BLACK BLACK FRIDAY FRIDAY 32562 S. FRASER WAY / ONE MINUTE WEST OF SEVENOAKS 604.857.1327 MAGNUSONFORD.CA IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN ABBOTSFORD ~ THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY OVER $500,000 IN PRICE REDUCTIONS THIS WEEKEND! See Back Page for Details. ACTION ABBOTSFORD IN ( SELECT AREAS ONLY ) SPECIAL EDITION INSIDE COMET SIGHTING The Abbotsford Heat host the Vancouver Canucks’ affiliate for a pair of games this weekend A11 ABBOTSFORD PEOPLE IN CRISIS MINISTER TOURS MEI WORK RECOGNIZED Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A11 Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A14 A3 Abbotsford News editor Andrew Holota is in Jordan and Lebanon this week with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank learning and reporting about the Syrian refugee issue A5 Education Minister Peter Fassbender visited MEI on Tues- day, and affirmed government’s support of independent schools A10 A number of local residents were given Rotary awards 85 ¢ +HST abbynews.com FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2013 Online all the time. In print Tuesday & Thursday. m m m m m m m m m your life your community. twitter.com/abbynews facebook.com/myabbynews BEST NEWSPAPER YEAR 2012 of the Six homeless individuals, along with the BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors have filed a human rights complaint on behalf of all Abbotsford home- less people, demanding equal treatment and an end to al- leged harassment by the city and the Abbotsford Police Department. The announcement was made Wednesday morning at the homeless protest camp in Jubilee Park, for which the city has ap- plied to the B.C. Supreme Court for an injunction forcing resi- dents to vacate. Some of the complainants and the group's lawyer, DJ Larkin from the non-profit group Pivot Legal Society, spoke to media and community members about the basis for their complaint, which has been filed at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal but has not yet been accepted. They state that the com- plaint follows the incident in June when city workers dumped chicken manure on a homeless camp and police allegedly slashed and bear-sprayed tents and property. The complaint alleges that, be- yond these events, the homeless in Abbotsford have been treated as outsiders and have been sub- jected to treatment designed to push them out of the community over a sustained period of time. Vikki HOPES Abbotsford News Four individuals whose property was damaged by officers earlier this year have reached an amica- ble resolution with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD). Jesse Wegenast of 5 and 2 Ministries, who served as the third- party complainant in the matter, said he and the four individuals met with an officer from the APD's professional standards branch on Thursday morning. They addressed concerns that arose in June that certain mem- bers of the APD had slashed tents and used pepper spray to disperse homeless people. Wegenast said the meeting went better than he had hoped or ex- pected it would. "The whole thing went really, re- ally well … I was actually surprised at how positively and smoothly it went." He said, due to confidentiality issues, he could not provide the specifics of the resolution, other than "the goal of it was to restore property to people." Wegenast said the people in- volved were pleased that the APD listened to their concerns, and he signed the agreement on their be- half only with their approval. "It was a pretty empowering ex- perience," he said. Wegenast commended the APD for addressing the issue when it first arose publicly following a meeting of the Abbotsford Social Development Advisory Committee in June. Soon after, the APD announced it was launching an investigation into the matter, with oversight by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. APD spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said the intention from the outset was to seek the truth. "Wherever that truth went, we were prepared to go." MacDonald said police have to finalize some details regarding the resolution, before details can be re- leased on what, if any, disciplinary action will be issued to the officers who were involved. Police, homeless reach agreement Human rights complaint filed against Abbotsford Nick Zurowski and Barry Shantz speak to media at a press conference announcing a human rights complaint against the city and police. ALEX BUTLER Abbotsford News MORE ONLINE abbynews.com
Transcript
BLACK BLACK FRIDAYFRIDAY32562 S. FRASER WAY / ONE MINUTE WEST OF SEVENOAKS 604.857.1327
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A3 Abbotsford News editor Andrew Holota is in Jordan and Lebanon this week with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank learning and reporting about the Syrian refugee issue
A5 Education Minister Peter Fassbender visited MEI on Tues-day, and affi rmed government’s support of independent schools
A10 A number of local residents were given Rotary awards
85¢+HST
abbynews.com
FRIDAYNOVEMBER 29, 2013
Online all the time. In print Tuesday & Thursday. mmmmmmmmm
your life your community.
twitter.com/abbynews facebook.com/myabbynews
BEST NEWSPAPER YEAR 2012of the
Six homeless individuals, along with the BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors have filed a human rights complaint on behalf of all Abbotsford home-less people, demanding equal treatment and an end to al-leged harassment by the city and the Abbotsford Police Department.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning at the homeless protest camp in Jubilee Park, for which the city has ap-plied to the B.C. Supreme Court for an injunction forcing resi-dents to vacate.
