> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.langleyunion.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Langley Roundup: News for August 26th, 2026 - URL: https://www.langleyunion.ca/langley-roundup-news-for-august-26th-2026/ - Published: 2026-08-26T23:30:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-26T23:30:19.000Z - Description: A new TransLink shuttle finally links Langley Centre to Gloucester, Langley City orders its first external efficiency review, the Air Fair lands Saturday, hazardous waste drop-off returns, toxic drug deaths climb again, and the Giants open preseason in Langley. - Author: Rainer Fehrenbacher - Tags: events, news, Morning Roundup Reader-supported journalism ### Help keep daily local news in Langley. The Langley Union publishes original local reporting every day. No ads, no sponsored content, no paywalls, because community journalism should be available to everyone who lives here, not just those who can afford an online subscription. That model only works when readers who can pitch in, do. If you find real value in this work and want to help keep it going, becoming a paying member or leaving a tip makes the next article possible. If you're just here to read, that's welcome too. No pressure. [Become a member](https://www.langleyunion.ca/p/9ee68844-587f-4e61-81da-6f9526083b9f/?member%5Fstatus=free#/portal/) [Leave a tip](https://www.langleyunion.ca/tip-jar/) It is sunny and about 22 C in Langley today, and that is as warm as this week gets. Saturday cools to roughly 19 C with a 30 per cent chance of rain, which is worth knowing if you are heading to the Air Fair, though organizers have already promised the event runs rain or shine. Today's roundup opens with transit. TransLink's new 556 shuttle starts Sept. 7 and finally connects Langley Centre to the Gloucester Industrial Estates, closing a gap that has cost workers without cars their time, their money and sometimes their shifts. At City Hall, Langley City has hired MNP LLP for its first external efficiency review. The report lands in the fall, which means it will be handed to whoever wins October's election. There is plenty to plan around. The Township's household hazardous waste drop-off returns Sept. 19 and 20 at George Preston, the Air Fair takes over the airport this Saturday, and the Blackberry Bakeoff turned an invasive species into a lesson in ecology and pie. The harder news comes from the BC Coroners Service, which reported 138 suspected toxic drug deaths in June. That is a jump of nearly 25 per cent over May, and it brings the year's toll to 792. We also look at blood services in three countries appealing for donors at the same time, a reminder that Langley's American citizens can still register for the November midterms, and the Vancouver Giants opening their preseason at the new ARENAS at Langley Events Centre on Sept. 13. ### New TransLink shuttle finally links Langley Centre to Gloucester industrial area ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/c4/4cc4e4f9-b586-4a72-8664-0bd9dc7aec41/content/images/2026/08/GloucesterBus.webp) Starting on Sept. 7, the new 556 TransLink bus route will help connect Langley Centre to Aldergrove's Gloucester Industrial Area. (TransLink) After years of pressure from the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and workers stranded without transit options, a new shuttle route now connects Langley Centre to the Gloucester Industrial Estates. The chamber is calling the launch a "major win," a reminder that reliable transit to job sites is a basic piece of rights infrastructure, not a luxury. Gloucester has long been one of the largest employment hubs in the Township, yet workers without cars had few realistic ways to get there. The new link should ease that gap, particularly for shift workers and newcomers who have been quietly subsidizing the shortfall with long walks, expensive rideshares, or missed shifts. [Read More](https://langleyadvancetimes.com/2026/08/25/new-route-links-langley-centre-gloucester/?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Air Fair lands at Langley Regional Airport Saturday ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/c4/4cc4e4f9-b586-4a72-8664-0bd9dc7aec41/content/images/2026/08/air-fair-2026.jpg) Image credit Township of Langley The Air Fair returns to Langley Regional Airport this Saturday. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5385 216 Street, rain or shine, with aircraft on display, food trucks, live music, a local market and a kids zone. This is not an air show, so the planes stay parked, though the RCMP air division is scheduled to fly by and rappel near the runway at 2 p.m. Organizers are asking people to leave the car at home, and KPU is running a free shuttle from its Langley campus every 20 minutes starting at 9:45 a.m. Parking at the airport is limited, and street parking along 216 Street and 56 Avenue is not allowed. Bikes are not permitted on the grounds either, which is a curious rule for an event that dedicates a significant amount of its parking instructions asking people to arrive without a car. [Learn More](https://www.tol.ca/en/air-fair-at-the-langley-regional-airport.aspx?ref=langleyunion.ca) Like what you are reading? The Langley Union runs with no ads, no paywalls, and no sponsored content. Only readers like you keeping it going. [Leave a one-time tip ](https://langleyunionca.outpost.pub/donate?