Langley's in for a soggy Thursday, with moderate rain and a high around 12 degrees.
It only gets wetter from here. Heavier rain on Friday and Saturday could add up to more than 35 millimetres, though Saturday turns surprisingly mild at around 15 degrees. Things ease on Sunday, with some breaks in the cloud and a cooler night.
In local news, Township of Langley council opens its term by ordering a forensic audit of the Township's own finances. SFU medical students are learning at the Langley seniors' centre, and Langley City has set its Remembrance Day plans.
Beyond Langley, Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson weighs in on the trade war and the federal budget lands with a big tax break for oil and gas. Canada's women also start their chase for hockey gold.
Langley News
🔍 Township of Langley council orders forensic audit
Township of Langley council voted Wednesday to order an independent forensic audit of the Township's finances.
The vote came at the new council's first business meeting. The Township says the audit will cover borrowing, capital projects, land transactions, agreements and contracts over a set period.
A forensic audit goes much deeper than a routine annual review of the books. That makes the details matter.
Residents will want to know what it will cost, who will do it, and whether the findings will be released in full. (via Township of Langley)
🩺 SFU medical students learn at Langley seniors' centre
First-year students from SFU's new medical school are spending Thursdays at the Langley Senior Resources Society.
Two to four students a month do non-clinical service alongside members, and they aren't examining or treating anyone.
The Province is putting $496 million toward the school's permanent building and $41.1 million a year into running it, which is real public investment in training family doctors in the communities they will serve. (via Hey Langley)
🕊️ Langley City Remembrance Day service at Douglas Park
Langley City's Remembrance Day ceremony starts at 10:50 a.m. on Nov. 11 at Douglas Park, with a moment of silence at 11 a.m.
Anyone hoping to lay a wreath has until 4 p.m. today to apply through the City.
Park Avenue and Douglas Crescent close from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., so walking, rolling, or taking transit is the easy way in. (via Langley Advance Times)
Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
🌎 Doerkson doubts quick end to trade war after midterms
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson says he doesn't expect the Democrats' midterm sweep to end the trade war soon.
He'll keep U.S. alcohol off BC Liquor shelves while it drags on, and he blamed the NDP for not getting B.C. industry ready for Trump.
Keeping the ban makes sense, but workers in trade-hit industries need more than blame for the last government; they need to hear his plan. (via Langley Advance Times)
💰 B.C. Conservatives outraised NDP nearly three to one
Lorne Doerkson's B.C. Conservatives raised almost three times as much money as David Eby's NDP before the provincial election.
With a gap that wide, public donor records are worth a close read as the new government sets its priorities. (via The Tyee)
⚖️ B.C. tribunal won't fine X again over intimate images
B.C.'s Civil Resolution Tribunal won't hit X with a second $100,000 penalty, even though the platform only blocked non-consensual intimate images in Canada instead of deleting them.
The vice-chair agreed that geoblocking doesn't meet the takedown order and can be gotten around, but he accepted X's argument that B.C. law can't reach into the U.S.
The woman who brought the case, who represented herself, won't have to cover X's roughly $119,000 in legal fees. (via Langley Advance Times)
🔐 Privacy watchdog probes B.C. Crime Stoppers tip breach
B.C.'s privacy commissioner is investigating whether B.C. Crime Stoppers properly protected tipsters' personal information.
The probe follows a CBC investigation that found more than 1.5 million tips sent to Crime Stoppers programs across Canada over 25 years were exposed.
People who think they were affected don't need to file a complaint, and since anonymity is the program's whole promise, they deserve clear answers. (via Langley Advance Times)
National News
🛢️ Oil and gas lands biggest share of Ottawa's mega tax break
The federal budget lands today, and one of its biggest pieces is already known. It's a corporate tax break, and oil and gas is its biggest winner.
The "productivity mega-deduction," announced in September, lets private, profitable companies write off nearly all of their capital spending right away. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives estimates it will cost $36 billion over five years, or more than $7 billion a year.
By the CCPA's count, the oil and gas industry gets almost a third of every dollar. Public hospitals, universities, utilities, and companies that aren't turning a profit get nothing.
That means billions in public money steered toward fossil fuel extraction during a climate crisis. Meanwhile, the public institutions that keep communities running are left out.
If Ottawa can find $7 billion a year for this, what will today's budget offer renters, transit riders, and public health care? (via CCPA)
🏥 Ottawa still hasn't acted on Alberta's two-tier health law
Nearly a year after Alberta opened the door to private-pay surgery, the federal government still hasn't enforced the Canada Health Act.
Alberta's Bill 11 lets doctors work in the public system and the private-pay market at the same time. That means charging patients for medically necessary care like hip and knee replacements. A legal opinion finds the bill breaks five sections of the Act, including the bans on user fees and extra billing.
Many expected Ottawa to wait until after Alberta's Oct. 19 separation referendum. That vote has come and gone, and federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel has only written to her Alberta counterpart to say she's "very concerned."
Public health care is supposed to mean a cleaner and a banker get the same surgery on the same terms.
A concerned letter is not enforcement. How long will Ottawa let its own law go unenforced? (via CCPA)
Sports
🏒 Canada opens women's hockey worlds against Sweden
Canada opens the women's world hockey championship in Denmark on Friday against Sweden, with defender Renata Fast as a co-captain.
Three-quarters of the roster plays in the PWHL, whose season doesn't start until Dec. 5, so Canada is shaking off rust against teams already well into their seasons.
Forward Sarah Fillier is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. (via Fraser Valley Today)
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