December 1 Council Notes: Provincial Bill M216 Makes Community Less Safe, Gender-Based Violence, City Fees and Charges

Back in 2022, the Langley Housing & Homelessness Table created an action plan, which called, among other things, for a public awareness program to help people understand the experiences of people who are victims of gender-based violence. In September, Council also received a presentation from Battered Women’s Support Services and their #DesignedWithSurvivors campaign.

Council passed a motion to incorporate gender-based violence public awareness, prevention, and education into the upcoming National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6th. There will be an event at McBurney Plaza between 10am and 11am on Saturday, December 6th, which will include a moment of silence to honour women who have died due to gender-based violence.

Currently, a private member's bill, M216 - 2025: Professional Reliance Act, is making its way through the provincial legislature. Sometimes, local governments require a peer review of construction designs due to risk. For example, Langley City used to accept certified geotechnical designs for building parkades without double-checking them. As you may recall, we had a cave-in or partial cave-in during the construction of two parkades in December 2022 and August 2024. One almost took out an adjacent building. As a response, the City now requires a peer review of these designs to reduce real risk to public safety. Bill M216 would strip local governments of the ability to require peer review or challenge designs. This bill will make our communities less safe. As such, Council approved the City to submit input to the BC Legislature about this dangerous bill.

Council also addressed some financial matters. As part of the budget process, Council needs to set the fees for water, sewer, and solid waste collection services for 2026. Council gave first, second, and third reading to update the water fees. The water fee is increasing by $0.17 per cubic meter to $2.06 per cubic meter. The flat base fee of $75.00 remains. The average detached homeowner will see their water charges increase to $754.80 in 2026, an increase of $56.10 or 8% over 2025. The average strata homeowner will see their water charges increase to $466.40, an increase of $32.30 or 7.4% over 2025.

Council also gave first, second, and third reading of a bylaw to update various fees and charges to account for inflation. You can view these fees on the City’s website.

As I’ve been posting about, Council gave third reading to both the Official Community Plan update and the new zoning bylaw. Council also adopted our 2026 meeting schedule. You can view the schedule of meetings on the City’s website.

Langley City's Proposed New Tree Protection and Management Bylaw

As I’ve been posting about, Langley City Council is in the process of adopting a new tree protection bylaw. As part of the process, Council gave first and second reading to the new proposed bylaw at Monday’s Langley City Council meeting. The proposed bylaw focuses on the protection of trees on city-owned or managed property, trees during redevelopment, trees in environmentally sensitive areas, and significant trees on all property throughout the City. A significant tree is a tree with a trunk diameter of 75cm or more.

For any trees in the categories noted above, if someone wants to remove a tree, they will need to obtain a tree permit. A tree permit would only be issued for one of the following conditions:

• The tree is dead, or more than 50% of the crown is dead
• The tree is causing damage to a building or other damage that can only be mitigated by removal
• An arborist noted that a tree is at high or extreme risk of failure
• It must be removed to comply with another City bylaw

In BC, a tree protection bylaw cannot limit someone building to the permitted density on a property, so the tree protection bylaw would not apply to trees in the footprint of a proposed building. The proposed bylaw also specifies how to protect trees during redevelopment.

The bylaw allows the removal of a tree that is in imminent danger of falling and injuring persons or property without a permit, though evidence of an emergency must be submitted to the City after the fact.

If a protected tree is removed, the proposed new bylaw requires it to be replaced with 2 to 6 new trees, depending on the context.

If someone removes a protected tree without a permit or in violation of the bylaw, they can be fined $3,000 per tree.

As I’ve noted previously, the City is hosting an open house on the proposed tree protection bylaw tomorrow from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Formal Public Input - Medical Clinic with Pharmacy and 2025 Budget

Last night, Langley City Council held two formal public input opportunities.

