Magic of Christmas Festival – This Weekend

For the first time, Langley City will be hosting the Magic of Christmas Festival. This event takes place outdoors in the Timms Community Centre parking lot on Saturday, December 3rd, from Noon until 8:00 pm, as well as Sunday, December 4th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

There will be Christmas crafts for kids and adults, a Santa letter-writing station, ice carving and snow sculptures, a beer garden, food trucks, and of course, a visit from Mr. and Ms. Claus (they know where the place to be is.)

The Langley Arts Council will be setting up an Artisan Craft Market running from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. There will be over 40 artisan booths and a daily draw for 500 downtown dollars which you can use at participating Downtown Langley merchants.

There will be live Christmas music performances throughout Saturday and Sunday. Please visit Langley City’s website for the full list of artists and showtime.

Immigration by the numbers in Langley

Canada is a country of immigrants, and we continue to welcome people today.

The federal government recently funded the Langley Local Immigration Partnership (LLIP). LLIP helps facilitate information sharing and coordination between agencies that provide settlement services for recent immigrants to Langley. Yesterday, I spent some time at their breakfast information-sharing event. I wanted to share some insights I learned.

The most significant driver of immigration is economic; there aren’t enough people in Canada to fill the available jobs. Canada also welcomes refugees and other people on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, about 20% of all people that come to Canada.

Outside of Ontario, Metro Vancouver to a top destination for immigration.

From the latest census data, 41.8% of people living in Metro Vancouver were born outside Canada. In Langley City, 23.3% of people living in the community were born outside Canada. 22.8% of people in the Township of Langley were born outside Canada.

Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Langley City and Township saw the fastest growth in immigrant populations in Metro Vancouver.

The top source countries for all immigrants in Langley City are India, the Philippines, the UK, and the US. In the Township of Langley, it is Korea, India, the UK, and China.

TransLink’s new Climate Action Plan. Reducing GHG Emissions, Building a Resilient System.

TransLink staff will present their Climate Action Plan to their board on Thursday. The plan is based on the objectives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, with an interim reduction of 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and to ensure that its infrastructure and operations are resilient to the impacts of climate change.

TransLink will replace its current non-electric fleet with battery-electric buses and renewable natural gas buses to reduce GHG emissions. This change is already starting with Route 100, scheduled to be fully battery-electric by 2024. TransLink will also pilot renewable diesel buses.

TransLink also operates significant maintenance, control and storage facilities and will implement a Net Zero Facilities Strategy.

We are already seeing the impacts of climate change today. By 2050, we will see longer, more extreme heat waves, heavier rain and snow events, increased flooding, rising sea levels, and more storms.

An extreme snow event impacted the 555 bus route.

The Climate Action Plan outlines the infrastructure most at risk due to climate change, such as power substations, tunnels, bus maintenance and storage facilities, bridges, bus loops, and stations. TransLink will complete climate change risk assessments for all its infrastructure and processes and then incorporate mitigation measures into its operating procedures, asset management plans, and renewal plans.

TransLink’s seven-point Climate Action Plan. Select image to enlarge.

With hotter summers, TransLink will need to ensure that heat stress impacts are reduced for its staff. As such, it will research the “efficacy and feasibility of personal cooling technology and revised uniform specifications for Technician, SkyTrain Attendants, Operators, and Transit Police.”

TransLink will also improve cooling for its customers and start implementing shading infrastructure, such as cooling/misting systems and shade trees, in partnership with local governments. They will also update their Transit-Oriented Communities Design Guidelines through the lens of climate resilience.

Partnership is essential. TransLink will work with Indigenous peoples, local governments, the provincial government, the federal government, and the private sector to advance climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.

These actions are a small sample from the plan. You can read the complete plan in the December 1st TransLink Board Meeting Agenda.

Langley City September thru October Property Crime Map

Langley City September thru October Property Crime Map. Select image to enlarge.

I want to highlight some key points about the Langley City September through October property crime map. The majority of our population and essentially all brick-and-mortar businesses are located north of the Nickomekl River, so you would expect to see more incidents north of the river.

Theft from auto continues to be a challenge in our community. The advice of securing all things in your vehicle remains as relevant as ever. People will do a smash-and-grab for loose change or a garage clicker. Catalytic converter theft continues in Langley City, and that is categorized as theft from auto. At last night’s Crime Prevention Committee, we learn that a small, known group of people are responsible for these crimes but that getting a conviction in court is difficult.

Block Watch continues to have a positive impact on reducing property crime. For more information about Block Watch and how to set up one in your neighbourhood, call the Langley RCMP Detachment Block Watch coordinator at 604-532-3213.

Hopefully, the provincial government’s recent announcement to address repeat offenders based on the report “A Rapid Investigation into Repeat Offending and Random Stranger Violence in British Columbia” will reduce property crime.

Arson means any fire that is started, including fires that may be started by people who are living rough.