Some of the complainants and the group's lawyer, DJ Larkin from the non-profit group Pivot
Legal Society, spoke to media and community members about the basis for their complaint, which has been filed at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal but has not yet been accepted.
They state that the com-plaint follows the incident in
June when city workers dumped chicken manure on a homeless camp and police allegedly slashed and bear-sprayed tents and property.
The complaint alleges that, be-yond these events, the homeless in Abbotsford have been treated as outsiders and have been sub-jected to treatment designed to push them out of the community over a sustained period of time.
Vikki HOPESAbbotsford News
Four individuals whose property was damaged by officers earlier this year have reached an amica-ble resolution with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD).
Jesse Wegenast of 5 and 2 Ministries, who served as the third-party complainant in the matter, said he and the four individuals met with an officer from the APD's professional standards branch on Thursday morning.
They addressed concerns that
arose in June that certain mem-bers of the APD had slashed tents and used pepper spray to disperse homeless people.
Wegenast said the meeting went better than he had hoped or ex-pected it would.
"The whole thing went really, re-ally well … I was actually surprised at how positively and smoothly it went."
He said, due to confidentiality issues, he could not provide the specifics of the resolution, other than "the goal of it was to restore
property to people."Wegenast said the people in-
volved were pleased that the APD listened to their concerns, and he signed the agreement on their be-half only with their approval.
"It was a pretty empowering ex-perience," he said.
Wegenast commended the APD for addressing the issue when it first arose publicly following a meeting of the Abbotsford Social Development Advisory Committee in June.
Soon after, the APD announced
it was launching an investigation into the matter, with oversight by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
APD spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said the intention from the outset was to seek the truth.
"Wherever that truth went, we were prepared to go."
MacDonald said police have to finalize some details regarding the resolution, before details can be re-leased on what, if any, disciplinary action will be issued to the officers who were involved.
Police, homeless reach agreement
Human rights complaint filed against Abbotsford
Nick Zurowski and Barry Shantz speak to media at a press conference announcing a human rights complaint against the city and police.
ALEX BUTLER Abbotsford News
MOREONLINE
abbynews.com
A2 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013
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Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A3
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Life among the stones
Abbotsford News editor Andrew Holota is reporting on the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan and Lebanon this week, with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), one of the nation’s largest non-governmental aid organizations.
It has been funding refugee relief in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria since the summer. CFGB is a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies, partnering with a number of NGOs in Jordan and Lebanon, assisting them with funding to deliver aid.
Abbotsford is an important donor commu-nity for CFGB, which receives 4-1 Canadian government matching funds and partners with other NGOs such as World Renew in Canada and around the world to deliver food aid.
Twelve tents are pitched on a narrow patch of boulder-strewn, stony
ground on the side of a pot-holed road.
There is no water, no shade – no facilities of any kind.
For Abdul, 32, and his two wives and six children, along with 60-some other people, this is home.
They’ve been there for seven months, and their previous lo-cation was worse – the Zataari refugee camp, which Abdul describes as full of disease and trouble.
He gathered his family and fled Syria for reasons familiar to virtually all Syrian refugees – the violence of war.
He tells his story through interpreter Ra’ed Haddadd, project manager for World Renew, which is providing food aid to about 1,000 families – 6,000 people – in the Irbid area, through funding from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
“If he needs to just go out to buy bread, they can catch him. ‘Either you work for us, or we kill you.’”
Abdul is referring to forces from both the government and rebels. He refused to work with any of the fighters, be-cause his brothers are in the Syrian army.
It was not a choice he want-ed to make, and the family fled to Jordan.
The Jordanian police put everyone on buses to the refu-gee camp in Zataari, which is presently home to 150,000 to 160,000 people. Abdul says the camp is plagued with problems. Rebels burn tents, and carry out rapes. There are serious diseases among the occupants.
They stayed only five months, and then packed their UN tents and trekked south
for a better site.“If I don’t die in the war, I
will die in the camps,” he tells Haddadd.
