Abbotsford

A white man in a black shirt and jacket standing outdoors in the sun.

Founder of ‘5 and 2 Ministries’ raises alarm on increasing homelessness in Abbotsford

February 1, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

Ward Draper, the leader of a local church that aims to support Abbotsford’s homeless, has sounded the alarm on the worsening conditions faced by the vulnerable population.

In an interview with CIVL Radio, Draper, who heads “5 and 2 Ministries,” highlighted the severe impact of rising living costs on marginalized groups, particularly seniors. He emphasized that the number of homeless individuals in Abbotsford has reached unprecedented levels.
“When I started 5 and 2 over 20 years ago, we were looking at just over 100 to 200 people on the streets [in Abbotsford]. And it’s more than quadrupled and showing no signs of slowing,” Draper stated.

During the interview, Draper called for both cultural and political shifts to address the root causes of homelessness and improve living conditions for Abbotsford’s homeless population.

Photo of Kyle Tieszen, a young white man in an orange shirt, smiling and holding his baby daughter in a park

Abbotsford man’s leukemia diagnosis inspires tens of thousands of dollars in fundraising

January 29, 2024 by Charles Brockman

Kyle Tieszen is an HVAC technician for the City of Abbotsford. When he was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 6, his wife and friends rallied together to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

At the time of reporting, their fund in Tieszen’s name had raised over $15,000.

“We’re shocked that it has gone as far as it did so quickly, but at the same time, shame on us for ever doubting how much of a positive impact [Tieszen] has made on so many people’s lives,” said Tieszen’s wife Meagan Brown.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada is a charitable organization working to fund research and support patients and families suffering from blood cancers. Brown said all the funds raised in Tieszen’s name will be donated directly to the organization.

CIVL Radio interviewed Brown and Tieszen’s friend Chris McCluskie to learn more about the fundraiser and support for leukemia patients in Canada.

Photo of Constable Art Stele, a young white male Abbotsford police officer in uniform posing in front of a plain grey background

Abbotsford police vow vigilance against gang violence following fatal shooting

January 27, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

Abbotsford police are holding steadfast in their approach to mitigating gang-related violence after targeted shootings in the Lower Mainland this month and in 2023.

On Jan. 20, the Abbotsford Police Department (AbbyPD) responded to a shooting at the Sevenoaks Shopping Centre, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old man. The Abbotsford News later confirmed that the man killed was Amritpal Saran, who was reported as “entrenched in a gangs-and-guns lifestyle,” by a judge in late 2020.

Constable Art Stele expressed shock and deemed the incident “unacceptable,” given that it took place in the afternoon in a public area.

“There is a heightened level of violence, specifically shootings, that are occuring in these public places,” said the media relations officer.

“And we are using very many methods to put together the tools we need to prevent these things from happening.”

CIVL Radio spoke with Stele about AbbyPD’s unchanged, largely “preventative” measures in the community.

Picture of Ron Dart hiking sitting on a rock on a mountain on the ground there's some snow wearing a blue jacket and a hat

UFV professor talks Israel-Hamas crisis as South Africa brings ICJ case forward

January 13, 2024 by Surjit Atwal

This week marked an especially tumultuous time in global politics, as Western nations continue to respond to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October, and the ensuing bombardment and invasion of Palestine.

South Africa recently brought an International Court of Justice case against Israel on the charge of genocide. CIVL reached out to Ron Dart, a professor emeritus for the Department of Political Science at the University of the Fraser Valley, for more context on the global crisis. Dart said the global community needs to look at structural issues in the region.

“The media just picks on ‘symptoms, symptoms, symptoms,’ and it often doesn’t deal with historic structural issues,” said Dart.

“It needs to be broadened out much further, and much deeper to understand.”

Dart has authored several works on the subject of Israel and Palestine throughout his career. CIVL Radio spoke with Dart, about recent events and his predictions for the future of the conflict.

Blaine Higgs, a white elderly man in a blue suit, addressing a crowd of seated people in room with fluorescent lighting.

What was the Premier of New Brunswick doing in Abbotsford, B.C.?

January 12, 2024 by Charles Brockman

Last week, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs visited Abbotsford, British Columbia for an unusual purpose. Higgs hosted a fundraiser and “Q&A session” for an audience of roughly 100 Abbotsford locals, to support his campaign for the upcoming New Brunswick provincial election in October 2024.

Though legal, his actions raised the eyebrows of many of Higgs’ opponents and some critics.

