Here’s some of the stories that made headlines in Abbotsford this week:
Finding a way home
Tales of love, connection and relationships among Abbotsford’s homeless population are the centre of our new series, Finding a way home. We unveiled parts one and two this week, with more to come over the next two weeks.
So far, we’ve heard from Harvey Clause, an organizer among his community, and someone who gets along with everyone around him. Then we heard from Gary Hull, who told us about the dog that saved his life and how his two cats keep him responsible and accountable.
Finally, we’ve heard from Brad Wernicke and Becky Bird, who spoke of the ways being a couple on the streets offers some comforts, as well as the barriers it can pose.
Read Clause’s story here. Read Hull’s story here. Read Wernicke and Bird’s story here.
To find out how you can help, go to our ‘How to take action’ page.
Police incident involves border runners, car crash and backpacks with suspected meth
We learned this week of an incident the week prior in which U.S. Border Patrol reportedly spotted “multiple subjects” illegally crossing into the U.S. near the Sumas crossing.
One agent reportedly encountered two people with large backpacks, which were later discovered to contain 83 lbs of suspected methamphetamine.
That’s believed to be connected to a car crash that same night, where a car was found to be upside down in a ditch, with two large backpacks containing a “significant amount” of meth found inside.
A man involved in the crash was taken into custody and a child that was with the man was released to the mother.
Abbotsford lags behind when it comes to voting opportunities
An Abbotsford News analysis of voting opportunities during this year’s local elections has found that Abbotsford lags behind most other mid-sized B.C. cities.
The city has no mail-in ballots and just two days of advanced at one location available, while other cities offer more opportunities. As well, the number of voting-day polling stations has dropped over the last two elections, which Mayor Henry Braun admits seems to be “counterintuitive.”
Inquest scheduled into death of man in prison for gang-related killing
A coroner’s inquest has been scheduled early next year into the death of a man in an Abbotsford prison in 2015.
Gurwinder Singh Mann, 39, in prison for a gang-related killing, suffered an injury in the Donnaconna Institute near Quebec City in 2013 and was transferred to the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford.
There he was under the care of the medical unit until his Dec. 26, 2015 death. The B.C. Coroners Service has not released the nature of Mann’s injury, nor the exact cause of death.
UFV students raise money to keep ‘nicest’ person in Abbotsford
Students at the University of the Fraser Valley are rallying together and pooling money to help keep a classmate in Canada.
This comes as Atena Darkhor, who moved to Abbotsford from Iran three years ago, faces a financial and political situation in which she may be unable to stay in Canada.
Darkhor, described as “one of the nicest, caring, most genuine people I’ve met” by one classmate, had hoped her diploma from UFV would allow her to remain in Canada.
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