Overdose Awareness Day in Douglas Park on Sunday

If you walk through Douglas Park, you’ll notice little purple flags. These flags denote the lives lost due to overdoses in Langley. Overdoses and overdose-related deaths are unfortunately widespread. If you haven’t been impacted, you likely know someone who has been. While many people link overdoses and people who are experiencing homelessness, overdoses primarily impact young men who have a job and housing. Many people don’t talk about their struggles with problematic substance use because they feel judged.

My dad, who has since passed (not due to overdosing), injured himself and started a long and problematic relationship with opioids, including overdosing. It impacted our family. He was eventually able to get help and put on a methadone maintenance treatment program.

Sadly, there are still significant gaps when it comes to preventing overdoses in this province.

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day. It is an opportunity to remember all those impacted by overdoses, come together to support each other, and also acts as a call to action to reduce overdoses.

An Overdose Awareness Day event will take place in Douglas Park on Sunday, August 31, 2025, starting at 6:30 pm. A candlelight vigil will take place at 8:30 pm.

There will be resource tents, performers, and speeches. The Lions Club will also host a BBQ that begins at 6:00 pm.

Our Air is Cleaner Than Ever, Saving Lifes

Sometimes, it seems that all we get is bad news regarding the environment, but there is a lot of good work going on, such as cleaning up our air, water, and land. One area where we have made a lot of progress is cleaning up the air. Metro Vancouver is part of the Lower Fraser Valley airshed, and the Metro Vancouver Regional District completes a comprehensive inventory of air pollutants every five years.

They recently shared trends of air emissions from 2000 to 2020. The bottom line is that “today’s cleaner air saves the lives of approximately 580 Metro Vancouver residents each year, compared to air quality in 2001.”

The following tables show the reductions of certain emissions types.

Volatile Organic Compounds Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge.

Nitrogen Oxides Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge.

Except for fine particulate matter emissions from wildfires, PM2.5 emissions are also declining.

Fine Particulate Matter Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge.

Of course, more work needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

GHG Emissions Trend in the Fraser Valley 2000-2020. Select the chart to enlarge.

Right to Cool in Apartments and Townhouses

We have been getting more extreme heat events over the last several years. The Metro Vancouver heat dome in 2021, when over 600 people died, stands out as one of the worst climate-related incidents in Canada. In BC, newly constructed buildings must have living spaces that cannot have temperatures that exceed 26°C. This change came into effect in March last year.

Of course, many older buildings don't have cooling systems, whether they are strata or rental. Last week, elected local government representatives from across the Lower Mainland met for our annual Lower Mainland Local Government Association Conference. One part of the conference includes debating motions where we collectively would like the province or federal governments to take action. One such matter was the right to cool.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District, City of Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, and Vancouver Coast Health recently released a whitepaper called "Thermal Safety in Existing Multi-Unit Residential Buildings." One of the barriers to allowing people to install cooling systems can be strata councils and landlords.

The provincial government needs to change the Strata Property Act to allow individual owners to install active and passive cooling measures at their discretion and prevent the ability of strata councils to restrict passive or mechanical cooling or ventilation measures. At the same time, the province needs to provide a toolkit for stratas to help ensure measures are in place for the safe installation of these systems.

For rental properties, the province needs to change the Residential Tenancy Act to ensure tenants have the "right to cool," which could range from requiring landlords to allow portable or window A/C units to require retrofits of older buildings.

Elected representatives at the conference voted in favour of asking the province to take action.

Preparing for Wildfire Smoke Season, Taking Care of Your Health

It is still winter, so you might wonder why I'm writing a post about wildfire smoke season. It is always better to be prepared than to deal with something in the middle of an event. For example, finding an air conditioner in the middle of the summer is more challenging and more costly than getting one right now.

Wildefire Smoke over Downtown Vancouver. Source: Nick Dobbing

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has provided guidance on preparing for and protecting yourself during wildfire smoke season.

The BCCDC provides data that show not only does smoke impact your health in conventional ways, such as increased risk of asthma, reduced lung function, lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, but there is growing evidence that it can cause reduced mental function and increased risk of dementia later in life. If you are pregnant and exposed, smoke can also have an impact on your baby.

The good news is that we know simple ways to clean indoor air and protect yourself if you need to spend significant time outdoors during a wildfire smoke event. We learned many of these things during the pandemic.

If you have a forced-air heating or cooling system, purchase MERV 13-rated filters and change them regularly. You can also purchase a portable air filter with a HEPA filter or even search the internet for how to DIY an air filter. You'll also want to seal any gaps and cracks around windows and doors. Your favourite home improvement store can help you find the right products.

