Improving Accessibility - Paving Trail Between Michaud Crescent and 53rd Avenue, Cycling Safety

The current gravel trail between 53rd Avenue and Michaud Crescent was once part of the former BC Electric Interurban Railway, which connected passengers and cargo from Vancouver to the Fraser Valley. This section is now a very popular walking and cycling path. Gravel paths can create accessibility changes. At its meeting on Monday, October 20th, Langley City Council awarded a tender to B.A. Blacktop Infrastructure Inc. for $413,481.36 (excluding GST) to pave that gravel trail and widen it from 2.5 metres to 3 metres. This will enhance accessibility.

Baldi Creek Trail

As part of the same contract, they will also shift the roadside barriers on Fraser Highway between 208th Street and Old Yale Road to improve walking and cycling safety. There will be no changes to the vehicle travel lanes. This will make it safer to connect to Derek Doubleday Arboretum and the Township’s multi-use path on Fraser Highway.

To oversee the project, ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. was awarded $30,205.00 (excluding GST) as part of the tender. A $62,000.00 contingency was set aside in case of unforeseen issues. If the contingency is not used, it will be placed back into the City’s reserves and be available for other projects.

Langley City Council’s Ottawa Advocacy Mission: Transit Funding, Reducing Gang Violence, and Infrastructure Funding

Over the past two days, I’ve been posting about Langley City Council’s second advocacy mission to Ottawa. Our first mission was in April 2024. You can read more about our advocacy efforts to update airport regulations, allowing for more housing options near Willowbrook Mall, and to transform Langley City into a Food Tech hub, supporting good jobs and a Canada-first supply chain, in previous posts. Today, I will focus on the remaining meeting we had while in Ottawa last week.

As you know, Canada has several regions, including BC, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic, and the North. At the federal level, government MPs also have regional caucuses that bring regional matters to the attention of their fellow MPs, with the hope of prompting action. We met with Taleeb Noormohamed, who is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and is also the Chair of the Pacific Caucus. There were two regional matters that we want to bring to his attention.

Councillors Paul Albrecht, Rosemary Wallace, Leith White, and I talking with MP Noormohamed. Select the image to enlarge.

The first item we talked about was transit funding in Metro Vancouver. Langley City’s Official Community Plan is built around transit and providing people with travel choices; expanding transit service is critically important not just for Langley City, but for the whole region. During the meeting, MP Noormohamed noted a misalignment among local leaders, the province, and the federal government regarding transit funding. As a next step, he offered to bring local leaders, provincial government leaders, and Metro Vancouver MPs together in a room to drive alignment. Interestingly, I don’t believe this has ever happened before. I thought this was an excellent next step.

Many municipalities in Metro Vancouver, including Langley City and Township, received funding from the federal government to reduce gun crime and gang violence. Langley City and Township partnered with the Langley District to deliver a program to school students called Project Black Feather. This funding is coming to an end, and we have requested that the Pacific Caucus ask for the funding to be extended to continue supporting programs like Project Black Feather.

We also met with MP Scott Aitchison, who is the Shadow Critic for Housing for the Conservatives. He was also the former Mayor of Huntsville, Ontario. We talked about the need for the federal government to invest more in replacing aging water and sewer infrastructure. MP Aitchison believes that the federal government should be doing more to fund housing-enabling infrastructure, and he suggested that, as a next step, he come and visit Langley City to learn more. I will be working on making that happen.

Members of Langley City Council meeting with MP Scott Aitchison. Select the image to enlarge.

While in Ottawa, we of course met with our MP Tamara Jansen. We provided her with an update on our advocacy efforts and the folks we met with. We had a very good discussion about the need to update the airport regulations to allow more housing options near Willowbrook Mall and around other members of the Shadow Cabinet we should connect with.

A photo with MP Jansen after our meeting with her. Select the image to enlarge.

Over the course of two days, we attended seven meetings. While exhaulting, it was a productive two days, and we have a lot of follow-ups to make in the coming weeks and months based on the connections that we made to support our community.

