Have Your Say on the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board Structure

I’ve been posting about proposed changes to governance at the Metro Vancouver Regional District. About a year ago, Deloitte Canada made 47 recommendations to improve governance at the Regional District, which provides services to over half of BC's population. The Regional District has a Board Governance Review Tracker where you can learn more about the implementation of these recommendations.

One of the larger recommendations is to review the size and structure of the Regional District Board to improve decision-making. The Regional District is actually four separate legal entities: the Metro Vancouver Regional District, the Greater Vancouver Water District, the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District, and the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation. Today, these entities operate effectively under a single board.

Today, there are 41 directors appointed by their respective municipalities, treaty First Nation, or directly elected in the case of Electoral Area A. There is a formula that determines how many directors each member jurisdiction has and how much weight each director carries based on population. This system is meant to balance having a voice at the table for each jurisdiction, no matter the population, while also ensuring population-based representation.

The Regional District is reviewing potential changes through the lens of governance effectiveness, size/scalability, member jurisdiction representation, public accountability, and ease of implementation.

Proposals include keeping the status quo, reducing the size, or including appointed non-political members on one or more of the four legal entities' boards.

One of the more interesting proposals for me is the inclusion of a smaller Major Projects Committee, which could have delegated authority on the most complex projects, such as wastewater treatment plants, and could comprise a blend of elected and externally appointed directors with technical expertise. The main board would still have ultimate control over the budget, but a committee such as this would be best practice.

Over the next month, the Regional District is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the governance structure. You can learn more, including how you can participate, by visiting the Metro Vancouver Regional District's Governance Review webpage.

Langley City Council received a presentation by Heather McNell, the Deputy CAO of the Regional District, on Monday about these proposed changes.

Langley City 2025 Year-End Financial Housekeeping

As part of the year-end financial reporting process, some of which I posted about yesterday, Langley City must update the 2025-29 Financial Plan to reflect the actual revenue and expenditures for the year.

The following table shows the differences between the Council-approved 2025 budget and the final results at year-end.

Table from Financial Plan 2025 – 2029 Amendment Number 2. Select the table to enable.

Council also had to update the capital budget to reflect additional grants the City received to offset the cost of some projects, as shown:

56 Ave (200 St to 203 St) Repaving - $48,362.89 TransLink Grant
Emergency Operations Centres Equipment and Training - $39,870.25 Union of BC Municipalities Grant
Bicycle Infrastrucutre - $16,258.00 TransLink Grant
Community Emergency Preparedness - $13,565.30 Union of BC Municipalities Grant
Emergency Management: Indigenous Engagement - $2,000 Union of BC Municipalities Grant
Fraser Highway Oneway Tree Replacement - $27,000 Grant from Langley Foundation

2025 Audit: Langley City Financially Healthy

Every year, local governments must have their financial statements independently audited. Langley City engaged Kristine Simpson from BDO Canada as our auditor. As is normal, the auditor found that our financial statements were accurate.

Early this year, I posted about net financial assets (or debt). This is a key metric that shows a local government has the finances to continue delivering services and investing in infrastructure. In 2025, Langley City had $51.3 million in net financial assets, a slight decrease of $0.3 million from 2024. This is still a positive indicator.

Another key metric is accumulated surplus. This metric shows how much money the City has in its savings accounts to fund infrastructure projects, and how much in tangible assets, such as roads, land, and buildings, the City has on the books. The City increased its accumulated surplus by $27.4 million to $405.9 million in 2025. About $5.1 million was transferred to reserve savings accounts. The remainder was the “on the books” value of new or renewed infrastructure. Generally, if the “on the books” value is increasing, it means a local government is maintaining or expanding infrastructure such as roads, pipes, parks, and facilities. If the number is going down, it means that a local government is not keeping up.

Every year, the operating budget will have a variance between what is budgeted and what is actually spent. Local governments in BC have to budget conservatively because they cannot run a deficit. One of the primary drivers for Langley City’s $5.1 million surplus was labour costs. When new positions are added that take time to hire, such as additional firefighters, or people leave their jobs, it temporarily reduces labour costs.