You should also pick up some N95 masks if you have to spend significant time outdoors.

For more information, please visit the BCCDC's webpage on Wildfire Smoke to learn more and get planning today!

A Video Series on Homelessness: A Fragemented System

People experiencing homelessness has always been a concern, now more than ever. I put together a video series to answer some of the common questions people have asked me about homelessness.

Throughout the series, I will highlight some solutions to prevent homelessness and give people a path out of it. While these solutions require action by the federal and provincial governments, local governments have a role in advocating and helping coordinate solutions in our community. This role is what Langley City is now taking on.

This second video answers the question, "Can you explain what emergency/stabilization services are available South of the Fraser?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay Informed this Summer With Air Quality Advisory Updates

With summer upon us, we are entering the air quality advisory season. Climate change has caused an increasing frequency and severity of wildfire smoke and heat waves. Throughout the province, we are experiencing droughts.

Example of Metro Vancouver air quality map. Select the map to enlarge.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is responsible for monitoring and issuing air quality advisories. This year, they are upgrading these advisories to make them easier to understand and including actions people can take when under an air quality advisory.

Air quality advisories by type between 2004-2034. Select the chart to enlarge.

Actions include:

• Taking it easy and limiting outdoor activities. If you must be outside where an N95-type mask
• Running portable air cleaners
• Continuing to manage pre-existing chronic health conditions such as asthma, COPD or other lung diseases, heart disease, and diabetes
• Drinking plenty of water
• Protecting outdoor workers by finding alternate duties indoors, providing N95-type masks, and giving frequent breaks. Disconutinung work if required
• Providing indoor space for people who are unhoused
• Reducing indoor sources of air pollution (i.e., smoking and vacuuming)
• Implementing solutions to reduce smoke from entering and staying in commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings

You can find the latest air quality updates at http://airmap.ca/. You can also sign up for air quality advisories, bulletins, and updates to be delivered to your email inbox at https://metrovancouver.org/services/air-quality-climate-action/mailing-list.

Up Sh*t Creek: Pet Waste Killing Life in Langley City Waterways

Nothing is more annoying than stepping in dog waste that an irresponsible owner didn't pick up, and in every neighbourhood, there are at least one or two irresponsible owners.

Stepping in pet waste is annoying, but many people don't know dog waste is toxic, just like human waste. We build and use sewer systems to help reduce disease and improve public health.

Dog waste contains nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients encourage the growth of algae, which can deplete oxygen out of waterways for fish and other water-based life. This fact is important to keep in mind.

Dog waste also contains bacteria and parasites such as E. Coli and Cryptosporidium.

One of the odd things I've noticed lately is that people pick up their dog's waste, put it in a little baggy, and shockingly throw the waste-filled baggy into creek areas.

The following picture is from Brydon Creek, just off 55A Avenue.

Pet waste bags are thrown into the Brydon Creek protected area, just off 55A Avenue. Select the image to enlarge.

As you can see, people are tossing pet waste-filled bags into the creek. There are signs by creeks in Langley City that include a salmon logo. These logos aren't just for looks; these are active, salmon-barring waterways. I've personally seen salmon in these waterways.

Simply put, dog waste in creek areas kills fish.

If you are a dog owner reading this blog, I'm sure you are a responsible owner. If you have friends who are dog owners, please help spread the word about how toxic dog waste is and that people must handle it appropriately, either through a dog waste disposal service or by flushing it down the toilet. Never toss it into a natural area.

For the City's part, we completed an audit of public disposal bins, and we know they are full of pet waste. The City is working towards better managing this waste in our bins.

Bring Hope to Local Governments: 8-Years of the Toxic Drug Public Health Emergency

In a month, British Columbia will be into year eight of the toxic drug public health emergency. You or somebody you know has likely been directly impacted by this health emergency, whether it has been responding to an overdose or experiencing the loss of a loved one.

This public health emergency has highlighted and exacerbated existing health and social infrastructure gaps, with local government often trying to plug the gaps.

While local governments are not set up to handle medical public health emergencies or deal with the root causes of toxic drugs, we are nonetheless trying to respond out of necessity.

One clear example is that fire departments are usually the first to arrive on the scene when someone calls 911 and have seen a sustained, significant increase in overdose responses. These calls have stretched many first responders and fire departments to their limits.

