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 cloudy 13°C in Langley this morning, with the rest of the week looking warmer and mostly dry.
Leading today's roundup: demand at the LAPS Pet Food Bank keeps climbing as cost-of-living pressures squeeze local families, and the 11th annual Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation returns to Fort Langley on May 29.
We also cover a Langley resident's call to end the genocide in Gaza, sharp backlash to the Carney government's new pipeline deal with Alberta, and an Aldergrove community rally that raised over $5,000 for a teen battling cancer.
On the sports beat, the Bandits prepare for their Langley home opener after a defensive lapse in Edmonton, Vancouver FC dropped a tight one to Cavalry at Willoughby, and Rise FC notched their first win of the season.
Cost-of-living crunch drives LAPS Pet Food Bank demand
More Langley families are turning to the Langley Animal Protection Society's pet food bank as the cost of living squeezes household budgets.
In 2025, LAPS distributed nearly 20,000 pounds of dry pet food and over 4,400 cans of wet food, supporting 2,264 animals and more than 674 families, said executive director Sarah Jones.
Many clients are seniors, single parents, and people on fixed incomes who sometimes skip their own meals or medical care to keep their pets fed.
LAPS is launching a new Family Pet Program offering food bank access, spay and neuter vouchers, and emergency veterinary funding, with donation details at lapsbc.ca/donate.
Walk for Reconciliation returns to Fort Langley May 29
The 11th annual Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation starts in Fort Langley on May 29 and ends in Mission on May 31.
The three-day event honours the more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children taken from their families and placed in residential schools.
It begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Fort Langley National Historic Site with a 2.5-kilometre walk to the Kwantlen First Nation long house, and culminates at the former St. Mary's Indian Residential School site for a discussion on reconciliation, social justice, and land decisions.
Organizers ask attendees to register at reconciliationwalk.com, with family-friendly routes and driving options available for those who cannot walk the full distance.
Langley Resident Speaks Out on Gaza as Flotilla Intercepted by Israeli Forces
A Langley resident has written a Lettter to the Langley Advance Times to call on the world to "rise up and stop the cruelty" unfolding in Gaza, adding a local voice to the growing international outcry.
Her letter arrives as Israeli forces intercepted flotilla boats off the coast of Cyprus on Monday, the latest attempt by activists to breach the naval blockade that has restricted aid and supplies to Gaza's civilian population.
The blockade has been widely condemned by humanitarian organizations as a form of collective punishment against Palestinians.
Solidarity efforts, from flotillas to letters to the editor in community papers, reflect a broad public that refuses to look away from an ongoing act of genocide.
Carney pipeline deal slammed as climate 'betrayal'
Environmental groups and First Nations leaders are calling a new federal deal with Alberta a betrayal of Canada's climate goals.
The Friday agreement fast-tracks another oil pipeline to B.C.'s coast and slashes Alberta's planned carbon price from $170 to $115 per tonne by 2030, saving polluters an estimated $240 billion.
Climate Action Network Canada says Prime Minister Mark Carney is "taking a sledgehammer" to Canada's climate plan, while Coastal First Nations leaders insist no route or equity offer will win their support.
B.C. Premier David Eby called the deal a reward for Alberta's separatist threats, though Energy Minister Adrian Dix has signaled openness to a southern route paralleling Trans Mountain.
Aldergrove Community Rallies to Raise Over $5,000 for Teen Fighting Cancer
An Aldergrove fundraiser has raised more than $5,000 for a 16-year-old currently undergoing cancer treatment at BC Children's Hospital.
The outpouring of community support reflects the kind of mutual aid that steps in where systems fall short; even in a province with public healthcare, the financial toll of a serious illness on a family can be staggering.
Travel, accommodation near the hospital, lost income, and out-of-pocket costs add up fast, and it is almost always neighbours and community members who fill the gap.
Organizers say the funds will go directly toward supporting the teen and their family through treatment.
April Inflation Report Expected to Show Oil Shock Hitting Household Budgets
Statistics Canada is set to release its consumer price index for April, and analysts expect an oil price shock to push inflation higher.
For working families in the Fraser Valley and across the country, rising energy costs ripple through everything: groceries, commuting, heating, and the price of goods that have to be shipped.
The inflation reading arrives as household budgets remain stretched by years of elevated costs, with wage growth for many workers failing to keep pace.
It is worth asking who profits from oil price volatility and who is left absorbing the damage. The answer, as usual, tends to flow in one direction.
B.C. Runner Shatters Barefoot 50K World Record
Kelowna ultra-runner Savannah Wild smashed the women's barefoot 50-kilometre world record on Victoria Day.
The 27-year-old finished in just over five hours and eight minutes at the Greater Vernon Athletic Park, beating the previous Guinness record of seven hours by nearly two hours.
The feat is even more remarkable given Wild was hit by a truck in 2024, broke her neck, and was told her athletic career was over.
She is now training for the Canadian Death Race in six weeks, while evidence from witnesses is submitted to Guinness for official review.
Rise FC grab first win of season in Halifax
Vancouver Rise FC earned their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Halifax Tides FC on Monday.
Jessica De Filippo opened the scoring in the 37th minute, finishing a low cross from Anna Bout after a slick combination down the right wing.
Halifax pulled level in the 57th minute through Jordyn Rhodes off a corner kick, but Quinn restored the lead just two minutes later from the penalty spot.
Goaltender Jessica Wulf held firm in her debut performance to preserve the result, and Rise FC return home to host AFC Toronto at Swangard Stadium on Saturday, May 23.
Stingers hand Bandits loss before Langley home opener
The Vancouver Bandits fell 91-78 to the Edmonton Stingers on Saturday night at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
After trailing early, the Bandits surged ahead with a 19-6 second-quarter run to take a 42-38 lead into halftime behind 16 points from Tevian Jones.
But the Stingers responded in the third with physical defense and methodical offence, scoring 33 points to retake the lead and never looking back.
Jalen House led all scorers with 27 points, but head coach Kyle Julius called the team's defensive effort "one of our worst performances in two to three years," as the Bandits (1-1) prepare to host Edmonton for their home opener Friday, May 22 at the Langley Events Centre.
Late Cavalry goals sink Vancouver FC at Willoughby
Vancouver FC fell 2-0 to undefeated Cavalry FC at Willoughby Community Park on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half, Tobias Warschewski broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, slotting home a breakaway after a clever ball from Goteh Ntignee.
Defender Levi Laing, playing forward late in the match, sealed the result deep in stoppage time after a rare mishap from Vancouver keeper Callum Irving.
Vancouver pushed hard in the closing minutes, with Emrick Fotsing nearly equalizing on a back-post header before a Cavalry defender blocked the attempt inside the six-yard box.
What did you think?
Help us improve! Take a quick 60-second survey to share your thoughts on this article.
Take the Survey