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.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Langley

Tomorrow is Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The federal and provincial governments established this statutory holiday in response to one of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

This day is “to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

Reconciliation Langley is hosting what is now an annual event in our broader community at Derek Doubleday Arboretum from 5 pm until 8 pm on Tuesday, September 30th. The event includes an educational story walk, which you can go at your own pace, drummers, speakers, and a candlelight vigil. For more information, you can visit the Reconciliation Langley Facebook page or email reconciliationlangley21@gmail.com

If you are unable to attend an event in person, I encourage you to learn the history of residential schools. A very good virtual resource is the Witness Blanket by artist Carey Newman and hosted by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Have You Say: Langley City Aquatic Centre Study

Our community has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, and with the impending arrival of the SkyTrain, the number of folks moving to Langley City is expected to continue as a long-term trend. While the Al Anderson Memorial Pool is a first-rate facility, we recognize that we will need to expand or build a new facility.

Since I’ve been on Council, we've heard from the community a desire for an indoor facility.

As part of the broader Invest Langley City vision, the City is launching an Aquatic Centre Feasibility Study.

What would you like to see in a potential future facility? A cold plunge pool, sauna, steam room, or leisure pool? Have your say.

On “Let’s Chat, Langley City!”, you can learn more and take part in a survey.

The City is also hosting pop-up info booths as follows:

• September 27 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM at Al Anderson Memorial Pool
• October 6 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM at No Frills (5501 204 Street)
• October 6 from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at Timms Community Centre

The City expects to complete the feasibility study by the end of December.

Take the survey

Langley City at the Annual Union of BC Municipalities Convention: Advocacy and Awareness

Around this time every year, local elected folks from around BC gather for the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention. The convention either takes place in Vancouver or Victoria. This year, it is in Victoria. There are several key components of the convention.

The first is that the UBCM membership, including myself and other elected folks, debates resolutions, and if these resolutions are approved, they are forwarded to the province to represent the views of all municipalities in BC. These resolutions also help inform the advocacy efforts of the UBCM to the provincial government. The resolution usually calls on the UBCM or the provincial government to take a specific action. Langley City has four resolutions for debate, which were previously endorsed by other elected folks from the Lower Mainland earlier this year.

Waiting for an appointment with a provincial minister.

Councillor Albrecht, Councillor Wallace, Myself, MLA Amna Shah, Councillor Mack, and Fraser Health CEO Dermot Kelly.

The second is that the provincial government provides 15-minute mini meetings for local governments to meet with provincial ministers and staff. These are good advocacy opportunities. Langley City Council met or is meeting with:

• MLA Christine Boyle, who is the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs to ask to continue to support the redevelopment of the Langley Lions Housing project to support more housing options for lower-income seniors, expand the Heart and Hearth program to Langley to support people who are living rough, and provide more long-term housing option in Langley with support to help give people a way out of homelessness.
• MLA Josie Osborne, who is the Minister of Health to ask for complex-care mental healthcare beds for people in Langley, including for those who are living rough.
• MLA Amna Shah, who is the Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Addiction to ask for the “Car” program or Mobile Integrated Crisis Response to launch in Langley. This program pairs a police officer with a nurse to provide on-site emotional and mental health assessments and crisis intervention when someone calls 911.
• Bobbi Plecas, who is the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure to ask for continued investment into health care infrastructure and schools in Langley to prepare for the arrival of the SkyTrain.

The third reason is to learn from others about what is happening in their community, including issues and possible solutions, either by attending panels and presentations or informally over lunch or dinner.

The conference runs all week. I’m attending Tuesday through Thursday, though we have representation from Langley City Council all week.

Latest Point-in-Time Homelessness Count Report Insights. Next Steps.

The Homelessness Services Association of B.C. released preliminary data for the 2025 Metro Vancouver point-in-time homeless count in July and recently released its finalized report.

One key note about the study is that it does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness. The data represents the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness. That being said, it is extremely valuable to show the trend in the number of people who are experiencing homelessness.