Many local government leaders, whether elected representatives or staff members, have felt unsupported and various degrees of hopelessness regarding how to reduce the number of overdoses and related deaths in their communities.

Local Leadership United (LLU) is a Community Action Initiative and BC Centre for Disease Control project that is creating a network for local government elected representatives to exchange ideas, learn, and support each other regarding this public health emergency.

They recently released a report that found local government leaders:

• Have difficulty understanding local government roles in addressing substance use-related challenges
• Feel alone in their work in addressing substance use-related challenges
• Have knowledge gaps on how to reduce harm to individuals and communities due to the toxic drug public health emergency

The LLU has made the following recommendation to support local government leaders:

• Investing further in dialogue, training and network opportunities that address knowledge gaps, foster relationships of trust and intersectoral partnerships in community overdose response.
• Investing in granting opportunities that support local governments and partners to build whole-community overdose response: one that allows local leaders to understand their roles, build stronger relationships, and apply a harm reduction approach.
• Investing in provincial, local, and Indigenous-led anti-stigma campaigns aimed at bringing broader communities into overdose response efforts.

These recommendations will help reduce the hopelessness that many in local government feel and help those in local government work with others to address this public health emergency in their communities, including advocacy to the provincial government to respond to this health emergency in communities throughout BC effectively. There is strength in coming together.

The Healthy Social Environments Framework: Applying it to the Toxic Drug Crisis

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference the BC CDC-funded Community Action Initiative put on. The conference was centred on addressing the toxic drug crisis in our province. It included people with lived and living experience with substances, working in the health field, working in local governments, and elected to local government.

One of the workshops I attended during the conference was on what actions local governments (municipalities) could take around the toxic drug crisis using the Healthy Social Environments Framework.

Healthy Social Environments Framework. Select the image to enlarge.

In the workshop, my group chose to look at two facets of this framework. The first was on Service Environments, which is focused on the availability and coordination of services in a community. Examples of these services include but aren't limited to, healthcare, schools, childcare and early learning, seniors programs and facilities, Indigenous services, newcomer services, food and income supports, and recreation.

Brainstorming: Service Environments Facet of Healthy Social Environments Framework. Select the image to enlarge.

Our group looked at the coordination role that local government can play in connecting people with each other and with services provided directly by the province, local government, and non-profits.

We talked about championing a common system in each community where people's stories and needs are documented and available to all service providers (of course, with the proper private precautions.) This system ensures that people don't have to tell their story multiple times, don't fall through the cracks, and don't need to understand complex systems, as the system would include built-in referrals.

The coordination is further encircled with community space, training, and wrap-around services.

We are starting with this coordination in Langley City.

The second facet we looked at was Civic Engagement which is the degree to which people participate in political processes and positively contribute to their community.

Brainstorming: Civic Engagement Facet of Healthy Social Environments Framework. Select the image to enlarge.

There are barriers for some people to get civically engaged, such as a lack of time, health challenges, or because of being precariously housed. Our group thought that local governments needed to go above typical outreach practices and actively seek out people who are typically underrepresented in civic engagement processes today. When it comes to the toxic drug crisis in BC, it means including people with lived and living experience with substances.

We Need a New Approach: Unregulated Drug Poisoning, Pharmacies, and Drug Checking

Death caused by using unregulated and illicit drugs is still high in BC and the Fraser Health service area, including Langley City, though it has been trending down recently.

One of the challenges with unregulated drugs is that you never know what you get. Samples analyzed by the Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project found that while most samples contained what they said they were, up to 20% were mixed with other substances with concentrations all over the place. For example, drugs laced with fentanyl had a median concentration of 9.7% in the samples tested, but some samples had 0.1%, and others had 80% plus.

One way to help people is to expand access to rapid drug testing in a way that reduces stigma.

One of the ways to reduce stigma is to integrate testing into places and services that people always use. For example, going to the doctor, then going to the blood lab for a STI test has less stigma associated with it than going to a specific STI clinic. Everybody goes to the doctor and the blood lab.

The same should be with drug testing.

Right now, there are only two places to get drug tested in Langley City and Township, and both locations are within a 2 minutes walk of each other in Downtown Langley. The only location with regular hours is the Fraser Health - Public Health Building, which operates weekdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

The Fraser Health Public Health Building certainly isn’t a place that most people would go to, even if they could make it between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. While Downtown Langley may have some testing services, people in Aldergrove, Brookswood, Walnut Grove, and Willoughby are certainly not going to travel out of their way for drug testing.