Langley City Council’s Ottawa Advocacy Mission: A Canada-First Food Tech Hub

Over this week, I’ll be posting about Langley City Council’s second advocacy mission to Ottawa. Yesterday, I posted about our objective to work toward updating the airport regulations to allow more housing options near Willowbrook Mall. Today, I will talk about Food Tech.

A lot of technology goes into the produce, breads, snacks, and other food and beverage items that we use every day. Whether it is the automation of farming, science to create more nutritious grains, or packaging that helps keep products fresh, technology is embedded in the food supply chain.

Langley City is home to Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s School of Horticulture, and Brewing and Brewery Operations. These programs are highly regarded at home and abroad. Langley City is also home to Bimbo Canada’s BC bakery. If you’ve ever had a slice of bread or a roll in BC, you’ve likely had one made at the Bimbo Canada Langley City bakery. CKF Inc. is one of the largest food packaging producers in Canada. If you have ever purchased eggs, the package was made at their Langley City plant.

From packaging to food processing and production, Langley City is an informal Food Tech hub. In partnership with KPU, the City is working to create a more formal Food Tech hub. In the current political climate, there is a need for a Canada-first food supply chain. We can create economic opportunities and well-paying jobs right here in Langley City, benefiting the country with the help of the federal government, the province, KPU, and the private sector.

Councillors Paul Albrecht, Rosemary Wallace, Leith White, and I outside Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Select the image to enlarge.

In Ottawa, we met with senior staff at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. A few key takeaways from these meetings were that the timing was right for creating a Canada-first food supply chain. We were also informed that traditionally, Food Tech has focused on the prairie provinces, though there is a growing understanding that BC and the Fraser Valley need to become a greater focus for the federal government. Our big ask was that federal government staff would come to the table as we work on our Food Tech strategy with KPU. I was pleased that after the meetings, there was interest among staff members at both federal ministries to come to the table.

Councillors Rosemary Wallace and Leith White walking into the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada building. Select the image to enlarge.

We also spoke with a senior policy advisor for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. The takeaway from that meeting is that Food Tech is split between the two ministries federally and also the Ministry of Agriculture and Food provincially. Moving the Food Tech hub concept forward will also require the support of the provincial government. Certainly, there are many moving pieces, but I left with the impression that there is a strong desire to support innovation in the food sector. This presents a good opportunity for Langley City if we can drive alignment among all the interested parties to grow our local economy.

Tomorrow, I will post about our other advocacy efforts while we were in Ottawa.

Langley City Council’s Ottawa Advocacy Mission: Enabling More Housing Near SkyTrain

In April 2024, Langley City Council had its first advocacy mission to Ottawa. Last week, we had our second advocacy mission. It was a whirlwind of meetings with Members of Parliament, political staff, and the federal civil service.

Councillors Paul Albrecht, Rosemary Wallace, Leith White, and I waiting for the train from the Ottawa airport. Select the image to enlarge.

Councillors Paul Albrecht, Rosemary Wallace, Leith White, and I represented Council on the mission.

We had two main matters that we want the federal government to assist us with, and some secondary matters.

Because of the Langley Regional Airport, we have a 150-foot or about 15-storey high limit for buildings in Langley City, except for a few parcels of property near Willowbrook Mall. These rules, called Airport Zoning Regulations, came into effect in the 1970s.

Councillors Paul Albrecht, Rosemary Wallace, Leith White, and I waiting in the Nav Canada lobby for our meeting. Select the image to enlarge.

Meeting with Nav Canada staff about airport safety. Select the image to enlarge.

With SkyTrain coming to town, we can expect to see more 15-storey concrete buildings around the Langley City stations. What is somewhat counterintuitive is that units in mid-rise buildings generally sell at a higher average price point than those in taller buildings. The reason is that a significant portion of a concrete building's cost is incurred below ground, and these costs are spread across fewer units in mid-rise buildings. To enable more affordable market-priced units and also more below-market-priced units, the City wants to allow taller buildings around a larger area near Willowbrook Mall. This requires the support of Nav Canada, which operates Canada's civil air navigation system, and Transport Canada.

