🌦️ High 6C
Good morning,
We've stumbled into an accidental cat theme lately — last week we were talking about microchipping your feline, and this week's main story brings us back to the world of cats. Today we're looking at a rocky stretch for the Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society, a local no-kill cat shelter that's been navigating some serious internal turbulence.
– Emily
Keep local journalism alive by supporting The Current. Become a Current Insider member today and help bring local stories to life.
Traffic & Weather
🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope | Mission
🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.
🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.
News & Features
Online rumours lead 3 board members to step down from Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven
The Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society (CASH), a Fraser Valley nonprofit and no-kill cat shelter, has had a tumultuous year so far.
Three board members and a consultant have stepped down after pushback from supporters, who say the board members don’t live in Chilliwack and were selected without the backing of its wider membership.
On Friday, the society released a statement to “clarify online rumours that have been damaging to the organization,” and announced the resignations of board members Ayelet Cohen Weil, Chris Kamachi, and Rebeka Breder a little more than a month after their appointment. Their resignation happened days after newly appointed consultant Eyal Litchmann stepped down.
“Due to misunderstandings surrounding the recent appointments of three board members, it was mutually agreed that stepping down is in the best interest of the Society to allow the organization to move forward with clarity and unity,” said Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven.
One of the (so far unfounded) accusations being thrown at the animal sanctuary is that the Richmond-based Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is quietly taking over CASH operations.
Need to Know
🔥 Langley RCMP is investigating a early-morning structure fire near Fraser Highway and 242nd Street on Saturday that left one building fully engulfed in flames. No injuries were reported. [CityNews]
🎵 Moneka Arabic Jazz brings its blend of Iraqi folk melodies, African rhythms, and jazz to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on March 26, led by Baghdad-born, Toronto-based frontman Ahmed Moneka. Tickets start at $25. [Hope Standard]
🎻 The Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra performs Spring Passion at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on March 29, featuring works by Mendelssohn and Rimsky-Korsakov centred on themes of renewal and rebirth. Tickets are $40–$45. [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]
🌲 Mission's forestry department finished 2025 with $1.1 million in net profit, more than double projections, though officials flagged softwood lumber tariffs and a dry wildfire season ahead as concerns going into 2026. [Mission City Record]
⚖️ Crown prosecutors called the Google search history of one of three men accused of murdering an Abbotsford couple in 2022 "exceptionally damning," with searches about murder sentences appearing shortly after the deaths of Arnold and Joanne De Jong. [CBC News]
📚 Two UFV history students spent the better part of a year combing through archives, newspapers, and social media to produce a 400-page history of the Abbotsford Fire Department, a project that began as a 20-page training manual. [UFV]
Enjoying our newsletter? Help us make it even better!
Become an Insider member and help keep local journalism and storytelling alive in the Fraser Valley.
🗓 Things to do
Garden Park Tower Spring/Easter Luncheon Buffet: Enjoy a spring luncheon buffet at Garden Park Tower in Abbotsford on March 12 at 11:30 a.m., featuring a performance by the Abbotsford Home School Choir & Ensemble directed by Andrea Pederson. Tickets are $22 per person, available at the office at 2825 Clearbrook Rd. or by calling 604-853-5532.
UFV Theatre: The Secret in the Wings: UFV Theatre's production of Mary Zimmerman's whimsical fairy tale-inspired play runs March 19–28, split between UFV Abbotsford's Performance Studio and the Chilliwack Cultural Centre's Rotary Hall Studio Theatre; tickets are $5–$15 depending on location and student status.
La Valse: Cap off the concert season with an afternoon of beloved two-piano works — including pieces by Liszt, Ravel, and Copland — at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m.
Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.
Community journalism needs the entire community for it to succeed.
As part of a membership, you get our special weekend roundup of all the things you might’ve missed each week!
That’s it!
Thanks for reading Fraser Valley Current today ♥
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another local.
Help share The Current
Wouldn’t the Fraser Valley be better if more people had access to local, quality news – and didn’t have to rely on social media? Share The Current with your friends and help us build better communities.