How can we expand drug testing access and reduce the stigma associated with testing? Pharmacies.

People go to pharmacies for various reasons, and accessing a pharmacy in BC is easy.

Pharmacies already help people with unregulated drug treatments, including Opioid Agonist Treatment. Pharmacies also know how to help with public health emergencies.

Pharmacies in BC could provide Take-Home Fentanyl Test Strips, including giving people consultation on how to use the test strips.

As long as there are unregulated drugs, people will overdose and tragically die. We need to expand access to testing services in a low-barrier, stigma-free environment. For me, this means looking at places where people already go to access health services. If pharmacies can help with COVID-19 testing, they can certainly help with unregulated drug testing.

I should point out that the opinions in the post are mine and don’t necessarily represent the views of Council or Langley City.

Air Quality Advisories Trending Up in Metro Vancouver

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently released a chart showing the number of air quality advisories issued per year over the last two decades.

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

The regional district issued fewer air quality advisories in the first decade than in the second decade. Between 2003 and 2012, there were 36 advisories issued. There were over double that between 2013 and this summer.

The two primary causes are ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. Fine particulate matter is primarily caused by forest fires, while ground-level ozone occurs as a reaction between higher temperatures and fossil fuel, cannabis production, agricultural activitiy, and other solvent fumes. Both are increasing due to the impacts of climate change.

Metro Vancouver's new Climate 2050 plan calls for reducing volatile organic compounds such as fossil fuels, which should help reduce ground-level ozone.

Please read the Air Quality Advisories During the Summer of 2022 report for more information.

2021 Caring for the Air Report – Metro Vancouver Air Quality Improving

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is responsible for managing air quality in the Lower Mainland. The regional district has prepared an annual “Caring for the Air” report for the past decade. This report is easy to read and contains helpful information for people. For example, this year’s report has tips on creating a homemade box fan filter for the annual wildfire smoke season.

The report also has information on some of the projects the regional district is sponsoring to help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emission. One project focuses on the film industry, where they will be looking at ways to replace portable diesel generators with clean energy sources.

It also contains information on the new residential indoor wood burning (fireplace) requirements coming into effect later this year.

Some good news is that gas pollutants continue to trend down except for ground-level ozone, which has slightly increased. This increase is due to ozone formed outside Canada that is coming into our region.

Gas Phase Pollutants. Select chart to enlarge.

Fine Particulate Matter impacts human health, which can decrease lung function, aggravate asthma, make breathing hard, and even lead to premature death in people with heart or lung disease.

The following graph highlights the significant impact of wildfires on Fine Particulate Matter and human health during the summer month.

Fine Particulate Matter. Select chart to enlarge.

For more information, check out the report starting on page 63 of the Climate Action Committee Agenda.

Toxic Drugs, Affordable Housing, Climate Change, and Mental Health Services are Canada-wide Challenges

The annual Federation of Canadian Municapilies (FCM) conference wrapped up yesterday. It started on June 2nd and took place in Regina. The convention has workshops, panels, keynote presentations, a trade show, and networking events. I attended this year's FCM conference.

The most interesting things I learned at the conference were from the informal conversations that I had with other people who attended from around Canada. I wanted to share a few ideas from these conversations that stood out to me.

The challenges that all municipalities face throughout Canada are addressing the toxic drug overdose and death crisis, providing affordable housing, adapting to climate change, and building out mental health services.

Unfortunately, BC has started experiencing and addressing these challenges earlier than most other provinces in Canada, so we are leading the way for better or worse.

The federal government provides provinces funding for healthcare, but there is no funding dedicated to mental healthcare. Throughout Canada, including in BC, mental healthcare services need to expand. Many people have a strong desire, from big urban mayors to small-town councillors, for the federal government to provide dedicated funding to provinces for mental health care.

This funding could help fund seats at colleges and universities to train mental healthcare professionals and help provinces build-out out mental healthcare capacity. It should be as easy to get mental healthcare as calling the police or visiting a doctor's office or walk-in clinic. Once you reach out for mental health care, the care should be easily accessible. Today, it is hard to get mental health care and navigate the system.

Mental healthcare and problematic substance use are linked. Getting accessible mental healthcare will also help people address problematic substance use. While BC is a leader in harm reduction, just like the rest of Canada, we need to build out capacity around treatment. The federal government again can help provinces with specifically-targeted funding.

