul for Hope fundraiser took place starting at 9 a.m. with 13 teams raising funds for Hope Air and competing for the best time in pulling a 67,000 pound WestJet plane.There to share her story with competitors was Penticton’s Rhonda Caron, a Hope Air patient who was diagnosed with acute leukaemia.Caron stayed with family in Vancouver while receiving treatment she could not get locally, bu
  
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• MacMaster, Leahy bring teen kids for Celtic Family Christmas concert in Surrey

  15-09-2026 23:42 via abbynews.com
  
  Natalie MacMaster, Donnell Leahy and their growing musical family will be in Surrey to perform “A Celtic Family Christmas” concert this fall.Live Nation Entertainment announced their show, to feature “exciting new versions of all your classic Christmas favourites,” for Sunday, Nov. 22 at Bell Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are sold starting 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18 on livenation.com.
  In the early 2000s MacMaster and Leahy balanced raising seven musically gifted children,
  
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• Abbotsford teen arrested after bear-spraying another youth at Mission Leisure Centre

  15-09-2026 23:15 via abbynews.com
  
  A 15-year-old Abbotsford boy was arrested after allegedly bear-spraying another teen at Mission Leisure Centre last week.
  According to Mission RCMP’s weekly “Community Connection” crime recap, an assault with a weapon charge is being recommended after the incident on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 8).
  Police said the victim was also a 15-year-old boy from Abbotsford, who was trying to wash off the bear spray in the spray park when RCMP arrived.
  The suspect fled the area, but officers
  
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• Body found in burning vehicle in Victoria

  15-09-2026 23:00 via abbynews.com
  
  The Victoria Police Department says they’re investigating a vehicle fire where a person was found dead in the 700-block of Queens Avenue – which has been closed most of the day.
  Around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, a VicPD officer who was on their way to work came across the burning vehicle and called 911. The Victoria Fire Department attended and extinguished the flames within minutes of arrival, police say.
  “Major Crime Unit detectives are investigating and have a robust prese
  
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• Aman Singh seeks seat on Abbotsford board of education

  15-09-2026 22:13 via abbynews.com
  
  Amandeep (Aman) Singh will seek a seat on the Abbotsford board of education on Oct. 17.
  Singh is one of 20 candidates vying for the seven available school trustee positions.
  He was raised in Abbotsford, where he completed his primary and secondary education and continues to live with his family.
  He said he learned from his parents the importance of hard work, respect, family and giving back, and he understands firsthand the important role schools play in shaping young people and supporting famil
  
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• Harbour Air acquisition of Pacific Coastal to create B.C. regional airline group

  15-09-2026 22:00 via abbynews.com
  
  Harbour Air is set to acquire Pacific Coastal Airlines, bringing the two British Columbia-based carriers under common Canadian ownership while keeping their brands and operations independent.
  The airlines announced the proposed acquisition on Sept. 15, saying the deal would combine Harbour Air’s seaplane network with Pacific Coastal’s wheeled-aircraft network to expand regional connectivity across B.C.
  The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and the airlines did not provide
  
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• CBSA removes 111 individuals linked to extortion from Canada since August 2025

  15-09-2026 21:58 via abbynews.com
  
  The Canada Border Services Agency has removed 111 people from Canada since August 2025 who have been linked to extortion.The CBSA said in a news release Monday (Sept. 14) that most of those removed have been in the Pacific region, which includes B.C. and the Yukon. The agency issued 91 orders for people in the Pacific region, removing 58 individuals. The agency said it issued 50 removal orders for individuals in the Greater Toronto Area, removed 23 people, and issued 47 removal orders in the Pra
  
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• New partnerships bringing drone and aerospace innovation to Kelowna

  15-09-2026 21:55 via abbynews.com
  
  Kelowna is going to be the home of drone and aerospace innovation in B.C.
  ​The City of Kelowna, Kelowna International Airport (YLW), FireSwarm Solutions and Okanagan College (OC) have launched partnerships to build a future hub for AI-enabled drone and aerospace innovation.
  ​A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed by FireSwarm and the City of Kelowna, along with a second one between FireSwarm and Okanagan College.
  ​FireSwarm is a Canadian aerospace and defence startup
  
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• Driver crashes into train in the Lower Mainland

  15-09-2026 21:10 via abbynews.com
  
  One person was taken to hospital in serious condition after a collision with a moving train in Maple Ridge Monday night.
  Maple Ridge RCMP were called to the scene at around 10 p.m. on Sept. 14, by the Haney Bypass and 225 Street, where they learned a vehicle traveling eastbound on Haney Bypass veered off course.
  It drove through a gate and onto the railway tracks where it collided with a moving train.
  The 54-year-old male driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, was safely removed by Maple Ridg
  
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• New $11M specialized operating room planned for Abbotsford Regional Hospital

