Grab the good umbrella, Langley. Wednesday brings steady rain, about 17 mm of it, with temperatures stuck between 6 and 10 degrees. Thursday looks just as soggy.
Things start drying out Friday, and Halloween Saturday is shaping up dry with some clouds. Expect a chilly morning near 3 degrees, but evening trick-or-treaters should see about 10.
Closer to home, a far-right white nationalist group appears to have posed for a photo in Fort Langley, in front of a statue of a mixed-race governor, no less.
On a brighter note, World Singing Day filled Douglas Park with song, and a Langley Senior Resources worker helped a 79-year-old find a safe place to live.
Around B.C., economists doubt the incoming Conservative government can cut taxes and the deficit at the same time, Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson is breaking with Poilievre on the tanker ban, and Lytton picked its new mayor by drawing a name. Nationally, the Bank of Canada is expected to raise rates today, and Olivia Chow won another term in Toronto.
In sports, the Canucks finally snapped their 10-game skid with a wild overtime comeback in Anaheim, and three Vancouver Giants caught the eye of NHL scouts.
Langley News
🚨 Far-right Dominion Society appears to visit Fort Langley
A far-right group appears to have posed for a photo in Fort Langley.
The Dominion Society captioned the photo as Vancouver. A Reddit user says it actually shows the James Douglas statue in Fort Langley, and that the group’s posters turned up in Brookswood this spring.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network calls the group white nationalist. It says the Dominion Society pushes mass deportations based on race, ethnicity, and religion, though its leader denies the label.
The group’s own “remigration” plan calls for removing up to nine million people from Canada. Researchers have described remigration as a form of ethnic cleansing.
The group also likes to post photos of members picking up litter. It is a tidy image meant to make a plan for mass removal look harmless.
Then there is the statue. James Douglas was born in British Guiana to a Scottish father and a mother of mixed African descent. He married Amelia Connolly, whose mother was Cree.
A group obsessed with racial purity picked a mixed-race man as its backdrop. That tells residents just about everything they need to know about how little these people understand the country they claim to defend.
They hide their faces, borrow the language of heritage, and call ethnic cleansing a policy proposal. These people are functionally neo-Nazis.
Their ideology has no place in a civilized society.
🎶 World Singing Day Fills Langley's Douglas Park With Song
Langley's third annual World Singing Day brought a crowd to Douglas Park on Oct. 17.
Peace Arch Chorus and Surrey's Soundscape performed, then invited the audience on stage to sing "Room for Everyone" together.
If that sounds fun, the chorus's no-audition "Sing the Season" holiday program is still taking late sign-ups. (via Langley Advance Times)
🏠 Langley Senior Resources Worker Helps Senior in Crisis Find Safe, Affordable Housing
A 79-year-old senior is thanking a Langley Senior Resources Society worker named Debbie for helping her find a home.
After being suddenly forced out of her housing, she could no longer afford a temporary guesthouse. Debbie connected her with a safe, affordable place to stay.
It's a warm story, and also a reminder of how quickly seniors can slide toward homelessness without affordable options and well-funded community services. (via Langley Advance Times)
Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
🏸 Abbotsford Gets a New Badminton Tournament This November
The first Shuttle Storm Abbotsford tournament hits the UFV Athletic Centre on Saturday, Nov. 21.
It offers 10 singles and doubles divisions for ages 13 to 50-plus, at $30 for youth and UFV students and $40 for adults per category.
The new local club behind it is also talking with the city about finding a permanent place to play. (via Langley Advance Times)
🧮 Can B.C.'s Conservatives Cut Taxes and the Deficit at Once? Economists Doubt It
Economists say the incoming Conservative government's promises may not add up.
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson pledged a $1,000 tax cut for most workers while also shrinking a $14-billion deficit, but his platform never said what would be cut.
The Business Council of B.C. is already pushing for public sector job cuts, which could mean fewer people delivering the health care, schools and services residents rely on. (via Fraser Valley Today)
🌹 B.C. NDP to pick interim leader as Eby steps aside
The B.C. NDP caucus meets this week to choose an interim leader after David Eby said he will step aside.
