New education program about overdose crisis launched for Langley businesses

Fentanyl has entered the drug supply. This has resulted in an epidemic of overdoses and deaths in communities throughout BC. Langley is no exception. 70% of overdoses occur in private residences, and primarily impact younger men. People who are at risk of a fatal overdose could be a co-worker or friend.

The Stepping Stone Community Services Society has been operating in Langley since 1984. They provide services for people living with mental illness, affordable housing options for people, and operate a Homelessness Outreach Program.

Stepping Stone has recently launched a new education program for businesses. If you are a business owner or manager, the following information is for you. The following is from Stepping Stone:

The Langley Community Overdose Response Committee has received a grant to provide education to businesses as a response to the current overdose crisis in Langley.

We have named this project “We all play a ROLE”. Our R.O.L.E. is Responding to Overdose in Langley through Education.

At no cost to you, we would like to offer a catered meal (lunch or snack) while we share an informative and engaging presentation.

Our primary goal is to educate employers and their employees about the ongoing overdose crisis and how a toxic drug supply in BC has increased the risk of overdose.

Individuals within your business may be directly or indirectly impacted by the overdose crisis. Our aim is to be sensitive of your employees’ privacy, as we realize this topic within the workplace can be complex.

You may feel the risk of overdose is not a relevant issue for your business. However, we propose that learning about this crisis, informing your employees, being open to understanding substance use and being prepared to respond to overdoses is immensely valuable to all.

The stigma around mental illness has been consistently improving in our society because of well- prepared and targeted campaigns designed to help people understand that it is not something to be hidden. In the same way, we feel that substance use and its inherent risks should be discussed openly so that stigma can be reduced, and the risk of overdose mitigated.

What can you expect from us?

• A catered lunch or snack, whatever works best for your business and schedule
• An engaging presentation designed to fit your business needs. Topics of discussion include:
  • Statistics and background on the overdose crisis and how they relate to all of us
  • Learn about the impact of the crisis on Langley City and Township
  • Stigma awareness and our attitudes towards drugs, addiction and overdose
  • General information on the toxicity of the drug supply in British Columbia
  • Understand who is at risk
  • Recognizing an overdose, know the signs, and how to respond to an overdose
  • Interactive Q&A and information about resources within your community

If you would like to book an education session, please contact Arianna (604)-837-6778 or Daniel (604)-309-2777

Some facts about UBC SkyTrain

Extending the SkyTrain to UBC has become a hot topic recently with a renewed push by both the mayor of the City of Vancouver and UBC to extend the line. Currently, work is underway to extended the Millennium Line to Arbutus in Vancouver.

Map of proposed UBC SkyTrain Extension Stations. Select map to enlarge.

There were several options on the table that were being evaluated for the eventual connection of rail rapid transit to UBC from Arbutus.There were two surface light rail options, and a SkyTrain option. Last week, an updated technical report was released about the potential rail rapid transit options. The following table outlines the updated information about the options.

Comparison table of B-Line, Light Rail, and SkyTrain (RRT). Select table to enlarge.

What becomes clear pretty fast is that while SkyTrain costs about double the price of light rail, it would provide the best long-term value for transit service to the UBC campus.

SkyTrain would cost about $3.8 billion to build, though if some sections where built at ground level in the less urban area, the cost could be reduced to $3.5 billion.

While light rail would have more capacity than the current B-Line service, it would have very similar travel times. This is because it would be running at ground level, and would have to cross many intersections. SkyTrain would cut travel times in half for transit riders. The updated report also noted that light rail would be at capacity by 2045 while SkyTrain would still have room to grow.

The following table shows the predicted peak westbound morning volume for the potential UBC SkyTrain extension in 2045. The red line represents the maximum SkyTrain capacity.

Westbond AM peak SkyTrain demand in 2045. Select chart to enlarge.

What stands out to me is the extremely low volume of passengers that would use the proposed Alma and Sasamat stations. I would hope that if a $3.8 billion SkyTrain extension is approved, the City of Vancouver would work hard to increase the housing options in those station areas.

The final table shows how the report authors calculated the cost of building the UBC SkyTrain extension.

SkyTrain Element	Calculation Methodology	Unit Cost
At-Grade	$70m per km * 1.15	$80m per km
Elevated	$70m per km * 2	$140m per km
Elevated Station		$50m
Tunnel		$160m per km
Tunnel Station		$100m

Building SkyTrain to UBC is needed, but the challenge will be to come up with the funding. While UBC has committed to funding a portion of the project costs, the federal and provincial governments will also have to come to the table with significant financial commitments.

One of the concerns that I have is that SkyTrain to UBC would push back building SkyTrain to Langley. The good news is that the dollars that the federal and provincial governments have currently committed to building rail transit in the South of Fraser can’t simply be reallocated to build SkyTrain to UBC.

There is still a regional funding gap that needs to be plugged before SkyTrain can be built to Langley. The Mayors’ Council will have their work cut out for them to plug the gap to fund both proposed SkyTrain extensions in addition to other regional transit projects.

