Heritage Chilliwack

06/01/2026

Love your old home? Let’s share its story.

Heritage Chilliwack is looking for historic, unique, and old character homes or buildings in Chilliwack to feature on our 2026 Home Tour, taking place Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Your home does not need to be grand, perfect, or fully restored. We are looking for places with character, craftsmanship, charm, history, or simply a wonderful local story to tell.

The Home Tour is Heritage Chilliwack’s main fundraiser, helping support our grant programs, including heritage designation support and classroom field trips/local history education.

If you have a special home — or know someone who does — we would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected]
And please share this post or tag someone with a special Chilliwack home!

05/31/2026

05/29/2026

What a fabulous afternoon! ✨
Heritage Chilliwack’s Fashion Show & Strawberry Tea was a sold-out event, and we are so grateful to everyone who joined us.
A very special thank you to fashion historian Ivan Sayers for sharing his extraordinary knowledge and collection, and to his wonderful models for bringing these fashions so beautifully to life.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the Carman Church Ladies group for catering the delicious strawberry tea and helping make the afternoon so special.
Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this memorable event. 💕👒🍓

05/09/2026

What if I told you everything you thought you knew about the Heritage Minutes was wrong?

Every Canadian knows the Heritage Minutes — short TV spots about history.

Let's start with the fact that the Heritage Minutes series was not started by the government at all. It was started by a billionaire booze baron: Charles Bronfman, who inherited the Seagram spirits empire in 1971 with his brother after the death of their father.

And if you're thinking "Oh well, then he went into politics and became the Heritage Minister" — no. He didn't have a life in politics. He was a billionaire doing billionaire things. He owned a home in Palm Beach. He owned the Montreal Expos. He had an art collection.

But he also owned a charitable foundation. They'd done a survey and found that Canadians were bad at history. Fewer than half could name the first prime minister, and nearly a quarter couldn't name a single Canadian event or achievement they were proud of. In a country that had invented insulin, basketball, peanut butter, and the greatest invention of all time (pineapple on pizza), a quarter of the population was sitting there drawing a complete blank on anything worth celebrating.

So Bronfman hired researchers and a film crew, made those spots, and paid to put them on TV. They were, essentially, ads.
(But not at first. They started as little segments inside a history quiz show in the early '90s.)

There are now more than 100 episodes. They cover war heroes and hockey goalies, enslaved people running to freedom, Inuit artists, residential school survivors, and railway builders.

Some videos have mistakes. Some are misquoted. The famous "I smell burnt toast" episode somehow convinced a generation of Canadians that that was the sign of an oncoming stroke, even though the video itself is actually about seizures.

Eventually, Bronfman spun the operation off into its own operation that today is called Historica Canada. The government kicks in some money now to help. And yes, they're still making them. Three last year popped up out of the blue.

That's the thing about Heritage Minutes. They just happen to you. Nobody sits down to watch them.

But every single time, you end up learning something you didn't know, about a person you are suddenly weirdly proud of.

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05/08/2026

Last night’s Heritage Chat was a warm and memorable evening with Tony Gore of the Gore Brothers.

Although Tony had admitted he was a little nervous speaking in front of a crowd, he quickly won everyone over with a thoughtful and engaging presentation — made even more special by the support of his brother, Mark, and family members in attendance.

Tony began by sharing his own family’s history in Chilliwack and their connection to old houses, barns, and heritage places they have cared for over the years. What came through so clearly was the Gore Brothers’ genuine appreciation for the stories, craftsmanship, and history held within these older buildings.

Their work is not simply about renovation or refurbishment — it is about respecting the past while helping these places continue to be part of Chilliwack’s living history.

The evening was capped off with the presentation of Heritage Chilliwack’s Business Award to the Gore Bros. For their contributions in preserving, through the renovation and refurbishment, our built history.

Thank you to Tony, Mark, and the Gore family for sharing their stories with us, and to everyone who joined us for another wonderful Heritage Chat.

05/05/2026

Heritage Chilliwack is looking for historic, unique, and old character homes or buildings to be part of our upcoming Home Tour, tentatively set for Saturday, October 3.
This special event is our main bi-annual fundraiser, helping support Heritage Chilliwack’s grant programs, including assistance for heritage designation and classroom field trips that connect students with local history.
Do you own — or know of — a Chilliwack home or building with charm, history, craftsmanship, or a great story to tell? We’d love to hear from you.
Interested parties can contact us at [email protected]

05/01/2026

This is a long post, but I would ask that you take the time to read it.

