Good afternoon, Langley. It's a partly sunny Tuesday with a high near 22°C, a low around 12°C, and a 45 per cent chance of a passing shower to keep things interesting. Solid weather for reading through today's roundup.
Today's top story is a big one for Langley Township. A group of residents has filed a BC Supreme Court petition asking a judge to bar Mayor Eric Woodward and Councillors Tim Baillie and Rob Rindt from office for four years, alleging misuse of Township funds tied to Woodward's personal libel lawsuit. In response, the Progress for Langley council majority voted to authorize up to $500,000 in public money to defend the three men against the petition itself. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
In Langley City, Mayor Nathan Pachal joined community elders and youth for the annual Pride flag raising, where advocates shared stories of decades-long struggle and extended solidarity to 2SLGBTQ communities under attack elsewhere. Council also heard how downtown murals, storefront upgrades, and the Fraser Highway rebuild are drawing visitors back to the City's core.
Regionally, the Metro Vancouver board has voted to shrink itself from 45 directors to 34 in response to pressure over cost overruns at the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, though critics say the reforms fall short. And in Alberta, new legislation is formalizing a two-tier medical testing system, a warning sign for BC as privatization pressure on our own health system continues to build.
In sports, the Langley Thunder lacrosse season has come to a close, with both the Tier 1 and Jr. A squads eliminated from playoff contention.
Petition seeks four-year ban on Woodward, two councillors
Langley Township residents are asking a BC Supreme Court judge to bar Mayor Eric Woodward and two councillors from office for four years, alleging they misused Township funds in a legal fight that has now spawned a second one.
The petition, filed July 9 in Port Coquitlam, names Woodward, Coun. Tim Baillie, and Coun. Rob Rindt.
It alleges the three violated the Community Charter by voting to use public money to cover Woodward's personal libel lawsuit against several prominent locals, including Coun. Kim Richter, former cabinet minister Rich Coleman, and businessman Thomas Martini.
The petitioners want the court to declare the three men disqualified from holding local office for four years. None of the allegations have been tested in court, and the underlying libel case has not been resolved.
Woodward denies wrongdoing. He told the Langley Advance Times last year that the Township initially paid the legal bills but that he has since covered all costs himself, a position he confirmed recently.
Progress for Langley used its 5-4 council majority to authorize up to $500,000 in Township money to defend Woodward, Baillie, and Rindt against the new petition. The three Langley Strong councillors present voted against the motion, while Langley Strong Coun. Kim Richter was absent.
Woodward has called the petition an election stunt tied to Langley Strong candidates.
Langley Strong president Barbara Sharp says her organization did not file, fund, or direct it, and she has raised her own questions about the closed-meeting vote, including whether staff reports and independent legal advice were provided and whether the three named men declared a conflict of interest and left the room.
Langley City raises Pride flag as advocates share stories
Langley City raised its Pride flag on Monday, with advocates young and old sharing stories about the ongoing struggle for recognition and acceptance.
Mayor Nathan Pachal, who is gay, said the annual ceremony continues to matter because the 2SLGBTQ community has to keep showing that "we're actually here, and that we're not going away."
Lynn Richards, an elder in the queer community who has been out since 1973, spoke about being denied housing, losing a job for coming out to a co-worker, and spending three years fighting the Canadian Human Rights Commission for equal pay and benefits at Health Canada.
Younger advocates Matthew McCormack and Taylor Saayman represented Friends of Dorothy, a local group supported by Foundry Langley and Encompass Support Services Society, with Saayman extending solidarity to those affected by a recent attack on a Pride event in Berlin.
Langley Pride Society director Kirk Day said there is always more work to do "to ensure that no one feels they need to tackle this difficult existence alone," and Richards was given the honour of hoisting the flag.
Business groups say Langley City's Fraser Highway rebuild boosts downtown
Langley City Council heard Monday how murals, storefront improvements, and downtown events are drawing visitors to the City's core.
The presentation came from Chris Parsons of the Downtown Langley Business Association (DLBA) and Taryn Antalek of Discovery Langley City, both of which promote local shops and overnight stays.
Both leaders pointed to the growing collection of downtown murals as a major draw and a centrepiece of their marketing efforts.
Parsons also told Council the Fraser Highway renewal project has been a positive for downtown, encouraging people to rediscover local businesses.
Antalek highlighted the upcoming Langley Christmas Market as a key opportunity to bring overnight visitors to the City.
The DLBA is funded by a property tax within the Business Improvement Area, while Discovery Langley City is funded by a tax on hotels and short-term rentals; Council also granted the DLBA $16,935 this year for the Art Alive Festival.
Metro Vancouver votes to shrink board, add oversight body
The Metro Vancouver Regional District board has voted to shrink itself from 45 directors to 34, pending provincial approval.
Vancouver and Surrey would each be capped at three directors, down from seven and six, and votes would be weighted by population.
The board also created a major projects oversight committee in response to cost overruns at the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has ballooned from an estimated $700 million to more than $3.86 billion.
Governance chair Lisa Dominato said the reforms will make decision-making more efficient and accountable to taxpayers.
Critics including New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine and Richmond Coun. Kash Heed say the changes fall short, noting the board remains large and that directors continue to earn $557 per meeting on top of their municipal salaries.
Directors also agreed to explore merging the region's four separate sewerage areas into one for further potential savings.
Alberta formalizes two-tier medical testing, letting the wealthy skip the line
New legislative changes in Alberta are formalizing a private-pay medical testing scheme that allows people with money to jump ahead of everyone else waiting for diagnostic care.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warns this represents the end of equal access to medical testing and treatment in the province, a foundational principle of Canadian public health care.
What starts in Alberta rarely stays there. B.C. residents should watch closely, because privatization pressure on our own system continues to build.
Two-tier care doesn't shorten wait times overall. It just means the wait falls entirely on people who can't pay.
Langley Thunder lacrosse season ends with Tier 1 and Jr. A eliminations
The season has come to a close for both the Tier 1 and Jr. A Langley Thunder lacrosse teams following their eliminations from playoff contention.
Fans who packed the Langley Events Centre through the summer will now turn their attention to next season.
The players and coaching staff put in a strong showing across the campaign, keeping Langley's lacrosse tradition alive in a sport that runs deep in this community.
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