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Happy Thursday, friends! We've got mostly sunny skies and a high near 19°C are setting up Langley for a pleasant afternoon, just in time for the Langley Community Farmers' Market to open its summer season tonight at the Langley Events Centre.
Athletes from across B.C. are also in town for the provincial track and field championships at McLeod Athletic Park through Saturday.
Elsewhere, TransLink continues design work on two South of Fraser bus rapid transit lines (though funding to actually build them remains absent), salishan Place launches programs for National Indigenous History Month, and a new candidate has joined Mayor Eric Woodward's Progress for Langley slate.
On the federal beat, author Cory Doctorow argues Prime Minister Mark Carney is undermining his own progressive agenda, B.C. earned a "D" on Food Banks Canada's 2026 poverty report card, and a Vancouver activist describes being tortured by Israeli forces after his Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla was intercepted in April.
Langley farmers market doubles up for summer 2026
The Langley Community Farmers' Market kicks off its summer season tonight, June 4, at the Langley Events Centre grounds.
Thursday markets at the LEC run weekly until Aug. 27, and a second weekly market launches June 10 at Douglas Park in Langley City, running Wednesdays until Aug. 26.
Both markets run 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and pair with the Sounds of Summer concert series at each location.
A recent $2,000 donation from the Langley Foundation will support the market's coupon program through Raphael House, helping lower-income families, pregnant people, and seniors access fresh local produce.
salishan Place hosts Indigenous History Month programs
salishan Place by the River is hosting a series of free and low-cost programs through June to mark National Indigenous History Month.
Kwantlen First Nation Elder and Traditional Knowledge Keeper Karen Gabriel will lead two free presentations: Scats and Tracks on Saturday, June 6 from 1 to 3 p.m., and Edible Plants on Sunday, June 14 from 1 to 3 p.m.
On Sunday, June 21 from 1 to 2:15 p.m., 3 Crows Productions brings an interactive retelling of How Raven Stole the Sun, a family-friendly performance that invites audience members on stage to help tell the story.
Tickets for the Raven performance are $10 per person, and advance registration is required for all events through the Township of Langley.
BRT design advances for Langley, funding still missing
TransLink is moving forward on two bus rapid transit routes for the South of Fraser.
One would connect Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley to Haney Place in Maple Ridge, while the other runs along King George Boulevard in Surrey, with both lines operating in dedicated right-of-way for about two-thirds of their length to deliver travel times competitive with driving.
Detailed design work is funded through 2027, but no money has been secured to actually build or operate the lines.
TransLink will also extend its R2 RapidBus through Burnaby this September, with peak service running every six to seven minutes.
salishan Place seeks volunteers for museum programs
salishan Place in Fort Langley is looking for volunteers to help with the day-to-day activities that keep the museum running.
Volunteers are described as the heart and soul of the facility, and the museum says it could not maintain its current level of programming without them.
There are multiple ways to get involved, from greeting visitors to supporting exhibitions and events.
If you have some time and want to contribute to a space that celebrates local history and Indigenous culture, this is worth a look.
New Candidate Joins Progress For Langley Slate for Township Council
A new candidate named June Park has joined the Progress For Langley slate, adding another name to the growing field for Township council.
Progress For Langley continues to build out its roster ahead of the municipal election.
Details on Park's platform and priorities have not yet been widely shared, so residents will want to keep an eye on what this slate is actually proposing for housing, transit, and community services.
With more candidates entering the race, voters will have choices to make about who is genuinely prioritizing the needs of working families and renters in the Township.
Langley Hosts B.C. Track and Field Championships at McLeod Athletic Park
Athletes from across British Columbia are converging on Langley's McLeod Athletic Park for the provincial track and field championships, running June 4 to 6.
The event brings a burst of competitive energy to the community and showcases some of the province's top athletic talent.
It's a great opportunity for local spectators to catch high-level competition right in their own backyard.
B.C. Earns a 'D' on National Poverty Report Card
Food Banks Canada has released its 2026 Poverty Report Card, and B.C. earned a dismal "D" while the country overall scored a "D+".
The grade reflects ongoing failures to address the root causes of poverty: unaffordable housing, inadequate income supports, and a social safety net stretched to breaking point.
These aren't abstract statistics. They translate directly into longer food bank lineups, more families choosing between rent and groceries, and deeper precarity for renters and low-income workers across the Fraser Valley.
The question, as always, is whether any level of government will treat this as the emergency it is, or whether the report will collect dust alongside last year's equally grim results.
Doctorow: Carney undermines his own progressive agenda
Author and digital rights advocate Cory Doctorow argues that Prime Minister Mark Carney keeps promising progressive policies but refuses to actually deliver them.
Doctorow points to Carney scrapping the digital services tax on US tech giants under Trump pressure, gutting Competition Bureau funding just after Parliament strengthened its powers, eliminating Canada's consumer protection agency, and handing a major military contract to Palantir.
He also flags Carney's plan to replace tens of thousands of civil servants with AI chatbots run by US corporations tied to the Trump administration.
The deeper risk, Doctorow warns, is that austerity from a centrist Liberal government is exactly what paves the way for the far-right strongman who comes next.
BC activist recounts Israeli torture on Gaza flotilla
A Vancouver activist says Israeli forces beat, tasered, and detained him aboard a warship after intercepting the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla he was sailing on in April.
Sebastian Tow, 24, was one of 12 Canadians among more than 400 Global Sumud Flotilla participants detained, with activists alleging sexual and physical assault in Israeli custody, including more than 10 reported sexual assaults and over 30 cases of broken or fractured ribs.
Israeli authorities deny the abuse allegations, though German and Spanish officials have confirmed injuries to their citizens, according to BBC reporting.
Tow calls the response from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand "spineless," arguing their muted condemnation contradicts the liberal principles they claim to uphold.
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