Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven society members may have saved the charity after all
Where did the would-be usurpers go? Surprising news of positive board acclamations in advance of AGM
Months after members of the Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven society thought their beloved charity was being taken over and dismantled, it turns out David might have beaten Goliath after all.
Soon after a new board of directors was elected at the September 2025 annual general meeting (AGM) the problems started. There were allegations of bullying and intimidation, dismissals and stress leave. Then there was what appeared to be a move by a Richmond-based shelter to take the charity out from under the members.
As early as Monday this week (June 11, 2026), considerable uncertainty lingered leading up to the AGM scheduled for June 16, three months ahead of time. The deadline had passed for people to put their names forward to run for the board again. On Tuesday, the current board circulated a list of biographies of those hoping to be elected. Much to the surprise of many, not one of the current board members put their name forward and eight out of nine positions will be acclaimed, filled by long-time supporters.
Suddenly, the would-be usurpers appear to have scattered.
What happened? Why did they back down? Have they left the society with a poison pill of financial ruin having hired lawyers and consultants to fight their own membership with lawsuits and reports?
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The turmoil at the Haven goes back several months to September 2025 when a new board of directors was installed and a new regime of dysfunction took over. There were resignations, dismissals, accusations of bullying and intimidation by a small group taking control of the charity founded by the late Ena Vermerris. After the smoke cleared from firings and constructive dismissals, those left standing brought in the CEO of the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS). Members of the Haven society were either pushed out, bullied into silence, and left to assume a coup was underway.
Carol Reichert founded RAPS in 1989 and, like Vermerris, ran it hands-on doing all the jobs while serving as CEO until she resigned in 2014. Eyal Lichtmann became CEO of RAPS in 2015 and began firing people and dismantling what Reichert built.
Former RAPS board member and newspaper publisher Martin van den Hemel said he was among those fooled by Lichtmann’s charm leading to questionable accounting, allegations of coercion at in-camera meetings, and sketchy fundraising.
“[Carol Reichert] was screaming bloody murder about Eyal for a long time and wasn't getting traction,” van den Hemel told me earlier this year.
“Eyal did what he did at RAPS. Who knows what he's going to do in Chilliwack?”
Firing staff & stress leave
Not long after the new board of directors was elected in September, veterinarian and medical director Nicolette Joosting resigned stating that the new board of the charity had become "progressively less professional and more dysfunctional."
Then vet tech and board vice-president Chloé MacBeth resigned after being bullied by the board.
"I have never in my professional life been spoken to in such a disrespectful and aggressive manner," she wrote in her resignation letter.
Then board president Camilla Coates resigned.
Staff were fired. The assistant shelter manager was demoted in what arguably amounted to constructive dismissal. And the shelter manager who had run the facility successfully for four years, Christy Moschopedis, went on medical leave because of the stress.
In November, Carolyn Marleau and Betty March were appointed to the board to fill vacancies. On Jan. 6, Megan Winn was appointed.
Members were not introduced to Marleau, March, or Winn until biographies were posted before the Feb. 17 meet-and-greet. Incidentally, both Marleau and Winn work for the City of Chilliwack.
After those board members were pushed out, secretary-treasurer Katherine Lemond was able to take over as board president. Lemond brought in Bernadette Maguire as a strategic consultant. Minutes from the October meeting discuss hiring her to assist with organizational review, government relations, marketing and branding, community engagement, and fundraising expansion. The proposal included a $5,000 retainer and a monthly fee of $3,000 for a minimum of six months. It’s unclear when she was given the title, but by January she was listed as interim executive director. What is clear is that under Maguire the alleged intimidation ramped up. She stripped staff of access to the social media accounts if questions were asked, and she forced employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA). One employee was fired for taking the NDA home over a weekend to review it.
Whether Lemond was a pawn being used by Lichtmann to take over the Haven or whether Lemond intentionally invited him in to upend the charity is unclear.
Then came a four-page letter sent to shelter manager Christy Moschopedis, who was already on stress leave, attacking her without evidence with allegations of destroying records, diverting funds, and more.
Next came appointments of three new board members in January all connected to RAPS: lawyer and close Lichtmann loyalist Ayelet Cohen-Weil; former RAPS board member, lawyer Rebeka Breder; and longtime RAPS supporter Chris Kamachi.
None of them live in Chilliwack.
On Jan. 28, the board announced Lichtmann himself was hired as an organizational consultant, and the coup seemed nearly complete.