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Langley City hires MNP for efficiency review ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/c4/4cc4e4f9-b586-4a72-8664-0bd9dc7aec41/content/images/2026/06/IMG_4603--1-.jpg) Langley City Council chambers Langley City has hired an outside firm to take a hard look at how it operates. Council brought in MNP LLP, one of Canada's largest accounting and advisory firms, to examine services, internal processes, and technology use. It is the City's first external efficiency review, though internal ones have been done before. Mayor Nathan Pachal said the work is not about layoffs or service cuts, and that the City needs to raise service levels rather than trim them. Chief Administrative Officer Francis Cheung said an independent perspective will help improve processes and better support staff. The final report goes to council in fall 2026, which puts it in the hands of whoever wins October's municipal election. The word "efficiency" tends to mean very different things depending on who ends up holding the report. [Read More](https://langleyadvancetimes.com/2026/08/24/city-hires-consultant-for-efficiency-and-effectiveness-review/?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Langley Township's hazardous waste drop-off is back ![black and white no smoking sign](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1624021097773-306e8dce6684?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDd8fGhhemFyZG91cyUyMHdhc3RlfGVufDB8fHx8MTc4Nzc4NjA3Mnww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Bernd 📷 Dittrich](https://unsplash.com/@hdbernd?ref=langleyunion.ca) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) Langley Township's Household Hazardous Waste Plus event returns next month. It runs Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the east parking lot at George Preston Recreation Centre. Access is from southbound 208 Street only. Crews will take batteries, motor oil, pool chemicals, fire extinguishers, electronics, bear spray and anything else carrying a hazard symbol. They will also collect non-perishable food for the Aldergrove Food Bank. Paint, solvents, pesticides and fuels are not accepted at this event, but Metro Vancouver's Langley and Surrey depots take them free all year. The event is for Township residents only, and it is drive-through: staff unload from your trunk or truck bed, and walk-ins are turned away. That last rule quietly excludes anyone without a car, which is a gap worth closing in a place where the alternative is often the garbage bin or the storm drain. One detail worth flagging in the body copy: residents with an item that is not on the accepted list need to call 604-532-7300 by Sept. 11 to confirm before showing up. [Learn More](https://www.tol.ca/en/services/household-hazardous-waste.aspx?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Blackberry Bakeoff turns an invasive species into a community lesson ![A bunch of blackberries hanging from a tree](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1722703076350-7c6a8d0f5e3b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDh8fGJsYWNrYmVycmllc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODc3ODUwMTF8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [David J. Boozer](https://unsplash.com/@davidjboozer?ref=langleyunion.ca) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) Langley's Blackberry Bakeoff returned this week, drawing bakers and berry enthusiasts to celebrate the humble Himalayan blackberry while quietly teaching visitors about the plant's status as an invasive species. Organizers use the festival to explain how the berry, introduced in the late 1800s, has crowded out native plants across the Lower Mainland. The event pairs pies, crumbles, and jams with conversations about ecological stewardship, proving that climate literacy can taste pretty good. [Read More](https://langleyadvancetimes.com/2026/08/25/brazen-berries-beguile-at-langleys-blackberry-bakeoff/?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Blood services in Canada, England, and Australia plead for donors ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/c4/4cc4e4f9-b586-4a72-8664-0bd9dc7aec41/content/images/2026/08/CBS_Logo_descriptors_CMYK.svg) Blood services in Canada, England and Australia are asking for more donors at the same time. Supplies across the three countries have dropped by as much as 30 per cent in recent months, which the agencies blame on heat waves, seasonal illness and changing donation habits. Demand keeps climbing as populations age and more people live with cancer or sickle cell disease, conditions that require regular transfusions. Canadian Blood Services says only about two per cent of eligible Canadians give blood, and inventories here fell nearly 20 per cent in the past month. The appeal leans hard on personal choice, but the barriers are usually practical: clinic hours built around a nine-to-five schedule, locations that assume a car, and no paid time off to sit in a chair for an hour. Raising the numbers beyond that two per cent may have less to do with willingness than with whether the system is designed for people who don't have the ability to take excused time away from work. [Read More](https://www.blood.ca/en/about-us/media/newsroom/global-blood-services-unite-call-more-donors?