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PANTHERS GRAB AA FINAL SPOT
DECEMBER 2, 2015
Abby Secondary advances to football provincial title game for first time since 1984 A33
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Farm weddings cancelled as rules tighten
TEBEY TOUR IN MISSION
‘DISRUPTIVE’ DRUG BUSTS A5 Abbotsford Police make three arrests related to ongoing Townline Hill conflict
HORSE RESCUED
Proposal could limit local agri-tourism and income
A3 Firefighters and volunteers pull ‘Fraser’ out of a water-filled ditch Saturday
Laura RODGERS Abbotsford News
Weddings on Fraser Valley farms may become a thing of the past, if stricter rules for agricultural land use in B.C. are adopted. Caroline Mosterman, who owns CPM Farms on Sumas Prairie, has hosted weddings, fundraisers, and garden club events on her land for six years. With blueberry fields and a water plant nursery on the farm, the venue has built-in outdoor ambience. But on Sept. 28, the Agricultural Land Commission delivered a stop-work order, telling her to cancel all non-farm events. “It’s going to be crippling to the agri-tourism industry,” Mosterman said. There were five weddings scheduled for this fall, plus more in 2016 and 2017. She has been told she needs to apply for a nonfarm use permit to start hosting events again – a process that requires local and provincial approval and can take up to two years. It was one of many stop-work orders issued by the ALC to B.C. farms this year, including some in Chilliwack, Langley, Kelowna and on Vancouver Island. Farm weddings may be permanently off the table if a proposal from the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, which specifically labels “commercial weddings” as a non-farm use, is adopted. Serena Miller had her May 2016 wedding, booked at CPM, canContinued on A3
D EYES CHECKED D TEETH CHECKED
HEARING CHECKED?
SCHOOL CHANGES A7 Reconfiguration of K-7 at six local schools has some parents voicing opposition ■
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9
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Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A33
■ Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 ■
Tebey performed for a small but appreciative crowd at the Clarke Theatre in Mission on Friday night. Tebey was part of the Three’s A Party Tour, which is currently touring across Canada. Also appearing at the show were musicians James Otto and Jason BOB FRIESEN Mission Record Blaine.
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