We would like to welcome the new owners of the Historic Royal Hotel to Downtown Chilliwack!

I had the pleasure of sitting with the new owners & we have a common shared passion for the building, its rich history & the next chapter for this space.

I was asked to share the following information on our sites to clear up any confusion.

1. The previous post that people commented on the last week was not posted by the new owners. It was posted by the previous owners. Why?🤷‍♂️ Thankfully, this is a new positive chapter for this hotel.

2. There will be some changes, one of them being the name of the hotel due to copyright issues. The new name will be RICHCA Heritage Hotel. This will be a family based business & there is in fact a wonderful story behind the new brand name that this Hotel will become.

Christine & Chih-Kai feel blessed to have moved to Canada with their family, & the brand name is a combination of their belief that our country & our community where they chose to live & work, is rich in opportunity, culture & diversity! RICH + CAnada = RICHCA. The happy coincidence with this brand name is their kids’ names are RICHard & RebecCA. 😉

4. The hotel will remain a heritage style hotel & respect its historic significance in our downtown.

5. The cafe & pub space will also be an exciting addition to our downtown moving forward!

It is my pleasure to welcome these new owners to our Downtown, and I hope that you all have time to stop by to welcome them yourselves!

Trevor McDonald, DCBIA

And now, a message from the new owners:

Hello everyone,

We would like to officially introduce ourselves as the new owners of the Royal Hotel Chilliwack. We are Richca Hotel Corporation, a BC-based hospitality company from Hope, BC.

Our first location is Richca Chalets Resort, where we have upgraded all of the rooms to meet modern comfort standards while continuing to focus on a warm & welcoming guest experience.

We are grateful for the opportunity to now become part of Chilliwack’s historic downtown community.

We want to answer a few of the questions and concerns that have been shared:

Yes, this property will remain a hotel.
Our goal is not to tear it down, turn it into condos, or replace it with a modern high-rise. Our vision is to bring the hotel back to its former glory while respecting the history, character, and memories connected to this building.

At Richca Chalets Resort, we have already gone through the process of improving rooms to better meet the expectations of today’s guests. We hope to bring that same care to this property by upgrading the rooms & improving the guest experience, while still preserving the hotel’s historic character & charm.

We understand that many people are concerned about the heritage value of the property. We recognize how important this building is to Chilliwack & to the people who have memories here. While we are still in the early stages, our intention is to preserve the character of the hotel & improve it in a way that honours its history.

We also want to clarify that we will not be selling antiques or historical items from the hotel. We understand that many of these pieces are part of the story & atmosphere of the hotel, and we want to treat them with care.

For those asking about future plans, our focus will be on restoring & improving the hotel step by step. This includes the guest experience, safety, cleanliness, room comfort, and the overall quality of the property. We are also considering how to bring life back to the restaurant & public spaces in a way that fits the building and the community.

We have loved reading people’s memories of the hotel, from stories about the old restaurant to moments connected to the building’s long history. Those comments remind us how meaningful this place is, and they are exactly why we want to approach this project carefully.

Thank you to everyone who has shared support, questions, memories, and concerns. We know trust is earned, and we hope to earn it through respectful improvements and clear communication as we move forward.

- Richca Hotel Corporation
New owners of the Royal Hotel Chilliwack

04/29/2026

Old Bones, New Life: A Heritage Chat w. Tony Gore — What does it take to save a building worth saving? Join contractor Tony Gore of Gore Bros. as he pulls back the curtain on three local heritage projects and shares the hard-won lessons behind them. When: May 7, 2026, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Where: Minto Room, Evergreen Hall (9291 Corbould St, Chilliwack)

Reserve your spot: https://wix.to/2tayyzr

04/28/2026

The Heritage Chilliwack Society is aware of the recent sale of the historic Royal Hotel and acknowledges the comments from the prospective new ownership group.

As a longstanding landmark in our community, the Royal Hotel holds significant heritage value and deep connections to Chilliwack’s collective history. We are encouraged by the new owners’ stated intention to preserve the building’s character and look forward to seeing how this important site evolves.

We hope that any future plans will continue to respect and protect the historic integrity of the building, and we welcome opportunities to support and collaborate in preserving this valued piece of Chilliwack’s heritage.