Abdul registered his family with the UNHCR last year, but has received no aid yet, he says.
The only food he gets is from World Renew, run by the Christian Reformed Church, and funded since the summer by Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
The food donations, which are provided once a month, are critical to the family’s sur-vival.
The main problem they have is water, which they have to buy.
“We are feeling good to have this aid and help from you. It’s
the best thing for God to have somebody like you giving us this because we cannot find it any other place,” said Abdul.
If the food donations did not exist? Abdul shrugs and says, “I can cut pieces from my body for my family.”
Although it’s illegal for refu-gees to work in Jordan, Abdul has found occasional labour jobs for farmers in the olive season. The police have caught him twice, once with one of his wives, and sent him off to Zataari. He came back to Irbid both times.
The nine-member family lives in two connected tents from the United Nations – each about three by eight metres. The floor consists of carpets, and the canvas shelter will be heated by a diesel or oil heater this winter. The unit will cost $100 to $150 to buy initially, with fuel consuming about $60 per month of pre-cious funds.
Bizarrely, there is a TV in the corner – donated by a Jordanian family – as is a satellite dish and
a generator, which is used to provide power to several of the tents. It is the main source of entertainment for the children, for whom there is no school. They spend their days playing in the dirt, or watching TV, dur-ing the limited times when the generator is running.
Hadad says the conditions are of a “medium” standard for refugees in tents. At the low end of the scale are tents with holes, no carpets on the floor, and a lack of mattresses, blankets and no heater.
A car salesman in his former life, Abdul says he will “abso-lutely” go back to Syria if there is peace, but in the meantime he’s trying to find somewhere else – another country. Any country, he says, but he likes Canada, be-cause it has plentiful, good water.
As for who is in power when the fighting eventually ends, Abdul doesn’t care.
He just wants safety for him and his family, and to visit his neighbours “without fear of bombing or anything else.”
There are an estimated 3.4 million Syrian refugees living in communi-ties close to the Syrian and Lebanon borders. In Jordan, roughly only three-quarters are legally registered. Many who flee Syria choose not to register with the United Nations, afraid they’ll be hunted down and persecuted if they ever try to return to their country.
Those who have money or posses-sions left to sell live in rented rooms, the price of which is escalating. Those who cannot afford a roof over their heads must settle for less comfortable and secure accommodations, such as tent cities in four separate camps.
And while the World Food Organization is reportedly feeding close to three million refugees inside
and out of Syria, gaps in aid remain.That’s where Canadian Foodgrains
Bank, through its network of church member agencies, step in.
And when humanitarian aid doesn’t meet the needs of people who desper-ately need it, what fills the gap?
“Hardship.”The answer comes from Ken Little,
senior project manager, international disaster response for World Renew, an aid agency run by the Christian Reformed Church, which is active in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, respond-ing to the needs of refugees created by civil war in the latter country.
“ … we’re going to have to be think-ing about short-term emergency re-sponse for quite awhile.”
Canada has strongly condemned ongoing violence against civilians in Syria, in particular violence against women and children and most recently the use of chemical weapons.
We continue to call for the full, safe and unhin-dered access of humanitarian actors to all affected populations in need.
Canada supports provision of humanitarian assis-tance in Syria and neighbouring countries hosting refugees through experienced partners such as UN agencies and the IFRC and ICRC as well as NGOs.
To date, Canada has committed to the Syrian crisis $203.5 million in humanitarian assistance both inside Syria and in surrounding countries, $110 million in development assistance to Jordan and Lebanon, and $47.5 million in security-related re-gional assistance (in the form of vehicles and com-munications equipment, as well as a police station in the refugee camp).
– Embassy of Canada in Jordan
ANDREW HOLOTA Abbotsford News
The children of Abdul el-Razek are Syrian refugees living on the outskirts of the city of Irbid in Jordan, about 40 kilometres from the Syrian border. The family left Syria following the outbreak of civil war after el-Razek refused to join either rebel or Syrian forces.