We met with staff from Nav Canada and learned about their concerns. They also showed us their new approach for ensuring the safe operation of airports, which could permit us to move away from the current one-size-fits-all 150-foot height limit in the City. Any changes also require the support of Transport Canada.

Walking between meetings in Downtown Ottawa. Select the image to enlarge.

We met with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transportation, MP Mike Kelloway. After showing him some maps and explaining what we were trying to achieve, he offered to provide us with help as we work through the process of hopefully having the federal government update the airport height limits in Langley City, which would allow more housing in the Willowbrook area. He wanted us to keep him cc’ed and in the loop.

A photo with MP Mike Kelloway after our meeting with him. Select the image to enlarge.

The next major matter we wanted the federal government’s support with is growing Langley City’s food tech sectors in partnership with KPU and the private sector. Many people are unaware that Langley City has some major food tech players in our community, including CKF for packaging and processors such as Bimbo Canada. We have an opportunity to expand the number of good-paying jobs in our community with this vision. I’ll post more about this tomorrow.

First Look at Proposed Service Enhancements in Langley City’s 2026 Budget

Earlier this month, I posted about Langley City’s proposed 2026 budget and how maintaining the status quo level of service will require a 3.58% property tax increase, resulting in a $49 property tax increase for the average strata property or $116 for the average detached home.

Yesterday, I posted about the proposed one-time capital projects being considered in the 2026 budget. Langley City Council also has the opportunity to make additional investments into services or staff positions as part of the budget process. I wanted to highlight some of the proposed additions for consideration.

• Increase contributions to capital projects reserves by 1% - $447,780
• Hire two additional firefighters - $400,000
• Hire two additional RCMP members - $320,000
• Hire an Assistant Fire Chief to ensure 7-day-a-week coverage - $237,000
• Hire a Procurement Manager to streamline and ensure compliance during purchasing and tenders - $185,000
• Hire an IT project manager due to the increasing number and complexity of projects - $150,600
• Hire a Facilities Supervisor to help ensure City buildings are maintained and in a state of good repair - $143,000
• Hire a new communication staff member to enhance engagement and timely reply to citizens - $129,750
• Hire a new HR staff member to support our growing staffing and increased complexity in labour law - $112,812
• Hire a staff member to address the growing number of Freedom of Information requests and the increasing complexity of privacy laws - $110,000
• Hire an Engineer clerk to support the Engineering department $90,000
• Extended the Al Anderson Pool season to start on April 13th - $68,900
• Hire a Permits and Licensing clerk to support the increasing demand for permits and licensing applications as our community grows - $60,000

Council will discuss and debate what should be included in the 2026 budget and financial plan starting at the November 17th meeting. It is very rare that Council has added all the proposed additions. There will also be opportunities, in-person and online, for community members to provide feedback. I’ll post about this when the time comes.

A first look at Langley City's proposed 2026 $28.8m Capital Projects Plan

On Monday, Langley City Council took a deeper look at the proposed 2026 – 2030 Financial Plan for the City. There are two parts of every financial plan: the ongoing operating section and the one-time capital projects section. Today, I wanted to look at the one-time capital project section.

Every year, the City allocates a portion of property tax and utility fees to reserves that can be used for capital projects. This year, the proposed financial plan allocates $5.03 million. The City also receives money from the casino, from developers for new construction, grants, and borrowing. There has been no borrowing for the City this year.

City staff are proposing $28.8 million in one-time capital projects in 2026. The largest proposed project is $12 million for phase one of the Operations Centre renewal project.

The current Operations Centre was a “temporary” facility that the City purchased in 1987, and is end-of-life and no longer meets the needs of our growing community. The Operations Centre is the home for the City’s parks and engineering operations department. All the people, equipment, and materials to fix roads, watermains, or sewer pipes, clear snow from roads, and keep our parks maintained are based out of that facility. The facility does not meet modern systemic standards. It also has structural issues, including asbestos, that have led to mold, leaks, rotten floors, and rodent issues. Replacing this facility has been on the books since 2011, but has been pushed back year after year. The first phase includes constructing a new Operation Centre building, while future phases will look at reconfiguring the outside areas.

