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Happy Monday, Langley!
It's cloudy and about 11°C out there today, with a chance of rain hanging around.
The First Nations Leadership Council is calling out Premier David Eby for gutting DRIPA, while the Heiltsuk Nation is taking its fight for oil spill justice to the United Nations in London.
Closer to home, the Township is catching heat for planning rooftop mini golf on a Willoughby reservoir while the Aldergrove reservoir sits unfunded and crumbling.
On the pitch, the Whitecaps are sitting on top of MLS after a 2-0 win over New York City FC, but Vancouver FC are still hunting for their first win after a tough 90th-minute loss to Forge.
Plus, a salmon release at West Creek, young local actors heading to the stage in "Shrek: The Musical," and hundreds of swimmers competing in Walnut Grove.
West Creek Salmon Release Puts Spotlight on Industrial Pressures Facing Langley Streams
A hands-on salmon release at West Creek gave community members a close look at the fragile lives of young fish, and the mounting industrial threats to the streams they depend on.
The event, framed around "little lives in a bucket," focused on conservation and the importance of protecting local waterways from encroaching development and pollution.
Langley's streams face ongoing pressure from industrial land use, stormwater runoff, and habitat fragmentation, all of which disproportionately affect the ecosystems that sustain wild salmon populations.
Events like these serve as a reminder that salmon conservation is not just an environmental feel-good story; it is deeply tied to Indigenous food sovereignty, ecological health, and the question of who gets to profit from land use decisions that degrade shared waterways.
Township Plans Rooftop Mini Golf While Aldergrove Reservoir Crumbles
@mike.parker.langl Langley is building mini-golf and beer gardens on a reservoir roof. Meanwhile Aldergrove's reservoir is leaking and the replacement is completely unfunded. This is how the Township is being run. #LangleyTownship #LangleyBC #Langley ♬ original sound - Mike Parker Langley
The Township of Langley wants to build mini golf and cornhole on top of the Smith Reservoir in Willoughby.
At the same time, the Aldergrove reservoir is in critical structural failure and leaking despite repairs done in 2023. A replacement is estimated at $50.5 million, but no funding has been set aside.
Community activist Mike Parker highlighted the contrast in a recent video, questioning why the Township is spending on rooftop recreation while basic drinking water infrastructure falls apart.
Young Langley Actors Land Roles in 'Shrek: The Musical'
Two Langley kids are heading to the big stage.
Hannah Durnin, 10, and Preston Culili, 13, have been cast in Royal City Musical Theatre's spring production of "Shrek: The Musical" at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster.
Durnin, a Grade 5 student at Langley Fine Arts, plays Young Fiona and sings with the ensemble as Tinkerbell. Culili, a Grade 8 student at Yorkson Creek Middle School, takes on the role of Young Shrek.
The show runs April 17 to May 3.
Hundreds of Swimmers Compete at April Invitational Meet in Walnut Grove
The Walnut Grove pool played host to hundreds of competitors over the weekend as Olympians Swimming held its annual April Invitational meet.
The event drew swimmers from across the region, making it one of the larger competitive swim gatherings in the Fraser Valley this spring.
Community-run swim clubs like Olympians Swimming rely heavily on public pool infrastructure, a reminder that investing in accessible recreation facilities pays dividends for youth development and community health.
Langley Fundamental's Little Mermaid Heads to the Stage with 11 Performances
Langley Fundamental is going all in on its production of The Little Mermaid, with five shows for students from across the district and six public performances planned.
The ambitious schedule reflects the school's commitment to making the arts a shared experience rather than an exclusive one.
School theatre productions like this are a lifeline for arts education, particularly as funding for creative programming in public schools continues to face pressure.
Audiences can expect a full-scale show driven entirely by student talent and dedication.
Langley Horse Group Begins $300K Upgrade to Campbell Valley Riding Ring
A Langley equestrian group has kicked off a $300,000 upgrade to the public riding ring at Campbell Valley Regional Park.
The park is home to some of the region's most well-used riding amenities, and the improvements aim to keep this public infrastructure functional and accessible.
It is worth noting that Campbell Valley sits on the traditional and unceded territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, and Matsqui First Nations, lands with deep histories that predate any recreational use.
The investment in public equestrian facilities is a welcome alternative to the privatization trends that have reshaped recreation access across the Fraser Valley.
First Nations Leadership Council Condemns Eby's Betrayal on Indigenous Rights
The First Nations Leadership Council, the combined political voice of the BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, and Union of BC Indian Chiefs, is calling out Premier David Eby for abandoning DRIPA.
In an op-ed published in The Tyee, the FNLC argues that Eby's push to suspend key sections of B.C.'s Indigenous human rights law is a political calculation, not a legal necessity, designed to outflank the BC Conservatives by borrowing their anti-Indigenous rhetoric.
DRIPA was passed unanimously in 2019 and co-developed with First Nations. It affirms rights that every other Canadian already has.
Gutting it to chase poll numbers is not just a betrayal of reconciliation.
It is a government telling Indigenous peoples that their human rights are negotiable when they become politically inconvenient.
Heiltsuk Nation Takes Oil Spill Fight to the United Nations
The Heiltsuk Nation is heading to London to push for change at the International Maritime Organization.
Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett will ask the UN body to update its oil spill compensation formula to account for Indigenous cultural losses.
The push comes nearly a decade after the Nathan E. Stewart tugboat spill dumped 110,000 litres of diesel into Heiltsuk waters, with over $23 million in recovery costs still unpaid.
Slett also challenged Canada's credibility on new pipeline proposals, asking how First Nations can trust Ottawa on projects like the Alberta-to-coast bitumen pipeline when it still hasn't made things right from the last spill.
Vancouver FC Fall to Forge on Heartbreaking 90th-Minute Goal
Vancouver FC created plenty of chances but couldn't find the finish.
Forge FC's Maxime Filion scored in the 90th minute to steal a 1-0 win in Langley on Saturday, extending Forge's winning streak at the venue to six straight.
The Eagles put up 23 touches in the box and 1.33 expected goals, but Forge keeper Dimitry Bertaud was outstanding all night.
Vancouver FC head on the road for the first time this season to face Inter Toronto on April 19.
Whitecaps Sit Atop MLS After Dominant Win Over New York City FC
Vancouver is officially the best team in Major League Soccer.
The Whitecaps beat New York City FC 2-0 on Saturday, improving to 6-1-0 and claiming the top spot in the league standings with the best goal differential (plus 15) and the best offence (19 goals).
Mathias Laborda opened the scoring, and Brian White sealed it in the 87th minute with his sixth goal of the season.
The squad is set to get even stronger, with Ranko Veselinovic nearing a return and Ryan Gauld potentially available in the coming weeks.
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