Langley City Still Has One of the Lowest Property Tax Bills in Metro Vancouver

Some misinformation has been spread online and in print that Langley City has high property taxes for homeowners, especially people who own detached houses (traditionally called single-family homes.) The fact is Langley City has some of the lowest property taxes in Metro Vancouver.

The provincial government compiles data for all municipalities in BC and produces a document called "Taxes & Charges on a Representative House - Schedule 704." This document looks at the bottom-line payment for people who own a representatively priced detached home. I say bottom line because it includes City-control property tax and fees (such as garbage, water, and sewer) and property tax from other governments, such as the regional district, provincial schools, and TransLink.

So, how does Langley City compare for this year's taxes to other Metro Vancouver municipalities this year?

Municipalities	Total 'Representative House' Property Taxes & Charges - 2024
Port Coquitlam	6,023
Pitt Meadows	6,244
Langley Township	6,363
Langley City	6,395
Delta	6,582
Maple Ridge	6,630
Surrey	7,080
Burnaby	7,327
Coquitlam	7,481
City of North Vancouver	7,914
Richmond	7,956
District of North Vancouver	8,634
Port Moody	8,681
White Rock	8,953
Belcarra	9,789
Vancouver	9,892
Lions Bay	10,021
Bowen Island	10,323
New Westminster	10,718
Anmore	11,292
West Vancouver	12,994

There are a few things to call out. New Westminster has higher taxes because it also operates an electric utility, whereas other municipalities in Metro Vancouver are on BC Hydro's network.

Another call-out is that only 20% of the homes in Langley City are detached. Only Burnaby has a lower average property tax than Langley City for all other housing types. Unfortunately, the provincial government does not compile "representative house" data for apartments and townhouses.

Finally, we must balance our budget because municipalities cannot run a deficit, unlike the provincial and federal governments. Some municipalities in Metro Vancouver have higher taxes because they provide additional services that their residents request.

So, if you live in Langley City and own a detached home, you aren't paying the lowest property taxes in Metro Vancouver but among the lowest. I believe Langley City is providing good value for money as we continue to work on the basics, investing in infrastructure and community safety.

TransLink's Big $810 Million Leap: Growing Transit Service in Metro Vancouver

As I've been posting and you've likely seen in the news, for a variety of factors, such as the continued drop in fuel tax revenue, TransLink needs a new stable funding source to help plug a $579 million budget shortfall. Fixing this shortfall will require the region's mayors and the provincial government to work hand-in-hand to ensure that transit service isn't cut by around 50% in our region starting in 2026.

Of course, we know we need to actually expand transit service (which is experiencing overcrowing) in our region, which is why the mayors created the "Access for Everyone" plan. This plan is to be delivered in three phases over the next decade.

Fixing the budget shortfall and implementing phase one of the Access for Everyone plan will require $810 million in new funding starting in 2026. This funding would be one of the biggest lifts in the history of TransLink, but it is achievable.

At a high level, phase one of the Access for Everyone plan includes:

• Increasing bus service by 15%, including three new Bus Rapid Transit routes (such as the Maple Ridge/Langley route.)
• Increasing SeaBus, West Coast Express, and SkyTrain frequency or railcars
• Expanding HandyDART service
• Building a Gondola to SFU Burnaby
• Expanding Bus Depots and Preparing for Battery Electrics Buses
• Buying Zero-Emission Buses
• Keeping the Transit System in a State of Good Repair
• Rolling Out Customer Washrooms in the Transit System
• Funding Local Bike and Walking Infrastructure
• Maintaining and Growing the Major Road Network
• Providing Funding to Improve Bus Speed and Reliability (such as by building more bus lanes.)
• Improving Golden Ears Way

Please check out the November 28 Mayors' Council agenda for more information. You will be hearing a lot more about phase one of the Access for Everyone plan in the coming months.