“To me, this isn’t about the technicalities of it—it’s about the politics of it,” said J.P. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick.

“I’m curious if some of the focus was on ‘Policy 713’,” said Lewis, correctly referring to a piece of NB legislation that now compels school teachers to get parent’s consent before using the preferred name or pronouns for students under 16.

CIVL Radio covered the fundraising event and spoke with Lewis to break down the political and cultural context behind Higgs’ visit.

A dark theatre with a single bright green light illuminating the audience. In the back a single large screen is set with the phrase "so please go on, this is a short commission" is written.

UFV takes part in action theatre for change global movement

November 24, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

UFV’s School of Creative Arts (SOCA) is part of many institutions across the globe taking part in the bi-annual Climate Change Theatre Action festival, where 50 playwrights write a five minute play written to foster dialogue and conversation concerning a global crisis.

Brooke Tremblay was one of three students taking part and chose to perform Now written by Wren Brian.

“The play spoke about the generations that are coming next, the changes for them,” Tremblay says. “Even if you don’t see it, they will, and it’s worth it in the end.”

Guiseppe Condello, production manager of theatre, says that the festival combines the impact the messages touch on with theatre’s live performances.

“Theater as a form of expression has for decades been used to bring politics and environment to the forefront,” says Condello. “Each play sort of did that in their own way, that was very powerful.”

A row of paintings lines a wall with a cord of lights on the ground. The paintings are of different pieces of nature, a swan, a forest, and fish. In the background a woman looks at a large painting of a bald eagle.

Student wildlife club puts on their second annual art auction to fundraise for local conservancy

November 24, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

An auction to support local wildlife and nature conservation efforts was held at Evered Hall in the UFV Abbotsford campus, with paintings, bags, and cute stuffed animals, made by local artists.

The art auction is put on by the to raise money for the Fraser Valley Conservancy. This year was the second art auction UFV’s Wildlife Protection Club held at the university; last year’s event helped raise $4,000.

CIVL spoke to Hallie Gillies, the president of the UFV Wildlife Protection Club

“I come from a family of artists so this is something that’s really personal to me, I’m an ecology student so it combines my two loves,” says Gillies. “Doing it at the university I think helps people who are interested in conservation and interested in art, to promote it to students and community members, it’s a really great way to bring all of those groups of people together.”

A drone with four rotors flies over a field. Spray and water mist from underneath as the drone passes over crops and plants. A mountain and tree line envelope the backdrop.

Drone technology makes moves to take flight in the Fraser Valley

November 22, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

The power and use of drone technology is showing budding innovation in the agricultural tech fields. At a recent tech conference held at the University of the Fraser Valley, a presentation of the usage and potential effectiveness of drones was shown by Precision Crop Tech.

Pesticide use was lower and more effective, mapping and analyzing large fields took less time, even worker labour can be retooled more effectively, according to the company. Despite these overall benefits, drone usage still has barriers it needs to flyover in Canada: heavily regulated piloting licenses and pesticide testing, to name two.

CIVL spoke to Mark Vendrig, director of Precision Crop Tech, assemblers of drones in Abbotsford, as well as Tristan Bowman, sessional instructor in UFV’s agriculture technology program, to learn more about drone technology in agriculture, and the barriers that lock the technology’s full potential.

A new food truck white with a smiling tomato on one side and the name of the restaurant Lucente's is printed on the other side of the serving window. The Italian flag is painted on the door of the truck. In the background there is a mural with a colourful sun and a floating island

Lucente’s Osteria brings family recipes to new Abbotsford food truck

October 15, 2023 by Teryn Midzain

Lucente’s Osteria ushers in a new generation of Abbotsford restaurateurs’ with the launch of their food truck at the Taste of Abbotsford in the Fall. The truck can now be found patrolling the city and popping up at local events.

Owned by wife and husband, Alicia and Perry Leonard, the pair use their combined 40 years of restaurant experience with recipes that have roots from Alicia’s Sicilian heritage to give the local culinary community a taste of authentic, homemade, and fresh Italian cooking.

“Perry and I, we did talk to my mom who did give us some recipes that come from my great great grandma. The recipes are a little bit more modernized because Italian cuisine is fresh.” says Alicia Leonard. “Vancouver, they have Asper Luigi, they have Chin Chin, and those places, the pasta is delicious. They make their own pasta fresh. But Abbotsford doesn’t have anywhere like that.”