  15-09-2026 20:53 via abbynews.com
  
  A new specialized operating room is planned for Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
  A press release on Tuesday (Sept. 15) from Fraser Health says the project is the first of its kind at the hospital and will provide improved access to advanced vascular and minimally invasive surgical procedures.
  The release states that the new “hybrid” OR will combine a traditional surgical suite with advanced medical imaging technology, “enabling care teams to perform complex, imag
  
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• Nelson youth IIO investigation closed

  15-09-2026 20:47 via abbynews.com
  
  B.C.’s police watchdog has concluded their investigation into the arrest of a youth in Nelson on Aug. 11, 2026. The investigation determined that there is no connection between police actions or inaction and the injuries the youth sustained while in custody.
  According to a report released Sept. 15, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) says around 11 p.m., a member of the Nelson Police Department (NPD) arrested a youth who appeared intoxicated and became uncooperative with the
  
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• Nick Taylor Charity Classic raises more than half a million for Fraser Valley charities

  15-09-2026 20:22 via abbynews.com
  
  The 10th edition of the Nick Taylor Charity Classic smashed its own record earlier this month and raised a $589,000 for local charities, community initiatives and student-athlete scholarships.
  The event occurred at Cultus Lake Golf Club on Sept. 3 and 4. Golfers teed up on day one, with the charity gala taking place on the evening of day two.
  The event has now raised more than $3.5 million over its 10 editions and has transformed into a celebration of both the Fraser Valley and the outstanding c
  
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• PHOTOS: Smashing good time at demolition derby in Hope

  15-09-2026 20:09 via abbynews.com
  
  Thousands of people filled the Hope Sports Bowl to take in hours of vehicle-smashing entertainment on Sunday.
  The demolition derby was part of the annual Hope Brigade Days which ran Sept. 11-13.
  People witnesses everything from a bus being wrecked, to figure-eight racing, to cars being flipped, and pickup trucks doing burnouts.
  For more photos of Hope Brigade Days, including the parade, live entertainment and more, go to hopestandard.com/category/photo-galleries.
  
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• Scammer posing as RCMP officer steals $19K from Island resident

  15-09-2026 20:00 via abbynews.com
  
  A Sidney resident is out nearly $19,000 after falling victim to a phone scammer posing as a police officer.
  Sidney/North Saanich RCMP say a local man reported the fraud on Sept. 2 after receiving a call from someone claiming to be an RCMP officer.
  The caller told the victim his personal information had been leaked. Using this story, the scammer convinced the man to hand over sensitive details related to his cryptocurrency account.
  The victim later checked his account and discovered that almost $
  
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• UPDATE: Mechanical problems cancel multiple Victoria-Vancouver sailings

  15-09-2026 19:45 via abbynews.com
  
  Multiple BC Ferries sailings on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay have been cancelled because of mechanical difficulties.
  The Queen of New Westminster was pulled from service Tuesday morning (Sept. 15), so engineers could investigate an issue with its propulsion system.
  Because of this, the 10 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen and the 12 p.m. Swartz Bay sailing have both been cancelled.
  Other sailings on this route are expected to proceed as scheduled, said a BC Ferries service update.
  Anyone booked on on
  
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• Mechanical problems put Victoria-Vancouver sailings at risk of cancellation

  15-09-2026 19:45 via abbynews.com
  
  Mechanical difficulties have put some BC Ferries sailings on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay at risk of cancellation on Tuesday (Sept. 15).
  BC Ferries said one of its vessels is currently holding in dock while engineers investigate an issue with its propulsion system issue.
  While work is underway, the 10 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen and the 12 p.m. Swartz Bay sailing are both at risk of cancellation.
  Other sailings on this route are expected to proceed as scheduled, said a BC Ferries service update
  
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• Sasquatch sleuths, enthusiasts make tracks for B.C. Bigfoot town hall

  15-09-2026 19:40 via abbynews.com
  
  Hundreds of Sasquatch enthusiasts currently cruising the high seas will soon disembark in Victoria hungry to learn more about the creature’s connection to Vancouver Island.
  Their search for answers will lead them to the Sngequ House Conference Centre in the grounds of the University of Victoria, where they will join Greater Victoria locals for the Victoria Bigfoot Town Hall.
  The event brings together researchers and investigators for an evening of presentations, discussion and audience int
  
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• KidsPlay Foundation stands by its mission as CEO faces criminal charges

  15-09-2026 19:12 via abbynews.com
  
  KidsPlay Foundation says it remains committed to supporting youth through sports camps, educational forums, mentorship and community patrols.
  The foundation issued a social media statement after the announcement that its founder and CEO faces criminal charges of fraud and theft of more than $5,000.
  “We understand that this situation has prompted thoughtful questions within our community, and we emphasize that the matter is currently before the courts. We respect the judicial process and be
  
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