First Look at 2025 Langley City Budget: Status Quo and Proposed Changes

As I posted about last week, Langley City Council has kicked off the 2025 budget development process. City staff presented an overview of the 2025 budget yesterday.

To maintain current staffing and service delivery levels, Langley City Council would need to increase our property tax by about $2 million in 2025. This increase works out to 4.7% more property tax than in 2024. Inflation has cooled this year, but labour costs are still the main driver of the proposed increase. Policing consumes around 45% of property tax revenue, and in 2025, keeping policing at current levels contributes $1.2 million or 2.8% of the proposed 4.7% increase.

As our community grows, we must consider increasing staffing and services to meet demands. City staff prepared a list of proposed increases for Council to consider. This year, staff are proposing the following:

New staffing to keep up with our growing community - $936,260
Two Additional RCMP Members - $500,000
Increase Infrastructure Replacement Levy (For Renewal Projects) - $418,000
Two Additional Firefighters - $364,480
Expand Pool Season from the Beginning of March to the End of October - $168,530

Council usually does not agree to all staff proposals, and over the coming months, Council will refine the budget. This first look simply puts everything on the table for Council to consider.

To keep in the loop as we work through the 2025 budget process, please visit Langley City's 2025 Financial Plan page.

Moving Towards Net-Zero GHG Emissions at TransLink

In 2021, the TransLink Board approved the following timeline for moving TransLink towards a zero-emission bus fleet and that its operations would have zero greenhouse gas emissions.

• 45% GHG emission reduction by 2030 (compared to 2010)
• A zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040
• Net-zero GHG emissions by 2050

Net-zero does not mean that TransLink will produce zero GHG emissions in 2050, but that any emissions TransLink emits will be compensated (for example, by investing in renewable power or planting trees). Moving towards net zero is still a big lift. We've often heard about government organizations setting GHG emission reduction targets but never meeting those targets. Is TransLink's GHG emissions and zero-emissions bus fleet possible in the timeline given?

TransLink staff have prepared a report that shows the trolley bus network will be here to stay and that battery-electric buses will replace all other bus types in the medium and the long term. Over the next decade, TransLink will still need to purchase buses that can run on renewable natural gas and diesel, both to meet the 2030 emission reduction target and allow time to build the facilities and infrastructure to accommodate battery-electric buses.

TransLink is renovating the Port Coquitlam Transit Centre and building a new Marpole Transit Centre to accommodate battery election buses. TransLink has six transit centres (bus depots) in the region, so much more work will be needed.

Moving to a fully electric bus future will cost up to $14 billion over the next two decades. It is a big effort. There are two Canadian transit bus manufacturers, and as of this year, only one will continue to make buses with combustion engines. The future will be electric.

While aggressive and not without risk, it will be possible for TransLink to meet its zero-emission bus fleets and net-zero GHG emission goals.

For more information, please read the November 28th Mayors' Council package.

November 18 Council Notes, Upcoming Budget Workshops, Regional Affordable Rental Housing Targets

We are near the end of the year, meaning budget season for Langley City is starting. New for the 2025 budget development process, Council will hold a series of open workshops as we refine the 2025 budget, preparing it for community feedback, official consideration, and adoption early next year. Anyone can observe these budget workshops. The first workshop is on Monday, November 25th. For more information on the 2025 budget process and workshops, please visit the 2025 Financial Plan section of Langley City’s website.

Council also officially adopted our 2025 regular council meeting schedule. You can find out upcoming Council meeting dates on Langley City’s website. Everyone is free to observe these Council meetings.

One of our regional district’s goals is to ensure that 15% of new housing units in urban centres and transit corridors are affordable rentals by 2050. This goal is embedded into the Regional Growth Strategy that all municipalities in Metro Vancouver are subject to. Langley City has always been subject to this goal. The regional district is proposing to update the areas where the 15% target would apply and the definition of affordable rentals.

The following map shows the proposed areas where the target would apply.

