Here’s some of our top stories of the week:
Another local tragedy in Surrey crash
Abbotsford resident Paige Nagata passed away in hospital on Sunday, two weeks after she was in a head-on collision that killed Sarah Dhillon, 50, also of Abbotsford.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser for Nagata, which has now raised over $24,000, well over the $8,000 goal, Nagata was in the back seat of a vehicle involved in the crash. The GoFundMe was intended to raise funds for Nagata’s recovery and medical treatments, but it is now being used to help with funeral arrangements.
“Our family has been overwhelmed by the love and support we have received through this difficult time,” the GoFundMe reads.
Homicide victim linked to gang members, but not one himself
After over a week of silence on the matter, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team finally spoke on the death of Jagvir Malhi, who was gunned down in Abbotsford on Nov. 12.
Though offering little information, IHIT did confirm that Malhi was not involved in gangs or criminal activity, but he “was associated to those involved in the Lower Mainland gang conflict,” according to Cpl. Frank Jang.
Malhi was a criminology student at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he was reportedly going when he was gunned down in the middle of the day.
LONG READ: The Candidate’s journey through a municipal campaign
Follow Abbotsford city council candidate Aird Flavelle through the ups and downs of his most recent council campaign – his fourth in a decade.
Flavelle was chosen by reporter Tyler Olsen, in part, because Flavelle “was a perfect subject: he had run in each municipal election since 2008, is the only member of the public to regularly attend public committee meetings and is gregarious, open and self-aware.”
Flavelle’s vote fluctuated through the years, everywhere between 2,000 and 6,000 votes, all shy of the roughly 9,000 generally needed to gain a seat on council in Abbotsford.
Big bills unpaid to Fraser Health by non-Canadians
In an Abbotsford News exclusive, a look at the foreign medical bills that were written off by the Fraser Health Authority.
Over the last six years, Fraser Health has written off more than $16 million in unpaid debts owed by non-Canadians landing in local hospitals.
That compares with about $100 million in revenue from non-residents over that same time period, with estimates that Fraser Health only collecting about 70 to 80 per cent of the money charged to non-residents.
Literacy expectations – a wide range of achievement in Abbotsford
If you were to guess the range of literacy performance in Abbotsford schools, what would that be?
According to a report by the Abbotsford School District, schools ranged from 40 per cent of Grade 3 students meeting literacy expectations (two schools) all the way up to over 90 per cent meeting expectations (two schools).
The school district says it’s not sitting idly by while schools show such wildly disparate performances, however.
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