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Happy Tuesday, Langley. It's a cloudy 9°C out there with a high near 12°C and only a slight chance of rain, so not a bad day to get outside and enjoy some sunshine!
Today is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, and The Langley Union stands in full solidarity with trans, non-binary, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse members of our community. They are our neighbours, coworkers, and friends, and today is a good day to show up for them.
If you're looking to mark the day locally, Vancouver's Grandview Park is hosting a community gathering from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. with snacks, games, and crafts, and UBC is flying the trans flag at both its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. More info can be found here.
In today's roundup: Langley City Council takes a major step forward with Transportation 2050, a long-term plan to shift the city toward walking, cycling, and transit.
TransLink unveils a massive transit-first operation for the FIFA World Cup this summer, with almost no parking at any venue.
A training plane crash at Pitt Meadows Airport sends one to hospital. BC doctors push back against new health regulations they say strip professional self-governance.
A Victoria councillor deepfakes himself to call for AI regulation. The Giving Hearts Gala returns to support Langley health care.
The Barry Bauder Memorial Tournament brings 33 teams to Aldergrove. And the Canadian Premier League becomes the first pro league to trial FIFA's new offside rule.
Seventh Annual Giving Hearts Gala Set to Boost Langley Health Care Endowment
Recap of 2025 Giving Hearts Gala
The Langley Community Health Hospital Foundation is hosting its seventh annual Giving Hearts Gala to continue building the community's health care endowment.
This signature fundraising event has become a cornerstone of local philanthropy, bringing together community members, business leaders, and health care advocates to support vital medical services in Langley. Over the past six years, the gala has successfully raised significant funds to enhance patient care and upgrade medical equipment at local health facilities.
The endowment created through these efforts ensures sustainable, long-term funding for health care initiatives that benefit Langley residents. Proceeds from this year's gala will continue to support critical infrastructure improvements and medical programs.
Community support for the foundation's work demonstrates Langley's commitment to maintaining high-quality local health care services for all residents.
Barry Bauder Memorial Tournament Brings 33 Teams Together in Aldergrove
Barry Bauder was a beloved figure in Aldergrove's soccer community, known for his warm spirit and deep connection with young players.
After he died from cancer in 2007, the local soccer scene rallied to keep his memory alive.
Now in its 19th year, the Barry Bauder Memorial Tournament drew 33 teams across five divisions to Aldergrove last weekend, with volunteers and Bauder's own family helping organize the event.
A silent auction raised funds for Brain Cancer Canada, and organizers are already looking ahead to a milestone 20th anniversary tournament in 2027.
Langley City Council Endorses Transportation 2050, a Plan to Move Beyond Cars
Langley City Council has endorsed Transportation 2050, a long-term plan to make the city safer and more accessible for people who walk, bike, roll, and ride transit.
The plan, shaped by community input since 2021, sets four core goals:
- Improving safety and comfort,
- Building a connected and accessible network,
- Shifting more trips away from cars, and
- Preparing for new mobility options like e-scooters and sharing programs.
Priority projects include cycling infrastructure and intersection upgrades along Fraser Highway, a multi-use path on Industrial Avenue, new sidewalks and bike connections on 203A Street to improve SkyTrain access, and a pathway on 56th Avenue to help students reach Langley Secondary School safely.
The City also plans to advocate for provincial safety improvements and multi-use paths along the Langley Bypass.
Some projects, including paths on Grade Crescent and Industrial Avenue, are already funded and awaiting construction.
Looking further ahead, Transportation 2050 calls for expanded Safe Routes to School programs, a micromobility strategy, a Slow Streets program for residential areas, and an updated traffic calming policy.
Training Plane Crashes at Pitt Meadows Airport, Pilot Hospitalized
A Cessna 172N crashed at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport on Monday morning while doing flight training circuits.
The pilot, who was the only person on board, was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed investigators to determine the circumstances of the crash.
The airport's outer runway remains closed, but normal operations continue.
TransLink Goes All-In on Transit for FIFA World Cup, With Almost No Parking in Sight
TransLink is preparing a massive transit operation for the FIFA World Cup this summer, with seven matches at BC Place expected to draw roughly 350,000 fans.
The plan includes 12,000 extra bus service hours, SkyTrain trains running every two minutes downtown, extended late-night service, dedicated shuttle routes to the 28-day Fan Festival at the PNE, and expanded SeaBus and West Coast Express schedules.
Notably, there will be "very limited provision for parking, if at all" at any venue, making transit the only realistic way to get to games.
It is a welcome proof of concept for what transit-first event planning can look like in Metro Vancouver, and a reminder that moving large crowds efficiently has never required massive parking lots.
Transit Police will also boost patrols across the system, with detection dogs, multilingual safety information, and coordination with municipal, provincial, and federal authorities throughout the tournament.
Victoria Councillor Uses AI Deepfake of Himself to Push for Regulation
htmlA Victoria city councillor made his point about AI risks by releasing a deepfake video of himself.
The AI-generated version of Jeremy Caradonna demonstrated how easy it is to create realistic fake content that could spread disinformation.
Caradonna plans to ask council this week to push the issue to both the Union of BC Municipalities and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, calling for coordinated regulation across all levels of government.
He argues that computer-generated content should be treated as a national security threat, given its potential to undermine the democratic process voters and elected officials depend on.
BC Doctors Warn New Health Regulations Strip Professional Self-Governance
New rules taking effect April 1 will dramatically reshape how health professionals are regulated in BC, and doctors are not happy about it.
The province is cutting the number of regulatory colleges from 15 to six, replacing elected board members with ministerial appointments, and limiting appeal rights from full court hearings to narrower judicial reviews.
Doctors of BC warns the changes could politicize disciplinary decisions and drive physicians out of the province at a time when recruitment already lags behind demand.
Health Minister Josie Osborne argues the reforms do the opposite, putting public safety first and removing the conflicts that come with professions policing themselves.
The core question is one without an easy answer: whether the people best equipped to oversee medical practice are the practitioners themselves, or whether self-regulation has always carried the risk of serving insiders over the public.
Canadian Premier League First to Trial FIFA's New Offside Rule
The Canadian Premier League will become the first professional league in the world to test a new "daylight" offside rule when its season kicks off this Saturday.
The rule was proposed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA's head of global football development, and the CPL is working directly with FIFA on the trial.
The league is also introducing a new video review system this season, giving head coaches two chances per match to request reviews of key incidents.
The CPL's eighth season opens with Forge FC hosting reigning champions Atletico Ottawa in Hamilton.
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