Other significant projects include a proposed:

• $4.1 million project to construct multi-use paths on both sides of the city-controlled section of the Langley Bypass, including making safety improvements for people walking, rolling, and cycling at the 56th Avenue and Fraser Highway intersections. Students going to Langley Secondary School use this route.
• $3.0 million project to construct a multi-use path on Grade Crescent between 203rd Street and 206th Street. Students going to HD Stafford use this route.
• $1.6 million projects to replace the water and sewer lines under certain sections of Grade Crescent
• $1.5 million project to repave Logan Avenue from 200th Street to 204th Street
• $1.25 million project to improve the washroom building, concession, and batting cage at City Park
• $400,000 project to build a new washroom at the Uplands Dog Off-Leash Park

For more information on these and other proposed projects, please read the proposed 2026 Financial Plan.

2025 Project Updates - 1.75 Million Repair to Fire Hall

Things can change significantly in local government over a year, meaning municipalities must update their current-year financial plans periodically. Langley City Council gave first, second, and third readings to our first financial plan amendment for 2025. This amendment does not impact property tax or other fees.

The most significant part of the amendment is to reallocate $1.75 million for repairs to the Fire Hall. While the Fire Hall is relatively new, built in 2006, the extreme weather over the last decade has caused water damage to the building, entering the exterior walls and leaking from the roof. During a structural review of the fire hall, the assessors found water in the brick wall areas. The City will use the $1.75 million to replace the roof and cover the brick wall areas with a metal overcladding to prevent further leaking.

Other smaller projects include:

• Overdose and Mental Health - The City received a $175,350 grant from the federal government to improve response to overdoses, mental health, and recovery supports with improved software systems in Langley City.
• Repaving in the Brydon Area - The City will repave the area around Brydon Crescent and 55A Avenue. It is funding this $150,000 project through redevelopment contributions.
• Al Anderson Pool Leak Repair - The City will repair a leak under the deck in the shallow area for $95,000.
• Reservoir Cleaning - The City will inspect and clean the water reservoir for $70,000.
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy - The City has seen an uptick in freedom of information requests. The City will allocate $50,000 to retain a firm to help the City process these requests.
• Safety Enhancements Projects - The City received a $31,283 grant from the Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia to reduce risks.
• Cross Connection Control Gap Analysis and Feasibility Study - This $50,000 project is part of the City's due diligence to maintain a safe and efficient water distribution system.
• City Hall Electrical Box Repair - To repair an electrical box outside City Hall for $6,000.

Have Your Say on On-Street Parking in Apartment and Townhouse Areas. City Exploring Resident Only and Permit Parking.

As I’ve been posting about over the last year, Langley City staff are working on an updated public parking strategy. This strategy focuses on public parking lots and on-street parking within Downtown Langley and residential parking north of the Nicomekl River in apartment and townhouse areas.

Earlier this year, the City sought feedback from residents about parking in Downtown Langley City when accessing shops and services. In the summer, the City presented its findings from that survey and parking utilization rates, including for on-street parking in apartment and townhouse areas. One of the next steps identified was to ask the community how they would like to manage on-street parking in these areas.

Options include:

• Maintaining the status quo
• Introducing resident-only parking, where vehicles must be registered to an address within the block based on their ICBC insurance
• Permit parking for residents, where permit holders can park their vehicle in their permit area at all times. In permit areas where there may be high demand for non-residents, time-limited parking for anyone could also be provided

The City would like your feedback. Please visit Let’s Chat, Langley City, and complete the Residential Parking Survey. The survey runs until October 31st. After you complete the survey, you’ll have the option to enter into a draw to win a $50 VISA gift card.

While the survey is open to everyone, if you do live in the study area, I highly encourage you to complete the survey.

Langley City Film Festival - This Saturday

Break out the popcorn, the Langley City Film Festival is happening this Saturday. The title of this year’s festival is “The Emotion of Sound + The Natural Environment.” The festival highlights original films by BC filmmakers.