Unsurprisingly, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow in Metro Vancouver. About 70% of people experiencing homelessness are in Vancouver and Surrey. Places that traditionally have had a limited number of people experiencing homelessness, such as Delta and White Rock, are also seeing increases, though at a much lower rate. In total, 5,232 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the 2025 point-in-time count.

The following chart shows the number of people experiencing homelessness in Langley City and Township over the years. Data split by municipality is not available in the report.

In total, 243 people, 5% of the total count in Metro Vancouver, were experiencing homelessness at the time of the count in Langley City and Township. 138 people were unsheltered, meaning they weren’t temporarily sheltered in places like the Gateway of Hope.

Some other notes are that Indigenous people are overrepresented in the population of people experiencing homelessness as a result of intergenerational trauma, residential schools, and colonial practices.

Another alarming trend is that the length of time people are experiencing homelessness is increasing. Up until 2020, about half of the people were experiencing homelessness for more than a year. In 2023, this increased to 69%; by this year, it was 75%. This trend means that people who are experiencing homelessness do not have pathways out of homelessness.

About 2/3rds of people experiencing homelessness have mental health and substance challenges from the point-in-time data.

So, what does this mean, and where do we need to go?

The provincial government must continue to invest in long-term mental health care with housing. This is essential. They must also increase treatment options for people with substance use issues. With these options in place, people will have a path off the streets or emergency shelter services. Expanding and investing in these areas will help a large number of people who are currently experiencing homelessness.

New Report: Langley City and White Rock Most Affordable Places to Live in South of the Fraser

There is an old saying, “drive until you qualify,” when it comes to housing in urban regions. The thought being that the cost of living is lower the further you get from core urban areas.

Back in 2015, Metro Vancouver Regional District staff challenged the assumption in their report, “The Metro Vancouver Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study – A New Way of Looking at Affordability.” I posted about it over 10 years ago, and you can read more about that first report. It challenges the assumption that it is cheaper to live further out.

The cost of transportation is similar to the cost of housing for many people, which is why, when evaluating affordability, you need to consider both housing and transportation costs.

The short of it is that it found that when considering housing and transportation costs, it was actually most cost-effective to live in places like New Westminster than in Delta.

A lot has changed in the last decade, and Regional District staff have updated this report for 2025. One of the significant differences in the report is that it provides a more fine-grained mapping of affordability. So instead of “the Langleys” or the North Shore, you can go down to the neighborhood level in this 2025 update.

Combined housing and transportation costs by neighborhood in Metro Vancouver. Select the map to enlarge.

What becomes apparent is that the total cost of housing and transportation is lower in areas with higher densities and good transit access, no matter where you are in the region.

Map of Urban Centres and Frequent Transit Development Areas. Select the map to enlarge.

To drive the point home, the following table from the report shows this. The northern part of Langley City is an urban centre.

Combined housing and transportation costs by area type, UCB = Urban Containment Boundary ($ thousands)

At a municipal scale in the South of Fraser, the most affordable communities to live in for housing and transportation costs, from most to least, are:

• Langley City and White Rock: $38,000/year
• Surrey: $43,000/year
• Delta and Township of Langley: $47,000/year

For more information, please read the full report, “Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study - 2025 Update.”

Taking Actions for Secure and Clean Redevelopment Sites

In Langley City, all new housing and commercial property projects are redevelopment projects, which typically involve the demolition of older buildings. While there have always been a small number of projects that stall, the number of stalled projects has increased markedly over the last year, as the cost of construction and financing has risen, and the selling price of housing and commercial properties has declined.

As a result, we’ve seen an increase in buildings slated for demolition that are empty, properties that are poorly maintained (such as by not controlling weeds or mowing lawns), and some that are improperly secured. The results are an increase in unsightly properties, people breaking in and camping inside these properties, and fires. All of this is completely unacceptable as it creates safety risks for the whole community.

In the past, it was typically weeks between when a building was vacated and demolition occurred; now it is months or even longer.

The City has always had a team that includes development services, police, fire, and bylaws to address these types of properties, but we need to augment this approach.