The first was a public hearing to receive feedback on a proposed rezoning that would allow a medical clinic with an accessory pharmacy at 20334 56th Avenue. Langley City’s zoning bylaw prohibits new pharmacies within 400 metres of an existing pharmacy, and this proposed medical clinic with an accessory pharmacy would be located within that distance. You can read more about this in a previous post. Langley City Council received four letters from local pharmacy owners regarding this rezoning. Their primary concern was that the proposal would be a full-service, retail pharmacy. Some suggestions in the letters included restricting the pharmacy’s use to clinic-based dispensing, preventing the development of stand-alone retail operations, ensuring access to the pharmacy is available only via the medical clinic, limiting the pharmacy's footprint, and limiting signage, among other suggestions. At the public hearing, the applicant noted that they would limit the pharmacy's footprint to about 1,076 square feet and would consider additional restrictions. Of note, former City Mayor Ted Schaffer expressed his opposition to rezoning, and former City Mayor Peter Fassbender expressed his support for the rezoning at the public hearing. As this was a public hearing and per BC Law, Council is no longer able to receive any further feedback on the proposed rezoning.

Langley City Council also provided a formal opportunity to provide feedback on the 2026 - 2030 Financial Plan. Two people provided their input. The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce always provides feedback, and this year was no different. They ask that Langley City Council find further ways to reduce the budget, such as by reallocating end-of-year surplus to ongoing operating costs or eliminating unfilled staff positions. Another resident had a specific question about the proposed increase in solid waste costs for 2026 and also asked about reallocating end-of-year surplus to ongoing operating costs.

The use of surplus comes up from time to time, which is why Council adopted an “Allocation of Operating Budget Surpluses” policy last year. The short of it is that year-end surpluses are directed into our reserve account for one-time capital projects. The following excerpts are from the policy:

The City does not budget for a deficit or plan for surpluses. The City shall adopt a balanced budget whereby operating revenues are equal to operating expenditures for each year.

Operating budget surpluses represent one-time funding that, by its nature, cannot be relied on to recur on an ongoing basis.

As operating budget surpluses are non-recurring in nature, they shall not be applied to the following year’s operating budget to fund ongoing expenditures, and/or to reduce the following year’s tax rate.

Langley City’s Magic of Christmas Festival - This Saturday!

Langley City’s Magic of Christmas Festival is back this Saturday, December 6th, at Timms Community Centre in Downtown Langley City.

Find your last-minute Christmas gifts at the annual Holiday Artisan Market, which runs from 10am until 5pm inside Timms Community Centre. This market is hosted by the Langley Arts Council.

Outside, from 2pm until 6pm, there will be live music, family-friendly games and activities, an opportunity to meet Santa, and food trucks. One activity is “Ride the Holiday Pandas,” which kids will love.

One of the new food vendors this year is “Soda Rebel,” which offers dirty soda. If you’ve watched a certain reality show that takes place in Utah, you will know what this is about.

For more information about the Magic of Christmas Festival, please visit Langley City’s website. I look forward to seeing you this Saturday!

Tree Management Bylaw Open House - December 4

Last December, Council adopted a new Urban Forest Management Strategy. In short, the strategy is to protect and enhance trees, forests, and soils to ensure the long-term health and resiliency of our urban forest.

Previous mapping by the Metro Vancouver Regional District showed that Langley City was on the lower end of the urban tree coverage scale compared to other municipalities in the region. In Langley City, this lack of tree cover is most pronounced in the northern parts of our community, which have industrial and commercial lands. This leads to the urban heat island effect, where these areas are hotter, and air quality worsens, both of which are harmful to human health. Expanding the urban forest is the best way to combat this effect.

Three of the “quick wins” noted in the strategy include updating policies and regulations to increase tree protection and the growth of the urban forest, proactively managing city-owned trees to maintain their long-term health, and planting more trees. As such, the City is working on a new Tree Management Bylaw.

In the summer, the City held an open house to get feedback about what people would like to see in a Tree Management Bylaw. The City is holding another open house on:

Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025
Time: 5:30PM-7:30PM
Location: Timms Community Centre

For more information, please visit Let’s Chat, Langley City!