When it comes to affordable housing, there is funding available, and municipalities throughout Canada are coming to the table to help support the construction of affordable housing. I was encouraged to see this. One of the challenges is a skilled trade shortage throughout Canada. I was talking to some people who suggest that beyond beefing up our skilled trades programs here at home, the federal government should be working to attract and retain skilled tradespeople through immigration programs.

The final area of conversation was around climate change adaptation. Most municipalities must replace a large amount of aging infrastructure, which requires the support of the federal and provincial governments. These infrastructure projects include replacing water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer systems which must now account for increased climate change-related events such as flooding and other extreme events. While I may sound like a broken record, the federal government needs to beef up funding for its existing program to help municipalities address these infrastructure challenges.

We also need to build knowledge about adopting our cities for climate change. For example, Langley City is on a floodplain. There are other cities throughout Canada on a floodplain. Instead of Langley City having to learn how we mitigate climate-change-induced flooding on our own, we should be able to learn from and share out experience with other municipalities going through similar challenges.

It was good to learn from other elected representatives throughout Canada about some of the challenges they experience and how we can solve them together.

Impact of Noise on Health is Real – What Can Municipalities Do?

For about 15 years, I lived in an apartment that backed onto the floodplain. While I wasn’t shielded from all sounds from 53rd Avenue, these sounds were muted. I was never worried about the sounds of traffic waking me up at night if I left a window open.

Last summer, I moved to an apartment that fronted 203rd Street at Industrial Avenue. Some traffic would drown out my TV if I left the windows open. I never kept windows open at night.

I now own a townhouse at the end of 55A Avenue that fronts the street. It is right next to 196th Street. This street is quiet though a few people enjoy their subwoofers or crank the bass in their vehicle, including at night. These loud sounds impact all people along the street. I’ve been woken up a few times.

There are also some folks with vehicles that have loud mufflers that race across the 196th Street overpass.

I know I might sound like an alarmist, but urban noise harms cardiovascular health, creates cognitive impairments, causes sleep disturbance, impacts mental health, and has pulmonary effects.

So, what can a municipality do about urban noise?

One of the things that municipalities can do is require developers to improve the sound reduction from the exterior to the interior of buildings. It makes a big difference. For example, the apartment on 203rd Street has excellent sound reduction from the exterior. I cannot say the same about my townhouse. The good news is that Langley City’s newly adopted Official Community Plan states that:

Development fronting the SkyTrain guideway, and/or any Provincial Highway, major arterial and railway, shall incorporate measures to mitigate noise impacts and incorporate Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) guidelines for maximum acceptable levels of noise in dwellings, including triple-glazed windows, additional wall insulation, sound dampening or absorbing walls and cladding materials, and concrete construction, solid glazed balconies, sound absorptive landscaping and street tree plantings, and water features.

Recent housing projects along major roads in Langley City now incorporate these recommendations.

The best solution is to reduce the noise at the source by enforcing mufflers and speaker/subwoofer sound levels. Of course, like enforcing speeding, this is easier said than done. In Paris, they are trialing an automated method to enforce loudness levels.

Today, we understand that noise pollution negatively impacts human health, and we are now starting to look at ways to mitigate these impacts in urban areas.

Living Well in Langley – A five-year poverty reduction action plan

The federal and provincial governments have created poverty reduction plans. Because local governments are best positioned to advocate for and convene stakeholders in their communities, the province partnered with the Union of BC Municipalities to provide local governments with grants to deliver “on the ground” poverty reduction action plans.

The Township of Langley and Langley City, together with the Langley Poverty Reduction Task Group, created “Living Well in Langley,” a five-year poverty reduction strategy.

Kwantlen First Nation “generous contributions to this process, including sharing their time and knowledge and joining as a member of the Task Group.” Other task group members include the school district, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Fraser Health, and social service organizations.

Langley City Council received a presentation of the draft plan yesterday.

The following table outlines actions the Township of Langley and Langley City must take to reduce poverty:

Task Group Advocacy to the City and Township of Langley. Select table to enlarge.

The following table outlines actions that the province and the federal government must take to reduce poverty in Langley:

Task Group Advocacy to the Province of British Columbia and the Federal Government of Canada.

The plan outlines when each of these actions should start in the next five years. For more information, please read the draft action plan.

Once the plan is adopted, the Langley Healthier Communities Partnership, which includes Langley City, will monitor the plan via an annual report, including the strategies that have been implemented or are in progress, changes in indicators of poverty and low income, and emergent issues.

This action plan will likely be finalized and adopted by this summer.

April 28th: Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured

Langley City Council received a presentation from the New Westminster & District Labour Council about the Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the job. This Day of Mourning takes place annually on April 28th.