The City is actively working on updating the requirements for maintaining clean and secure properties and buildings slated for demolition. For example, this will include prescriptive requirements around securing windows and doorways, site fencing, property maintenance, and monitoring. These requirements will be communicated to existing site owners who have projects going through the redevelopment process, and they will be a requirement for all new redevelopment projects. Council may also need to update policies. These changes are happening ASAP.

As I noted, the best action is to have a very small window between when a building is vacated and when it is demolished. Even so, enhancing requirements for maintaining secure and clean properties will benefit the entire community now and into the future.

Transit Advocacy in Ottawa for TransLink Mayors’ Council: Day 2

Transit is a key to making life affordable, reducing congestion, and growing the economy, allowing people more access to jobs and opportunity.

Mayor Linda Buchanan (from the City of North Vancouver) and I are in Ottawa for two days, advocating for increased transit funding for Metro Vancouver on behalf of the TransLink Mayors’ Council. This advocacy includes funding for enhanced bus service, bus rapid transit, and rapid transit.

Mayor Buchanan delivered the keynote address and call to action around transit funding at the Canadian Urban Transit Association Policy Forum, noting that you cannot build housing without building transit, and that we need the federal government to come to the table, as transit is key to meeting their housing objectives and strengthening the Canadian economy.

Later in the day, on a panel, I spoke about the importance of building grassroots support for improving transit, as that is the only way to attract local, provincial, and federal dollars to expand our systems to meet our growing needs.

We then met with MP Taleeb Noormohamed, MP Wade Grant, and MP Jake Sawatzky to discuss a “Team BC” approach to ensuring the federal government invests in transit for our province and Metro Vancouver.

Transit Advocacy in Ottawa for TransLink Mayors’ Council: Day 1

Transit is a key to making life affordable, reducing congestion, and growing the economy, allowing people more access to jobs and opportunity.

Yesturday and today, Mayor Linda Buchanan and I are in Ottawa on behalf of the TransLink Mayors' Council advocating for increased transit funding for Metro Vancouver. This advocacy includes funding for enhanced bus service, BRT, and rapid transit.

Today, Mayor Buchanan will also deliver the keynote address at the Canadian Urban Transit Association Policy Forum, and I will be on the panel “Funding the Future of Canadian Transit.” Then more advocacy to MPs!

Federal Policies Mean 2026 Population Decline in Metro Vancouver

Over the past few years, population growth has been significantly higher than typical in Metro Vancouver. While the typical growth rate has been between 1% and 2%, starting around 2021, population growth increased to approximately 4.5%. This higher growth rate put strain on local government services, among other things.

Metro Vancouver Regional District growth rate. LG = Low Growth, MG = Medium Growth, and HG = High Growth. Select the chat to enlarge.

With the recent change in federal immigration policies, the Metro Vancouver Regional District projects that the region’s population will decline by approximately 0.1% in 2026 before stabilizing at around 1% annually, which has been the typical growth rate in the region. The Regional District’s staff report does note that “until federal policies stabilize, projections will remain more volatile and subject to change.”

From a local government services delivery standpoint, it should allow us to catch up a bit. I’m hopeful other orders of government will do the same.

The following map highlights that, over the long term, immigration is expected to drive population growth in Metro Vancouver.

Projected annual average medium growth migrations for Metro Vancouver between 2028 and 2054. Select the map to enlarge.

Metro Vancouver’s population is expected to reach 4 million by 2047. Langley City’s population in 2024 was estimated to be 35,316, and is projected to be around 45,000 by 2047, according to the region's updated medium growth modelling.

Representing, Governing, and Advocating Is a Three-Legged Stool. Langley City’s Upcoming Ottawa Mission.

Being an effective local government politician has three broad requirements.

One requirement is to represent your community at City Hall and around town. It means bringing policies, plans, and ideas that you believe will cause the most good for your community to City Hall. It also means helping people find the right person to talk to or process to follow when engaging with their municipal government.

Another requirement is to know how to govern effectively. This means working with others at City Hall and the region to turn policies, plans, and ideas into actions that provide the most good for your community. It also means working to ensure the municipality remains focused on delivering the most value for the community.

The third requirement is to advocate for your community, especially to the provincial and federal government, as many of the most significant challenges communities face require the support of those orders of government.

