Welcome to the Chief!

Welcome Alex Mitchell!

We are THRILLED to welcome ALEX MITCHELL to the Character Abbotsford Council! Passionate about the economic potential of the Fraser Valley, Alex Mitchell is the CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce where she works to ensure the voice of Abbotsford's business community is heard at every level of government. Prior to this, Alex was a Director with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, one of the world's leading public relations agencies, where she provided strategic advice on corporate reputation, media relations, and crisis communications planning to clients across Canada. Alex brings a robust understanding of intergovernmental affairs and advocacy with a strategic approach that is informed by her previous roles in the municipal economic development space with a focus on sector development in clean technology, agriculture, and ag-tech. Her work has also placed her across the Asia Pacific Region, across various levels of government and industry. Alex holds an MBA from Simon Fraser Uni

Character In Action Awards 2023

CHARACTER IN ACTION AWARDS 2023 PRESS RELEASE Contact: Vijay Manuel ( character.abby@gmail.com ) Character Abbotsford Society honoured three citizens at its May 18, 2023 Character Council meeting with CHARACTER IN ACTION Awards. The recipients of the 2023 CIA Awards are Harpreet Jhinjar, Yobdee Marazzi, and Raymonde Tickner. Harpreet Jhinjar was recognized for his work with the Pathways Program intended to increase grassroots community engagement and reach out to the families of at-risk youths. In a compelling moment, Chief Serr explained that “12 years ago our city was known for being the homicide capital in Canada. For the past two years, we have not had any gang-related homicides in Abbotsford. This is in part due to the good work of Harpreet Jhinjar.” Yobdee Marazzi, a grade 10 student at MEI Schools, was nominated by Jory Smallenberg for her inspiring volunteerism, particularly in the health care profession. Smallenberg indicated that “Yodbee’s volunteerism is especially re

Welcome Mayor Siemens!

We are thrilled to welcome Mayor Ross Siemens to the Character Abbotsford Council! See below to learn more about out newest member! 👇🏽 ~~ Ross Siemens was elected Mayor of the City of Abbotsford on October 15, 2022 after serving on Abbotsford City Council as a Councillor from 2014 – 2022. Ross was born and raised in Abbotsford. His maternal great-great grandparents were the Smith and Adams families who were some of the original settlers of the Ridgedale area of Matsqui Prairie. His grandparents on his father's side were Mennonite immigrants from Russia who came to Canada in the 1920's and eventually settled in Abbotsford in 1951. Ross previously served on the District of Abbotsford Council from 1986 to 1990. While serving on the District Council, he helped initiate the Business Improvement Area legislation that established the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association. He left politics in 1991 to work with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Hong Kong. Along the way he had the opp

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