Hi friends! Mostly sunny in Langley today, with a high near 19 C, an overnight low around 10 C, and only a slim chance of rain. A good day to be outside before the weekend clouds roll in.
The Oct. 17 municipal election ballot keeps filling out. Former Langley City mayor Val van den Broek is running again as an independent, and school trustee Holly Dickinson is seeking a second term under the Langley Strong banner. Over in Vancouver, COPE's mayoral candidate suspended her campaign and asked progressives to unite behind one contender rather than split the vote.
New Metro Vancouver figures show Langley City with 2,854 purpose-built rental homes compared to the Township's 1,211, a gap that says a lot about how each municipality has chosen to grow.
Also in today's roundup: the owner of the Little Red House wants a closer RCMP look at the fire that destroyed the 140-year-old landmark, two more MLAs walked away from the B.C. Conservatives, a retired senior was discharged from hospital into a Downtown Eastside shelter, Clearview Country Market brings its corgi race back to Aldergrove, and the Vancouver Giants named a preseason roster with two Langley players on it.
Holly Dickinson joins Langley Strong slate for school board run
School trustee Holly Dickinson is seeking a second term on the Langley Board of Education, this time running under the Langley Strong banner.
Dickinson, who teaches in the Surrey school district, has served one term as a trustee and brings classroom experience to a board increasingly navigating funding pressures and provincial mandates.
Langley Strong has been building out its slate ahead of the next municipal election cycle, positioning itself as a coordinated option for voters weighing local governance.
Board decisions on staffing, inclusion policies, and capital planning continue to shape the day-to-day experience of thousands of Langley students and families.
Van den Broek launches Langley City election campaign
Former Langley City mayor Val van den Broek is running again this fall.
She announced Monday that she will run as an independent in the Oct. 17 election. Her statement did not say whether she is seeking the mayor's chair or a council seat.
Her four-point plan promises family-friendly density near SkyTrain and RapidBus, more support for the RCMP and firefighters, and an end to spending on what she calls "vanity projects."
Van den Broek lost the City mayor's race to Nathan Pachal in 2022. She then finished fifth in the Township of Langley byelection won by Blair Whitmarsh last October.
The transit-oriented housing plank is worth taking seriously, because Langley City is about to get a SkyTrain station and needs homes around it.
But "vanity projects" is a phrase that often ends up meaning sidewalks, bike lanes, and public spaces, so voters may want to press her on exactly which projects she would cut.
Owner wants answers after Little Red House fire
Fire destroyed Langley's historic Little Red House last Thursday.
The McIver House had stood in a Glen Valley sod field for close to 140 years. Owner Rob Rindt, who is also a Township councillor, said the building had no electrical or gas service connected to it.
Langley RCMP said there is nothing so far to suggest the fire was suspicious. Rindt disagrees and said he is pushing them to look further.
People have been arriving all week to see what is left. Locals and photographers who had visited the site for years came back one more time before the structure comes down in a few weeks.
Langley City has more than double the Township's rentals
Langley City had 2,854 purpose-built rental homes in 2025.
The Township of Langley had 1,211. The City's stock grew by about 300 units, or 11.5 per cent, since 2021.
Most of those homes are small. Roughly 40 per cent are two-bedroom units and another 40 per cent are one-bedroom, with just 216 three-bedroom units in the entire city.
The studio vacancy rate sat at zero per cent last year, and studios and one-bedrooms are seeing the biggest rent increases. Rents in Langley City are now slightly below the regional median, and more purpose-built rental is on the way.
The gap between the two Langleys is the story here. The Township has far more people and far fewer rental homes, which means the City is carrying the region's rental supply while its neighbour builds subdivisions that might only work if you own a car and a mortgage.
Fall festivities return to Aldergrove's Clearview Country Market
Clearview Country Market in Aldergrove is rolling out its second annual Customer Appreciation event, bringing together vendors, pets, and neighbours to mark the shift into autumn.
Expect local makers, family-friendly activities, and, yes, the return of the corgi race that has become a small-town spectacle in its own right.
Events like this remain a quiet backbone of the Aldergrove community, giving small vendors a boost heading into the busy fall season.
Full details and vendor listings are available through the market.
COPE's Vancouver mayoral candidate steps aside, urges progressives to unite behind one contender
Vancouver mayoral candidate Stephanie Allen has suspended her COPE campaign, citing a commitment to preventing a split progressive vote in the upcoming municipal election.
Allen is calling on progressive parties to coordinate around a single candidate, arguing that fragmented left-of-centre campaigns risk handing victory to the right.
The move highlights a long-running tension in Vancouver's civic politics, where multiple progressive parties often compete for the same base of voters.
Whether other parties heed the call remains to be seen as candidate deadlines approach.
Retired senior discharged from hospital straight into a Downtown Eastside shelter
Elizabeth Davis worked, retired, and then, four years later, found herself unhoused after months in hospital left her without an apartment to return to.
Her story is a stark illustration of how thin B.C.'s housing safety net has become, particularly for seniors on fixed incomes navigating a rental market shaped by decades of underinvestment in non-market housing.
Being discharged from a hospital to a Downtown Eastside shelter is not a personal failing; it is a policy failing.
Advocates continue to press governments to treat housing as core public infrastructure rather than a commodity.
Two more MLAs and top staffer exit B.C. Conservatives
Two more B.C. Conservative MLAs quit the party Wednesday.
Donegal Wilson and Scott McInnis will now sit as Independents. They are the eighth and ninth MLAs to leave since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader in May, and every one of those exits came in the past three weeks.
Both said they no longer trust Findlay's leadership, pointing to fired staff, new hires linked to Alberta separatism, and an RCMP matter over an allegation that an MLA was offered a job to give up his seat.
Findlay has denied the allegations, and her chief of staff resigned the same day.
Conservatives won all Langley ridings in 2024, which means voters here backed a party that is now coming apart without a single ballot being cast.
Vancouver Giants unveil 2026 preseason roster with Langley talent in the mix
The Vancouver Giants have announced a 35-player preseason roster ahead of their four-game exhibition schedule, and Langley is well represented.
Local forward Jakob Oreskovic and defenceman Kaleb Hartmann are both on the list, joining returning stars Mathis Preston and Joe Iginla, who were drafted by the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames respectively this summer.
Fans can catch the Giants at home when they face the Victoria Royals at the ARENAS at Langley Events Centre on Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the Langley and Port Coquitlam preseason games are on sale now.
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