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Two new members named to Abbotsford Police Board

Mark Warkentin and Mike Welte join voluntary group
Abbotsford Police Dept Headshots September 2016
Mark Warkentin (left) and Mike Welte have been named to the Abbotsford Police Board.

The Abbotsford Police Department has welcomed two new members to the Abbotsford Police Board.

Mark Warkentin and Mike Welte join Aman Gill, Barb Schimnowsky, Sukh Sidhu, Yvon Dandurand and Mayor Henry Braun on the board.

Warkentin is a founding partner of Linley Welwood – a personal injury law firm – and served as managing partner of Linley Welwood and its predecessor firm for nine years.

He has a diverse background in business law, criminal law, and civil litigation, including seven years with one of B.C.’s leading personal injury firms.

Warkentin has been involved for many years with the Canadian Bar Association, Abbotsford and District Bar Association, as a guest lecturer at Professional Legal Training Course, and as a presenter on legal topics at the Real Estate Investment Network.

He is also the current vice president of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.

Welte is the past president of the local chamber, current president of the Abbotsford-Matsqui Rotary Club and a provincial appointee to the Abbotsford Police Board.

He is a senior manager of commercial banking at Canadian Western Bank (CWB) in Abbotsford.

Over the last 11 years, he has held various lending and leadership positions with Farm Credit Canada and CWB, serving a mix of commercial clients, real estate developers, agricultural producers and agribusiness operators.

Welte has served on numerous community organizations, including the Abbotsford Airshow, Abbotsford Community Foundation, Agrifair, BC Summer Games and University of the Fraser Valley.

In 2014, he was appointed as a task force member for the Abbotsford board of education’s trustee remuneration committee and in 2016 to the City of Abbotsford’s mayor and council remuneration working group.

The Police Board is a civilian governing body which receives its authority under the Police Act. Police boards perform functions such as employing sworn and civilian staff, setting policy and direction, overseeing financials, approving the budget, and negotiating and approving the collective agreements.

Board members are not paid.