Abbotsford news

• VIDEO: A haunted house for dogs in Langley

  21-10-2026 17:40 via Abbotsford News
  
  Ric LaFollette decided a Halloween event for dogs ought to have a haunted house.
  “I was just thinking, what would the dogs normally be afraid of?” the Langley resident recalled.
  Which was why a scary vacuum cleaner with red eyes and fangs, a mail carrier, and “Dr. Bones,” a skeletal veterinarian were among the fun frights that greeted canine visitors to “Barkville Manor,” at the fourth annual “Halloweener” trick-or-treat event for dogs and their hu
  
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• It’s a great pumpkin! Vancouver Island man grows 805 lb giant

  02-11-2026 22:04 via Abbotsford News
  
  Anyone who saw Courtenay resident Ian Kitchener’s giant pumpkin would be excused for thinking that Cinderella’s coach was more fact than fairy tale.
  His colossal squash tips scales at 805 lbs—roughly the weight of four refrigerators—and Kitchener isn’t even a gardener.“My wife does the garden,” he said.
  While it could be assumed that Kitchener was born with a green (or orange) thumb, the truth is that growing an 805 lb pumpkin came from years of trial, error, and toil.
  “The first
  
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• 15-year sentence for man guilty of 2021 Naramata manslaughter

  02-11-2026 21:31 via Abbotsford News
  
  Ekene Anigbo has been ordered to serve 15 years less time served for the death of a Naramata woman.Anigbo appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna the morning of Monday, Nov. 2 for sentencing after he was found guilty of manslaughter for the 2021 death of 57-year-old Kathleen Richardson.The 27-year-old stood trial for first-degree murder, but was convicted on Aug. 14 of the lesser charge of manslaughter after a lengthy trial that began in March.Justice Alison Beames found the Crown had not prov
  
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• ‘This caucus is unified’: Doerkson meets with new caucus in Victoria

  02-11-2026 21:22 via Abbotsford News
  
  B.C.’s new premier designate, Lorne Doerkson, said the B.C. Conservatives are united when he took the stage on Monday to speak to B.C. residents and his fellow MLAs.
  On Nov. 2, the first meeting of the majority Conservative caucus was held in Victoria following a landslide victory in the 2026 provincial election. The win was preceded by a turbulent time for the party, rife with floor-crossing, senior staff resignations, allegedly leaked back-door conversations and the resignation of then-leade
  
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• GoFundMe established after Nanaimo bus driver, soccer dad, dies in Ghana

  02-11-2026 20:59 via Abbotsford News
  
  Family members and the soccer community are mourning after a Nanaimo man died unexpectedly in Ghana.
  A GoFundMe has been established for Peter Dadzie, a Regional District of Nanaimo bus driver and father who leaves behind wife Sam and three children – sons Marshall and Maxwell, Vancouver Island University Mariners men’s soccer players, and daughter Millie-Mai.
  Speaking from Australia, Millie-Mai said Peter had a great sense of humour and was a huge supporter of Nanaimo United FC. She was sho
  
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• Fraser Valley Business Coalition wins at 2026 Chamber Future Builder Competition

  02-11-2026 20:54 via Abbotsford News
  
  The Fraser Valley Business Coalition (FVBC) has captured the Nation Builder Award at the 2026 Chamber Future Builder Competition, which occurred in Victoria and was hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 29.
  The award recognized the FVBC’s approach to bringing chambers together across municipal boundaries to advance shared economic priorities, strengthen relationships with government and champion the infrastructure, investment and policies needed to support regional prosperity.
  The
  
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• Nanaimo’s closed Diefenbunker is a relic of a time at the edge of nuclear catastrophe

  02-11-2026 20:41 via Abbotsford News
  
  As the Cold War reached its peak, nuclear war seemed inescapable. Fortunately, then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker had a plan – it just wasn’t for everyone.
  Diefenbaker made sure that himself and other government officials would survive, creating an array of secret bunkers throughout Canada between 1959-61 that both federal and provincial politicians had access to.
  These wouldn’t be something the average Canadian family would be privy to. For the Canadian public, government propaganda adv
  
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• Character Abbotsford highlighting two local leaders at November speaker event

