The best way to help The Langley Union grow is simple: share this newsletter. Forward it to a friend, mention it to your family, or post it on social media and encourage others to subscribe.
It's a warm and sunny Friday in Langley, sitting around 15°C with a few clouds overhead, and the weekend is shaping up to be even warmer.
Langley City Council had a productive meeting this week, voting to explore a mobile crisis response pilot that would pair police with healthcare workers, approving a Slow Streets program to bring 30 km/h speed limits to neighbourhood roads, and pushing the province for answers on those 300 long-term care beds that were promised in 2024.
Meanwhile, a KPMG audit found no evidence of non-compliance at the Township following a formal Community Charter complaint, though questions about the nature of that complaint remain unanswered.
On a lighter note, the Langley Fastball Association celebrated 50 years with a packed opening day, and the Langley Arts Council is helping local artists get paid through its new Ampersand Art Rentals and Sales program.
The Township also has a full spring and summer recreation schedule coming up, including BC Youth Week, the 64th Langley Walk, and open summer registration.
On a bigger regional stage, new analysis confirms that Nooksack River flooding into Sumas Prairie is a structural problem with no simple fix, record-low snowpack in the Okanagan is raising wildfire alarms, and five Vancouver Giants have landed in NHL Central Scouting's final draft rankings, led by defenceman Ryan Lin at 16th overall.
Langley City Council Moves on Crisis Response Pilot, Slow Streets, and Long-Term Care Advocacy
Langley City Council passed three notable motions on April 13, including direction to explore a one-year pilot of a Mobile Integrated Crisis Response team that would pair a police officer with a healthcare professional to respond to mental health calls.
The pilot, recommended by Langley City's Citizens' Assembly, aims to reduce repeated police calls for the same individuals and instead connect people with health-based supports. If successful, the data could strengthen the case for the province to fund the program permanently, as it does in other B.C. communities.
Council also voted to develop a Slow Streets Program for neighbourhood roads, which would include lowering speed limits to 30 km/h on local side streets. The move follows the recent endorsement of Transportation 2050, Langley City's long-range transportation plan.
On healthcare, Council directed a letter to the province asking for an update on the 300 long-term care beds announced for Langley Memorial Hospital in 2024. Recent provincial capital funding cuts have raised concerns that the commitment may be delayed or scaled back, a worrying prospect for a community already feeling the strain of an underfunded health system.
KPMG Audit Finds No Evidence of Non-compliance at Township of Langley
The Township of Langley's auditors at KPMG have concluded their review of a formal complaint filed under Section 172 of the Community Charter, finding no evidence of non-compliance by the municipality.
KPMG informed Township Council on February 9, 2026, that they had received the complaint, which alleged the Township was not meeting its legal obligations.
The audit process, triggered by the formal complaint mechanism available under provincial law, examined the Township's practices and found the allegations unsubstantiated.
While the Township frames this as a clean bill of health, residents may reasonably want to know more about the nature of the original complaint and whether it pointed to concerns worth addressing regardless of the technical compliance finding.
Langley Fastball Association Celebrates 50 Years of Community Ball
The Langley Fastball Association kicked off its 50th season this week, drawing hundreds of community members to opening ceremonies.
Half a century of volunteer-driven fastball is no small feat. The association has been a fixture of local recreation life since the mid-1970s.
Opening day brought out players and families across age groups, a reminder that accessible, community-run sports remain one of the most important forms of public recreation infrastructure in Langley.
Here's to 50 more years of keeping it local.
Langley Arts Council Expands Art Rental Program for Local Artists
The Langley Arts Council is helping artists earn money from their work through its Ampersand Art Rentals and Sales program.
The initiative places art in private businesses and venues, giving artists paid exhibition opportunities outside traditional galleries.
The council works with about 500 visual artists a year, drawing from Langley and across the Lower Mainland. More information is available at langleyarts.ca/ars.
Township of Langley Rec Roundup: Youth Week, the 64th Langley Walk, and Summer Registration
The Township of Langley has a packed calendar of recreation events and registration deadlines coming up.
BC Youth Week runs May 1 to 7 with activities for ages 13 to 18, including a skate jam at Walnut Grove Skate Park, a dessert cooking class, a disco skate, and weight training sessions.
The 64th annual Langley Walk takes place Sunday, May 3 in Fort Langley, featuring a scenic 5 km route along the Brae Island trails. Participants receive a commemorative crest at the finish line.
Move for Health Day lands on Sunday, May 10, with free bootcamp and cycle classes. Summer camp and program registration is now open for Township residents; non-residents can register starting Friday, April 17 at noon.