The Langley Christmas Wish Breakfast - Supporting the Langley Christmas Bureau

The Langley Christmas Wish Breakfast is an annual tradition hosted at Newlands Golf & Country Club. This event supports the Langley Christmas Bureau, which provides Christmas hampers to people in Langley City and Township.

Members of Langley City Council, Santa, and Mrs Claus. Select the Image to Enlarge.

The Bureau is 100% volunteer-run and relies on the generosity of individuals and businesses, with back-office support and space provided by Langley City.

With everything going on in the world these days, it is heartening to see people coming together to ensure that everyone in Langley can have a Merry Christmas!

If you’d like to support the Langley Christmas Bureau, please visit https://www.langleychristmasbureau.com

Making Métis Christmas Mittens

When Langley City Council normally gets together in the CKF Room, it is to hold a meeting, but last night we got to do something a little different. The Waceya Métis Society offered to hold a hands-on mitten-making workshop for Council. Of course, we accepted. Each member of Council sat beside a member of the Waceya Métis Society, who provided advice on how to assemble our mittens.

Members of Waceya Métis Society, Langley City Council, and some Langley City staff making mittens. Select the image to enlarge.

As you can imagine, mittens are an important article of clothing for Métis people in the winter. The mitten blends both Indigenous and European design elements. Our mittens were made out of real Hudson's Bay Company blankets and rabbit fur. Making mittens for family and friends is a Métis Christmas tradition. You can read about it in the book Métis Christmas Mittens, which is available at the library.

The mittens have a colourful floral design to help find them if they're dropped in the snow, and a red heart to show they were made with love. Often, Métis families would leave homemade mittens in a box at the door of their home for anyone who needed a pair.

A properly made mitten (not the ones I made). Select the image to enlarge.

It was a bit of learning for me as I made two left-handed mittens by mistake, but I did learn how to make a blanket stitch. It was an honour to take part in this Métis tradition and to have good conversations. Every Council member was gifted the book Métis Christmas Mittens.

Providing Feedback on Langley City’s 2026 Budget

Earlier this week, I posted about Langley City’s proposed 2026 budget and noted that there are opportunities to provide feedback.

As a first step, I invite you to learn about the budget in the following posts:

• First Look: Langley City’s 2026 Budget
• A first look at Langley City's proposed 2026 $28.8m Capital Projects Plan
• 2026 Proposed Langley City Budget Additions - Public Safety, Infrastructure, Pool

You can then head over to Let’s Chat, Langley City! You can learn more about the budget and fill out a survey about the proposed budget. The survey is open until December 2nd.

The City is also holding an in-person open house where you can talk informally with City staff about the proposed budget, share any feedback, and ask questions.

The open house will be on:
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Langley City Hall

You can also formally provide your feedback at the following Langley City Council meeting:
Monday, December 1, 2025
Starts at 7:00 PM
Council Chambers
Langley City Hall

November 17 Council Notes: Improving Outcomes for Young People, Zoning Bylaw

On Monday, Langley City Council received a presentation from Dr. Patrick Thomas from Project Black Feather. Project Black Feather is a joint program between the City, Township, and Langley School District to reduce the likelihood of young people going down a dangerous path of gang and gun violence. This program was funded by the federal government’s Building Safer Communities Fund. This program uses various clinical interventions to help improve the outcomes for young people. Now, many programs offer interventions, but this program is unique in that it tracked and quantified changes for people who were part of the program. The following slide from the presentation showed the various aspects that the program addressed.

Slide showing Project Black Feather Epigenetic Stacked Interventions. Select the slide to enlarge.

The program to date has helped over 400 young people, with over 150 experiencing positive changes, including addiction recovery and reduction in gang-affiliated behaviour. A full report on this program will be released in a month or so, with more details. Federal funding for this program is coming to an end. When some members of Langley City Council were in Ottawa this fall, we flagged this with MP Taleeb Noormohamed, who is chair of the Liberals' Pacific Caucus. We will be following up, as this is a program the federal government should continue funding.

Council also received an update from Superintendent Dosange of the Langley RCMP Detachment. We know that providing positive after-school activities for young people helps improve outcomes. He outlined some of the activities their youth section of the Detachment has hosted, including hockey programs in partnership with the Canucks, and their partnership with the Langley School District.

