Langley is grey and drizzly today, with a high around 14°C, so a light jacket will do the trick. Friday brings a break in the clouds and a high near 15°C, but the morning starts chilly at about 2°C. The rain returns for the weekend: Saturday is cool and wet, topping out around 9°C, and Sunday looks like a proper soaker.
Saturday is also provincial election day, so pack an umbrella along with your ID. Today's roundup looks at how vote-splitting could decide things in Surrey, why SOGI resources for queer and trans students are under attack again, and why the big parties have been so quiet on flood and fire prevention.
Closer to home, LEPS is lining the Derek Doubleday Arboretum with 200 jack-o'-lanterns, with donations going to the Langley Food Bank. Nationally, labour advocates are sounding the alarm on Bill C-39, and the Lions close out the regular season Friday at BC Place.
Langley News
🎃 200 Jack-o'-Lanterns Light Up Langley's Pumpkin Walk
LEPS is lining the paths of the Langley Demonstration Garden at 21177 Fraser Hwy. with 200 carved jack-o'-lanterns on Friday and Saturday, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to the Langley Food Bank, and no booking is needed. Costumes are encouraged; bring a flashlight, and maybe a rain jacket if you pick Saturday. (via Langley Advance Times)
Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
🗳️ Vote-Splitting Could Decide B.C.'s Election in Surrey
With five parties running incumbents, vote-splitting could swing Saturday's provincial election.
Polling averages from 338Canada put the Conservatives at 45 per cent and the NDP at 42, and seven of Surrey's 10 ridings could be toss-ups.
Analysts say far-right OneBC and centrist CentreBC could pull enough Conservative votes to hand the NDP some tight seats. (via Langley Advance Times)
🌊 B.C. Parties Stay Quiet on Flood and Fire Prevention
The major parties have made few promises to prevent the next climate disaster.
This comes despite years of wildfires, floods and heat domes.
Fraser Valley residents, who were cut off by floods in 2021 and 2025, know who pays when governments react instead of prepare, so this is worth raising with candidates before Saturday. (via The Tyee)
🏳️🌈 Conservatives Pledge to Pull SOGI Resources From B.C. Schools
The B.C. Conservatives have promised to remove SOGI learning materials, which help schools support LGBTQ2S+ students.
Meanwhile, the NDP has quietly cut funding for the program. Queer and trans kids deserve safe, welcoming classrooms, and that should not be up for debate every election. (via The Tyee)
🏥 NDP Pledges $8 Million for Chilliwack MRI
NDP candidate Kelli Paddon says an NDP government would put $8 million toward an MRI for Chilliwack's hospital.
Local donors and foundations got the project started, and residents now travel to other cities for scans, which became a serious barrier during the 2021 and 2025 floods.
Diagnostic care close to home is basic public health infrastructure, and it shouldn't depend on charity to get built. (via Langley Advance Times)
📚 Free Fraser Valley Writers Festival Returns to UFV Abbotsford
The free 19th annual Fraser Valley Writers Festival runs Nov. 5 to 7 at UFV's Abbotsford campus.
On Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., the keynote speakers are former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, a member of the We Wai Kai Nation, and CBC reporter Justin McElroy. Saturday brings workshops, live podcasts and panels on lies and truth. (via Langley Advance Times)
🦨 Rabid Skunk Bit People in Downtown Vancouver
A skunk captured in downtown Vancouver has tested positive for rabies.
Health officials say it bit a small number of people before it was caught. (via CTV News)
National News
✊ Bill C-39 Targets the Right to Strike, Analysts Warn
Ottawa's Bill C-39 would write into law the labour minister's power to end strikes in federally regulated sectors like ports, transportation, telecom and banking.
A CCPA analysis calls it strikebreaking dressed up as modernization, noting it was tabled a week after a major investor summit and bundled with environmental deregulation.
About 1 million workers would be affected, including B.C. port workers. (via Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)
⚖️ Supreme Court to Decide on Emergencies Act Appeal
The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide today whether it will hear Ottawa's appeal over its 2022 use of the Emergencies Act.
Both the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal ruled there was no national emergency to justify it, after a challenge brought by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and others.
The outcome could shape how far any government can go in freezing bank accounts and banning public gatherings. (via Fraser Valley Today)
Sports
🦁 Lions Rest Starters for Friday Finale Against Winnipeg
The B.C. Lions (10-7) are locked into second in the West and host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday at 7 p.m. at BC Place.
Rookie Kaidon Salter starts at quarterback while several regulars get a rest. The Lions host the West Semifinal on Oct. 31, with a tailgate party at the Plaza of Nations. (via Langley Advance Times)
🏒 Goldeneyes Show Off New Logo Jerseys
The Vancouver Goldeneyes unveiled new jerseys featuring the team's logo.
Ashton Bell loved wearing the Goldeneyes jersey last season, and now the team has a fresh look to show off. (via CTV News)
🥅 Langley Rivermen Skid to Five Straight Losses
The Langley Rivermen dropped two more games and have now lost five in a row.
That leaves them fourth in the five-team Coastal East Division of the BCHL. (via Aldergrove Star)
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