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Kids at Abbotsford Middle School and Chilliwack Central Community School will have a chance to be mentored by older athletes during some after school sports sessions over the next few weeks.

It’s part of a program launched by Pacificsport Fraser Valley, an organization dedicated to helping local athletes achieve success and getting introducing sports to youth.

Sport Participation Coordinator Eric Sinker says getting time with a mentor can be a valuable experience.

“I think it really puts it in perspective for the young child, who has an opportunity to learn from someone who is a teenager and someone early in their twenties so that way they can relate their experiences and be that face for that sport to help link them into that local organization.”

The initiative was made possible with funding from the Abbotsford Heat foundation.

An emergency in the home can be a scary thing if you’re not prepared for it, and even more so for young children.

The BC Ambulance Service says it’s important to teach children how to dial 911, and more importantly what to say to dispatch, if an adult has a medical problem.

Michal Fedeles with the BC Ambulance Service says even children as young as four can learn what to do.

He says children are very curious when they see ambulances, and you can use that as a starting point.

“Young children easily understand what the purpose of an ambulance is, so I think a natural extension of that is how do you get that help, how do you call? Call 911. Here’s the phone, let’s play with it. Let’s have a conversation.”

Fedeles says using fun role-play can teach a child what he or she needs to do without making it scary.

The era of fake and bake is over for anyone under 18 in BC.

New rules went into effect on Monday banning minors from using tanning beds.

Canadian Cancer Society BC Yukon CEO Barbara Kaminski says she applauds the move, saying young people are at higher risk from tanning beds.

“In fact it’s been indicated through the research that if people use indoor tanning equipment before the age of 35, and particularly when they’re in their teenage and early twenties, the risk of malignant melanoma could increase by as much as 87%.”

However Kaminski does say UV rays can help people with bad skin conditions and says there are exemptions in the law for people who have prescriptions from their doctor.

Abbotsford mayor Bruce Banman says the goal is to keep the tax increase below the rate of inflation.

City Council saw a draft budget that included a base increase of 0.52 percent, with funding requests that would push it to 2.06.

Banman says there is also a challenge from the provincial government decision to increase exemptions for farmland buildings.

“That decision, which they projected would only be about 200 to 250 thousand dollars difference in our tax base, turns out to be close to a million dollars, because we have high amounts of farms that have buildings on them. Now we’re forced to find close to a million dollars out of the general revenues to try to replace that somehow.”

According to the budget draft, if the shortfall isn’t addressed through cuts or some other means, it could mean another 0.76 percent increase.

The man accused of hitting and killing a flagger at a construction site on Lougheed Highway in Mission two years ago has pleaded guilty.

Thor Shay was charged with driving without due care & attention after the death of Don Cain.

A large group of flaggers were at the courtroom in support of Cain’s family.

Diane Herback from the BC Flagging association says she thinks crown prosecutors should have done a better job with the evidence to bring in a more serious charge.

“I.E. the Worksafe investigators and the ICBC investigation into the guy’s car. His windshield was plastic, and he had very little brakes left. So he dragged that flagger fifty yards to his death. So we think it should have been criminal negligence causing death.”

Herback says police are doing their part to enforce driving laws in construction zones, but says laws need to be changed to bring in stiffer penalties.

A 67 year old Chilliwack woman was killed in a car accident in Abbotsford Monday morning on the highway 11 bypass just south of the Old Clayburn Rd. overpass.
The accident was reportedly a head on collision between a van and a car.
The woman driving the car was taken to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
The man from Mission who was driving the van was airlifted to hospital for treatment and is recovering.
The road was closed for several hours while police went over the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.

Participaction has launched a “Bring Back Play” campaign to try to get more kids involved in traditional outdoor games like hide and seek and red rover.
The group, which has a mandate of increasing physical activity in Canadians, released a study that shows that only 19 percent of kids surveyed regularly play the outdoor games that their parents did.
Participaction president Kelly Murumets  says there are a few reasons why, including more time in front of the TV or computer.

“Definitely that screen time is a huge barrier.  A second barrier is that parents are worried about the safety of their kids.  They feel like their kids aren’t safe if they’re running around outside unsupervised.”

Parents can download an app at participaction.com with lots of game ideas that they can bring to the park with their kids.

A 40 year old man who faces six sex related charges is expected back in Abbotsford court by the end of this month.

The charges against Todd Hilderbrand stem from a ten year old incident involving a 13 year old victim in Abbotsford.

Constable Ian MacDonald says he has been released under court conditions.

“Not to attend any place where a person under the age of 16 could reasonable be expected to be present. And so we are also asking our citizens to keep a watchful eye out for him and to call Abbotsford police if they see him in breach of that condition.”

Hilderbrand is a Canadian citizen but lives in Bellingham Washington.

MacDonald says given that the offence was ten years ago they can’t ignore the possibility of other victims on both sides of the border, and says police encourage any potential victims to come forward.

As the day of ghosts and goblins draws near, you may have seen signs advertising fireworks for sale on Sumas First Nations lands, or in some of Abbotsford’s immediate neighbors.

However the Abby fire department will be quick to remind you that fireworks are still illegal inside the city, and the city is prepared to back the bylaw up with some stiff penalties.

Anyone caught with fireworks could be fined anywhere from 200 to a thousand dollars.

The city put the ban in back in 2005 hoping to cut down on fires and injuries.

The fire risk is especially front of mind this year, with the surprisingly warm weather making for dry conditions where a single spark could start a brush fire.

In addition, deputy fire chief Mike Helmer calls fireworks small bombs and says they’re not safe in untrained hands.

Two years ago a 14 year old boy badly injured his hand when a firework exploded while he was holding it.

An Abbotsford teacher has been recognized with a national teaching award.

Patricia Evans from Margaret Stenersen elementary has received the Prime Minister’s certificate of achievement.

Evans was nominated for the award by her student’s parents, which she says is the ultimate reward.

“That’s the biggest support you can get. Just working together with the parents is part of the whole process of the child moving forward, gaining more self confidence. So to have that recommendation from the parents was quite an honor.”

Evans runs an annual awards ceremony where family can hear in detail about what each student has achieved throughout the year.