As I posted about earlier, Council is going through the process of adopting a new zoning bylaw with associated updates to our Official Community Plan. On Monday, people had the opportunity to provide formal feedback. We received one email from a resident expressing concern about a proposed change allowing RV parking in people's front driveways during the summer. This is already happening in our community. A couple attended the public hearing and asked a question about flexibility in siting carriage homes on people’s properties.

2026 Proposed Langley City Budget Additions - Public Safety, Infrastructure, Pool

Over the past month or so, Langley City Council has been reviewing the proposed 2026-2030 Financial Plan, which includes a base level of service, proposed enhancements to services and infrastructure investments, as well as the proposed one-time capital projects for 2026.

As I mentioned earlier, maintaining the same services as today would require a 3.57% or approximately $1.6 million property tax increase. As our population grows, we need to increase services to keep up with demand; otherwise, service actually declines.

For example, if eight people eat one piece of pie, they get a lot more than if 16 people try to eat the same pie. If we want people to have the same amount of pie, we need to bake another pie. This is why service level enhancements are important.

Every year, City senior management provides a list of potential enhancements. Rarely do all the proposed enhancements make their way into the final approved budget.

Last night, Council gave first and second reading to the 2026 - 2030 Financial plan with the following service level enhancements:

2 Additional Firefighters - $400,000
2 Additional RCMP Officers - $320,000
Extending Al Anderson Pool to Open April 13 - $68,900
Increasing the Annual Amount Contributed to Capital Projects - $224,000

These enhancements total $944,000, representing a 2.25% increase in property taxes.

In total, the proposed 2026 budget will include a $2.54 million or 5.82% property tax increase.

The 2026 budget is bare-bones with increased investment in public safety and the basics.

If you would like to provide feedback on the budget, please visit Let's Chat, Langley City! There will also be an in-person open house next week. For more information, please visit the 2026 Financial Plan webpage.

Council still needs to hold a formal public hearing on the budget, and consider third reading and final adoption of the budget over the next month.

The History of Langley City: Part 2

In the last episode, we explored how Langley Prairie was built on connection — from the portage routes of the First Peoples to railway lines and the ambitions of early settlers.

However, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for Langley Prairie property owners; they felt ignored by the Langley Council of the day, which refused to invest in basic infrastructure for their community, like sidewalks, sewer lines, and streetlights. One bold vote forever changed the map in the 1950s.

This is the story of how Langley Prairie became Langley City and its fight to have a voice.

Tips for Running an Effective Meeting (Even for Stratas and Non-Profits)

Over the past few years, Langley City’s Corporate Officer and Council have been updating our processes and procedures as part of our overall “Achieve Organizational Excellence” core focus area for the City. As you can imagine, meetings are important to local governments as this is how business gets done. How we manage these meetings and ourselves during them is important. While I normally don’t post too much detail on process improvement work at the City, I’ve attended and participated in enough government, strata, and non-profit meetings (spicy and not) over the years to know that this information may be useful for many other community members. Better-run meetings lead to better outcomes.

There are key things to consider for meetings to be successful and to protect the rights of different people or stakeholders.

Majority Viewpoints: The majority viewpoint is what moves forward.

Minority Viewpoints: People with a different viewpoint from the majority viewpoint have the right to be heard and to present their views.

People Absent from the Meeting: People must be informed of when and where a meeting will take place with adequate notice and have the right to know the outcomes of a meeting.

All Individuals Attending a Meeting: Following the correct procedure, everyone who has the right to participate in a meeting can participate, put forward recommendations, and vote.

The Organization for which the Meeting is Held: The organization has the right to good governance and well-run meetings.

Now, I know these fundamental principles seem super basic, but I’ve seen meetings go off the rails because these principles aren’t followed. I’ve attended strata meetings where people didn’t have the right to fully participate, where people didn’t accept the outcomes of a vote, and when things degraded into yelling matches.

Now diving a little deeper, there are some best practices to help ensure your meetings will run smoothly.

