[0:03] So I would like to call the regular Monday July

[0:07] 27th, Langley City Council meeting to order, and start this

[0:10] reading often a good way as well by acknowledging that

[0:12] we're on the unseated in traditional territories of the Kate

[0:14] Sean, Kwantlin Math, the Queen Semiyahu First Nations. We do

[0:18] have an agenda. Would anybody like to move it? So

[0:20] move by Councillor Solium, second of our Councillor Mike, sorry,

[0:24] white. Is there any further discussion. So CNN, I'll call

[0:28] the questionables in favor opposed, so that's carried unanimously onto

[0:32] the consent agenda. I believe Councillor Wallace would like to

[0:36] remove something. And just turn your mic on whilst you're

[0:39] doing that. Yeah, just the correspondence that was sent to

[0:44] us in regards call for, is this when I say

[0:46] what it is? You just move it to the correspondence,

[0:50] and we'll do that. Yeah, move to component, thank you.

[0:53] Anything else. So seeing none would anybody like to move

[0:57] the amended consent agenda. So move by Councillor Max, seconded

[1:00] by Councillor White for the discussion. So see, none will

[1:03] call the question, all those in favor, opposed. So that's

[1:05] carried unanimously. So this brings us to the community spotlight,

[1:11] and these are two presentations that are kind of put

[1:13] together. So unless I hear contrary, I would like to

[1:17] give them 20 minutes, which would be policy if they

[1:20] were to do 10 two separate presentations. So seeing that,

[1:24] I think we're all in agreement here. I would like

[1:26] to turn it over to our folks from the DLBA

[1:29] and DLC. Thank you.

[1:47] Good evening, Mayor Pahal. Members of Council, City staff and

[1:51] guests. Thank you so much for having us here this

[1:53] evening. My name is Chris Parsons, and I'm the executive

[1:56] director of the downtown Lline Business Association. And with me

[1:59] tonight, I have Terran Antelec, the manager of Operations for

[2:02] Discover Langley City. And we thought we'd take this opportunity

[2:05] to share how we're working together to support local businesses,

[2:10] promote language city, and help build a vibrant community. So

[2:14] tonight's not so much about just telling you what we

[2:15] do, but also showing you how that work benefits our

[2:18] businesses, our residents, and our community. Together, we're creating more

[2:22] reasons for people to visit, explore, support local businesses, and

[2:26] experience everything Laline City has to offer. That's why we

[2:29] thought it made sense for us to share our story

[2:30] together this evening. Now the downtownlinely business association has represented

[2:36] businesses and property owners inlinely city for over 30 years.

[2:40] Our role is to advocate for our members, create opportunities

[2:42] for businesses to succeed, and invest in programs that strengthen

[2:46] downtown. Discover Langley City is the city's official destination marketing

[2:50] organisation, helping tell the story of Laline City and encouraging

[2:54] people to visit, explore, and stay longer. While our mandates

[2:57] are different, they complement each other really well. Now, before

[3:02] we dive into what we do, I'd like to recognise

[3:04] the people that make it happen. We're as small but

[3:06] mighty team, we were many hats. Brenda is the smiling

[3:10] face you see when you come to the office, and

[3:12] she's the one that keeps everything running smoothly. Rochelle leads

[3:15] her incredible marketing and social media team, tear and overseas

[3:18] the operations for discover Langley City, and I have the

[3:20] pleasure of working alongside all of them. It's a fantastic

[3:23] team, and I'm really excited and proud of what we're

[3:25] able to accomplish together. Now, when people think about the

[3:30] DLBA, they often think about our events. Events are certainly

[3:33] an important part of what we do, but they're really

[3:35] just one piece of the puzzle. Everything we do essentially

[3:38] can fit into four key areas. We create events that

[3:41] bring people downtown. We support businesses year round through practical

[3:45] programs and services. We market downtown Langley as a destination

[3:48] to shop, dine, and explore. And perhaps most importantly, we

[3:52] build partnerships with the city. Community organisations, sponsors, and our