Some of the areas where the City exceeded budgeted cost were on recreation programs due to increased demand, snow removal, streetlight and signal repair, park maintenance, garbage removal, vandalism repair, homeless camp cleanup, and legal fees. Again, there was an overall surplus in 2025.

Downtown Langley Business Owner, Young Entrepreneur, Lifelong Citizen Join Langley City First Team

Langley City First is proud to announce three new endorsed candidates joining Mayor Nathan Pachal, Councillors Paul Albrecht, Mike Solyom, and Rosemary Wallace on the team.

From Left to Right: Mike Solyom, Rosemary Wallace, Shawn Caldera, Nathan Pachal, Jeff Jacobs, Heather Jenkins, Paul Albrecht

“I’m extremely excited that Heather Jenkins has agreed to be part of the team,” said Rhianna Reddekopp, who founded Langley City First. “She is the amazing business owner of 1 Fish 2 Fish Fresh Seafood Market, a Downtown Langley institution.”

“I’ve served with her on the Downtown Langley Business Association Board and know that Heather has a solid understanding of business, governance, and working as a team player in making our city a better place.”

Over the last 28 years, she has won many awards, including Business of the Year, Environmental Hero, and 25 years of Langley Readers’ Choice.

Langley City First is also proud to have Shawn Caldera join the team. After building his successful business, Shawn started helping others create economic development strategies for the digital economy. He currently works for a large digital content creation firm.

“Shawn puts people first and is about building community. I see him regularly out and about in Langley City as he leads local residents in recreational events,” said Reddekopp.

Jeff Jacobs has agreed to be part of the Langley City First Team. Jeff is a lifelong resident of Langley City. He is a long-time municipal worker and labour movement leader, has volunteered on Langley City’s Crime Prevention Committee for many years, and has run for a council seat in the 2022 civic election, narrowly missing out.

“We are proud to have Jeff on the Langley City First Team to bring his experience and expertise to Langley City Council in this upcoming election,” said Reddekopp.

“I’ve watched our city grow into a thriving community over the years,” said Jacobs, “I want to ensure that Langley City becomes a hub for interactive, innovative, and sustainable activities for everyone who lives and visits.”

As a registered Elector Organization, Langley City First has a united team in this fall's civic elections that is committed to defending and advancing the following values:

• Building A City for the Future
• Enhancing Green Space
• Investing in Safety and Livability
• Fostering Community Connection
• Creating a Resilient Community with Appropriate Infrastructure and Responsible Fiscal Stewardship
• Supporting a Team Where Independent Voices Work as a Cohesive Team

Langley City First believes in our community, its people, its businesses, and its potential, and we are committed to moving the city forward through collaborative leadership, safe communities, and responsible growth for today and future generations.

I wanted to reshare this post from Langley City First. To learn more about the team and its values, please check out the Langley City First website.

May 11 Council Notes: FIFA Viewing Parties, Zero Waste, Community Safety Awareness Committee

The BC government is providing grants to local governments throughout the province to host FIFA World Cup viewing parties. Langley City received a $40,000 grant from the province, and the City must provide $10,000 as a condition of the grant. Council approved holding 4 viewing parties outside Timms Community Centre. These will be family-friendly parties with food, music, hands-on activities, and community partners that celebrate and showcase the diversity of our community. A Team Canada game and the final game will be two of the dates.

It is event season in Langley City, and one of the action items is to improve how we handle waste at these events. If you've been to previous Community Day events, you might have seen some waste-sorting stations as demonstrations, run by volunteers.

Council adopted a new Zero Waste strategy, which could see this waste-sorting approach rolled out to all community events over time. This year will focus on Community Day and three outdoor movie night events. Based on the learning from these events, the next phase will apply to large events on City land, such as the Arts Alive Festival or Bard in the Valley, potentially in 2027. Future phases could see this rolled out to all outdoor community events based on what we learn in earlier phases.

Me with Volunteers at a Waste Sorting Station at Community Day.