Urban Centres, Frequent Transit Development Areas, and Major Transit Growth Corridors Subject to 15% Affordable Housing Target. Select the map to enlarge. Source: Metro Vancouver

The definition of affordable housing is proposed to be:

“Housing that is affordable to households earning up to 120% of the Regional Median Household Income. In Canada, a general measure of housing affordability is the shelter-cost-to-income ratio, where no more than 30% of a household’s gross income is spent on housing (including all housing-related costs like utilities).”

The regional district sent a letter to Langley City asking for our feedback. Langley City Council asked City staff to provide feedback to the regional district.

New Process to Prevent Parkade Construction Cave-Ins

Because Langley City is built on a floodplain, we have challenging soil conditions when it comes to the construction of buildings. As a result, when people propose constructing apartment buildings in Langley City, the City requires a geotechnical review to ensure that the construction and building designs will work in our soil conditions. This review includes the design for excavating underground parkades. Under provincial law, the City's only power is to ensure that a geotechnical engineer signs off on these designs. When an engineer signs off on a design, they take on the liability for any problem that could result from the design.

For as long as I can remember, this process worked well until December 2022, when there was a partial cave-in of a retaining wall put in place during the excavation of a parkade. This cave-in was extremely concerning, but it was a one-off. Then, in August of this year, there was another partial cave-in at another construction site. Council learned late last week about another soil shift event at another construction site. This is now a trend and is 100% unacceptable.

At Monday night's meeting, Langley City staff updated Council that the City will now require peer reviews on all geotechnical designs. This peer-review process means that at least two geotechnical engineers from different firms must sign off for an apartment project to move forward. The cost of this peer-review process will be on the builder. This new process is meant to ensure that a cave-in never happens again and restore trust in the design and construction of underground parkades in our community.

November 18 Council Notes: Housing Projects

Last night, Langley City Council looked at three new proposed housing projects.

The first proposed housing project was for a 6-storey, 80-unit apartment building at 20130-20150 53 Avenue & 20139-20153 52 Avenue (near Nicomekl Elementary School). If approved by Council, the apartment would have 45 one-bedroom units, 30 two-bedroom units, and five three-bedroom units.

Rendering of proposed project at 20130-20150 53 Avenue & 20139-20153 52 Avenue

Council gave first and second reading to the rezoning bylaw for this proposed apartment project.

In June 2023, Langley City Council gave third reading for a proposed 12-storey apartment building at 5360 204 Street on the site of the current Pyramid Apartments. The applicant withdrew the 12-storey apartment building proposal and is now proposing a 6-storey, 283-unit apartment building.

Rendering of proposed project at 5360 204 Street

There are two important things to note. First, because this would redevelop a current purpose-built market rental building, all market rental units must be replaced one-for-one in the new apartment building per Council policy. Second, the building is subject to a Council tenant relocation, compensation, and right-to-return policy. In 2023, Council negotiated additional tenant compensation for this project above the then-current policy and the right for tenants to return at 20% below market rent. So far, about 2/3rds of the current tenants who fall under the tenant relocation, compensation, and right-to-return policy have moved from the building and been compensated. Twelve tenants are remaining. Council updated our tenant relocation, compensation, and right-to-return policy, beefing up some aspects of the policy, including compensation, this summer. You can read more about this in a previous post. Council had a good conversation last night on whether the new beefed-up policy should apply and, if so, how it would impact tenants who have already been relocated and compensated under the old negotiated policy. In a 4-3 vote, Council gave first and second reading to this scaled-down version under the old negotiated policy.

Finally, Council issued a development permit for a 6-storey, 178-unit apartment development at 20644 Eastleigh Crescent.

Rendering of proposed project at 20644 Eastleigh Crescent.

For more information on these projects, please visit Langley City's Development Application Portal. The portal has detailed plans and other supporting documentation, including reports from the City's Advisory Design Panel, plus the status of all applications as they work through the approval process.

SkyTrain Construction 24/7 Hotline

With the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension under major construction, there may be times when you need to get in touch with the project construction team urgently, or you may have a general question.