This blog began 17 years ago, when I was part of VALTAC, which advocated for the restoration of the Interurban train. I learned that the most effective way to advocate is to build genuine relationships with people, including those who have the ability to further what you’d like to see accomplished. You don’t build relationships with emails, letters, or Zoom calls. Relationships are built face-to-face and in person.

Langley City Council has done a pretty good job of building relationships with folks in the provincial government. Individually and as a group, we’ve met and chatted with many people, including by sending envoys to the Vancouver Provincial Cabinet office. Building these relationships has helped secure provincial funding and services for our community.

One area where we need to improve our advocacy efforts is at the federal level. Quite frankly, the lack of advocacy is likely why our community was passed up many times for federal funding programs. To establish relationships with federal government officials, we conducted our first mission to Ottawa in April 2024. You can read more about this on Langley City’s website. What really stood out to me is that many in Ottawa had no idea that Langley even existed (City or Township), so we had our work cut out for us.

Lunch Meeting with MPs during 2024 Ottawa Mission. Select image to enlarge.

Meeting with MPs during 2024 Ottawa Mission. Select image to enlarge.

Building on our last mission, we are planning another trip to Ottawa this fall. Councillor Albrecht, Wallace, Leith, White, and our CAO, Francis Cheung, and I will be building relationships and advocating for our community. Some specific advocacy topics include:

• Increasing immigration and settlement support for Langley
• Renewing the Building Safer Communities Fund
• Funding Langley City’s infrastructure needs
• Updating the building height restrictions within the Langley air zone

As I did last time, I will keep you updated on the progress of the mission

Like a three-legged stool, if one of the legs is missing, it's just not going to work. I believe that Langley City Council is representing, governing, and advocating for our community to the best of our ability.

September 8 Council Notes: Black Business EXPO, ReStore Property-Tax Exemption Request, and Housekeeping

Langley City Council received two delegations at its Monday night meeting. The first delegation was from Adebola Ige, who is part of the Yoruba Social & Cultural Association of BC. The organization is hosting a Metro Vancouver Black Business EXPO at Surrey City Hall on October 18th. The expo helps promote Black and other minority-owned businesses. They were looking for Langley City to get involved, and the possibility of holding an event in our community. They asked what support the City could provide to help minority-owned businesses. We invited them to apply for a Langley City Community Grant and also promised to connect them with our Socio-Cultural and Economic Development Advisory Committee.

The next delegation was from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Vancouver, which operates ReStore. ReStore sells newly donated and used quality home goods, furniture, and building materials. They explained the good work they do in our community and requested a property tax exemption to help support their efforts. Council members expressed their gratitude for the work they do in our community, and directed them to our finance team to ensure they have all the required information to submit a property tax exemption request, which Council would consider along with other such requests at an upcoming meeting. If Council granted them a permissive property tax exemption in the 2025 tax year, the amount of the city-controlled property tax would be around $71,400, which would have required the City to raise property taxes for other property owners by about 0.15%.

Later in the meeting Council approved an update to our CO-74 minute-taking policy. This was a housekeeping change to ensure minute-taking follows best practices and to reduce ambiguity about what should and should not be included in meeting minutes. Council also updated our deputy mayor rotation. The deputy mayor acts as the mayor in the mayor's absence.

Investing in the Basics: Repaving 55A Avenue in Brydon and Other Areas

Some of the roads in the Brydon neighbourhood are in rough shape, especially 55A Avenue and the north section of 198 Street. Earlier this year, Council approved a $2.3 million storm sewer renewal project on 198 St between 55A Ave and 54 Ave. This section of road will be repaved once the storm sewer project is completed.

Last night, Council approved a $508,533 tender to GB Paving Ltd. to repave several sections of road in our community, including 55A Avenue between 200th Street and the Surrey border.

As part of the same tender, they will repave a section of Fraser Highway, near 203rd Street, and a section of Douglas Crescent near 208th Street.

Sections of Douglas Crescent and Fraser Highway are being repaved (as shown in red). Select the map to enlarge.

Section of 55A Avenue being repaved (as shown in red). Select the map to enlarge.