Order and Efficiency: Have an agenda and follow it. Add suggested timings for each topic to ensure the meeting runs on time. The meeting chair must ensure that the meeting runs on time and adheres to the fundamental principle.

Focus: Ensure that you have a focused discussion that avoids repetition or rehashing. Focus on the topic at hand.

Equality: Ensure that everyone has the opportunity to share a view, and also limit the time someone can speak on each topic. This protects both majority and minority viewpoints.

Decorum: Do not yell, use crude language, question someone's motives, or interrupt someone who is sharing a viewpoint that you don’t support. When you feel the temperature rising in a room, it is okay to ask for a quick break to help cool things down.

You may find yourself in a meeting where someone is intentionally creating chaos and disruption. I’ve seen this happen in strata meetings I’ve attended in the past. By incorporating some of the recommendations outlined in this post into your meetings, you can help ensure that they run as smoothly as possible, allowing for good discussion and informed decision-making. If you want to learn more, I suggest you read the book “101 Boardroom Problems and How to Solve Them.”

Langley City Council committed to continuing the process of improving our meetings at the October 20th meeting.

Comparison of Metro Vancouver Municipal Property Taxes and Utilities in 2025

As part of the annual budget, Langley City staff provide a breakdown of the average property taxes paid by apartment and townhouse owners, as well as by detached house owners, by municipality for the previous year. In Langley City, unlike some other municipalities, we also include property tax and utilities on the same invoice for residential properties. While Langley City has always provided a breakdown of the average city-controlled property tax paid, this year, City staff also included city-controlled utilities in the breakdown.

About 70% of residential properties in Langley City are apartments and townhouses. The following shows the average municipal-controlled property taxes and utilities paid in 2025 for apartment and townhouse property owners by municipality.

Municipality	Property Tax	Utility Fees	Total
District of North Vancouver	$1,617.62	$1,704.70	$3,322.32
Maple Ridge	$1,751.16	$1,503.16	$3,254.32
Vancouver	$1,818.55	$1,380.00	$3,198.55
New Westminster	$1,933.09	$1,131.26	$3,064.35
Port Moody	$2,237.62	$806.00	$3,043.62
Langley Township	$1,480.47	$1,549.16	$3,029.63
White Rock	$1,924.01	$994.00	$2,918.01
Coquitlam	$1,805.82	$1,055.00	$2,860.82
Surrey	$1,568.18	$1,014.76	$2,582.94
City of North Vancouver	$1,692.04	$875.00	$2,567.04
Port Coquitlam	$1,522.06	$975.00	$2,497.06
Richmond	$1,522.70	$900.00	$2,422.70
Delta	$1,857.76	$528.00	$2,385.76
Langley City	$1,353.94	$854.14	$2,208.08
Burnaby	$1,283.92	$755.77	$2,039.69

About 30% of residential properties in Langley City are detached homes. The following shows the average municipal-controlled property taxes and utilities paid in 2025 for detached property owners by municipality.

Municipality	Property Tax	Utility Fees	Total
White Rock	$4,879.21	$1,945.00	$6,824.21
New Westminster	$4,614.88	$2,071.52	$6,686.40
Port Moody	$4,792.21	$1,280.00	$6,072.21
District of North Vancouver	$3,876.34	$2,027.40	$5,903.74
Vancouver	$3,349.81	$2,040.00	$5,389.81
City of North Vancouver	$3,738.52	$1,643.44	$5,381.96
Coquitlam	$3,728.24	$1,335.00	$5,063.24
Richmond	$3,611.15	$1,332.00	$4,943.15
Maple Ridge	$3,421.45	$1,503.16	$4,924.61
Surrey	$3,172.33	$1,556.97	$4,729.30
Burnaby	$3,358.25	$1,358.71	$4,716.96
Pitt Meadows	$3,189.19	$1,397.72	$4,586.91
Langley City	$3,194.31	$1,372.98	$4,567.29
Delta	$3,341.40	$1,115.00	$4,456.40
Langley Township	$2,835.13	$1,549.16	$4,384.29
Port Coquitlam	$3,004.11	$1,160.00	$4,164.11