Former ministers Mike Farnworth, Josie Osborne, Adrian Dix, and Niki Sharma are among the names floated, with a full leadership race to come later.
Eby was acclaimed in 2022 after rival Anjali Appadurai was scandalously disqualified, so a truly open contest this time could help the party figure out who it is really fighting for. (via Langley Advance Times)
🗳️ B.C.'s Snap Election Came One Day After a Dozen MLAs Locked In Pensions
B.C.'s Oct. 24 snap election landed one day after MLAs first elected in 2020 qualified for their pensions.
Nine NDP and three Conservative MLAs crossed that six-year mark, including incoming premier Lorne Doerkson.
The NDP says pensions played no role in the timing. Some critics aren't buying it. (via Langley Advance Times)
🛢️ Incoming Premier Doerkson Won't Back Poilievre's Push to Scrap Tanker Ban
B.C.'s incoming Conservative premier says he doesn't support reversing the north coast oil tanker ban, a move pitched by Pierre Poilievre's federal Conservatives.
The ban keeps large oil tankers away from a coastline that coastal First Nations fought for years to protect.
The oil industry still wants that coast opened up, so this fight isn't over yet. (via CTV News)
🐋 Dead Humpback Spotted Near Site of BC Ferries Whale Strike
A dead humpback whale has been found near the Grace Islands.
That's close to where the Queen of Surrey struck a whale on Oct. 18 while sailing between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay. Marine researchers say its injuries point to a vessel strike, and passengers report the ferry never slowed after the hit.
BC Ferries says it doesn't yet know if it's the same whale, and it is cooperating with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (via Langley Advance Times)
🎲 Lytton's Next Mayor Chosen by Drawing Names After 45-45 Tie
Jennifer Thoss is Lytton's new mayor, picked by drawing a name from a container.
She and incumbent Denise O'Connor each got 45 votes, and a judicial recount confirmed the tie.
Every vote counts, especially in a village of about 200 voters. (via Langley Advance Times)
National News
📈 Bank of Canada Expected to Raise Interest Rates for First Time Since 2023
The Bank of Canada is widely expected to raise its key rate by a quarter point today.
It would be the first hike since July 2023, driven by worries about inflation linked to war in the Middle East.
Higher rates hit mortgage holders first, and those costs often get passed down to renters. (via Fraser Valley Today)
🏙️ Olivia Chow Wins Again in Toronto, With Renter Protections and Transit on the Agenda
Olivia Chow won re-election as Toronto's mayor with 54 per cent of the vote.
She ran on keeping a cap on transit fares, extending library hours, and a law to stop renovictions.
Voters also rejected her opponent's plan to turn the city's water system into a corporation, which critics warned could open the door to privatization. (via CCPA)
Sports
🏒 Canucks Snap 10-Game Skid With Wild 6-5 Overtime Comeback in Anaheim
The Canucks shocked the Ducks with a surprising comeback win last night.
Down 5-2 late in the third, Vancouver stormed back, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored twice with the goalie pulled to tie it.
Filip Hronek then won it on a two-man advantage with 10.4 seconds left in overtime. (via Langley Advance Times)
👀 Three Vancouver Giants Land on NHL Scouts' Watch List
Three Vancouver Giants made NHL Central Scouting's early watch list for the 2027 draft.
Forward Blake Chorney, goalie Oliver Bryks and defence prospect Oliver Botka all made the cut.
Catch the Giants at home Friday, Oct. 30 against Victoria for Trick or Suite night at the Langley Events Centre. (via Langley Advance Times)
🥅 Langley Rivermen Outshoot Surrey Eagles but Fall in First Meeting
The Langley Rivermen outchanced and outshot the Surrey Eagles on Friday, but Surrey took the win.
It was the first of seven meetings between the rivals this season, so there's plenty of time for payback. (via Aldergrove Star)
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