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SPORTS
Cowboy up, then down at the rodeo 2010
1985
Photos prove one horse had enough
F RIDAY , A UGUST 6, 2010
28 Pages
Page A25
YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT abbotsfordtimes.com
Burning to breathe
GROUNDBREAKING HUGE HOME FOR HIGHSTREET
Forest fire smoke forcing some Valley residents indoors
RAFE ARNOTT RArnott@abbotsfordtimes.com
A
Metro Vancouver warning for people with respiratory problems or health conditions to avoid exercising outdoors this week has been extended through the weekend. “It’s PM 2.5, fine particulate matter, basically soot, that is being pushed into the region from forest fires that are burning around the province,” said spokesperson Bill Morrell. By Thursday afternoon, a continuation of those conditions prompted air quality warnings to be expanded through Saturday morning. Morrell said because the smoke is coming from the opposite direction — east to west, and north from the Whistler area — the usual “funnel” effect of Vancouver air pollution impacting the valley does not apply this time. “It’s coming from the Interior, the other direction, “ Morrell said. The soot was detected throughout the week at monitoring stations across the region, particularly the eastern portion of the Lower Fraser Valley, including Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope. Morrell said experts are constantly monitoring air quality data and would be revising warnings every 24 hours. In the meantime, people need to be aware of the possible impact on their health, and take precautions. “Clearly, if people have respiratory illnesses or concerns they should limit their exposure and basically stay inside . . . or certainly limit their exposure when they are outside,” he said, adding, “To the extent possible, avoid breathing it.” ◗ Anyone experiencing symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing should contact their doctor. For current air quality conditions, go to www. bcairquality.ca/readings. – WITH FILES FROM THE PROVINCE
D&G VERSACE RAY BAN VOGUE CK MAUI JIM CALVIN KLEIN
– JEAN KONDA-WITTE/TIMES
Shape Properties president John Horton, left, and Abbotsford Mayor George Peary dig in for the ceremonial groundbreaking at the Highstreet retail development site Thursday afternoon. The property will house a 600,000-square-foot shopping centre (the largest built in B.C. over the past 30 years), and will include a Walmart Super Centre and London Drugs as anchor tenants at the northeast corner of Highway 1 and Mount Lehman Road. The massive complex is scheduled to be completed in late 2012.
Pilots well-trained & admired CAM TUCKER camtuckertimes@gmail.com
Abbotsford company grieving loss
A
and he’s going tion and dealing to be missed,” “It’s a very somber place with the issues said Pedersen, a in terms of digesting this that are associatlong-time friend ed with it, ensurand colleague of information . . .” ing that we’re Whiting. fully supporting “A n d i n t h e – Rick Pedersen Conair t h e f a m i l y o f case of Brian, the deceased, as he was a new well the Conair employee this past spring but family,” Pedersen said. he was a fine individual and we As of press time, no plans for looked forward to a long rela- a memorial service had been tionship. announced. The two men had “It’s a very somber place in been trying to help contain a terms of digesting this informa- wildfire that broke out in the
friendship spanning nearly three decades and a promising new career ended “far too soon,” Abbotsford-based Conair senior vice-president Rick Pedersen said this week. Tim Whiting, a 58-year-old pilot from Langley who had been with Conair for 28 years, and copilot Brian Tilley, 36, of Edmonton have been identified as the two men involved in the fatal crash of an air tanker Saturday evening near Lytton. “[Tim] was just a great guy,
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Fraser Canyon, approximately 18 kilometres south of Lytton, when the Convair 580 they were flying went down around 8:30 p.m. The crash is under investigation, but rocky terrain, encroaching flame and smoke from the fire have made it tough for Transportation and Safety Board investigators to gather information from the site, said board spokesman Bill Yearwood. “The site . . . there’s a lot of shale and loose rock so standing around on the slope was difficult in the smoke,” Yearwood said. see PILOTS, page A8
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