  02-11-2026 20:17 via Abbotsford News
  
  Character Abbotsford is getting an inside peek into a pair of unique careers at its annual speaker event on Thursday (Nov. 5).
  The special guests for the event, which is set for the University of the Fraser Valley, are Sheri Yakashiro (partner at RDM Lawyers) and Alex Mitchell (Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce CEO).Yakashiro, who was called to the bar in 2012, leads the corporate department at RDM Lawyers to advise clients on corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and wills and
  
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• Abbotsford solid-waste fees to be collected at same time as sewer and water charges

  02-11-2026 20:09 via Abbotsford News
  
  The City of Abbotsford is changing the way it collects solid-waste fees starting Jan. 1
  In a press release on Monday (Nov. 2), the city announced the fees will be collected at the same time as water and sewer charges.
  Previously, solid-waste fees were collected annually on property tax notices.
  Discounted rates will be available for customers who pay on the due date or before, similar to the current approach for water-usage charges.
  Residents receiving bi-monthly utility billing will see solid-w
  
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• 2 charged in homicide of 11-year-old Burnaby boy reported missing in 2025

  02-11-2026 19:49 via Abbotsford News
  
  Homicide police have announced charges against two people in connection with the death of an 11-year-old Burnaby boy who was reported missing more than a year ago.
  The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 51-year-old Branko Bijelic and 46-year-old Sarah Bijelic, both of Burnaby, are facing charges in the homicide case of Kai Pavlovic. He was reported missing in September 2025.
  Branko Bijelic, who was arrested on Oct. 30, is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
  
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• UFV in Abbotsford pairs students with abandoned bicycles

  02-11-2026 19:18 via Abbotsford News
  
  A new initiative at University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford recently paired abandoned bicycles with students who faced barriers to bike ownership.
  The program was led by UFV’s Office of Sustainability with funding from the GoByBike BC Society and the provincial government.
  It involved abandoned bicycles from student housing being repaired and offered free of charge to students.
  Some of the students came from other countries and could not afford a bicycle or a replacement for one that mig
  
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• UFV Cascades men’s soccer bounced in Canada West playoff quarter-final

  02-11-2026 18:59 via Abbotsford News
  
  The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades men’s soccer team ran into a hot team at the wrong time in the Canada West playoffs.
  Coming off the program’s best-ever regular season, the favoured UFV squad matched up with the University of Alberta Golden Bears for Friday’s (Oct. 30) quarter-final game at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium.
  Alberta entered the game on a four-game unbeaten streak and wasted little time on Friday when Prince Amanda delivered a perfect corner and found teammate Caden R
  
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• Vancouver Island pastry chef stoked to get on Stack TV baking competition

  02-11-2026 14:44 via Abbotsford News
  
  Jose Castillo figures his coworkers at the Fairmont Empress may be a little surprised as his character develops on the Flavour Network this fall.The pastry chef’s childhood dream came true when an Instagram message appeared on his professional profile. At jose_castillo_chef, baked goods pop from the screen, enticing his followers and apparently one television producer. At first it seemed potentially a prank, the James Bay resident admits, but it turned out a producer of a program was looking f
  
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• PHOTOS: Kelowna hosts 2026 Skate Canada International

  02-11-2026 02:57 via Abbotsford News
  
  The 2026 Skate Canada International in Kelowna has come to a close, ending a weekend display of world class figure skating.The Skate Canada International is the second competition on the annual ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix, featuring athletes from around the world who are trying to qualify for the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final, which will take place from Dec. 10 to 12 in Chongqing, China.This is Kelowna’s third time hosting a Skate Canada International Event after the competition was he
  
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• Pooch on the loose: Victoria airport overnight search ends in a paw-fect rescue

  02-11-2026 02:00 via Abbotsford News
  
  A Hollywood-esque search-and-rescue mission unfolded on the grounds of Victoria International Airport over the weekend, while most people were asleep. But this time, the target wasn’t an injured hiker or a lost adventurer, but a 25-pound labradoodle named Cayenne.
  Elizabeth Cage, Cayenne’s owner and operator of Duncan Doodles & Labradors, recounted the ordeal to the Peninsula News Review, which involved plenty of stress, a full-scale rescue operation by airport staff and, most importantl
  