Location: Langley Community Music School - 4899 207 Street
Date: October 18th, 2025
Time: 11:00am - 3:00pm

There will be 18 short films, followed by an awards presentation and a panel discussion at the end of the screenings.

Tickets are $15 each for people over the age of 18, and $5 each for people 18 years or younger.

With rain in the forecast, this is the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

For more information on the films, please visit Langley City’s website. You can also purchase your tickets online.

Addressing Homelessness with Coordinated Access in Langley

On Tuesday afternoon, Langley City Council received a presentation from Kyle Mellish of the Lu'ma Native Housing Society and Warren Chan, who is part of the federal government’s Reaching Home homelessness strategy. They were talking about coordinated access.

It is a fair statement that decisions over the last 30-plus years, as governments and society have led to more people experiencing homelessness, mental health crises, and addiction. It will take at least a generation to resolve these multiple crises, but this does not mean we should give up. The solutions are well-known.

One of the significant barriers is that our current system is fragmented, with multiple service providers, including BC Housing, provincial ministries, federal ministries, health authorities, and non-profits, each with mandates to support people experiencing homelessness. We tend to use the term “entering the system,” but it really is a collection of services. It means that people routinely fall through the cracks, and communities don’t receive the right mix of services to help them. This is where coordinated access helps.

Mr. Mellish shared that the coordinated access really has two purposes. One is to provide data about the services required and delivered in a community at a higher level. The other is to ensure that each person in the coordinated access system has a clear path forward to accessing the actual supports they need, as governments, housing authorities, health authorities, and non-profits work together.

As you could imagine, getting all these organizations together and the data system connected is a big effort.

So, where are we at in Langley City?

Earlier this year, the coordinated access system launched in Langley with Stepping Stone, Lookout Society, Encompass Support Services, and other non-profit organizations that received funding from the federal government’s Reaching Home program. Data is starting to flow into the system, but there are gaps as more organizations need to come on board.

BC Housing will be connecting to the system shortly. At the meeting, I raised that the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope would seem to be an important organization to have connected with the coordinated access system, as they operate services for people experiencing homelessness, such as the shelter.

The next step in the coordinated access approach that I’m excited about is the actual coming together of service providers to start coordinating services with a client-first approach. This means that someone experiencing homelessness will have one case worker who will serve as their advocate, ensuring they receive the required help from multiple service providers. Mr. Mellish noted that this work is ongoing and is set to launch earlier next year in Langley.

Setting up this type of system takes a lot of work, and I’m happy to see it starting to come together in Langley. I’m looking forward to seeing how things roll out over the coming year and any impacts on helping people experiencing homelessness and the broader community.

Proposed Change to Urban Containment Boundary at Northeast Corner of 64th and 152nd in Surrey

Since I’ve been posting on the blog, I’ve highlighted changes to Metro Vancouver’s Urban Containment Boundary. In simple terms, the Urban Containment Boundary is meant to preserve rural areas. It also ensures, for the most part, that regional water and sewer services are only delivered within the Urban Containment Boundary. The Agricultural Land Reserve is meant to protect farmland, and removing land from it requires the permission of the provincial Agricultural Land Commission. Both rural and agricultural lands are outside of the Urban Containment Boundary.

Map of proposed regional land use change and expansion of Urban Growth Boundary at 6480 & 6456 152 Street

From a regional perspective, it is more cost-effective to deliver services such as water, sewer, and transit in compact urban areas.

To change the Urban Containment Boundary requires the support of the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board, of which Langley City is a member.

Recent examples of such changes to the Urban Containment Boundary are Gloucester Industrial Estates in the Township of Langley and South Campbell Heights in Surrey.

The City of Surrey submitted a request for the Regional District and its Board to start the process to have a portion (7.5 hectares) of a 10.2-hectare parcel of property at the northeast corner of 64th Avenue and 152nd Street change from the regional Agricultural land use designation to Employment land use. This allows all land uses except residential. There is a creek on the southern end of the property, which would be protected from development. To the north of the parcel are existing Employment land uses.

The Agricultural Land Commission removed this parcel of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve in 2016.