January 28, 2019 Council Meeting Notes: McBurney Plaza Summer Series Back and Task Groups Approved

Last night was a lighter Langley City council agenda, but there were some significant items that moved forward.

The meeting started with Councillor Teri James, who is also the Executive Director of the Downtown Langley Business Association, presenting on the upcoming 2019 McBurney Plaza Summer Series. This summer events series is now entering its fifth year and is still going strong.

This year, the McBurney Plaza Summer Series will have three daytime events which will run with extended hours from 11am to 3pm. Besides the event programming, there will also be freebie bags. The three daytime events include Backyard Party in the Plaza which will include fun activities, BBQ sliders, and shaved ice.

Legends in the Plaza will feature tribute acts for such stars as Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and Elvis. Magic in the Plaza will include street magic and illusionist. Mark you calendar for June 22, July 20, and August 11.

Also back by popular demand is the 19+ Dueling Pianos event which will run from 6pm to 10pm on July 13th. This is a Vegas-style show. There will be food, craft beer, and local wine. I attended this event two years ago, and it was a lot of fun. Tickets will be $15, and I know I’ll be getting mine as soon as they become available.

With more event coming to our community, I look forward to when every weekend there is an event or activity happening in our downtown core.

Council also approved the creation of three task groups, two new and one returning:

• Performing Arts and Cultural Centre Task Group
• Economic Development Task Group
• 2019 Crime Prevention Task Group

The Performing Arts and Cultural Centre Task Group mandate will be to continue the process that will hopefully result in a performing arts centre being built in Downtown Langley. Its mandate will include:

• Developing a 5 – 10 year detailed provisional business plan and a 25-year high level provisional business plan.
• Developing a fund-raising campaign plan, including identify potential partner prospects.
• Defining a governance model for the operation of the centre.
• Engaging First Nations partnership.

The Economic Development Task Group general mandate will be to plan for the arrival of SkyTrain in our community in a way that will maximize its economic potential for Langley City. The task group will be putting forward initiatives for council to consider to make sure that Langley City is open for business, including the new opportunities that rail rapid transit will bring.

The 2019 Crime Prevention Task Group, which I am chairing, will be continuing some of the successful programs such as the “Know Your Neighbour” campaign. Other items in the mandate include:

• Working with the Youth Committee and the RCMP around crime reduction strategies for youth-specific issues.
• Partnering with the RCMP, Community Police Office, Downtown Langley Business Association, and Chamber of Commerce to increase participation in crime prevention programs.
• Partnering with the Langley Seniors Resource Centre to create strategies to educate the public on how to address senior-related issues such as elder abuse.

Task groups are an important way to get thing done, and our new council is hitting the ground running.

Vancouver-Seattle rail service stats, bullet trains, and a more pragmatic approach to providing better service.

During the summer, I posted information about the latest study into the feasibility of building high-speed rail between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland.

Unlike other studies, this $1.5 million study is funded by Washington State, the Province of BC, Oregon, and Microsoft.

The estimated cost of the line would be in the $40 billion range; $40 billion would build SkyTrain everywhere in Metro Vancouver.

Recently, I had the chance to ride the Amtrak Cascades rail service which runs from Vancouver to Seattle, and it got me curious about the current ridership on the corridor.

10-Year Ridership by Funding Partners, 2008-2017. Select chart to enlarge.

Ridership along the corridor for the most part has been increasing steadily. It peaked in 2011, then declined with the low occurring in 2015. Since then, ridership had been on the rise again. Ridership was 811,000 in 2017, which was slightly lower than in 2016. There was a serious derailment in 2017 which had an impact on ridership.

While not an apples to apples comparison, West Coast Express ridership was 2,323,000 in 2017 with five trains a day.

Since 2010, Washington State has invested close to $800 million to improve the on-time performance, frequency, and speed in Amtrak Cascades service. One of the biggest changes to improve performance of the service will be when the Port Defiance bypass reopens later this year. The bypass will speed up service, and allow six round-trip trains per day to travel between Portland and Seattle.

Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, BC are the highest ridership stations along the corridor. In fact, travel between Vancouver and Seattle is responsible for 19% of the revenue which is behind travel between Seattle and Portland which accounts for 31% of revenue. This is impressive considering that there are double the trains between Seattle and Portland.

Annual Ridership by Segment in 2017. Select chart to enlarge.

There are some limitations to increasing rail service in Canada. One is the cost of providing border services, and the other is the rail corridor in Canada. For example, rail service has to use the over 100 year old Fraser River Rail bridge which is congested. It also has to travel slowly through White Rock beach.

While the provincial government and Washington State are studying bullet trains, a more pragmatic approach might be to invest in a few key upgrades such as bypassing White Rock and budgeting for more border services. This would allow more trains between our countries, and would make train service faster than driving. This would be more feasible than a $40 billion bullet train.