Some points to clarify. Average means that some people will pay more and some will pay less in property taxes and utility fees. Additionally, one of the benefits of living in Metro Vancouver is that you can live in a community that suits your needs. Each community offers different amenities, which can impact property tax rates. A municipality with a higher or lower property tax rate does not necessarily mean one is better than the other. Some municipalities do not participate in the survey, which is why they are not in the tables. Finally, the utility rates do not include solid waste because there is a wide variance in the service provided in the region. For example, Maple Ridge does not provide solid waste services; you must contract for them yourself. In Langley City, we only provide the services to detached houses and non-strata townhouses. For all-in data, please check out a previous blog post.

Council-Initiated Motions at October 20th and November 3rd Meetings

Langley City Council addressed a series of council-initiated motions at its regular meetings on October 20th and November 3rd.

Council voted unanimously to have staff do no work or action on the topic of amalgamation, but to pursue opportunities to share services with neighboring municipalities where it makes sense. Council also voted unanimously to send a letter to the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs to inquire about the next steps to designate Langley City as a HEART & HEARTH community, which would enable additional provincial resources to house people with support services, as Langley has the third-highest unhoused population in Metro Vancouver.

Council voted to refer a motion on the European Chafer Beetle, an invasive species that is killing grass in our region, and associated repair of boulevard grass to the Environmental Sustainability Committee. Council also voted to refer a motion about litter management to various committees that are already working on litter management. As a reminder, if you do see a mess resulting from European Chafer Beetle or litter, please use the City’s Request for Service tool.

Council voted to defer deciding on a motion to study reducing speed limits on local streets until after Council adopts a new Transportation Plan, which is scheduled for consideration this year. This new plan will also speak to reducing speeds on local streets. Council wanted to ensure we weren’t duplicating staff efforts. Similarly, Council voted to defer deciding on a motion to request that City staff develop a framework to establish a Community Safety Officer department until after Council hears back from our Citizens' Assembly, which will make recommendations on how to enhance community safety in a month's time.

Langley City currently has a simple traffic calming policy where a resident needs to gather signatures from 10 or 50% of residents (whichever is less) in an area that would benefit directly from traffic calming, which is at a minimum the block on which traffic calming is being requested. This is a low barrier, but a barrier nonetheless, to ensure that there is some level of support for traffic calming before City staff will take further action. When I was on Council back in 2020, we implemented the current process, as the City was handling traffic calming requests in an ad hoc manner, which was putting a strain on staff time and frustrating residents. Some Councillors wanted to change the policy, including by removing the need to gather signatures. After a robust discussion, Council voted to maintain the current policy.

Two other motions were not seconded (on council meeting seating arrangements and consulting contracts), which means they weren’t debated, and another was withdrawn (on yard waste collection).

November 3 Council Notes: Langley City’s New Zoning Bylaw Gets First and Second Reading

Langley City Council adopted our current Official Community Plan back in November of 2021; the previous Official Community Plan dated back to the 1990s. Our current zoning bylaw dates back to 1995, when I was in Grade 6, and is outdated. Following the adoption of our current Official Community Plan, Langley City staff began work on creating a new zoning bylaw. The Official Community Plan articulates what we want our City to be, while the zoning bylaw defines what is allowed today. The City has held several open houses and provided in-person and online feedback opportunities regarding the zoning bylaw over the past few years. I’ve posted about these open houses and the feedback received.

On Monday, Langley City Council gave first and second reading to our new proposed zoning bylaw. There will now be an opportunity for people to provide formal written and in-person feedback at an upcoming council meeting. After, Council will consider third reading of the bylaw and then, at a subsequent meeting, final reading to adopt it.

At a high level, the new zoning bylaw aligns with our Official Community Plan and provincially mandated height, density, and parking requirements.