[3:57] businesses. The rest of our presentation really follows along those

[4:00] four key pillars. The first pillar, being events. Every Tuesday

[4:06] evening in July, McBurney Plaza has come alive with free

[4:10] live music. These events have been incredibly popular and create

[4:13] a wonderful atmosphere and community in the plaza. Families come

[4:17] downtown, they grabbed dinner before the show. They enjoy a

[4:20] nice cream afterwards, and they spend time together in our

[4:22] community. It's a great example how even a relatively simple

[4:26] event can create meaningful activities for our local businesses and

[4:30] our community. Our next concert is tomorrow night from 6

[4:33] till 8 p. m. So if you haven't been, we

[4:35] hope to see you there. Now art's alive. That's one

[4:38] of our signature events, and this year we're very excited

[4:41] to celebrate its 30th anniversary on August 15th. It's one

[4:44] of the largest one - day events in Lanley City,

[4:47] bringing together artists, performers, musicians, local businesses, and thousands of

[4:51] visitors. This year's festival has some exciting additions. We've moved

[4:55] the main stage to the south side of McBerniza, where

[4:58] we'll have live performances all day long. Everything ranging from

[5:02] Coco Jaffro's world music to Langley's own Daniel Wesley. To

[5:07] celebrate the 30th anniversary, we also have local muralist Mike

[5:10] Moser from Moja Creative, who's going to do a custom

[5:12] mural live through it throughout the festival on - site,

[5:15] which is going to be really neat for people to

[5:16] witness. And visitors can even take a step back in

[5:19] time with Doc and his DeLorean for some fun photo

[5:21] opportunities as families. That's on top of the over 200

[5:25] roving entertainers, performers, artists, and artisans that you'll see throughout

[5:28] the day. More than just an arts festival, it's an

[5:31] opportunity to showcase everything that makes downtown Langley unique. Our

[5:37] signature foodie event is the fork and finger, and we're

[5:39] excited to have that on August 22nd. The idea is

[5:43] very simple, celebrate our incredible local restaurants. Visitors pick up

[5:46] a free tasting passport in McBurney Plaza. They explore the

[5:50] participating downtown restaurants, and hopefully they discover out a few

[5:53] new favourite places they'll return to throughout the year. During

[5:56] the day, McBurney Plaza comes alive again with live music.

[6:00] Local chef sharing their favourite recipes and techniques, and of

[6:03] course, plenty of great food. It's another great example of

[6:06] using an event to directly support our businesses while showcasing

[6:10] everything Langley City has to offer. Now the events themselves

[6:15] are only part of the story. What really matters is

[6:17] what happens because of them. They introduce people to businesses,

[6:20] they've never visited before. They encourage repeat visits. They help

[6:24] businesses build new customer relationships, and perhaps most importantly, they

[6:28] create positive experiences that change people's perception of downtown Langley.

[6:33] That's the real impact. But of course, events are only

[6:37] a few days each year. And supporting businesses happens every

[6:41] single day. Our second pillar is supporting those businesses. Because

[6:47] while events are highly visible, most of our work actually

[6:50] happens behind the scenes throughout the year. We spent a

[6:52] lot of time working directly with businesses, responding to questions,

[6:56] connecting people with resources, and developing programs that help enhance

[6:59] the downtown experience for businesses, residents, and visitors. One of

[7:04] our most successful programs is our downtown dollars program. They

[7:07] can be spended over 100 downtown participating businesses, and unlike

[7:12] gift card programs, there are no fees. We reimburse businesses

[7:16] a hundred percent, so every dollar goes right back into

[7:18] supporting our local economy. We use downtown dollars at our

[7:21] events. Our shopping campaigns. Businesses use them for promotions, and

[7:26] employer recognition. Community organisations use them for fundraising, and residents

[7:30] purchase them as gifts throughout the year. My favourite part

[7:32] is that they can be used for a cup of

[7:34] coffee or a brand new barbecue. When someone who wins

[7:37] or receives downtown dollars, they walk into a coffee shop

[7:40] or a store. They've never visited before. They discover a

[7:42] new favourite business, and they come back again and again,

[7:45] and bring their friends. That's exactly what the program was

[7:47] designed to do. Another example is our get fresh program.