Because this is a significant change, it will require a two-thirds weighted vote (based on population) of the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board to change the land use and expand the Urban Containment Boundary.

Metro Vancouver staff are generally supportive of the change as the property is “well-serviced for goods movement, and is adjacent to arterial roads, transit service, and active transportation, supporting industrial and employment uses as well as visitor access.”

If approved, the proposal is to develop industrial buildings, commercial buildings, and a hotel and conference center on that parcel of land.

There is always extreme pressure to develop rural and agricultural lands. I personally worry about death by a 1,000 cuts with the Urban Containment Boundary because once rural lands are gone, they are gone. Are all Urban Containment Boundary expansions bad? No, but each proposal needs to be looked at carefully.

The Great BC Shake Out - October 16th, 10:16am

It’s that time of year again, the Great British Columbia ShakeOut earthquake preparedness drill is happening on Thursday, October 16th, at 10:16 a.m.

The steps are simple: at 10:16 a.m., find a place to “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” For a bit of a longer version, at 10:16 a.m., you’d:

• Find a safe place, such as under a sturdy table
• Count to 60 seconds, as this is how long an earthquake could last
• After 60 seconds, scan the area because in a real earthquake, you’d want to check for displaced objects and other dangers before standing up

For more information about this earthquake preparedness drill, please visit the ShakeOutBC website. Langley City municipal workers will be participating in this drill.

October 6 Council Notes: Grade Crescent Presentation, Cooling, Art, and Traffic Calming

On Monday, Langley City Council received a presentation from Metro Vancouver Regional District staff on what local governments can do to support cooling, especially in older apartments, given the increasingly hotter summer we are experiencing due to climate change. I posted about this earlier in the year, specifically the concept of the “right to cool.” In new buildings, the BC Building Code requires that at least one living space in a unit have a temperature that does not exceed 26°C. This does not exist for older buildings. While there is limited provincial funding to help retrofit older buildings, considerable work remains to be done. For more information, please read the report “Thermal Safety in Existing Multi-Unit Residential Buildings.”

Council also received a presentation from Grade Crescent resident Bruce Downing. He provided a list of improvements he and neighbors would like to see, including full sidewalks on both sides of Grade Crescent, bike lanes, enclosing the current drainage ditches, traffic calming from 200th to 203rd, on-street parking, upgraded bus stops, having Grade Crescent be designated a Disaster Response Route and Heritage Road, underground the hydro lines, improvement to water quality in creaks in the areas, and some general mainatiance tasks. He also asked for residents in the area to be invited to fully participate in the redesign of Grade Crescent. Council was pleased to inform Mr. Downing that an expanded multi-use path between 203rd and 205th Street is being considered as part of the 2026 capital projects budget. Council committed to sending a letter to Mr. Downing within 30 days, providing a comprehensive response to his requests and outlining potential next steps. Some of the requested items would be “Request for Service” items; others, such as traffic calming, would follow our traffic calming process; and still others would potentially be significant projects.

Council approved installing a new three-panel mosaic tile mural on the exterior southwest corner of Douglas Recreation Centre.

Langley City has a traffic calming policy that requires at least 10 people or 50% of the residents on a segment of street (whichever is lower) to sign a petition if they wish to see traffic calming measures implemented on their segment of street. This is the first step for the City to consider implementing traffic calming. As I posted back in 2020 when Council adopted this policy, this is a low barrier, but a barrier nonetheless, to ensure that there is some level of support for traffic calming on a section of street.

Council received a petition for traffic calming on 201A Street between Michaud Crescent and 53rd Avenue; however, it did not have the required 10 signatures from residents who live directly on this segment of the street, as determined by City staff. Councillors Mack and White, who submitted the traffic calming petition, submitted a motion essentially asking Council to waive this section of the policy. After discussion, the Council decided to uphold this 10-signature requirement.

