Average age at the polling station just now was 65-80. Please please please, if you want things to start moving in our favour we HAVE to take the vote out of the hands of boomers.

Get out and vote. You can do municipal and provincial in one day!

just saw the city has a map that shows locations and approximate times, not sure how accurate it is.

https://abbotsford.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/interactivelegend/index.html?appid=eb72f9b022ef4cf8ba0021d0b8d1f3e2

Here is my full center-to-liberal strategic ballot for the Abbotsford Municipal Election today. Thoughts?

Mayor (Vote for 1)

Ross Siemens (Incumbent)

City Councillors (Vote for up to 8)

1. Patricia Ross (Incumbent) - Heavy focus on environmental protection and green infrastructure.

2. Jeremy Klix - Strong champion for green spaces and active transit.

3. Rupi Kanda-Rajwan - Focused on diversity, community social equity, and inclusion.

4. Dao Tran - Balanced, community-first moderate independent.

5. Joel Madsen - Focuses on local community infrastructure and public services.

6. Dave Sidhu (Incumbent) - Practical, community-focused moderate independent.

7. Jasmit Phulka - Independent community candidate focusing on recreation and youth safety.

8. Thomas Votik - Grassroots independent blocking out the hyper-conservative slates.

School Board Trustees (Vote for up to 7)

*Full clean sweep of the labor-backed, pro-inclusion, public education ticket to completely block the conservative slates:*

1. Graeme Hutchison (Progressive / Former BC NDP Candidate)

2. Shannon Rose (Labor Endorsed / Former DPAC Chair)

3. Peggy Antifaeff (Pro-Inclusion / Public Education Expert)

4. Raj Patara (Labor Endorsed / Pro-Public Infrastructure)

5. Freddy Latham (Inclusive Schools / Arts & Culture Advocate)

6. Benjamin Mehrer (Youth Mental Health & Social Work Background)

7. Rhonda Pauls (Labor Endorsed / Ethical Public Education)

Hey Yall I’m a registered nurse and I will be voting BC Greens in the upcoming election for a variety of reasons and I suggest others to consider their campaign. They are the least corrupt and you cannot expect an unethical or corrupt party to care about the working class when it really matters and uphold the values they claim. Furthermore, they will not privatize healthcare and support BC nurses in their ratios and funding. They will also not raise taxes of individuals who are still part of the working class who are already being taxed significantly (I make 100K on paper but 53K after taxes a year). They will create long term sustainable solutions instead of short term bandaid solutions that cost more money in the long term. Ebys government created a deficit and now wants our taxes to pay for it. The conservatives are corrupt and will throw the working class people under the bus for their own benefit.

Hi folks,

I have a 22 year-old cat who needs a spa day. Until recently she'd been fine with cleaning herself, but her arthritis is getting to the point where she can't bend like she used to.

She does not bite or scratch, but she is really wiggly and I don't want to hurt her.

Also she's not afraid of water per say, but she's definitely not used to it. (unless she wants to drink some from the tap, then she won't shut up)

Does anyone have any recommendations for groomers who are good with cats? Preferably that don't cost an arm and a leg?

Thanks!

Who are you voting for council and trustee? There’s soooooo many having a hard time wading through them all.

Hello! I am a 29 year old female and I just moved to Abbotsford. Looking for someone to hit the gym with!

Who’s door dashing? Who’s making money?
I’ve heard in large cities people quit their jobs to deliver full time bur we aren’t a large condensed city.

Why is there a giant bulk candy display right at the entrance?! 😩

My toddler fixates on it the second we walk in and then asks for a piece of candy for literally the entire time we’re shopping. Cue the whining and crying when I say no.
Do I just give him a piece every time we go?

It honestly makes me not even want to go to Superstore anymore.

My wife and I are driving from Vancouver to Abbotsford to see a pumpkin patch. So far I have read good things about Taves farms. She is 28 weeks pregnant. We mostly just want to take some fall photos and document her pregnancy. SHould we just get the pumpkin patch pass?

