Monday, March 18, 2024

What's Next for the Properties around City Hall and Timms

Over the last several years, Langley City has acquired property around City Hall and Timms Community Centre. This year, people have noticed that the City has started demolishing the older derelict buildings on those properties.

Property that Langley City has acquired in recent years in blue

The funding to purchase these property acquisitions comes from loans and City financial reserve accounts. You can learn more about this in a previous post.

Several folks have asked what the City will be doing with the property in the short- and long-term.

In the short term, the City will use some of the property for parking to support Downtown businesses as the City renews the Fraser Highway One-Way. A section of the property will also become a temporary public park space.

With SkyTrain coming, 56th Avenue may be realigned to form a new road connecting up to 203A Street to support SkyTrain.

A possible road alignment between 56th Avenue and 203A Street in blue

In the long term, the City will use the land to support a new performing arts centre and expanded Timms Community Centre, as noted in the City's Official Community Plan.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Getting Railroaded: Langley City’s Historic Railways Come to Life

Langley City has a few roads that run at odd angles through our community. Of course, Fraser Highway roughly follows old Yale Road, originally a wagon road, which connected New Westminster and the Fraser Valley.

Glover Road connected Langley Prairie (City), the Hudson’s Bay Farm, and Fort Langley.

A few of the roads in Langley City were former railway alignments. The most famous railway was the BC Electric Railway, known as the Interurban, which ran along Michaud Crescent and Glover Road. It provided passenger and freight service from Vancouver to Chilliwack.

While many people know about the Interurban, most don’t know about the Vancouver, Vicotria, and Eastern Railway which ran along Grade Crescent in Langley City. Grade Crescent got its name as it was a railway grade.

A few years ago, Bruce Downing, a Langley City resident and railway buff, approached Langley City about putting up some historical markers throughout the community to highlight our railway history. With the community’s support, this has now become a reality. You can read more about this in a previous post that I wrote.

Langley Prairie Station Langley Heritage Railway Interpretive Sign. Select the image to enlarge.

Hunter Station Langley Heritage Railway Interpretive Sign. Select the image to enlarge.

City crews installed signs about a week ago, and you can now walk the Langley Heritage Railway interpretive routes.

The Interurban route runs from Brydon Lagoon to Michaud Crescent/200th Street and finally to Innes Corners Plaza.

The Vancouver, Vicotria, and Eastern Railway route runs from Condor Park to Sendall Gardens and finally to Iris Mooney Park.

It is supposed to be a very nice weekend, so why not check out these walking routes?

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Up Sh*t Creek: Pet Waste Killing Life in Langley City Waterways

Nothing is more annoying than stepping in dog waste that an irresponsible owner didn't pick up, and in every neighbourhood, there are at least one or two irresponsible owners.

Stepping in pet waste is annoying, but many people don't know dog waste is toxic, just like human waste. We build and use sewer systems to help reduce disease and improve public health.

Dog waste contains nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients encourage the growth of algae, which can deplete oxygen out of waterways for fish and other water-based life. This fact is important to keep in mind.

Dog waste also contains bacteria and parasites such as E. Coli and Cryptosporidium.

One of the odd things I've noticed lately is that people pick up their dog's waste, put it in a little baggy, and shockingly throw the waste-filled baggy into creek areas.

The following picture is from Brydon Creek, just off 55A Avenue.

Pet waste bags are thrown into the Brydon Creek protected area, just off 55A Avenue. Select the image to enlarge.

As you can see, people are tossing pet waste-filled bags into the creek. There are signs by creeks in Langley City that include a salmon logo. These logos aren't just for looks; these are active, salmon-barring waterways. I've personally seen salmon in these waterways.

Simply put, dog waste in creek areas kills fish.

If you are a dog owner reading this blog, I'm sure you are a responsible owner. If you have friends who are dog owners, please help spread the word about how toxic dog waste is and that people must handle it appropriately, either through a dog waste disposal service or by flushing it down the toilet. Never toss it into a natural area.

For the City's part, we completed an audit of public disposal bins, and we know they are full of pet waste. The City is working towards better managing this waste in our bins.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Bring Hope to Local Governments: 8-Years of the Toxic Drug Public Health Emergency

In a month, British Columbia will be into year eight of the toxic drug public health emergency. You or somebody you know has likely been directly impacted by this health emergency, whether it has been responding to an overdose or experiencing the loss of a loved one.

Fraser Health Sign

This public health emergency has highlighted and exacerbated existing health and social infrastructure gaps, with local government often trying to plug the gaps.

While local governments are not set up to handle medical public health emergencies or deal with the root causes of toxic drugs, we are nonetheless trying to respond out of necessity.

One clear example is that fire departments are usually the first to arrive on the scene when someone calls 911 and have seen a sustained, significant increase in overdose responses. These calls have stretched many first responders and fire departments to their limits.

Many local government leaders, whether elected representatives or staff members, have felt unsupported and various degrees of hopelessness regarding how to reduce the number of overdoses and related deaths in their communities.

Local Leadership United (LLU) is a Community Action Initiative and BC Centre for Disease Control project that is creating a network for local government elected representatives to exchange ideas, learn, and support each other regarding this public health emergency.

They recently released a report that found local government leaders:

  • Have difficulty understanding local government roles in addressing substance use-related challenges
  • Feel alone in their work in addressing substance use-related challenges
  • Have knowledge gaps on how to reduce harm to individuals and communities due to the toxic drug public health emergency

The LLU has made the following recommendation to support local government leaders:

  • Investing further in dialogue, training and network opportunities that address knowledge gaps, foster relationships of trust and intersectoral partnerships in community overdose response.
  • Investing in granting opportunities that support local governments and partners to build whole-community overdose response: one that allows local leaders to understand their roles, build stronger relationships, and apply a harm reduction approach.
  • Investing in provincial, local, and Indigenous-led anti-stigma campaigns aimed at bringing broader communities into overdose response efforts.

These recommendations will help reduce the hopelessness that many in local government feel and help those in local government work with others to address this public health emergency in their communities, including advocacy to the provincial government to respond to this health emergency in communities throughout BC effectively. There is strength in coming together.