For our lowest-density residential zone, which permits detached homes, ‘plexes, and two-storey carriage homes (accessory dwelling units), it now encourages sloped roofs and a third-floor setback to reduce the boxiness of newer homes in this zone. These changes are compliant with provincial law and will still comfortably allow up to four to six units per lot as the new zoning bylaw increases the allowed lot coverage from 33% to 36% in this zone.

Childcare centres will now be permitted in all townhouse, apartment, commercial, and industrial zones within our community, with separation distances in our Historic Downtown and in industrial areas.

The new zoning bylaw codifies our Townhome and Plexhomes Best Practices Guide, which Council approved in 2023, including provisions for enhanced outdoor amenity spaces or local park improvements around new townhouse complexes.

As you may know, due to provincial law, Langley City cannot set minimum residential parking requirements in most areas north of the Nickomekl River, as they are within provincial Transit-Oriented Development Areas. The City is allowed to set minimum EV requirements. As such, the new zoning bylaw will require that all residential parking spaces be wired up for chargers, and 10% of residential parking spaces in buildings have EV chargers. Bike parking requirements have been increased within Transit-Oriented Development Areas. The new zoning bylaw will also allow people to park their RVs in their front driveways between May 1 and September 30 (this is currently not allowed).

To support below-market and non-market rental units, the minimum parking rates for these units outside of Transit-Oriented Development Areas are reduced to 0.7 and 0.5 spaces per unit. These parking reductions, combined with new density bonus provisions in the new zoning bylaw (which allow for slightly higher apartment densities in exchange for below-market rental units), will enable the private sector to construct these units.

Within Transit-Oriented Development Areas, the new zoning bylaw will require 2.5% of units in townhouses and apartments to be rental units priced 20% below local market rental rates, with the option to provide a cash equivalent that the City would put into an affordable housing fund.

The new zoning bylaw will also require that 5% of units in new apartment buildings must include 3 or more bedrooms.

The new zoning bylaw will also enable new uses in commercial uses, such as storefront-based vehicle rental, small-scale recycling, arcades, billiard halls, and containers modified for commercial or recreational use, such as pop-up coffee shops. The new zoning bylaw will not permit “spas” in our community, although current “spas” will still be allowed to operate in accordance with provincial law as non-comforming uses. If a “spa” closes, a new one wouldn’t be allowed to open.

Proposed land-use changes to the Official Community Plan to align with the provincial government's Transit-Oriented Development Area. Select the map to enlarge.

Running alongside the new zoning bylaw approval process is an update to the Official Community Plan. The proposed update aligns the zoning bylaw zones with the Official Community Plan’s land-use designations, codifies the Townhome and Plexhomes Best Practices Guide into the Official Community Plan, and resolves inconsistencies between the Official Community Plan and the provincial government’s Transit-Oriented Development Areas. Council gave first and second reading to update our Official Community Plan.

There has been a significant amount of public input, council input, and staff work over the last four years to develop this new zoning bylaw. I look forward to hearing and reading formal feedback from the community as we continue along this journey.

November 3 Council Notes: Pharmacy Distancing Exemption, 2025 Budget Amendment, Metro Vancouver and Library Board Appointments

There is a saying that there can be too much of a good thing, and that was the case in Langley City when it came to retail pharmacies. For retail commercial areas to thrive, they need a mix of shops and services. While pharmacies are an important part of our community, about a decade ago, you could close your eyes and walk in any direction and likely find yourself in one in Downtown Langley (I am slightly exaggerating). As a result, Council updated our zoning bylaw to require that any new pharmacy must be at least 400 metres away from an existing pharmacy.

Langley City Council received a rezoning application to allow an exemption to the separation requirement for a new medical clinic proposed at 20334 56 Avenue, which is an office building. The medical clinic applicant wants to provide an in-house pharmacy to service their clients. It would not be a standalone pharmacy; it would support their comprehensive medical care services model. The pharmacy itself would be about 900 square feet. After some questions from Council, Council gave first and second reading to a zoning bylaw update to allow this exception. There will be an opportunity for public input at the next regular Council meeting, prior to Council's consideration of third and final readings for approval.

