The Langley City First Team Will Not Cut Services

Over the last four years, the majority of Langley City Council has approved significant investments in our community.

This includes funding:

• Nine new suppression firefighters and one new fire prevention officer, enabling us to go from one 24/7 firefighting crew to two.
• Five new police officers, which equates to a 10% increase in officers.
• Our own Emergency Program, with people ready to respond when disaster strikes.

Property tax has funded these investments.

“Most people would be surprised to learn that about two-thirds of the property tax collected in the City goes entirely towards police, fire, and public safety services,” said Nathan Pachal, who is running for re-election as mayor of Langley City.

The majority of Council in the last term also approved doubling the amount of property tax allocated to critical projects such as maintaining roads, water pipes, sewer mains, and parks, from $1 million to $2.4 million annually.

Other important investments include extending Al Anderson Pool’s operating season from four months per year to six.

“Unlike the provincial and federal governments, we cannot run deficits,” said Mike Solyom, who is running for re-election as a Councillor. “The unfortunate reality is that with rising police costs, insurance, and collective agreements, maintaining existing services costs more each year. We’re not willing to cut services in response to these rising costs.”

The Langley City First team believes in fiscal responsibility and transparency and supports Langley City's current and ongoing external efficiency review.

“I know our team is looking forward to seeing the results of the efficiency review and its recommendations,” said Pachal. “The Langley City First team is committed to implementing recommendations that will strengthen the services that our community relies on and will not cut any services. We’ve made significant gains in improving public safety and services that we will not roll back.”

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Orange Shirt Day was first observed in Williams Lake in 2013 and was started by Phyllis Webstad, a member of Stswecemʼc Xgetʼtem First Nation. In 2021, September 30th also became the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In 2023, it became a statutory holiday, a day of reflection, in British Columbia.

The creation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was Call to Action 80 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The Commission's mandate was to capture the history and lasting impacts of the Canadian Indian residential school system on Indigenous people and communities. The Commission put forward 94 calls to action to protect Indigenous youth, restore language and culture, reform the justice and health care systems, remember, and move toward reconciliation.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is hosting several “Lunch and Learn” workshops this week. You can watch them on YouTube.

In Langley, an event and candlelight walk will start at 5 pm in Douglas Park and is open to all. The event honours survivors of the residential school system, and the children who never came home, their families, and communities.

Langley City First Platform: Housing

Langley City should be a community where people can afford to live. Langley City First will continue to advocate to the provincial and federal governments to fund affordable and accessible housing projects and implement policies that increase housing affordability for all people. In Langley City, we continue to reform our local bylaws and policies to drive housing affordability and accessibility, and create spaces for people to work, live, and play.

Langley City First Platform: Good Government

A core value of Langley City First is the belief that local government should be accessible, responsive, and pragmatic. Our team is committed to responsible financial and infrastructure stewardship that considers both today's requirements and future needs. Simply put, we want to leave our community's finances and infrastructure in a better place for the long-term. We also believe that all citizens' voices matter and will continue to use models such as Citizens’ Assemblies to guide our decisions on complex issues.