Council also approved an update to the terms of reference for the Crime Prevention Committee, which includes renaming it the Community Safety Awareness Committee to align with the recommendation from the Citizens’ Assembly on Community Safety. The Committee's new mandate includes:

• Advancing knowledge sharing around community safety initiatives and resident engagement
• Participating in the Resilient Neighbourhood Networks program
• Contributing to the Social Streets Program and Village Cafés Series to learn and share information with community members
• Continuing to partner with the RCMP, business community, and residents to promote safety programs such as Block Watch and Business Walks

The committee has also been given a $2,500 annual budget to support their work; any further funding would require council approval.

Council also adopted the 2026 Tax Rate Bylaw. You can learn more about this in a previous post.

Pleasantdale Creek Salmon Sign

I grew up in the Okanagan, and I remember one of the things I learned at an early age was about the salmon lifecycle. I remember going on field trips to see salmon spawning on the Adams River salmon run and to see some of the work being done back in the day to restore creeks for salmon in and around Vernon. Salmon are a keystone species for our ecosystem. Happy Salmon means a healthy environment.

Many people know that the Nicomekl River and its tributaries are salmon-bearing. I’ve seen salmon making their way up creeks and through culverts, including near the 196th Street overpass.

I also remember, as a kid, painting salmon logos on storm drains because whatever drains from a road or driveway ends up in a creek and eventually into the Nicomekl River.

Sign that will be installed along Pleasantdale Creek. Select the image to enlarge.

About a year ago, Council received a request from the Nicomekl Enhancement Society to install signage indicating where they release salmon. Council referred this work to its Environmental Sustainability Committee. Last night, Council approved getting a sign installed at Pleasantdale Creek.

The sign will be located just south of the 49A Avenue trailhead.

Metro Vancouver’s Water Supply for This Summer

As you know, Metro Vancouver is in stage 2 water restrictions, which means you cannot water lawns, top up or fill decorative water features (such as a fountain), or use your personal pressure washer or garden hose to wash impermeable surfaces, such as a concrete patio. The current lawn water restriction does not apply to municipal public spaces, such as sports fields. This is to ensure the water supply lasts throughout this summer.

According to the Regional District, there are a few reasons for these year's restrictions. One is that snowpack is at 44% of its historic average as of the beginning of this month. The second is that the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel project means one of the main water supply connections will be out of service this summer. The third is that Environment Canada is predicting a hot, dry summer.

Graph of Capilano Watershed, Average Snow Water Equivalent. Select to enlarge.

The good news is that water reservoirs and the alpine lakes, Palisade, Burwell, and Loch Lomond, will be full by the end of spring.

With a hot summer predicted, the region will likely enter stage 3 restriction sometime in early June.

For more information on water restriction stages and impacts, please visit Metro Vancouver’s website.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Memorial and March

Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are at a significantly higher risk of becoming a victim of violent crime than other people in Canada. In Canada, thousands of Indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing over the years. In BC, this violence includes the horrific Pickton farm murders and Highway of Tears, which is the Highway 16 corridor between Prince George and Prince Rupert, where a disproportionately high number of Indigenous women have gone missing or were murdered.

People marching down the Fraser Highway One Way. Select the image to enlarge.

A lack of action by governments and the justice system has led to increasingly urgent calls for change. Jaime Black, who is a Métis artist, started the REDress Project in 2010 as a response to this crisis and to raise visibility. According to Black, the colour red is the only colour that spirits see. “So (red) is really a calling back of the spirits of these women and allowing them a chance to be among us and have their voices heard through their family members and community.”

Red dresses hanging in various locations are a symbol of the movement. You may have seen these red dresses throughout Downtown Langley City over the last week.

I, among other people, was called to be a witness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Memorial and March, which took place in Downtown Langley City on Tuesday this week. A witness’s role is to hold onto knowledge of significance, carry the burden of that knowledge, and pass on the knowledge.

The memorial started with drumming, song, and ceremony. We heard from survivors of violence and family members who have lost sisters, aunts, and nieces. We then march along Douglas Crescent and Fraser Highway. We finally heard teaching from Elders of Kwantlen First Nation.

For those of us in government, we were challenged to take action as this violence still continues to this day, and to continue to bring visibility to this crisis.