Number of internally displaced: 6.5 millionNumber living in surrounding countries as refugees: 2.2 millionTotal number directly affected by this crisis: 11.5 million (displaced, refugees, or just in need of assistance)
Relief agencies filling gaps in aid $203.5M committed to crisis
A4 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013
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Notice of Public Hearingto consider amendments to
Abbotsford Of cial Community Plan Bylaw, 2005; andAbbotsford Zoning Bylaw, 1996
Abbotsford Council will hold a Public Hearing at 7:00 pm on December 9, 2013, in the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium,32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, B.C., under the provisions of the Local Government Act to consider the following bylaws. At the Public Hearing, all persons who believe their interest in property is affected by the proposed bylaws will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the bylaws that are the subject of the hearing.
The following is a synopsis of the bylaws amending the Of cial Community Plan, and Zoning Bylaw of the City of Abbotsford, and is not deemed to be an interpretation. A copy of these bylaws and relevant background documentation may be inspected in the Economic Development & Planning Services Department (Second Floor), Abbotsford City Hall, 32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, B.C., on November 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 December 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9, 2013 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Planning Services Staff at 604-864-5510.
LOCATION: 27900 block Fraser Highway
LEGAL: Lot 14; Except Part (Parcel A) in Plan BCP7657 Section 20 Township 13 NWD Plan 21625
CURRENT ZONING: One Unit Suburban Residential Zone (RR4)
PROPOSED ZONING: One Unit Compact Lot Residential Zone (RS5), One Unit Compact Lot Residential Coach House Zone (RS6-C) and Parks, Open Space and Schools Zone (P2)
PURPOSE: If Bylaw 2273-2013 is adopted, the applicant proposes to develop a 21 lot residential subdivision with a riparian parcel.
PURPOSE: If Bylaw 2274-2013 is adopted, federally licensed Medical Marihuana Grow Operations (MMGOs) that would be permitted under the new Health Canada Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations will be prohibited within the City of Abbotsford’s farming areas.
PURPOSE: If Bylaw 2275-2013 is adopted, federally licensed Medical Marihuana Grow Operations (MMGOs) that would be permitted under the new Health Canada Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations will be prohibited within the City of Abbotsford’s urban areas.
ABBOTSFORD OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN,AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 2264-2013; and
PURPOSE: If adopted, Bylaw No. 2264-2013 will update and simplify Section A-13 Industrial Area Plans of the Of cial Community Plan (OCP). The bylaw will update both the text and mapping sections to re ect infrastructure improvements that were made in these areas in 2011 and 2012.
If adopted, Bylaw No. 2263-2013 will update the General Industrial Zone (I2). The update will protect underground water supply by ensuring that appropriate uses are located in sensitive areas. A new use called ‘Data Centre’ will be added, and Of ce Use will be restricted. However, Of ce Use will be permitted as an accessory use, but only where the principal use is present or being built concurrently.
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‘City is not broke,’ says mayorAlex BUTLERAbbotsford News
Mayor Bruce Banman made his annual ad-dress to the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, assuring attendees that “the city is not broke.”
Banman said 2013 was a year of evolution at city hall, explain-ing that under the guidance of the new city manager, George Murray, the city under-went a core review to source efficiencies.
Banman said the work by city staff to streamline operations led to a budget with a proposed tax increase of 0.44 per cent over-all, with no increase for city hall, and no impact on municipal services.
He said the goal of council in 2014 will be to focus on financial sustainability, with plans to pay off much of the city’s debt by 2016 and begin build-ing financial reserves.
Banman said the big-gest challenge he will face as mayor is find-ing a solution to the annual payments to the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre and the Abbotsford Heat.
Rumours cir-culated in the spring that the Canuck farm team would come to Abbotsford, and Banman said peo-ple may wonder why the deal did not come to pass, but explained that “the last thing this council wants to do is entertain an offer than puts us in a worse fi-nancial position than we are in right now.”
The mayor also re-leased the draft of the city’s economic devel-opment action plan, which the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Prosperity has been working on since the group was created in 2011. That document outlines initiatives that would help make Abbotsford a business-
friendly and livable community, and will go to council for a voteon Dec. 9.
Banman also spokeof the city’s plans
to review the Official C o m m u n i t yPlan, focusing A b b o t s f o rd ’s energy on building upinstead of outand creating more livable communities.
Banman also said thecity will focus on ad-dressing key social is-sues in 2014, includinghomelessness.
He said that this year,the city came face-to-face with homeless-ness, and they plan towork with communitypartners and other levels of government.Banman said the cityplans to look at rootcauses of homeless-ness instead of onlyaddressing the symp-toms.
