Overdose Awareness Day in Douglas Park on Sunday

If you walk through Douglas Park, you’ll notice little purple flags. These flags denote the lives lost due to overdoses in Langley. Overdoses and overdose-related deaths are unfortunately widespread. If you haven’t been impacted, you likely know someone who has been. While many people link overdoses and people who are experiencing homelessness, overdoses primarily impact young men who have a job and housing. Many people don’t talk about their struggles with problematic substance use because they feel judged.

My dad, who has since passed (not due to overdosing), injured himself and started a long and problematic relationship with opioids, including overdosing. It impacted our family. He was eventually able to get help and put on a methadone maintenance treatment program.

Sadly, there are still significant gaps when it comes to preventing overdoses in this province.

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day. It is an opportunity to remember all those impacted by overdoses, come together to support each other, and also acts as a call to action to reduce overdoses.

An Overdose Awareness Day event will take place in Douglas Park on Sunday, August 31, 2025, starting at 6:30 pm. A candlelight vigil will take place at 8:30 pm.

There will be resource tents, performers, and speeches. The Lions Club will also host a BBQ that begins at 6:00 pm.

2025 Data Shows Langley City has the Third Lowest Property Taxes & Utility Fees for Detached Homes in Metro Vancouver

When people look at their property tax bill, it contains charges from the province, School Board, TransLink, Metro Vancouver Regional District, and their municipality.

In some municipalities, you get a combined property tax and utility bill (water, sewer, garbage), such as in Langley City. In other municipalities, you get separate property tax and utility bills.

When you see reports about municipal taxation, you’ll hear a lot about property tax increases as a percentage. This isn’t very useful as it doesn’t actually capture what the bottom line is that people pay.

Every municipality has different needs based on the desires of local residents, which means they will have different levels of taxation. Because it can be useful to compare municipal tax rates, the provincial government releases an annual “Taxes & Charges on a Representative House” report which compares the “all in” taxes and fees for an average-priced detached home in each municipality. Langley City is a bit of an exception, as we have close to 80% of households living in attached homes (apartments and townhouses). However, in most parts of BC, the detached home is the most common form of housing.

The province recently released its 2025 data. You can download the full dataset from the provincial government's website, but I thought it would be interesting to show the “all in” value for all municipalities in Metro Vancouver.

Municipalities	Typical Detached House Value	Total Residential Property Taxes and Charges
Port Coquitlam	$1,455,127	$6,457
Pitt Meadows	$1,184,823	$6,721
Langley City	$1,369,186	$6,977
Langley Township	$1,511,423	$7,021
Delta	$1,491,495	$7,176
Surrey	$1,709,547	$7,510
Coquitlam	$1,789,496	$8,000
Burnaby	$2,157,640	$8,051
Maple Ridge	$1,282,828	$8,380
North Vancouver City	$2,110,967	$8,547
Richmond	$2,050,462	$8,624
North Vancouver District	$2,277,299	$9,300
Port Moody	$1,912,333	$9,315
White Rock	$2,032,064	$9,687
Belcarra	$2,001,564	$10,547
Vancouver	$2,678,306	$10,811
Bowen Island	$1,633,484	$11,055
New Westminster	$1,639,283	$11,548
Lions Bay	$2,253,369	$11,610
Anmore	$2,533,798	$12,028
West Vancouver	$3,676,139	$13,721

I wanted to call out that New Westminster is higher in part because they also have their own electrical utility, while the rest of us are on BC Hydro. I also wanted to call out that while the province doesn’t provide the typical “all-in” value for attached housing, Langley City normally does. We don’t have 2025 data yet, but we typically have the lowest or second-lowest in the region. I expect this to be maintained in 2025.

Vacation Alert

I will be taking some time off and will be back blogging on Monday, August 25th.

The History of Langley City: Part 1

Have you ever wondered why Langley City feels like a crossroads? Or why many of the roads don’t run perfectly north/south or east/west? Or why Portage Park is called Portage Park and Glover Road is where it is? Or even how Langley City came to be?,/p.

Langley City, formerly known as Langley Prairie, has a rich history of connection. The prairie was always a crossroads for travellers. From First Nations Portages, to gold smugglers, old railways, and the Micahuds. Langley City is a story of connection and the quest for independence with the famous saying, “not a nickel for street lights!”