First Look: Langley City’s 2026 Budget

Yesterday, Langley City Council received its first presentation on the proposed 2026 – 2030 Financial Plan and Capital Improvement Plan. The budget is divided into two major sections: ongoing operations and one-time capital projects. While a portion of the revenue the City collects is put into reserve accounts (savings accounts) for one-time capital projects, and Council can increase or decrease the amount that goes into these accounts, it is the ongoing operations that have the greatest impact on the amount of property tax people pay.

Every year, Langley City staff review the financial plan and each department’s budget line by line to ensure that each line is warranted or needs adjustments.

I would like to provide a high-level overview of the cost drivers for maintaining the current level of service.

Every year, new construction contributes to new revenue. For 2026, the estimated amount is $476,000. Because people can also appeal the value of their property, which happens annually, it reduces property taxes. The 2025 appeals are expected to result in a revenue reduction of approximately $260,050.

Interest and other revenue will contribute $705,560 in new revenue.

On the expense front, there are $2.5 million in cost increases to maintain the status quo; the largest drivers are RCMP costs and labour costs resulting from the collective agreements between the City and its workers. This total represents 80% of the increased expenses to maintain the status quo level of services.

The following table provides this high-level overview of all additional revenue and expenses for 2026.

Description	Cost
New Rate Growth	-$476,000
Prior Year Reduction	$260,050
Interest Income	-$381,250
Employee Wages and Benefit	$944,230
RCMP Contract and Detachment	$1,072,340
Fire Non-Labour Operations	$147,500
Insurance Premiums	$87,440
Mayor & Council Remuneration	$53,600
Other Revenues and Fees	-$324,310
Other Expenses	$220,740
Total	$1,604,340

The brass tax is that maintaining the current level of services in the City will require a 3.58% property tax increase, resulting in a $49 annual increase for the average strata property or $116 for the average detached home.

Council also needs to consider the water, garbage, and solid waste fees for 2026. Council has the option to increase the level of service, such as hiring more police officers or firefighters, or decrease the level of service by cutting services.

I will post more about this in the future as we go through the budget process.

If you would like to follow along, please visit the Financial Plan section of Langley City’s website.

You can also save the date for November 26th for an informal, drop-in budget information session and December 1st for a formal opportunity to provide feedback to Council on the 2026 – 2030 Financial Plan. These typically occur in the evenings.

September 29th Council Notes: Permissive Tax Exemption, Non-Profit Presentations, and Yellow Paint.

At its meeting on Monday, September 29th, Langley City Council addressed and reviewed several matters.

Every year, Langley City Council considers permissive property tax exemptions. Council can grant property tax exemptions to charitable, philanthropic, or non-profit organizations that own land in the City under the BC Community Charter. Provincial law automatically grants property tax exemptions to places of worship buildings, though municipalities can also grant permissive property tax exemptions to the land owned by faith-based organizations around places of worship.

Permissive tax exemptions aren’t a free lunch, as these exemptions mean that the property tax revenue difference must be made up by all other property owners.

Council has traditionally maintained the status quo for permissive property tax exemptions, and this year gave first, second, and third readings to the 2026 permissive tax exemption bylaw, which continues to maintain the status quo. The following table lists the properties and organizations that received an exemption.

Orgaizantion	Property Address	City Property Tax Exemption Amount
Anglican Parish of St Andrew's	20955 Old Yale Rd	$28,232
Bridge Community Church	5521 Brydon Cres	$20,126
Church of the Nazarene Canada	19991 49 Ave	$25,382
Council of the Salvation Army	5787 Langley Bypass	$3,660
Encompass Support Services Society	20616 Eastleigh Cr	$21,407
Inclusion Langley Society	20689 Fraser Hwy	$10,345
Inclusion Langley Society	208-20239 Michaud Cr	$1,327
Inclusion Langley Society	210-20239 Michaud Cr	$1,341
Inclusion Langley Society	210-5650 201A St	$929
Inclusion Langley Society	312-5650 201A St	$1,292
Inclusion Langley Society	19977 45A Ave	$2,905
Inclusion Langley Society	4570 209A S	$3,343
Inclusion Langley Society	4830 196 St	$3,290
Langley Care Society	5451 204 St	$36,794
Langley Community Music School	4899 207 St	$27,115
Langley Community Services Society	5339 207 St	$11,551
Langley Food Bank	20308 Logan Ave	$23,353
Langley Hospice Society	20660 48 Ave	$5,674
Langley Lawn Bowling	20471 54 Ave	$41,065
Langley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary	20560 Fraser Hwy	$36,151
Langley Seniors Resource Society	20605 51B Ave	$49,434
Langley Stepping Stones	20101 Michaud Cr	$10,867
New Apostolic Church Canada	19999 53 Ave	$6,864
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver	20676 Fraser Hwy	$74,943
Town & Field Church	20719 48 Ave	$32,464
Vancouver Global Mission Church	5673 200 St	$41,701
Vineyard Christian Fellowship	5708 Glover Rd	$58,473