Allan Asaph, ex-ecutive director of the chamber, said the mayor stressed that thiswill require “respect,passion, and patience.”
BANMAN
Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A5
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Independents do not draw money from public schools, says minister
Alina KONEVSKIAbbotsford News
Education minster Peter Fassbender re-affirmed the govern-ment’s commitment to independent schools during a tour of Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) in Abbotsford Tuesday.
“As a government, we’re committed to supporting indepen-dent schools. A choice for parents,” he told MEI staff and board members. “Whether [students] are at an in-dependent school or a public school, our goal is to ensure of that one thing: that they are successful.”
The tour was part of MEI’s twice monthly Heart of MEI Event (HOME) that showcas-es the school to out-siders.
Fassbender said that MEI instilled in students “a sense of community, belonging, respect, car-ing for each other, sup-porting each other.”
“I know that the
young people that leave MEI will have a great foundation,” he continued. “What was reinforced is, when you have a school like this, where par-ents make the choice to come to an inde-pendent school, there is a higher degree of commitment to that journey for the kids, so that’s a good thing. But I see a lot of that in public schools too. And I don’t compare one to the other.”
Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton also joined the tour, as did Abbotsford-Mission MLA Simon Gibson.
Dalton serves as the parliamentary secre-tary for independent schools.
Both Dalton and Fassbender stood firm that independent, or private, schools – which are 35-50 per cent funded by the government – did not draw resources away from public schools.
“We really believe in educational choices. One thing is that a lot of the parents do make a real sacrifice to come to the [MEI] school. It’s not just for the wealthy,” said Dalton.
Fassbender agreed, adding that both pub-
lic and private systems offer the same basic education.
“We don’t see it as taking resources away. It’s a choice for par-ents. The province has supported the phi-losophy that parents should have a choice. We’ve tried to find a balance between ad-equate support for the independent system, not at the expense of the public,” said Fassbender.
When it came to quality of instruction at MEI, Dalton found that MEI was “really keeping up with the times, and giving top quality education.”
“I was really im-pressed with the in-novation as far as edu-cation, the instruction, the engagement of the students, the parents, and the community,” he said.
The faith-based MEI complex consists of an elementary, middle and high school serving nearly 1,400 students.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender toured Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford on Tuesday.
ALINA KONEVSKI Abbotsford News
Comment on any story online at abbynews.comor email [email protected]
ABBOTSFORD NEWS I Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2013
6
Published and printed by Black Press Limited 34375 Gladys Avenue, Abbotsford
Many Canadians will vote with their feet this week and head south on Black Friday in hopes of finding bargains on electronics, appliances, apparel and food.
This trek is part of a general trend of Canadians to cross-border shop while our dol-lar’s value stays relatively high, and although the price spread is just 10% — not a huge dif-ference given the time spent in border lineups and the cost of gas — the general impression is that U.S. retailers do a better job in keeping prices low.
The truth is more complicated as some retail-ers have been adapting to consumer demand, offering competitive deals and early shopping
hours for Black Friday to keep shoppers at home.
It’s unfair to blame Canadian retailers solely for the price differences. In fact, Canada’s rela-tively small consumer market compared to the U.S. contributes to higher pricing overall.
At the same time, Canadian consumers shouldn’t be let off the hook. They need to know that circulating their dollar in their home community keeps themselves and their neigh-bours employed, and thus benefits local econo-mies. Dollars spent in Canada will also ensure that we continue to enjoy health care, a strong social safety net and many other benefits.
- Black Press
Think local while out shopping
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A8 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A9
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A8 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A9
B R I N G YOU R T RA D E I N – W H E T H E R I T ’S PA I D FO R O R N OT !
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A10 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIESEXPLORE THE WORLD...DISCOVER YOURSELF
Attend High School in another Country We need a student for the 2014-15 school year. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! Live for one year with host families while attending high school (grades 10-12). Rotary Clubs of Abbotsford-Sumas and Abbotsford-Matsqui have partnered to bring this exchange to Abbotsford. Approximate cost to the student is $6,000 for the year. www.rotary.org/en/youth-exchanges
Think Outside the Box Youth Adventures in Leadership (January 17-19, 2014) Come together with other youth leaders (age 15-17) from BC and Washington State for a 3 day camp exploring the basics of what it means, and takes, to be a leader. www.yail.org
Learn valuable Leadership skills (April 17-20 2014)Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a four day leadership camp for young adults (age 18-30) featuring professional speakers, leadership development and personal growth. www.ryla5050.org
44thth Annual AnnualWith your helpwe’ve got ‘em
covered!