Council also provided an opportunity for people to provide input on some proposed changes to the 2025 budget. No one provided written or verbal input. Council gave final reading to the amended 2025 financial plan. You can read more about this in a previous post.

Every year, Council must appoint our representatives for the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board and the Fraser Valley Regional Library Board. Council approved the same representatives as last year. Councillor Albrecht will be Langley City’s representative on the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board with Councillor Wallace as the alternative. For the Library Board, Langley City’s representative will be Councillor Wallace, with Councillor Mack as the alternate.

Extra Yard Waste Collection in Langley City Extended Until November 30th

With the new cart system for garbage and organics collections in Langley City, each address that receives City collection services gets one 240L garbage cart and one 240L organics cart. Only detached homes and non-strata townhouses receive this service. Most people in Langley City have private collection services as they live in apartments and strata townhouses. People can upsize or downsize their carts or purchase additional carts from the City. Generally, yard waste is placed in the organic cart; however, at certain times of the year, such as fall, more yard waste is generated. As a pilot this fall, from October 6 to October 31, the City allowed people to put out extra yard waste next to their organics bin in paper yard waste bags. Last night, Langley City Council approved a staff recommendation to extend this extra yard waste pickup pilot until November 30, 2025.

Langley City staff will gather the data from this pilot to determine if it should be made permanent going forward. The neighborhoods with the highest utilization of the extra yard waste pickup are Uplands/Mossey Estates and the Simonds neighborhood west of 200th Street. This makes sense, as these are the areas with the largest lots in our community. If the program becomes permanent, Council would need to consider whether it is a fall-only or a fall and spring program, the duration of the program per season, and how people will pay for the additional collection. Do all people who receive City collection services pay for it, or only those who put out our extra paper yard waste bags? This year, the cost of the pilot is being absorbed into the current City budget.

Of the approximately 3,600 addresses that received City collection service, 112 addresses are waiting for a larger 360-litre organics cart, and 83 are waiting for a larger 360-litre garbage cart. City staff expect these carts to be delivered sometime in December.

October 20 Council Notes: PECS in Parks, Zero Waste Strategy, Zoning Bylaw Feedback

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a method that enables people with limited or no ability to communicate to use pictures to express their thoughts and feelings. This system was originally developed to assist individuals with autism, although it can be used by anyone. One of the members of Langley City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Andrea Castro, has developed a PECS board that can be installed at playgrounds and other public spaces. The Accessibility Advisory Committee asked Council to approve the City to apply for a grant to install one of these PECS boards at Douglas Park or City Park. Council approved this request.

An example of a Picture Exchange Communication System board. Select the image to enlarge.

There are many community events in Langley City, and some do a better job than others of managing waste, including reducing waste, composting, and recycling. Zero Waste Strategies look at a hierarchy to eliminate waste and prevent it from ending up in landfills. The top of the hierarchy aims to prevent waste generation in the first place, followed by reducing waste, reusing, and then recycling or recovering energy from waste. The bottom of the hierarchy is sending waste to a landfill. Langley City’s Environmental Sustainability Committee asked Council to direct staff to develop a phased Zero Waste Strategy for all events held in the City, with the first phase focusing on large City-run events, such as Community Day. Expansion to other events could be considered in future years. As a note, Langley City had waste sorting stations at Community Day. Council approved this request.

At the same meeting where Council approved these two committee recommendations, Council also gave final reading to implement the 2026 permissive tax exemptions. You can read about these exemptions in a previous post.

On September 29th, Council received a presentation from United Way about 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. Staff provided a report back to Council recommending that Langley City continue its leadership role with the new coordinated access system for people experiencing homelessness, and to invite United Way to collaborate through funding and research contributions to this system.

Finally, Council released the phase two engagement summary for the upcoming zoning bylaw update. Some of the key takeaways from the engagement are:

• Support for sloped roofs in the detached/’plex zone
• Concern about vehicle parking
• Support enhancing public amenities such as green spaces and increasing below-market rental housing, as long as it doesn’t impact the affordability of market units
• Concern about crime, traffic safety, and flood risk as population density increases

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.