At a public meeting on Feb. 17 to discuss the situation, the board was on stage, including the new people from Richmond and lo and behold, there was Lichtmann answering questions on behalf of them all.
Members tried to stop the turmoil and garnered enough grassroots signatures to plan an emergency general meeting (EGM) for March 23 to oust the board entirely and return the Haven to what its founder Vermerris intended.
Not done yet, Lichtmann started a membership drive via the RAPS website in Metro Vancouver to swamp the Haven society with RAPS-friendly members.
Neither Lichtmann, Lemond, nor Maguire would agree to comment or answer any questions. There was, however, a lengthy and defamatory and passive-aggressive post about this reporter attributed to Lichtmann posted on the Haven website, and a legal letter threatening action if I didn’t disclose where I saw the letter sent to Moschopedis. That bluff was ignored.
And Lichtmann and the RAPS folks seemingly disappeared with the CEO sending an email to this reporter to make it clear he was gone.
Cat food or lawyers
Leading up to the EGM the board spent untold thousands of dollars of the charity’s donated funds on lawyers to threaten and intimidate members of the Haven’s society into cancelling the March 23 EGM. The case was filed in Vancouver not Chilliwack with documents sent late in the day giving them less than 48 hours to respond. It worked. Society members didn’t have lawyers so those looking to hold the EGM backed down.
As the back-and-forth battles continued, in April the board then announced an early AGM to be held in June.
The updated AGM notice introduces several new specialized director positions growing the board from six to nine. While new titles can legally be changed, adding new directors should only be done at general meetings. As of the September 2025 AGM the six director positions were: president, vice president, director of community outreach and education, medical director, secretary/treasurer, and one member at large. In the new structure outlined in the 2026 AGM notice, in addition to president and vice president, the roles of treasurer and secretary are split into two. Then there are six more directors of: marketing and communication; fundraising and development; compliance and governance; membership; and partnerships.
So as recently as Monday this week, members of the society were still in a state of turmoil and uncertainty as to the future. Then the board sent out a list of bios for those who put their name forward to run for the new board. Much to the surprise of many, all but one position is acclaimed and all by members of the society who pushed back against all the turmoil. The current board members aren’t running again.
So where is Lichtmann and the RAPS plants or Lemond or Maguire? Society members likely won’t know until the AGM if they have saved the Society from the drastic changes causing so much angst or if those who took over potentially gutted the society by spending so much money on lawyers to go after the shelter manager and to fight members to stop the March EGM. They also hired former MLA Kelli Paddon as a consultant to analyze and write a report about the society. Then they announced they had hired an executive director, Bradley Gionet, but members were not informed of what hiring process was used.
By this time, the only director on the board who was elected or acclaimed at the September 2025 AGM was Lemond. All the other sitting directors were appointed rather than elected by members.
Eight out of nine ain’t bad
Two days ago, on June 9, the board sent out a list of bios for eight of the people who were the only names put forward for the specific positions. Those eight are therefore acclaimed, which means there is only one position to be voted on: vice-president. Even here there is a wrinkle. One candidate is Cheryl Wiens who has been a volunteer for two years, worked at a Langley animal shelter, and has a diploma in veterinary office management. The other goes by the name “Belle Beau,” which is not her real name, but who was acclaimed as a director at the September 2025 AGM under that alias. When members received minutes from the February meeting, she was listed as one who resigned, with no reason for her resignation provided.
Also on June 9, an “Urgent Update” was posted on the Haven’s social media page about her. The cryptic missive pointed to anonymous “communications” and claims “attempts to pressure, intimidate, or publicly expose a candidate’s personal information.” The update says the board is committed to a fair and impartial election. The problem is that Belle Beau either has to legally change her name or she can’t be elected. Or, if she is elected, she’ll have to drop the alias because under the Societies Act of B.C., directors are required to be listed on a register under their legal name.
A strong sign that the membership might have won in its pushback against the turmoil and dysfunction, the role of president is going to Marla Roth who was acclaimed and who, in her bio, says she is committed to re-hiring the experienced team members that were fired or pushed out or on medical leave, the latter a clear reference to shelter manager Moschopedis.
One thing is clear, a whole new board will be in place as of the AGM on June 16 at 7 p.m. The only thing Haven society members have to vote on is Cheryl Wiens or Belle Beau for vice-president. Voting ends on June 15 at 11:59 p.m.
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Paul J. Henderson
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