Part 1 – Shadows of My Childhood

🌆 Abbotsford Under Pressure – A Five-Part Series

---

Part 1 – Shadows of My Childhood 🕯️

I grew up in Clearbrook and Abbotsford, in a town layered with contradictions. Back then, it still felt like “Matsqui” to some, but nobody really said that out loud. The streets were crowded with over 50 churches, preaching morality and values at every corner, while just beyond the edge of town loomed Matsqui Institution, a federal prison humming with its own dark energy.

Authority was everywhere — in the uniformed officers on the streets, in ministers’ sermons, in families trying to live “by the book.” But I learned early that authority could be dangerous, not protective. My brother’s friend, a teenager I had a crush on, was beaten by the police. I was 14, shocked, upset, and scared.

That memory never left me. It shaped my mistrust of police and institutions. Even though I left Abbotsford when I was 28, and now at 63 only visit occasionally, the memories of fear, control, and the uneasy energy of my youth remain vivid.

---

The story of Abbotsford under pressure is ongoing. In every act of resilience — a neighbor watching a shop, a community leader protecting youth — there is a thread of hope, a reminder that even in the face of fear, people can survive, support each other, and look forward to a safer future.