You can now call 1-844-815-6111 if you need to contact them 24/7.

For general construction information and additional contacts, you can visit the project's website at https://surreylangleyskytrain.gov.bc.ca/

Please note that the provincial government manages this website and the hotline, not Langley City.

This summer, we used 205 billion litres of drinking water in Metro Vancouver

On an average day in Metro Vancouver, we use about 1 billion litres of water. That means, on average, each of us uses about 330 litres of water daily, about a bathtub or two's worth. This number grows during the summer.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently released a report showing water usage over the 2024 summer season. The following chart shows water usage.

Metro Vancouver Daily System Consumption Comparison 2023 and 2024. Source: Metro Vancouver

In 2023, there was higher water usage in May and June. Over the peak May 1st to October 15th season, we used 216 billion litres in 2023 and 205 billion litres in 2024.

The following chart shows our region's water storage levels. Our water comes from the North Shore mountains and Coquitlam Lake.

Total Source Storage for Metro Vancouver Usage, 2021-2024. Source: Metro Vancouver

While we used less water this summer, we had lower snow packs and drier conditions, which meant we were close to lower-than-normal water storage levels. Water conservation will continue to be the path forward for our region. I was born and raised in Okanagan, so water conservation has always been on my mind. In Metro Vancouver, we must get away from grass lawns and look at other landscaping treatments. In my townhouse complex, they replaced some grass with river rocks and some low-water plants. It looks pretty nice.

Metro Vancouver Looking To Tighten Air Quality Regs. Smog Increasing.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District has delegated authority from the provincial government to regulate air quality in our region. The Regional District is looking to tighten up ambient air quality objectives. The target numbers help guide Metro Vancouver's regulation, enforcement, and alerting efforts.

The Region District is looking into tightening up the objectives for three key air pollutants: ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.

Ground-level ozone, sometimes known as smog, is produced by vehicle and industrial emissions. Nitrogen dioxide is produced by vehicle, industrial, and building (heating) emissions. Sulphur Dioxide is produced by petroleum refining, marine vessels, cement production, and aircraft. Ground-level ozone is harmful to human health and contributes to climate change. All three are linked to respiratory problems and contribute to early death.

The Regional District has an extensive air quality monitoring network in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. You can check out Metro Vancouver's AirMap to see.

The proposed new target levels are:
Ground-level ozone (8-hour averaging period): Reducing from 62ppb to 60ppb
Nitrogen dioxide (1-hour average period): Reducing from 60ppb to 42ppb
Nitrogen dioxide (annual average): Reducing from 17ppb to 12ppb
Sulphur dioxide (annual average): Reducing from 5ppb to 4ppb

There is no safe level of ground-level ozone; unfortunately, this pollutant is increasing in our region. The following table shows ground-level ozone in Metro Vancouver over the last three years.

2021-2023, Ground-level ozone 8-hour average levels in Metro Vancouver compared to regional ambient air quality objectives. Source: Metro Vancouver

Maple Ridge has some of the worst ground-level ozone in the region, and Langley is up there. Work needs to be done to drive down ground-level ozone by reducing the use of internal combustion engines, which the provincial and federal governments control.

Metro Vancouver Population to Increase to 3.3 Million in 2030. Langley City Middle of the Road.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently updated its population growth projections within our region. When it comes to the projected total population growth, Vancouver and Surrey will continue to be the places with the highest total population growth.

Map of Projected Change in Dwelling Units (Medium-Growth Scenario), from 2021 to 2051, by Member Jurisdiction. Source: Metro Vancouver

When it comes to the change in population, the Township of Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Coquitlam, UBC, and Tsawwassen First Nation are where Metro Vancouver is predicting will see the most significant increase as a percentage of the current population over the next 25 years.

