November 12 update
Global News has identified the woman killed in Chilliwack on November 6 as Kitty Hayward and reported that the man charged in her death is her husband. Kitty’s daughter, Crystal Burton, spoke about her mother and described earlier violence she says her family experienced. BWSS is asking what authorities knew about earlier reports of violence, how they assessed the risk, and what action they took.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BWSS calls for municipal leadership and action on prevention proposals that remain unanswered
VANCOUVER, B.C., November 9, 2026 — Following the killing of a 52-year-old woman in Chilliwack, Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) is demanding answers about what preceded her death, whether there were prior warnings or opportunities to intervene, and what municipal and provincial leaders will do to prevent further killings.
The woman was found dead at a Mellard Avenue residence on November 6. Kristopher John Hayward has been charged with second-degree murder. Police say they knew each other but have not disclosed their relationship. BWSS extends its condolences to her loved ones and calls for an investigation that examines possible femicide, including evidence of gender-related motivation.
Her death follows those of Amber Culley, 43, and Mimi Kates, 49, killed in July 2022; Valerie Smith, 67, killed in September 2023; an unnamed 66-year-old woman killed by her husband in January 2024; and Chantelle Ruhl, 37, whose body was found in April 2025. These cases document at least six women killed across five consecutive calendar years. Their circumstances differ; not all are established femicides.
“Women killed year after year cannot become an accepted condition of life in Chilliwack,” said Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director of BWSS. “This woman had a life beyond the circumstances of her death. Her loved ones deserve compassion and answers. When police describe violence as ‘not random,’ that must never become shorthand for a lesser public safety concern. Women facing danger from someone they know are members of the public. Their safety is public safety.”
Chilliwack faces a disproportionate burden of lethal violence compared with the province overall. Statistics Canada reported a 2024 homicide rate of 4.75 per 100,000 people in the Chilliwack census metropolitan area, compared with 1.63 across B.C.—nearly three times the provincial rate. These figures include all homicide victims. Within that wider picture, the repeated killings of women demand a specific, sustained prevention response.
BWSS raised intimate partner violence as a municipal public safety priority with Jason Lum during the election campaign and followed up in writing on August 31. As of November 9, BWSS had received no response. We are asking Mayor Lum to respond publicly to all five proposals and say whether the City will convene an intimate partner violence task force and when it will first meet.
Read BWSS’s August 31 letter to Jason Lum (PDF)
The letter proposed five actions: a municipal intimate partner violence task force, a 15% increase in emergency funding for local services, stronger local data collection, prevention education, and a municipal or regional IPV Lead responsible for coordination and accountability. BWSS will write again to Mayor Lum, seeking a public response, concrete commitments and implementation dates.
Police have not publicly established whether the November 6 killing involved intimate partner violence. Regardless of the relationship, BWSS is asking investigators to examine gender-related indicators and any previous warnings or opportunities to intervene.
Were there earlier police or agency contacts, reports of threats, stalking or violence, court orders or reported breaches? Where risk was identified, was it assessed, reassessed and acted upon? Were the woman’s own concerns documented? Prior contact has not been publicly established; these questions require examination.
For cases involving intimate partner violence, the provincial coroner’s death-review report, Our Time to Act, has already identified critical prevention and accountability gaps. It describes IPV-related deaths as overwhelmingly preventable and documents warning signs and systems that too often failed to coordinate an effective protective response. Its recommendations include a coordinated provincial strategy, a standing IPV death-review committee, consistent training and support for community-led approaches.
BWSS is preparing a letter to the incoming provincial government calling for clear responsibility and timelines for implementing standardized intimate partner violence risk assessment and safety planning.
BWSS also asks what informed the second-degree murder charge and whether investigators and Crown examined applicable first-degree provisions. Criminal Code section 231 includes murder motivated by hatred based on sex; that provision does not require an intimate partner relationship. Investigators should examine any authenticated online material relevant to misogyny or gender-related motivation. Such material requires assessment in context and does not, by itself, establish motive or guilt.
“A woman’s safety depends on what happens when danger is identified—whether information is shared, protection is available and someone takes responsibility,” MacDougall said. “We are asking Mayor Lum to act on the proposals we brought to him and the incoming provincial government to work with anti-violence organizations to advance prevention and community-based intervention. There is substantial work to build on. That work must translate into protection women can count on.”
National Action Plan: From Commitments to Protection
In September, BWSS convened the national implementation roundtable, From Commitment to Capacity. BWSS is also among 40 B.C. organizations endorsing a national coalition statement calling for transparent reporting, predictable multi-year funding and a formal frontline role in implementing the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Signatories include Chilliwack’s Ann Davis Transition Society and Xolhemet Society–Wilma’s Transition House. Four years after the plan’s launch, governments must demonstrate how implementation is improving access to services and protection.
About BWSS
Based in Metro Vancouver for more than 46 years, Battered Women’s Support Services has worked to end violence against women through support services, education and training, law reform and systemic change.
Media contact:
Angela Marie MacDougall
Executive Director, Battered Women’s Support Services
604-808-0507 | Director@bwss.org
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