New Fire Trucks for Langley City in Service

Over the last few years, Langley City Council has approved the renewal of the City’s aging fire truck fleet (the technical term is "apparatus") for Langley City Fire Rescue Service. This included an investment of $737,525.61 for a mini pumper that can respond to small fires, medical calls, and vehicle crashes, $1.8 million for a new pumper engine (which would be the typical fire truck you’d see), and $3.5 million for a new 100' platform fire truck to respond to fires in tall structures ensuring we remain prepared for the arrival of SkyTrain. In total, this works out to $6 million.

New Tower 1 Apparatus. Photo Source: Langley City.

It is important that we invest in fire safety in our growing community. This equipment complements the 9 new suppression firefighters and one new fire prevention officer that Council approved over the last few years, enabling the City to go from operating one 24/7 firefighting crew to two 24/7 firefighting crews.

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Are Gems (Even if Not Hidden)

Metro Vancouver Regional Parks are among the best-maintained parks I’ve been to and offer unique experiences, diverse ecosystems, and areas to explore. I know that many people rediscovered or discovered the regional park system for the first time over the last 6 years or so.

A friend of mine made it a mission to visit every publicly accessible regional park, and they accomplished that goal.

The Regional District publishes an annual report on the parks system, and I want to highlight some of the work done in 2025.

The Regional District completed a restoration of Imperial Trail in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, opened a new three-kilometre regional greenway in Campbell Valley Regional Park, and opened Widgeon Marsh Regional Park to public access. The Regional District added 3.5 hectares to its parks system by expanding Widgeon Marsh Regional Park and Widgeon Marsh.

There were 14.7 million visits to regional parks and greenways in 2025, which is significantly higher than pre-2020 levels.

Annual visit to Metro Vancouver Regional District Parks from 2005 to 2025. Select the chart to enlarge.

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park and Crippen Regional Park on Bowen Island received a record number of visitors in 2025. While it is great that people enjoy our parks, it can also create localized capacity challenges, such as on Bowen Island, which is only accessible by BC Ferries or private boat.

The following table shows the number of visits to each park/greenway in 2025.

Park Name	2025 Visits
ƛéxətəm Regional Park	386,900
Pacific Spirit Regional Park	3,888,800
Boundary Bay Regional Park	1,148,200
Capilano River Regional Park	1,097,000
tәmtәmíxʷtәn/Belcarra Regional Park	927,500
Campbell Valley Regional Park	887,600
Derby Reach Regional Park	881,700
Tynehead Regional Park	604,600
Lynn Headwaters Regional Park	578,400
Grouse Mountain Regional Park	545,300
Kanaka Creek Regional Park	528,000
Aldergrove Regional Park	464,600
Crippen Regional Park	429,400
Burnaby Lake Regional Park	422,900
Deas Island Regional Park	362,800
Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway	292,300
Iona Beach Regional Park	287,900
Pitt River Regional Greenway	229,700
Brae Island Regional Park	227,900
Minnekhada Regional Park	188,900
Surrey Bend Regional Park	130,800
Delta South Surrey Regional Greenway	63,200
Seymour River Regional Greenway	53,600
Glen Valley Regional Park	49,700
Barnston Island Regional Park	11,500

For more information, please check out the 2025 Regional Parks Annual Report.

RCMP Auxiliary Program in Langley - Call for Volunteers

At the last Langley City Council meeting, we heard from the Officer in Charge of the Langley RCMP detachment, Superintendent Harm Dosange. One of the key things he raised with Council was ramping up the RCMP Auxiliary program for his detachment.

There was a previous RCMP Auxiliary, but it was paused back in 2020 due to safety concerns. An updated program has been rolling out throughout detachments in BC over the last little bit. The new program has three tiers of Auxiliary volunteer members, based on the level of training.

In Langley, the RCMP Auxiliary program is not only a good opportunity for those who want to volunteer to help make their community safer, but it also helps our community meet its public safety objectives.

Some of the major responsibilities include helping out during community and special events, including traffic and crowd control. Program members also take part in disaster planning and emergency preparedness in cooperation with members of the Langley City Emergency Program (which you can also volunteer for), search for missing people, and perform home and business safety checks, safety talks and related activities.

To learn more about the program's tiers, please visit the RCMP. The Langley RCMP is hosting two information sessions on May 13th and May 21st about the program. Please email langleyauxiliaryprogram@rcmp-grc.gc.ca for more information.