[7:53] It's not glamorous, but it's incredibly important. We partner with

[7:56] local businesses and property owners. We help with on and

[8:00] cleaning and repairs graffiti removal and other initiatives that help

[8:03] keep downtown looking its best. We also work with the

[8:06] incredible team at inclusion Langley, who provide daily litter pickup

[8:09] and clean our picnic tables and high traffic public spaces.

[8:12] It's all part of a downtown that businesses are proud

[8:15] of and visitors enjoy spending time in. Our third pillar

[8:20] would be marketing and placemaking. The mural walk has become

[8:24] one of our most successful tours of initiatives. It encourages

[8:27] people to slow down, explore different streets, discover hidden businesses,

[8:32] and experience downtown in a new way. What started as

[8:36] a handful of murals has grown into a self -

[8:38] guided experience featuring nearly 30 beautiful works of art. We

[8:42] recently refreshed the guide and map to highlight just how

[8:45] accessible the road is and encourage visitors to slow down

[8:49] browser unique boutiques, relax at local coffee, cafes, and enjoy

[8:52] the restaurants that make downtown Langley so special. It's another

[8:56] example of creating reasons for people to spend more time

[8:58] downtown. We also look for creative ways to make downtown

[9:03] Langley even more welcoming. One example is our dog -

[9:06] friendly downtown initiative. Businesses can display a window decal, letting

[9:10] visitors know that well - behaved dogs are welcome inside

[9:13] or on the patio. It's a simple program, but it

[9:17] encourages people to bring the whole family. Including their four

[9:19] - legged family members, to shop, dine, and explore downtown.

[9:25] Then marketing ties everything together. Before I move on, quick

[9:28] show a hands, how many of you already follow us

[9:30] on social media. Alright, thank you so much. If you

[9:33] don't already, hopefully that changes tonight, because through social media,

[9:37] photography, videography, advertising, and storytelling, we're constantly promoting downtown Langley

[9:42] and the incredible businesses that call it home. Now while

[9:45] the DLBA's focuses on the downtown core, our marketing efforts

[9:49] naturally connect with a broader work happening through discoverlinely city.

[9:53] With that, I'd like to invite Taryn to share how

[9:55] discover Lanley City is helping promote the entire city as

[9:58] a destination. Thank you, Chris. So now I'll be speaking

[10:04] from the perspective of discovering Langley City initiatives that contribute

[10:07] to partnering to build a vibrant community, starting with our

[10:10] social media. Discover Langley City takes a similar approach with

[10:15] our social media content, but it tells a different story.

[10:18] The discoveringly city social media tells a story of the

[10:21] destination through iconic places, including helpful guides and itineraries to

[10:25] make planning simple. The shareability of posts for friends and

[10:29] family to share with one another help build awareness of

[10:31] these attractions and help keep Langley City top of mind.

[10:35] As shown here, our announcements such as when the umbrella

[10:38] aerial display returned to McBurney Plaza, the release of the

[10:41] new 2026 visitor guides, summer event promotion, and a reel

[10:45] from our international dining marketing campaign, which I will explain

[10:48] in further detail shortly. Our seasonal and ongoing marketing campaign

[10:54] showcased the value of what the community offers packed into

[10:57] a fun branded look and feel to position Langley City

[11:00] as the perfect destination for remarkable experiences. To further collaborate

[11:04] on the impact of these initiatives are tourism - related

[11:08] partner businesses, the DLBA, city of Langley, and more community

[11:12] partners come together to drive community awareness. Three campaigns we've

[11:16] released to drive community awareness in the last year for

[11:18] remarkable experiences, include tastes from around the world, get your

[11:22] summer on, and holiday lights. I'll go into more detail

[11:25] about each of these three strategic marketing initiatives over the

[11:28] next few slides. Firstly, taste from around the world was

[11:35] launched in March 2026 to increase awareness of the deliciously

[11:38] phenomenal international cuisines in Langley City. The campaign is designed