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• Northern B.C. man fined $7.5K for possession of endangered species

  01-11-2026 22:55 via Abbotsford News
  
  A Prince Rupert man convicted of illegally possessing 10 endangered northern abalone has been fined $7,500.
  The Metlakatla Fishery Guardians alerted Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) on Sept. 8, 2025, that they suspected harvesters fishing in waters around Metlakatla, about five kilometres north of Prince Rupert, may have caught the protected marine species.
  The report enabled DFO fishery officers to locate Caylin James Holland, who was found in possession of 10 northern abalone, according to a
  
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• North Okanagan patients could soon lose critical coverage for eye injections

  01-11-2026 18:44 via Abbotsford News
  
  A number of patients in the North Okanagan could soon lose coverage for the eye injection medication that prevents them from going blind, leaving them to choose between onerous travel to receive the injections elsewhere or exorbitant bills to have them done locally.Vernon physician Dr. Hussein Hollands says that just two weeks from now, some of his elderly patients will be forced to choose a third option: going without the medication and suffering the consequences.Hollands, who specializes in me
  
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• No Halloween treats for Canucks, who fall 4-2 to visiting Toronto Maple Leafs

  01-11-2026 02:51 via Abbotsford News
  
  William Nylander and Teddy Blueger each had a goal and an assist, helping the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in NHL action on Halloween night at Rogers Arena.
  Auston Matthews and Zack MacEwen also scored for the Leafs (8-6-2), with Anthony Stolarz making 27 saves for the goaltending win.
  Brock Boeser and Max Sasson replied for Vancouver (3-12-1). Leevi Merilainen took the loss in net, stopping 24 or 27 shots.
  The Leafs opened the scoring just 83 seconds into
  
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• VIDEO: Vancouver Giants dominate Royals

  01-11-2026 01:45 via Abbotsford News
  
  Vancouver Giants Head Coach and General Manager Michael Dyck was pleased with the team’s 6-1 win Friday over the Victoria Royals at Langley Events Centre.
  “I thought we came out on our toes,” Dyck said. “We wanted to have a good start [after] being on the road for a couple of weeks, and then a quick turnaround, obviously, from Wednesday night” when Giants lost 3-1 to Portland.
  “For us it was all about responding from Wednesday, and I thought we did a good job.”Mathis Preston led th
  
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• B.C. Lions advance to CFL Western Final after 33-26 win over Roughriders

  01-11-2026 00:39 via Abbotsford News
  
  The B.C. Lions are Edmonton-bound.
  Quarterback Nathan Rourke passed for 366 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Lions to an 33-26 win over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders in CFL Western Semifinal playoff action Saturday at BC Place. With the win, the Lions advance to the Western Final on Nov. 7 against the Elks in Edmonton.
  Jevon Cottoy had eight catches for 131 yards and two TDs for B.C., while Stanley Berryhill caught a long touchdown pass and kicker Sean Whyte kicked four field goal
  
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• Whitecaps are best in west heading into MLS playoffs, Game 1 at home Nov. 22

  31-10-2026 23:00 via Abbotsford News
  
  Vancouver Whitecaps FC are best in the west for the first time in club history, clinching first place in the MLS Western Conference, with playoffs three weeks from now.
  The soccer club will open the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs at home Sunday, Nov. 22 at BC Place in Game 1 of a best-of-three series. Kickoff time will be confirmed at a later date. Game tickets are sold on ticketmaster.ca/whitecaps.
  Vancouver will face the winner of the Western Conference wild card match between the eighth and ninth seed
  
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• QUIZ: A celebration of Halloween horrors

  31-10-2026 12:50 via Abbotsford News
  
  Halloween, on Oct. 31, is a time for tricks, treats, costumes and plenty of scary movies.
  There are a lot of Halloween-themed images at this time of year, from the Great Pumpkin in the Peanuts comic strip to villains in numerous horror movies.
  Are you ready for Halloween? How much do you know about the traditions and culture associated with this day of the year?
  Put your Halloween knowledge to the test with these 13 questions.
  Good luck.
  