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Langley's American voters can weigh in on the midterms ![Voted printed papers on white surface](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1540908390241-82158ab62887?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDN8fHZvdGV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzg3Nzg1Njc2fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Element5 Digital](https://unsplash.com/@element5digital?ref=langleyunion.ca) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) Americans living in Langley can still vote in this fall's U.S. midterm elections. Democrats Abroad has a registration drive running for dual Canadian-American citizens and other eligible voters in B.C., with sign-up at Votefromabroad.org or FVAP.gov. Anyone who turns 18 by Nov. 3 qualifies, no matter how long they have lived in Canada. One detail trips people up: a ballot must be requested again every calendar year, even by people who are already registered. The timing is hard to ignore, because every seat in the House and about a third of the Senate are on the ballot. Congress is the branch that can claw back the tariff powers the White House is using, and after last week's 50 per cent duties on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods, a border community that lives on trade has a stake in the result. Register or update your registration through [Votefromabroad.org](https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Toxic drug deaths climb again in June, with 138 lives lost ![red vehicle in timelapse photography](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1554734867-bf3c00a49371?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fGFtYnVsYW5jZXxlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODc3ODUxMjd8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [camilo jimenez](https://unsplash.com/@camstejim?ref=langleyunion.ca) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) The BC Coroners Service reports 138 people died from suspected toxic drug poisonings in June, a nearly 25 per cent increase over May and bringing the 2026 total to 792. Behind each number is a person, and behind the crisis is a poisoned unregulated supply that continues to kill while safer supply and decriminalization programs are scaled back under political pressure. Frontline workers and drug user advocates continue to call for expanded access to regulated alternatives, housing, and health care, rather than a return to enforcement-first approaches that have consistently failed. [Read More](https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/toxic-drug-deaths-in-june-reach-138-bringing-2026-total-to-792/?ref=langleyunion.ca) ### Giants preseason coming to new ARENAS at Langley Events Centre ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/c4/4cc4e4f9-b586-4a72-8664-0bd9dc7aec41/content/images/2026/08/Preseason-Tickets-e1787640452585.png) Image credit Vancouver Giants CHL The Vancouver Giants will play a preseason game against the Victoria Royals on Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m. at the brand new ARENAS at Langley Events Centre, right next door to the team's regular home rink. A second preseason matchup is set for Saturday, September 12 at Port Coquitlam's Jon Baillie Arena. Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward called the new facility a welcome boost for youth sports capacity in the community. Tickets are $17 including tax, general admission, and available online only. There will be no door sales. [Read More](https://chl.ca/whl-giants/article/giants-preseason-tickets-on-sale?ref=langleyunion.ca) --- ### What did you think? Help us improve! Take a quick 60-second survey to share your thoughts on this article. [ Take the Survey ](https://baserow.langleyunion.ca/form/bKCR4KWPlRNsqvIy18aNi6U3i-yGWNhz1SUqH372nfU?prefill%5FReferring%20Article=26APRIL07ROUNDUP&ref=langleyunion.ca) Reader-supported journalism ### Help keep daily local news in Langley. The Langley Union publishes original local reporting every day. No ads, no sponsored content, no paywalls, because community journalism should be available to everyone who lives here, not just those who can afford an online subscription. That model only works when readers who can pitch in, do. If you find real value in this work and want to help keep it going, becoming a paying member or leaving a tip makes the next article possible. If you're just here to read, that's welcome too. No pressure. [Become a member](https://www.langleyunion.ca/p/9ee68844-587f-4e61-81da-6f9526083b9f/?member%5Fstatus=free#/portal/) [Leave a tip](https://www.langleyunion.ca/tip-jar/)