WEDNESDAY
CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL
DECEMBER 18, 2013
Some of the best basketball players around gathered at Columbia Bible College last Saturday for the Abbotsford Police City Basketball Tournament. A32
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City warns of looming bill to ward off river threat
Local taxpayers could be carrying costs of erosion repairs to protect dike Alex BUTLER Abbotsford News
Erosion on the banks of the Fraser River could threaten the Matsqui dike, and Abbotsford taxpayers are on the hook to pay for repairs unless senior government steps up quickly with $1.5 million, say city politicians. A new erosion arc discovered over the summer has come within 30 metres of the dike near
Beharrell Road, and city staff say repairs are only a short-term solution to bigger ongoing problems along the river. Since the land belongs to Metro Vancouver’s park system, and the Fraser River is under provincial jurisdiction, the city is looking to higher levels of government for assistance, which some councillors are not convinced will arrive in time. They raised concerns Monday that breach-
ing of the dike could compromise large areas of farmland and potentially the city, as well as impacting the railway and the AbbotsfordMission highway. As the coming spring’s freshet could compromise the dike, the city is seeking to complete the repairs by February. The city was previously awarded a $1.1-million Continued on A3
DONATION RECORD A16 The 2013 Fraser Valley Auto Mall Food Bank Drive exceeds last year’s efforts
CHARITABLE CHILDREN A3 A number of local youth give back to their communities
CITY GOES TO COURT A5 Court hears arguments over rights of homeless protesters
COOL SINGERS Students in division 5 and 6 at Godson Elementary School perform “We will Jingle” during the school’s Christmas concert, held at Abbotsford Arts Centre on Monday night.
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