In 2020, 151 people died due to work-related deaths. Of those, 51 were due to asbestos exposure. 96% of those workers who died were men.

Many more people an injured on the job, both physically and mentally. Council was reminded that mental health is just as important as physical health, and both mental and physical harm negatively impact workers’ quality of life.

WorkSafeBC has a Psychological Health and Safety Initiative page, including what employers can do to ensure mental health safety.

Please visit the Day of Mourning BC website for a listing of local Day of Mourning ceremonies. You can also watch a live stream event starting at 10:30 am on Thursday. You can read stories from workers and their families.

Langley City will also have an observance at the City Hall/Timms Community Centre flag poles on Thursday at 11 am.

Langley City’s Priority Needs for Vulnerable Populations

All orders of government, local, provincial, and federal, have a role to play in supporting vulnerable people.

In Langley City, we have at least three provincial ministries, Fraser Health, and a dozen or so non-profits that provide support services to vulnerable people in our community. Because local government is closest to the community and can see the whole picture, local government’s role has expanded to become that of a facilitator of services for vulnerable people.

Langley City recently contracted a social planner to develop an action plan for addressing the priority needs of vulnerable people in our community. The following is a list of some of the needs:

• Advocate for a mobile and peer-monitored washroom and showing facility
• Create a hub for mental health and substance use services at Langley Memorial Hospital and future Surrey Cloverdale Hospital with coordinated mobile, community outreach, and virtual care options that would have services catering to all demographics
• Develop a joint Langley City and Township of Langley emergency weather response plan, including shelters, cooling centres, and warming centres
• Work with BC Housing to ensure that people living in Langley area hotels over the last few years remain housed
• Foster a diverse housing supply from subsidized housing to market rental housing in Langely City, avocating to the provincial or federal government for funding when required
• Advocate to BC Housing for increased levels of rental subsidies for low income and vulnerable people

If Council approves Langley City’s proposed 2022 budget, the social planner will continue working with the province and non-profits in our community to address these needs. A coordinated approach will increase the effectiveness of programs and services that already exist in our community, and many of the needs identified will not require additional funding.

For more information, please read the full report.

Metro Vancouver’s Clean Air Plan dependent on feds and province

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is in the final stages of adopting its updated 10-year air quality management plan called the “Clean Air Plan.” The actions contained in the plan, if implemented, will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2 million tonnes and provide $1.6 billion in health benefits.

The following are the “big move” actions that the region must take to reduce GHG emissions and realize the health benefits.

Transportation:

• Enhance and improve regional transit
• Use pricing to reduce driving and emissions - Province
• Expand active transportation networks
• Accelerate sales targets for new electric passenger vehicles - Province and Federal
• Develop regional emission requirements for passenger vehicles - Province
• Make electric vehicles more affordable - Province and Federal
• Regulate existing medium and heavy trucks - Province
• Require zero-emission sales targets for new medium and heavy trucks - Province
• Accelerate emission reductions from marine vessels - Province and Federal

Buildings:

• Greenhouse gas performance requirements for existing large buildings
• Greenhouse gas performance requirements for existing homes and townhomes
• New buildings are highly efficient and electric - Province
• Require greenhouse gas reductions during renovations - Province
• Building electrification mandate for BC Hydro - Province
• Expand incentives for low carbon upgrades - Province and Federal
• Online decision support tools for low carbon upgrades in buildings - Province
• Implement requirements for higher emitting wood-burning appliances
• Emission requirements for district energy systems
• Incorporate embodied emissions into the BC Building Code - Province

Industry:

• More stringent greenhouse gas requirements for large industrial emitters - Province
• Integrate greenhouse gas requirements into emission regulations and permits
• Implement renewable gas content requirements - Province
• Tighten emission regulation for non-road diesel engines
• Regional low carbon procurement

Agriculture:

• Reduce emissions from greenhouses - Province
• Reduce open-air burning

Cross-cutting:

• Develop a long-term approach to equity in air quality and greenhouse gas management
• Strengthen relationships with First Nations on air quality issues

I noted if federal or provincial government action will be required to implement an action in the above list. Around half of the “big move” actions will need the support of other orders of government to be successful.

There are many actions that the regional district, member municipalities and treaty First Nations can take to reduce GHG emissions and reduce air contaminants. However, this plan will only be successful with the full support of both the provincial and federal governments.

One of the roles of this region will be to lobby the provincial and federal governments to update legislation, regulations, and policies to make this plan successful.