Map of Projected Increase (%) in Dwelling Units (Medium-Growth Scenario), from 2021 to 2051, by Member Jurisdiction. Source: Metro Vancouver

In recent years, Langley City has been a high-growth community, according to census data. Still, the Metro Vancouver model predicts that Langley City will see medium growth in the coming decades. Langley City's population is now closely tracking with the City of Port Moody.

These population growth projections help the region and municipalities plan for infrastructure needs such as water, sewer, and transportation. It can also help inform land-use decisions.

You can view the updated projections on the Metro Vancouver website.

Getting Politicians Working for You Again

About a year ago, I got a ride to a SkyTrain station from a mayor of one of the larger municipalities in our region. He told me people need a roof over their heads and a good job. He said many politicians have forgotten that this is the most basic thing we must enable. I agreed, and this conversation has stuck with me.

While I’ve been actively involved in politics for some time now, that conversation got me thinking about what I believe the role of government should be. The results of various provincial and other elections over the last few months really got me thinking about this.

There are really five things that we, as politicians and government, need to enable for people.

• We need to ensure that people’s basic needs are met.
• We need to ensure that people have access to opportunity.
• We need to ensure that people feel safe.
• We need to ensure that when people need help, we are there.
• We need to ensure that people feel they are valued in our society.

While the federal and provincial governments and politicians have the most control over these five outcomes, local governments also have a role.

I created a Langley City Solutions Tracker 2.1, which outlines everything I promised over the years. Most of what I’ve promised fits within the five key outcomes, but I want to expand on this slightly.

We provide water and sewer services as local governments. It doesn’t get more basic than this.

Local governments play a prominent role in our transportation network. Roads and transit ensure that people have access to opportunities.

How we police our communities and design and operate our public spaces, libraries, and recreation centres contributes to people’s feeling of safety.

When people need help, sometimes it isn’t available or hard to know where to start. Some local governments, such as Langley City, have now taken on the role of advocate to get required services for a community and are working to reduce the barriers to accessing these services.

It is crucial to feel that society and, by extension, your government value you. As local government, we can meaningfully include people in our decisions as we serve a smaller area. I’m very excited about direct democracy systems, such as Citizens’ Assemblies and Citizens’ Budgets.

Many times, politicians forget who they should be serving. These five ideals have become a bit of a lighthouse for me.

Extreme Weather Response Shelter Program Not Effective, Needs An Overhaul

In BC, we have a system of emergency shelters that provide space for people with the most urgent need of a basic place to sleep. Unfortunately, there are few shelters, and most are at capacity on any given night, as seen in the Shelter Map system by StreetMessenger. The following list shows the number of permanent emergency shelters by municipalities in the South of Fraser.

Gateway of Hope in Langley City. Source: Gateway of Hope

Delta: 0
Langley City: 1
Langley Township: 0
Surrey: 9
White Rock: 0

To provide additional space in the winter months, from October 15th to April 15th, BC Housing provides limited funding for additional extreme weather response spaces when it is snowing, it rains heavily, or there are freezing temperatures.

In Delta, there are ten additional spaces for women and nine for anybody.

In Langley City, there have traditionally been 15 additional spaces for anybody.

In Surrey, there are currently 45 additional spaces for anyone.

While I don't want to get too caught up on the numbers, the main point is that given the rapid growth in the number of people who experience homelessness, the current year-round and Extreme Weather Response emergency shelter system is at capacity.

I wanted to focus on the BC Housing Extreme Weather Response program.

Over the years I've been on Langley City Council, the School District and faith-based organizations have made spaces available to host extreme weather response shelters in our community. I've observed that these spaces only last one Extreme Weather Response season and are not made available in future seasons (except the Gateway of Hope.) Some challenges with the Extreme Weather Response program included finding qualified staffing, dealing with people who have complex needs, and conflicts with other uses. I've seen that it becomes more challenging every year to find organizations willing to host an Extreme Weather Response in Langley City.

I don't want to be all doom and gloom. There is a path forward.

We all know that the province needs to ramp up housing and mental health treatment, but even with ramped-up services, we will always need emergency shelters.