i h h l
The Abbotsford News and Bakerview EcoDairy are collecting coats in support of the
Salvation Army Coats andWarm Clothing Campaign
Bring in your gently used coats, gloves, scarves, mittens, hats, boots and warm clothing
for all ages to:
• Abbotsford News until January 17, 2014
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warms
Seven residents earn Paul Harris FellowshipsSeven community
members received Paul Harris Fellowship Awards from the Rotary Club of Abbotsford in recognition of their ex-ceptional service to our community.
This recognition, named after the founder of Rotary International, Paul Harris, is bestowed to both members of the local club and indi-viduals who have given outstanding service to their organization and community.
The foundation al-lows the organization to improve communities by promoting peace, preventing disease, bol-stering economic devel-opment and providing
clean water and sanita-tions.
On Nov. 19, awards were presented toAbe Konrad, Gordon Holloway, Martin Silverstein, Sherri Wacker, Bob Johnson, George Ferguson and Kevin MacDonald, eachexemplifying the Rotarymotto “Service aboveself” in their contribu-tion.
All seven recipientswere given the award for having given tire-lessly to their profes-sional vocation, lent their leadership skills, experience and busi-ness services to chari-ties, organizations, andprojects throughout theFraser Valley.
Submitted
Left to right: President of Rotary Club of AbbotsfordAngelo Rea, former mayor George Ferguson, RotarianMarion Keys, Rotarian Ron Kelly honour Ferguson with a coveted Paul Harris Fellowship Award.
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Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A11
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Heat to clash with Baby CanucksAbbotsford is first overall in AHL, Utica last
Dan KINVIGAbbotsford News
The Abbotsford Heat and Utica Comets find themselves at oppo-site ends of the spec-trum heading into a pair of weekend games at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.
The Heat are atop the overall standings with 35 points, having won 13 of their past 14 games. They’ve amassed their 17-5-1 record in enter-taining fashion – their youthful roster cranks out an average of 3.39 goals per game, the sixth-best mark in the league.
The Comets, mean-while, find themselves mired in last place over-all in the AHL at 4-11-2. The Vancouver Canucks’ freshly minted farm team – purchased last spring as the Peoria Rivermen and subse-quently moved to up-state New York after a brief flirtation with Abbotsford – average a league-worst 2.12 goals per game.
They are taking steps in the right direction, though, having won four of their last seven games.
Heat head coach Troy Ward puts little stock in the standings dispar-ity, though. He’s work-ing with a somewhat shorthanded roster this weekend, with an injury-riddled blueline corps and forwards Max Reinhart and Paul Byron and defenceman Chris Breen all recently re-called by the NHL parent Calgary Flames.
“What they (Utica) have more than us is they have more experi-ence, and that’s danger-ous,” Ward noted. “It’s like I told the team today – do you respect your grandfather? Yes, you do. So you respect this team. They’re bigger than you, they’re older than you, they’re more mature than you.”
A visit from the Vancouver farm team – easily the most popu-lar draw among oppos-ing teams for obvious reasons – is a welcome sight for the Heat, who are off to the slowest start attendance-wise in their five-year his-tory. They’re last in the AHL with an average crowd of 2,191 fans per game. That’s more than 400 fans less than the Albany Devils, who sit 29th out of 30 on the at-tendance register.
Over the franchise’s previous four seasons in Abbotsford, the Canucks affiliate, in its previ-ous iterations as the
Manitoba Moose and the Chicago Wolves, has played before an average crowd of 6,246 fans per game. That includes five sellout crowds (just over 7,000) in 16 games.
“It’s really a good time for us to have Utica
come in,” Heat president Ryan Walter acknowl-edged. “Certainly our team, on-ice, has been spectacular, and I think with Utica, we should be able to get some real good momentum.”
The Heat and Comets
clash on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. both nights at the AESC. Canucks goaltending legend Kirk McLean will be on hand Friday to sign autographs.For more Heat coverage,
visit abbynews.com
Heat goalie Joni Ortio has been terrific this season, backstopping his team to first place.UTICA COMETS PHOTO
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Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A13
Make the mostof your giving
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Help us to GIVE JOY this Holiday Season.