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• Bakersfield beatdown: Abbotsford Canucks crush Condors 5-1 to extend win streak to 7

  31-10-2026 06:37 via Abbotsford News
  
  The Abbotsford Canucks completed an out-of-this-world October with a definitive 5-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors in the California city on Friday (Oct. 30).
  The team’s win streak was also extended to seven games with the victory. Abbotsford finished the month with a sparkling record of 8-2-0-1.The club put a damper on Bakersfield’s $3 Beer Friday promotion very early when forward Ilya Safonov forced a turnover after an aggressive forecheck and found Kole Lind in the slot just 62 seconds
  
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• Okanagan College partners with the Royal Canadian Air Force

  30-10-2026 23:32 via Abbotsford News
  
  Okanagan College’s Aircraft Maintenance Engineering is helping bolster Canada’s military and defence.Twenty-two members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) joined the college program in October. An agreement was signed by the two organizations to have RCAF members train at the Kelowna and Vernon airports.“This collaboration between the Royal Canadian Air Force and Okanagan College demonstrates how Canada’s government is protecting Canadians by forging new partnerships to strengthen ou
  
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• Abbotsford man gets 8 years for 3 child sexual offences

  30-10-2026 23:22 via Abbotsford News
  
  An Abbotsford man who was initially charged with 11 sexual-abuse offences involving children has been sentenced to eight years for three of them.
  David Massie Douglas, 65, was sentenced Tuesday (Oct. 27) in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford after previously pleading guilty to two counts of sexual interference and one count of possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
  His other charges – including making sexually explicit material available to a child, making child sexual abuse
  
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• Drought codes reach record levels nearest B.C.’s worst wildfires in 2026

  30-10-2026 22:51 via Abbotsford News
  
  A new precedent has been set for drought codes in British Columbia.
  At the Canadian Wildfire Conference, held at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna on Oct. 28-29, B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) Provincial Aviation Specialist J.J. Lum provided a summary of the season.The French Bar weather station, the one nearest the Big Bar Complex, recorded drought levels above the 100th percentile of the 30-year average between May and mid-August. Weather stations nearest the Brunswick Complex and the Bald
  
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• Fake church retreat being used in sinful scam allegedly circulating in Shuswap

  30-10-2026 21:58 via Abbotsford News
  
  An unholy fraud using the Catholic church is allegedly being perpetrated in the Village of Chase, though the RCMP can’t verify the validity of the complaint.The village warned of the possible scam in a social media post on Oct. 22, saying that a local resident was approached by someone asking for a donation for a youth retreat at the Chase Catholic Church.“We have been informed by the Chase Catholic Church that there is no such ‘retreat’ happening…” the post stated.
  Const. Sarah Van
  
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• B.C. boy makes NHL debut with Dallas Stars

  30-10-2026 21:26 via Abbotsford News
  
  Trey Taylor has come a long way.
  The former Vernon Vipers defenceman has completed a long journey from the BC Hockey League to playing his first game in the National Hockey League.On Thursday night, Oct. 30, Taylor suited up for the Dallas Stars — the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in March 2025 — in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.The game ended in a 5-2 loss for Dallas, who have injuries to three players on their back end.While it’s always nice for a player to get
  
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• Abbotsford Police seek help locating missing man

  30-10-2026 21:08 via Abbotsford News
  
  The Abbotsford Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance to locate a missing 27-year-old man.
  Eli Womacks was last seen Monday, Oct. 26 at around noon in the 34000 block of Gladys Ave in Abbotsford.
  He is described as Indigenous, five-foot-11 and 178 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
  It is unknown what clothing he was wearing at the time of his disappearance.Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 and re
  
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• $5.9B B.C. container port expansion of ‘national interest’: Canadian government

  30-10-2026 20:58 via Abbotsford News
  
  The Government of Canada is officially listing the $5.9-billion Delta container port expansion in British Columbia as a project of “national interest” to help streamline approvals for Roberts Bank Terminal 2.
  The announcement is being made in a special event at the Delta port on Friday, Oct. 30.
  Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon is on hand for the announcement, alongside Delta MP Jill McKnight, Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Gurbux Saini, B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson, Tsawwassen First
  
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