At the core, we need to expand the permanent shelter network and ensure that those facilities are equipped to handle extreme summer and winter weather events. We must also ensure the shelter network has the support staff to help people with complex needs.

Smaller-scale, geographically distributed facilities ensure better outcomes for both the neighbourhoods in which they are based and the folks accessing emergency shelter services.

Frankly, emergency shelter services are needed in the Township of Langley and Delta.

Langley City Council is looking at all the gaps in our social infrastructure, including emergency shelter services. While it is a provincial responsibility to fund the emergency shelter network, we are doing our part by advocating for expanding the emergency shelter network, including advocating for the province to implement the HEART and HEARTH programs in both Langley City and Township.

The status quo isn't working, and we need provincial action to ensure the most vulnerable people in our communities can access emergency shelter services.

November 4 Council Notes: Langely City Committee Appointments, Volunteer for a Committee, Other Appointments and Housekeeping

Every year, Langley City Council appoints members of Council to both our City run committees, external committees, and organizations that we are a part of, such as the Metro Vancouver Regional District and Fraser Valley Regional Library.

Last night, Council reappointed Councillor Rosemary Wallace as our Fraser Valley Regional Library representative and appointed Councillor Delaney Mack as our alternative if Councillor Wallace is unable to attend a meeting.

Council also reappointed Councillor Paul Albrecht to the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board and reappointed Councillor Wallace as our alternative.

Council also made a series of other appointments for 2025, which you can read more about in the November 4th Council agenda. There were a few changes to note. Langley City's Community Day and Magic of Christmas Festival and the Langley Christmas Bureau were heavily driven by the Council committee back in the day. Committees are not used today as they have been handled by internal City staff working groups and volunteers for the last several years. So, while Council will always be involved, there is no need to make committee appointments.

While Langley City is still a strong supporter of the Langley Human Dignity Coalition, scheduling conflicts have prevented council members from attending over the last year. As such, we did not appoint a representative this year.

It is also the time of the year for people in our community to put their names forward to volunteer for committees. If you'd like to learn more about Langley City committees, please visit the City's committee webpage. You can apply on that page for 2025 committee appointments.

Council also repealed old policies for committees that we no longer have, such as the Social Planning Committee, Event & Parade Committees, and Youth Advisory Committee (youth reps are part of all our City committees now.) Council repealed old policies on alerting the press of a Council meeting agenda (the policy stating we should use a fax machine) and a "Notice to Public" policy, which more robust policies have superseded.

Low Number of Air Quality Advisories this Summer. Wood-Burning Fireplace Regulation.

Since about 2015, there has been a marked increase in the number of summer air quality advisories in the Fraser Valley airshed (from the ocean to Hope.) The Metro Vancouver Regional District issues these advisories when smog or fine particulate matter reaches levels that harm human health.

These days, most air quality advisories result from fine particulate matter found in wildfire smoke. While this year was another extreme wildfire season, 75% of the wildfires were in northern BC, and the resulting smoke did not make its way down to our airshed.

Metro Vancouver issued a three-day smog advisory starting on July 8th this summer, which was caused by local pollution.

The following chart shows the number of days an air quality advisory was in effect, from 2005 until now.

Number of days of air quality advisories in the Lower Fraser Valley. Source: Metro Vancouver

You can sign up for air quality advisories on the Metro Vancouver website. You can also view Metro Vancouver's real-time air quality map. Most weather apps and sites also include Metro Vancouver's air quality data.

On the topic of air quality, Metro Vancouver also regulates:

• Fireplace
• Fireplace insert (that burns wood)
• Wood stove
• Pellet stove
• Masonry heater
• Other wood burning device

You must register your wood-burning appliance, ensure it meets our region's emission standards, and follow the region's wood burning regulations. The Metro Vancouver's real-time air quality map also shows if you can use your wood-burning fireplace. For example, you cannot use a wood-burning fireplace in Langley today.