Image: Contributed / Nearly a dozen volunteers took time out of their weekend to clean up yet another homeless encampment in the Chilliwack River Valley. Chilliwack resident and environment cleanup volunteer Ross Aikenhead says the site of the homeless encampment was 4.1 kilometers off Chilliwack Lake Road, located on Chipmunk Creek Forest Service Road.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack River Valley clean-up

Volunteers clean up yet another Chilliwack River Valley homeless camp

Jan 13, 2025 | 7:01 AM

CHILLIWACK — In the absence of government action from any regional or provincial agency, nearly a dozen volunteers took time out of their weekend to clean up yet another homeless encampment in the Chilliwack River Valley.

Chilliwack resident and environment cleanup volunteer Ross Aikenhead says the site of the homeless encampment was 4.1 kilometers off Chilliwack Lake Road, located on Chipmunk Creek Forest Service Road.

The effort Sunday attracted roughly 10 people, resulting in one truckload of garbage being removed in addition to Aikenhead’s dump trailer full of metal.

While it wasn’t officially organized through the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society, Aikenhead organized it but didn’t want the credit for the team effort.

“It went good,” Aikenhead told Fraser Valley Today Sunday night through Facebook Messenger. “It’s a lot cleaner than it was. The weather was great, a little chilly, but we were at 400 meters elevation.”

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Nearly everything is gone from the homeless encampment except for a little bit of garbage and a burnt truck. Aikenhead says Kelly Hawes, who was instrumental in getting drywall with toxic asbestos removed from the Chilliwack River Valley last week, will arrange to have the torched truck removed next week.

Image: Contributed / A burnt truck on Chipmunk Creek Forest Service Road.

“Huge thanks to everyone who came out today!” Aikenhead said.

Aikenhead, who keeps meticulous track of virtually every single encampment east of the Vedder Bridge on unceded Crown land, says this camp was abandoned and later torched by an unknown person or persons.