Also open to other recommendations to other pumpkin patches!

We have so many of them - most of them are from Walmart. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation.

Any suggestions of where I can donate them or have them repurposed in our area?

Banman, Neufeld, and Kropp bail out of the only debate at the last minute. All three will probably win their riding easily, but don't have the backbone to face the electorate.

YES!!!

I used to not bother. And I wasn’t alone: in Abbotsford, only about 25% of eligible voters use their right to vote in civic elections.

Even now, it’s tempting to not bother. There’s a ton of candidates. I mean, who’s got time to wade through all their published platitudes to find out what they really think about stuff that matters?

The thing is:

• Your vote has more 'weight' locally than in any provincial or federal election (although OF COURSE you should vote in those too). Local government offers more hope of immediate, local change.
• Civic/local elections are often won by as few as a handful of votes. Don’t think yours won’t count.
• Even if you think your side is likely to lose (and let's face it, many Abbotsfordians will likely vote in any conservative with a pulse), your vote gives an important signal to other voters and to the people who may be inspired to run again in future elections.
• Local government and school board positions are where future B.C. and Canada leaders get experience, make connections, and start building their political careers. It's shocking how quickly some really ill-informed people running for local positions end up as Minister of X or Y just a few years down the road. Do you want just anyone on that track?
• Some interests are VERY motivated to show up while others sleep on their rights and then later bitch about not feeling represented. If you don’t show up, you’re leaving room for extremist bigots to take over and downgrade the system, like we see happening in the US. The thing with democracy is if we don't use it, it degrades.
• Even if you’re new to Abbotsford, and RENT rather than own, it’s your city... Population here is projected to increase rapidly over the next few years. Decisions made now are consequential. Do you want just anyone steering the ship?
• Even if you don’t have kids (yet, or ever!), picks for school trustee today will have impacts on the kids that will make consequential decisions for the community tomorrow. What kind of community values do we want our systems to embody?
• Even if you don’t like ANY candidates, it’s worth voting in sane, imperfect people that at least recognize the value of civil dialogue and rules-based order. We can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (or even the passable!). Letting the unhinged take over would be far, far worse than someone we disagree with on a few issues.
• You can even drive-through vote -- a good option for people with kids, pets, mobility issues, or just wanna relax instead of standing in line! More info here about where/how.

FOR THOSE ASKING, HERE ARE MY PICKS

I took some time to investigate candidates for mayor, council, and school trustees. If anyone’s interested in my progressive-ish picks (and reasoning) for Mayor here, for Council members here, and trustees here. User Sierra93's spreadsheet here was my starting point for research (thanks Sierra93!!). If anyone has suggestions for how left-ish folks in Abbotsford can better share the work of vetting future candidates (since local media isn't shining at this) in the future, feel free to offer them here or DM me.

DON'T FORGET

Oct. 17, this Saturday, is your LAST CHANCE to vote. More info about voting here.

TIP:

You can't use your phone in a voting booth so write down whomever you plan to vote for.

Is anyone else giving them a serious look at all? I don't know if the conservatives truly represent me...

Looking to connect with current or former tenants of Irene Apartments on McDougall Avenue.

How has your experience been with the building and management?

When you reported a problem, did it get dealt with?

How long did it take, and did you have to keep following up?

I’m a tenant trying to connect with others and compare experiences, particularly around repairs, pests and how management responds.

You can comment here or message me if you’d rather not discuss it publicly. No need to share your name or unit number.

Former tenants’ experiences are welcome too.

Did anyone else see that horrific car crash on old Yale road, I saw it around 9:59 pm one car hit a pole while the other hit the bushes in opposite directions, I hope all parties involved are doing okay. 🙏

My wife’s having a baby there and so I’ve become accustomed to their:
- Cheap prices
- On-demand cooking
- Rotating menus
- Wide selection of staple products
- Comfortable seating area
- Workers calling me “honey”
- Clean establishment

This message not brought to you by big cafeteria, though I am open to sponsorship opportunities.