Happy Monday, Langley. Expect broken clouds today, with a chilly 3°C start that warms to about 12°C by the afternoon.
Tuesday stays grey but dry. Rain moves in Wednesday and gets heavier Thursday, so keep the rain jacket close.
The big story is a new provincial government: Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives now hold 63 seats. Closer to home, Langley City's $125,000 outside review of City Hall is headed for a council that was only sworn in last week.
Also inside: what permanent Pacific time means at the Aldergrove border, a look at Langley's First World War history, a very sharky flash mob, and a big Whitecaps win.
Langley News
🏛️ Langley City pays $125,000 for outside City Hall review
Langley City is paying consulting firm MNP LLP $125,000 to review how City Hall works.
Council approved the money in May from reserves, so it did not affect the property tax rate. The review covers service delivery, workflow, how resources are allocated, governance, and the use of technology and data.
The City points to growth as the reason. The population has jumped about 30 per cent since 2016 to roughly 35,000, and SkyTrain is planned to open in late 2029.
Then-mayor Pachal wrote that the review "isn't about laying people off or reducing service." The report will now land in front of a council that was only sworn in last week.
Residents paid for this report, so they should get to read all of it, not just a summary. With SkyTrain coming, the real test is whether City Hall is ready to deliver homes and people-friendly streets around the stations.
Will the new council release the full MNP report, and will residents get a say in which recommendations move forward? (via Hey Langley)
🕰️ Aldergrove border crossing hours shift as B.C. stays put
B.C. skipped the fall-back on Sunday and now stays on Pacific time all year.
Washington changed its clocks, so the Aldergrove crossing at 264 Street now runs 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Langley time until March 14, 2027.
Bellingham is now an hour behind and Alberta is an hour ahead, and the Township of Langley suggests double-checking your calendar entries. (via Hey Langley)
🌺 Langley's First World War: 400 enlisted, 41 names in stone
About 400 men from a Langley farming district of fewer than 4,000 people went to the First World War, and roughly one in ten never came home. A new piece tells their stories, including Fort Langley's Private Alf Trattle, killed in 1917.
His two young sons unveiled the Fort Langley memorial cross in 1920. It's worth a read before Remembrance Day. (via Hey Langley)
🦈 Langley City flash mob brings Shark Week to Timms Centre
Dozens of people dressed as sharks, scuba divers and lifeguards filled the foyer of the Timms Community Centre. They danced to the Jaws theme and "Wipeout," then vanished two minutes later.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the rec centre. (via Langley Advance Times)
Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
🗳️ After B.C. Conservatives win 63 seats, Doerkson sets the tone
Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson will lead a B.C. Conservative government with 63 MLAs, a large majority.
Premier David Eby called the snap election to escape a one-seat majority. Instead, the big majority went to the Conservatives. A Langley Advance Times column argues that tight margin also explains a February budget that did little on health care, social programs or the environment.
The Conservatives' recent record is rocky. The party has expelled members and seen racist and conspiratorial outbursts from some staffers, former MLAs and candidates.
It has also replaced its leader twice in two years, most recently days before the election call. The column notes Doerkson, who never sought the job, now gets to decide how much room his party gives to climate change denial, residential school denialism and anti-vaccine conspiracism.
Those are not side issues for residential school survivors, First Nations, or anyone counting on real climate action. With a majority this size, Doerkson cannot point to a fragile caucus as an excuse.
Will those voices be sidelined, or will they get a seat at the cabinet table? (via Langley Advance Times)
⛰️ Company wants to mine Tatshenshini, a World Heritage Site
Dominion Critical Minerals wants to reopen a copper and cobalt mining project in Tatshenshini Park, according to FOI documents. That same project was deemed too hazardous in the 1990s.
A private company wants to dig in a protected World Heritage Site, and the public deserves a clear answer on who would profit and who would carry the risk. (via The Tyee)
👁️ Okanagan patients at risk of losing eye injection coverage
Some North Okanagan patients could lose coverage for injections that keep them from going blind.
Coverage is tied to a provincial program that Vernon retinal specialist Dr. Hussein Hollands left over what he calls unfair pay.
The drugs can cost up to $14,500 a year, and the Ministry of Health blames Hollands, who says a cost-neutral fix has been on the table since May. Elderly patients should not lose their sight over a billing dispute. (via Langley Advance Times)
National News
🥍 Haudenosaunee Nationals seek their own Olympic lacrosse spot
The Haudenosaunee invented lacrosse centuries before European settlers arrived.
They have competed as their own nation in international lacrosse for decades, and now they hope to do the same at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The IOC already recognizes 206 national Olympic committees, 13 more than UN member states.
Making room for the people who created the game would be overdue. (via Fraser Valley Today)
⏳ New tool tracks who pays when people wait for services
A new CCPA tool asks what happens to people while they wait for public services, not just how long the wait is.
It tracks harms like lost wages, unpaid care work, unstable housing and safety risks.
Because women provide most paid and unpaid care, delays can hit them especially hard.
It's a useful reminder that meeting a wait-time target is not the same as meeting people's needs. (via Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)
Sports
⚽ Whitecaps rout Sounders 5-1 as White scores twice
The Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Seattle Sounders 5-1 on Sunday, with Brian White scoring twice.
A lopsided win over the rival from down the I-5 never gets old. (via CTV News)
🏒 Langley Rivermen snap seven-game skid in Victoria
The Langley Rivermen beat the Victoria Grizzlies 6-4 on Friday to end a seven-game losing streak, led by two goals from Max Pendy. They fell 10-4 in Port Alberni on Halloween.
Next up is a trip to Chilliwack on Friday, followed by a home game against the Cranbrook Bucks on Saturday. (via Langley Advance Times)
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