INSIDE: Alarming spike in vehicle thefts during weekend spree
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T U E S D A Y
February 1, 2011
12 N E W S ,
SPORTS,
WEATHER
&
E N T E R T A I N M E N T abbotsfordtimes.com
Girl dies, another critical following car crash
– JEAN KONDA-WITTE/TIMES
Hundreds gathered to support Mike de Jong’s leadership bid for the BC Liberal Party over breakfast Monday.
ROCHELLE BAKER RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com
Breakfast of champions?
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de Jong urges a who’s who of supporters to “hire” him leader ROCHELLE BAKER RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com
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iberal leadership candidate Mike de Jong worked a packed room of the party faithful in Abbotsford early Monday morning telling them they were in charge of “hiring” the next premier of B.C. – JEAN KONDA-WITTE/TIMES
“Being in the position where you owe no one any favours is precisely the right position for a premier to be in.” – MLA Mike de Jong
Speaking at a Liberal fundraising breakfast at the Ramada Plaza and Conference Centre, de Jong said liberal members should look to select the candidate best suited to pitch British Columbia and what it’s got to offer, and best ready to wage the next election with the NDP. “Who’s got the vision? Who’s got the idea we want to be as British Columbians?” asked de Jong. “We are preparing for electoral battle . . . who is going to be general of that battle? see LEADERSHIP, page A14
Flames send their $3 million man
Traffic congestion due to construction like that along Clearbrook Road (above) will be alleviated with the opening of the Whatcom Connector, and jams are likely to begin along Mt. Lehman Road in the Peardonville area.
Snarls set to ease Unforeseen circumstances add $500,000 to Whatcom project
ROCHELLE BAKER RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com
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wo important traffic infrastructure projects in Abbotsford are driving forward in the immediate future. The Whatcom Road Connector is due to open mid-February, despite some hiccups, while the Marshall Road Extension is about to move forward. The city will have to pay an extra $500,000 for the Whatcom Road
First reported @
abbotsfordtimes.com project due to problems caused by bad weather and unforeseen environmental conditions. The high-traffic connector from Sandringham Drive to Westview Boulevard punches through a route over Sumas Mountain, and links existing and proposed residential developments on the south and north sides of the mountain. It will also provide easier, quicker access to Highway 1 for resi-
dents north of Sumas Mountain, particularly along the McKee Road corridor. The city is forking out an extra $494,803, plus HST, for the project. Excessive groundwater seepage, unstable rock formations, topsoil issues, and changes to BC Hydro, Telus and Shaw ducting pushed costs up $286,800. Slope failures following a storm on Dec. 12 when 68 mm of rain fell see CONSTRUCTION, page A8
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ne Abbotsford teenager has died and another clings to life in hospital following a serious crash just southeast of the Mission Bridge on Sunday afternoon. “The crash is a tragedy. These two young women are from the community of Abbotsford,” said Abbotsford Police spokesman Const. IanMacDonald. The two young women were trapped in the wreckage after colliding with a tree and had to be extracted through the car’s roof with the Jaws of Life, he said. The 19-year-old passenger succumbed to her injuries on scene while the driver, 18, was airlifted to hospital in very serious condition. The pair was travelling in a Nissan NX westbound in the 33500 block of Page Road in Abbotsford around 4:30 p.m. when the driver lost control of the car, said MacDonald. “They came across the slightly elevated railroad track, lost control and careened into a tree on the north side,” he said. Witness reports suggest the Nissan was travelling above the speed limits, but the police collision analysts are still investigating the cause of the crash, said MacDonald. The driver is still in very serious condition and her family is keeping vigil at the hospital, he added. “Our thoughts are with both families and the 18-year-old fighting for her life.”