Langley City's 2024 "State of the City" Address

Last week, I delivered Langley City's "State of the City" address at a Langley Chamber of Commerce dinner.

During the address, I touched on SkyTrain and the proposed Bus Rapid Transit route on 200th Street, connecting Langley City's Downtown, Willoughby, and Maple Ridge.

I also discussed housing, including completed housing units, housing units under construction, and housing units that are in the queue. I pointed out that Langley City is investing in the basics like water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure while at the same time advocating for investing in provincial infrastructure to support growth, such as expanding Nicomekl Elementary. I noted that the province is listening and recently announced a 200-student expansion of that school.

I stated that while we have amazing recreation facilities such as Al Anderson Memorial Pool and the Langley Twin Rinks, we know we need to grow our facilities. I announced that we will launch an "Invest Langley City" plan later this year.

I explained that public safety is at the top of people's minds and safety means security. I explained that security and safety also mean food security, health security, job security, and home life security. I also noted that while Langley City Council has hired six firefighters, three RCMP officers, an emergency program coordinator, and a bylaw officer in the last two years, we know that we must address the upstream causes that makes people feel less safe and secure. I noted that over the last year, City staff and Council have been meeting with every segment of our community to understand their concerns and desires, leading to the launch of our Citizen Assembly next spring—an opportunity for people to have a direct role in governing our community.

I also stated that we need to "measure what matters" and that Langley City will launch a public key performance indicator dashboard. Some examples of indicators are housing unit completion, average rents, water pipe leakage, and newcomer integration success.

I also covered other topics. The entire presentation was recorded, and once it is ready, I will share it.

In the meantime, I am sharing the introduction video, played at the beginning of my address.