Did You Know
The Food Bank and Christmas Bureau operate 100% on donated
food, money, supplies and services. People come to the
Food Bank every month.
To operate the Food Bank andChristmas Bureau for a full year.
(40%) of theseare children.
The Food Bank serves working people with low
incomes, people in poverty and the homeless.
PhoneVisa and Mastercard donations
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Starting December 11, 2013
Huskies win B.C. AA championshipDan KINVIGAbbotsford News
Samwel Uko and the Abbotsford Middle School Huskies were unstoppable on Tuesday evening, racing past the Notre Dame Jugglers 31-14 in Burnaby to claim the AA Grade 8 provincial football title.
Uko, the Huskies’ standout running back, rushed for all five of his team’s touchdowns as
Abby Middle became the first Abbotsford squad to win a Grade 8 B.C. football champion-ship since 1993.
“The kids had a little swagger in their step this morning – they’re really excited,” Huskies athletic director Shawn Mani told The News on Wednesday.
Among the leaders for the Huskies on Tuesday were the Kelly twins – linebacker Darius and
fullback Dion, who ex-celled on opposite sides of the ball. Quarterback Luke Szmutko, filling in for injured starter Jordan Townrow, had a terrific game, and Ranvir Sandhu booted an extra point.
But Uko, undoubtedly, was the star of the show.
“The kid put the team on his back,” Mani mar-veled. “Some of his runs were 90 yards from scrimmage, 65 yards
from scrimmage, 50 yards from scrimmage.
“The kids were jok-ing on the sideline that when we’re in third down, we’re going to call ‘Third and Samwel’ – pitch the ball to him and see what happens.” Ranvir Dhaliwal (10) and the Abby Huskies hoisted the trophy.
SHAWN MANI Abbotsford Middle School
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A14 Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013
DiversityTHE ABBOTSFORD NEWS
Isabella T.
What multiculturalism means to my family is in other words, is to be Canadian. It is part of the culture of our country and also of our communities.
Almost all the people in this country came from other countries. India, England, China, Korea, Africa and Scotland to name a few. From these countries we have all brought our own cultures and values, beliefs and heritage.
Multiculturalism means we accept the colour of all people’s skin. There is no difference and all people are equal. In some other countries this is not always true. But it is here in Canada. In our family we treat all people equal and respect all people.
Multiculturalism means that we are free to choose our religion. No matter which God you pray to, you can pray in your own way here in Canada. We are free of religious prosecution.
We also celebrate all kinds of reli-gious ceremonies in our community. Christmas, Halloween and Diwali are examples of this. In Canada we can celebrate in our own way anytime we want. In our family we celebrate with our family, friends and community members and treasure our freedoms.
Multiculturalism means that each individual group can keep their iden-tity while still participating in the rest of society. The way people dress can iden-tify them with a particular culture. Scottish kilts, native moccasins and special dresses all are examples of this. In our family we sometimes wear kilts to weddings.
Multiculturalism means no one culture, race, religion is any more important or better, than any other culture, race or religion. We are all created equal. Different but equal.
This is what multiculturalism means to me and my family. We truly believe this is the best way to live.
Aneesha Kaur Sran
Multiculturalism. Long word, isn’t it? But it isn’t just any word, it means something.Really I don’t know what it means to others, but to me and my family it’s a way of
life. It means that I can walk down a street and see so many people from other cultures, doing things not familiar with their culture, but enjoying it.
Multiculturalism helps us connect with the global village. Not only does it help others learn about different cultures, it helps ourselves about the importance of cultural accep-tance. It helps us live together in harmony, not just as a group, but as a community. It means that the world is a diverse place; after all, if it was the same, wouldn’t that be boring?
Multiculturalism means that we are introduced to new activities and traditions. Multiculturalism is the state of where someone like me won’t be afraid to accept their own culture because they are afraid of what others will think or if they will be accepted. Multiculturalism means that I will be free to be myself and live my culture in my own cultural identity. It means that I can express myself through the music, clothes, and traditions of my culture and nobody will look down on me.
To live in a multicultural world means that I have my own cultural identity, even if I’m from a culture from another country, I won’t have to give it up just so I can assimilate.
Where a nation won’t be integrated because of cul-ture, but congregated instead. Multiculturalism means that if one falls, another will be there to catch them.
A wise queen once solved an issue of two cultures that were fighting. She took a drop of blood of each and let it drop against the ground. When she asked them to pick out the difference they couldn’t, it was the same!