In total, these exemptions reduce property tax revenue by $580,028 or 1.29% which is significant.

Council heard a presentation from Battered Women’s Support Services #DesignedWithSurvivors campaign around public safety. Council also received a presentation from the United Way and its 100 More Homes program in Penticton on homelessness response and coordination. Council passed a motion requesting that City staff provide more information about this program, including whether it would be beneficial for Langley City and any associated funding requirements.

Council passed a motion asking City staff to include for consideration in the 2026 budget the cost to install and maintain yellow “no parking” curbs around all fire hydrants in the city.

Council also endorsed writing a letter in support of bringing HandDart service in-house to TransLink, rather than having it contracted out. Council also asked staff to respond, if required, to a letter from the Metro Vancouver Regional District regarding its solid waste management plan update. You can learn more about this update and share your feedback on Metro Vancouver’s website.

Extra Paper Yard Waste Bag Collection - October 6th thru 31st in Langley City

A few months ago, Langley City rolled out new garbage and organics collection for detached homes and non-strata ‘plex homes. Recycle BC provides curbside recycling collections, while stratas and commercial properties are responsible for their own garbage and organic waste collection.

For properties that receive City-provided collection services, people were provided with one 240-litre garbage cart and one 240-litre organics cart by default. People can request an additional cart for garbage and organics, as well as upsize or downsize their existing carts.

To date, of the 3,300 properties that received City-provided service, approximately 50 have requested additional carts, 65 have requested smaller carts, and 165 have requested larger carts.

As we are entering our first fall season with the new program, the City will also be accepting the following in paper yard waste bags:

• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Plant trimmings
• Branches

Place your extra yard waste in paper yard waste bags next to your organics cart on your regular collection day between October 6th and October 31, 2025. No registration or stickers are needed.

Please visit Langley City’s website for more information about this pilot program and for general information about the new collection program.

Major BC Hydro Projects in Langley City

On Monday, Langley City Council received several presentations, including one from BC Hydro.

Langley City and Township are experiencing growth, and the urban areas are served by three substations located in Willoughby, Surrey (McLellan), and Brookswood. A substation converts higher-voltage electricity to a lower voltage for distribution to homes and businesses.

I recently posted about the McLellan Substation, as it is right next to Brydon Lagoon. BC Hydro is currently removing trees and vegetation in the area between the existing substation equipment and the Langley City border to prepare for an expansion that will double the substation's capacity by 2029. They will be maintaining a buffer between Brydon Lagoon and the expanded site.

This is one of many projects that are starting or are about to start in Langley City for BC Hydro. The following slide from their presentation shows these projects.

Slide showing major distribution projects for BC Hydro in the next decade within Langley City. Select the slide to enlarge.

Currently, Fraser Highway is dug up between the Surrey border and 201A Street. This is to accommodate power to service the SkyTrain line.

53rd Avenue between the Surrey border and 200th Street, and also 200th Street from 53rd Avenue to the Brookwood border, will also be dug up as part of the McLellan Substation expansion project.

I know that 200th Street in Langley City has been heavily impacted by construction in the last decade. While the City does try to coordinate work whenever possible, it can be challenging due to project timing and the presence of underground infrastructure from multiple utilities, including Metro Vancouver.

For more information on the McLellan Substation, please visit BC Hydro’s website.