Summer swimming lesson schedules will be available starting Tuesday, June 9. Public recreation programs like these are essential community infrastructure, and it is good to see the Township keeping them accessible and varied.
Nooksack Flooding Is Getting Worse, and There Is No Easy Fix
The Nooksack River has flooded into Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie twice in five years, and a new round of technical analysis confirms the problem is not going away. U.S. officials in Whatcom County have now identified sediment buildup and a bottleneck at the Everson bridge as key drivers of the floods that have pushed water north into Canada.
The leading solution, known as "Widen the Funnel," would move dikes back and expand the bridge crossing to give the river more room. Modelling suggests it could cut floodwater heights at the Canadian border by about a foot, but flood risk on both sides would still be higher than it was in 2006.
The core problem is a river that keeps outpacing human attempts to control it.
Infrastructure like levees and roads has blocked the Nooksack from doing what rivers naturally do: shift course, cut new channels, and move sediment downstream toward the ocean.
One study found the river deposits sediment roughly 10 times faster than it can be removed.
Large-scale dredging, long demanded by locals, has been ruled out by scientists and the Nooksack Tribal Council, who say it would harm salmon without providing lasting relief. The tribal council has said it will support sediment management only if it is part of a broader plan that protects treaty rights and fish habitat alongside human safety.
Any move to reduce northbound flooding also comes with a catch: more water will go somewhere else.
Modelling shows the Widen the Funnel plan could raise flood levels by as much as a foot along more than 20 kilometres of river downstream within the United States. That political reality has blocked more aggressive options, including fully cutting off northbound floodwaters, which modelling showed would significantly worsen conditions for American communities.
Whatcom County flood manager Paula Harris and planning official Jed Holmes have been candid about the limits of what is achievable.
Even the best current solutions are expected to work for only about 50 years. Holmes has said the longer-term vision involves giving the river a full corridor reflecting the mile-wide spread it reached during the 2021 flood, a 200-year approach that does not yet have funding or a political pathway.
North of the border, Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens says the city is not waiting on American action.
The city has a large flood management plan that would include reconfigured dikes, a floodway, and a major pump station to drain Sumas Prairie during future events. The federal government rejected a 2024 funding application for the project, but after Siemens and Sumas First Nation Chief Dalton Silver visited Ottawa in February, both federal and provincial emergency management ministers committed to supporting long-term mitigation work.
A federal parliamentary secretary was scheduled to attend a meeting on April 17 to hear updates on a new watershed flood mitigation plan. A cross-border intergovernmental agreement signed in 2023 has also improved information sharing and helped fund early mitigation work. Siemens called the current level of federal engagement the highest it has ever been, while still describing himself as only "cautiously optimistic."
Sumas Prairie is not just farmland. It is crossed by Highway 1, major railways, BC Hydro transmission lines, and multiple pipelines, making it one of the most critical transportation and infrastructure corridors in British Columbia.
Two floods in five years have already demonstrated what is at stake. The December 2025 flood alone forced thousands from their homes and shut down Highway 1 for three days.
Record Low Snowpack in Okanagan Raises Alarm Ahead of B.C. Fire Season
Parts of the Okanagan are reporting record low snowpack heading into what forecasters expect will be a warm summer, setting up potentially dangerous wildfire conditions across British Columbia.
While other regions of the province are closer to normal snowpack levels, the outlook hinges heavily on whether May and June bring meaningful rainfall.
Year after year, B.C. communities bear the brunt of fire seasons that are growing more severe. The costs fall hardest on rural and Indigenous communities, while the fossil fuel extraction driving the climate crisis continues largely unchecked at the provincial and federal level.
This is not simply a weather story. It is the predictable consequence of decades of inadequate climate policy and the political influence of the oil and gas industry.
Five Vancouver Giants Named in NHL Central Scouting Final Draft Rankings
Five Langley-based Vancouver Giants have landed on NHL Central Scouting's final rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, led by defenceman Ryan Lin at 16th overall among North American skaters.
Lin, a Richmond product, led the Giants in scoring this season with 57 points in 53 games. His 1.08 points per game ranked third among Giants defencemen in franchise history.
Forward Mathis Preston came in at 32nd, also projecting as a potential first-round pick despite missing significant time with a lower-body injury. Brett Olson (173rd), Tobias Tomik (193rd), and Joe Iginla (200th) round out the list.
Both Lin and Preston will represent Canada at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship in Slovakia later this month. The 2026 NHL Draft takes place June 26 to 27 in Buffalo.
What did you think?
Help us improve! Take a quick 60-second survey to share your thoughts on this article.
Take the Survey