When people are in crisis or see someone in crisis, they may call 911, and the police may attend. With more awareness around the need for people in mental health crises to have specialized support, various "car" programs have been created. The Car 67 program in Surrey pairs a police officer with a mental health professional who responds to emergency calls. This pairing enables a person in crisis to receive an on-site emotional and mental health assessment, helps de-escalate situations, and enables a person to get a referral to ongoing mental health services.
The provincial government recently rolled out an expansion of this program, formally called "Mobile Integrated Crisis Response Teams," to Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Burnaby, and Chilliwack, leaving Langley City, the Township of Langley, Maple Ridge, and White Rock as some of the only municipalities within the Lower Mainland that don't have this program.
On December 11th, Langley City Council sent a letter to Honourable Mike Farnworth and Honourable Jennifer Whiteside, asking that the provincial government expand this program to Langley. We sent a copy of our request to Township of Langley Council, which also wants this program expanded, to show that we stand together. We also sent letters to Maple Ridge and White Rock Councils, letting them know that we support all our communities receiving Mobile Integrated Crisis Response Teams.
On Monday night, Langley City Council approved awarding a tender of $743,382.60 (excluding GST) to Streamline Fencing Ltd. with a $75,000 contingency. The project will replace the end-of-life high mast netting, poles, and backstop dugouts at Barbour Diamond. The project also includes the renewal of the infield. Langley Baseball and others use this facility extensively, so I'm happy to see its renewal.
Council also released the names of people appointed to the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Advisory Design Panel, Board of Variance, Crime Prevention Committee, and Environmental Sustainability Committee for the 2024 term. You can download the list on Langley City's website.
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