Abbotsfoird – While province wide municipal elections are one year away, there will be a by-election to fill the vacancy within the Abbotsford School Board.
This after now MLA and former trustee Korky Neufeld was disqualified from holding two positions. As MLA and School Trustee. The Eligibility to Hold Public Office Act, which disqualifies MLAs from holding another local elected office, officially passed and became law on May 27. Chilliwack MLA Heather Maahs was in a similar position after the 2024 Prorvincial election, but stepped away from the Chilliwack School Board before the new Provincial regulations passed.
At the time of the new rules, Neufeld called it “an overreach”. It could have allowed Neufeld to have two incomes from elected office.
Full election rules for Abbotsford are here – https://www.abbyschools.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2025-07/By-Election%20Notice%202025.pdf
Key Dates
Nomination Period Starts:
Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
Nomination Period Ends:
Friday, September 5, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.
Advanced Voting Days:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Legacy Sports Centre at Abbotsford Exhibition Park (3270 Trethewey Street).
General Voting Day:
Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at any of the following locations:
- Eugene Reimer Middle School (3433 Firhill Drive)
- Yale Secondary School (34620 Old Yale Road)
- Aberdeen Elementary School (2975 Bradner Road)
- Semá:th Elementary School (36321 Vye Road)
Information and updates about the by-election will be available at www.abbotsford.ca/SD34election, shared on the City of Abbotsford’s social media channels and published in the Abbotsford News and Patrika newspapers.
On May 29, 2025, the Eligibility to Hold Public Office Act received royal assent. This provincial statute prohibits a Member of the Legislative Assembly from simultaneously holding a local elected office. As a result of this legislation, Korky Neufeld, a trustee with the Abbotsford School District who was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2024, is deemed to have resigned from his position as trustee. In accordance with the School Act, a by-election must be held to fill the resulting vacancy.
For more information visit www.abbotsford.ca/SD34election and for campaign financing and advertising requirements visit www.elections.bc.ca.