Multiculturalism means cultural acceptance. It means that when I walk down the street, the last thing people will look at is the colour of my skin. It means that I won’t be afraid that if I’m in a new way of living, I’ll forget my own culture and my own traditions because now I know that people accept me for who I am.
Most importantly, multiculturalism means to me and my fam-ily a state of where someone will not be judged by their colour, but by their character and actions. Alas, multiculturalism means that I can wear my Indian faraaksuit and do bhangra all the way down the street and all people will do is smile.
Oleg Moskvin
Hello my name is Oleg, I am 13 years old. I am from Russia. I came to Canada when I was 7 years old, so I have lived in Canada for almost 7 years!
“If we take off our skin, we are all the same.”Multiculturalism means a lot to me and my family. With multicultural-
ism you have the great opportunity of exploring different cultures, foods, festivals, etc. You don’t have to travel to meet different kinds of people or go to Mexico to eat tacos, because it’s all here in our community!
All of us are the same. We have the same blood colour, same bones, and same organs. Why do we have to exclude people from our community if they are from a different part of the world? If you think about it, only native people are truly Canadians, and if you have a tiny bit of another culture’s blood running in your veins then you’re not Canadian, but you have the privilege of being called Canadian and living in Canada. For some reason native people didn’t exclude the French and the British, instead they welcomed them! So why do we have to exclude aboriginals or other people that aren’t Canadian?
With having multiculturalism in Abbots-ford, we have the great opportunity to explore different cultures, food or festivals.
With Diwali coming up you can celebrate it with the Indian people and know how it’s like to celebrate Diwali! When you’re
driving down Abbotsford on S. Fraser Way, you can see so many different restaurants like Korean, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese and Greek! You won’t have to go to another country to try a food or practice their religion or festivals.
Having multiculturalism in Abbotsford is a great opportunity to explore different kinds of cultures. In Russia you don’t really see any other people than Russian or Ukrainian people.
This is what multiculturalism means to me and my family. We truly believe this is the best way to live.
The results from the Abbotsford News Diversity Challenge school essay con-test are in.
After sifting through close to 300 colouring contest and 100 essay entries, the judges have narrowed it down to the top three for each cat-egory.
There are two winners from Mission and four from Abbotsford. The choices weren’t easy to make as many students displayed
strong efforts, either through their pens or crayons in showcasing what multicul-tural means to them.
The purpose of this con-test was not solely to pick winners, but to tap into our youth and create a discus-sion on how we can connect our various cultures in the Fraser Valley. I am proud to say these students get what multiculturalism means and live it through their activities. It’s always exciting to phone
the parents and hear the joy after notifying them that their child was selected as a winner. The kids are equally as excited to hear the news.
The Cycling4Diversity Foun-dation team had the opportu-nity to visit 10 schools in the Abbotsford/Mission area to speak about cultural diversity and to encourage students to be part of this contest. Many schools had the entire class participate, which is a wonderful way to celebrate
multiculturalism with your classmates. The future looks bright and I was personally honoured to be part of it all for the past two months.
The colouring contest win-ners are ages (5-10): Tamanna Gill (Abbotsford); Hannah Barker (Mission); and, Scar-lett Verbeek (Abbotsford).
In the essay contest, Isa-bella T. (Mission, 11-13), Aneesha Kaur Sran (Abbots-ford) and Oleg Moskvin (Abbotsford) were chosen.
The question posed for the 300-word essay contest was: What does multiculturalism mean to you and your fam-ily?
I would like to thank the judges who participated in this process and for their insight: Kris Foulds, Terry Stobbart, Janice Vert Baker Meeks, Deesh Sekhon, Rick Rake, Carol Hamilton and Harwant Brar. Also, I would like to acknowledge Abbots-ford Coun. Les Barkman and
Norm MacLeod for joining us at some the schools and being part of the Cycling4Di-versity Foundation family.
KEN HERAR
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE COLOURING CONTEST: Tamanna Gill (Abbotsford); Hannah Barker (Mission); and, Scarlett Verbeek (Abbotsford)
ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS: WHAT MULTICULTURALISM MEANS TO ME AND MY FAMILY
For more photos, visit us at Facebook.com/myabbynews& Twitter.com/abbynews
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Abbotsford News Friday, November 29, 2013 A15
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