The repaving of sections of 55A Avenue, Douglas Crescent, and Fraser Highway is scheduled to start this month and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Tracking Langley City’s One-Year Provincial Housing Order Target and Guidance

Like most urban municipalities in BC, Langley City has a provincial housing order from the Minister of Housing, which sets out the minimum number of housing units the provincial government wants to see built in each municipality over the five-year period from 2024 to 2029.

Langley City’s housing order cumulative targets are:
251 units in 2024-25
541 units in 2025-26
890 units in 2026-27
1,318 units in 2027-28
1,844 units in 2028-29

By July 31, 2029, the provincial government expects at least 1,844 units of net new housing to be built in Langley City. The type of units does not matter for this target number. The goal of the housing order is to ensure that municipalities have plans, policies, and approval processes that support the construction of these new units. If a municipality fails to meet its target, the provincial government may intervene.

Of course, there are other forces at play that impact housing construction, such as financing costs, material costs, and labour, which municipalities have no control over. For example, I’ve noticed a slowdown in new housing applications in Langley City this year, which is due to financing and construction costs outside of the City’s control.

Langley City must report annually to the provincial government on the target housing order. For the reporting period from August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025, 533 net new units of housing were completed and ready for occupancy. This number exceeds our year-one provincial order.

The provincial government also set up what they estimate the bedroom count, tenure, and affordability type should be between 2024 and 2029. The following table shows how the net-new housing in the City is tracking to the 5-year guidance.

	Year One Completions	Five Year Guidance	Percentage Achieved
Studio	56	598	9%
One Bedroom	320	389	82%
Two Bedroom	146	348	42%
Three or More Bedroom	11	508	2%
Total Rental	333	810	41%
Total Owned	200	1034	19%
Total Below Market Rental	0	420	0%
Total Supportive Housing	0	23	0%

While the number of three- or more-bedroom units was low during this reporting period, I expect it to increase as more townhouses and ‘plexes complete construction. Additionally, the upcoming BC Builds project and expansion of the Langley Lions Housing facility will deliver meaningful units at below-market rent (both of which are provincially funded.)

While Langley City is working on minimum below market rental and 3-bedroom unit requirements, which would apply to new housing construction projects, it won’t deliver the number of affordable units the province would like to see. Building a significant number of affordable units will require targeted funding from the provincial and federal governments.

As a note, supportive housing is for people who are experiencing homelessness as a way to transition from living rough to living independently. Also, the studio units guidance of 598 can be either studio or one-bedroom units.

Many Opportunities to Help Shape Langley City’s Future This Fall

For many folks, school is back in session, and summer holidays are becoming memories. Langley City Council is back into full gear with our first Council meeting after the August break on Monday.

There are many exciting initiatives in the City that you can participate in this fall, which will help shape the direction of our community for years to come.

Langley City’s Citizens’ Assembly on Community Safety has been meeting since March. Our Citizens’ Assembly is a form of direct democracy where community members were selected via a lottery system and to reflect the demographic makeup of our community. They will be making recommendations to Council this fall on actions we should take to continue improving safety in our community. Their recommendations are created by the Citizens’ Assembly members, not City staff or Council, although they are supported by data, experts, and facilitators. They will be hosting a Community Dialogue shortly, open to anyone.

Langley City is making needed investments in our community as part of the Invest Langley City vision. Some key aspects of the vision that require input from our community include a new performing arts centre, an expanded Timms Community Centre, and an indoor aquatic facility. Your feedback on these facilities will be crucial in informing how these projects can move forward.

Langley City is developing a new transportation plan and an on-street parking management plan. Further community feedback will be required for these two plans.

I know that the City will be working on other plans and strategies that are equally important, but have a more narrow focus, such as the Glover Road/KPU Innovation District plan. I wanted to highlight the plans that will have a community-wide impact.

There is a whole lot happening, but there is one easy way to ensure that you don’t miss an opportunity to contribute, and that is by heading over to Let’s Chat, Langley City! Your feedback is taken seriously and helps shape the City’s plans and strategies. If you always want to stay up to date, you can join the Let’s Chat, Langley City mailing list.