[11:42] to be ongoing with a seasonal push in spring and

[11:45] fall. Visitors are encouraged to begin their journey by exploring

[11:49] the featured eight unique and authentic restaurants that bring global

[11:52] filivers to our beautiful community. From bold spices to comfort

[11:56] classics, this is what makes Langley City special. Diverse cultures,

[12:00] passionate chefs, and incredible food. Shown here is the webpage

[12:04] designed to highlight the traditional ingredients in the cuisine showcased

[12:08] in this campaign with graphics and professional photography. Videography was

[12:12] posted on social media in a vertical video series of

[12:15] Reels. Next, get your summer on was launched in June

[12:21] 2026. This campaign offers a curated selection of free family

[12:26] - friendly events in Langley City from June to August,

[12:29] including 10 events would DLC tourism - related partner businesses

[12:32] and organisations. Ultimately, this campaign encourages exploration, local spending, and

[12:39] extended visits. Langley City has a standout selection of free

[12:43] family - friendly events during the summer season, so it

[12:45] was a natural foundation to build a summer - branded

[12:48] campaign out of. DLC Partners are exceptional to work with

[12:51] and have supported various marketing tactics with us. One of

[12:55] our key marketing tactics was a series with content creator

[12:58] that Ashley Rhap City, showcasing her favourite summer activities in

[13:01] Langley City beyond events, such as Al Anderson Memorial Poole,

[13:05] spray parks, and the city of Langley Library. The DLC

[13:09] landing page for this campaign cross - promoted the summer

[13:11] in the city campaign with the city of Langley, offering

[13:14] another webpage to go to for planningactivities outside of events

[13:17] during the summer months. The second key marketing tactic was

[13:26] media placements with online publications. Stories about summer events happening

[13:30] in Langley City appeared in Vancouver magazine, Vita magazine, and

[13:34] Vancouver's best places to increase reach and frequency of event

[13:38] mentioned to support promotions for the event organisations in the

[13:41] campaign. Lastly, looking ahead to the holiday season, we are

[13:48] counting down to Christmas in Langley City, even though it's

[13:51] summer, we're already looking head to the holiday season. Last

[13:54] December, DLC launched a new holiday theme marketing initiative called

[13:57] Holiday Lights. In collaboration with the city of Langley, who

[14:00] we think for such beautiful holiday displays every year, um,

[14:04] the holiday lights created a map and a campaign as

[14:07] a tourism product for visitors and residents to go on

[14:09] a festive self - guided tour to explore the light

[14:12] displays. Community partnerships were key to the holiday lights campaign.

[14:16] The landing page and Mat promoted another annual attraction to

[14:19] drive exploration and visitation. And this was through its Christmas

[14:22] time in the city contest with the DLBA. This contest

[14:26] encourages visitors to stay longer. And shop for the chance

[14:29] to win downtown dollar prizes. This year, the holiday lights

[14:33] map can also include the Langley Christmas village as another

[14:35] tie - in to explore the holiday lights in Langley

[14:38] City. Here's a look at the map from 2025. Nearly

[14:43] 4, 000 visitors went to the holiday lights landing page,

[14:45] which featured this map and a printer - friendly version.

[14:48] The walking route is shown in pink and the driving

[14:50] route is shown in green. One of the most effective

[14:55] ways to share the amazing tourism businesses in Langley Cities

[14:58] through word of mouth at the Mobile Visitor Centre, running

[15:01] from June to August each summer. Visitors come to pick

[15:05] up visitor guides, maps, and ask for recommendations for the

[15:08] purpose of their trip. Pictured here is from Community Day

[15:11] this year, which was a great day to also connect

[15:13] with other community organisations who attended. To wrap up, I

[15:16] wanted to share a few examples of Returism Marketing and

[15:19] Action and Local Business Showcasing. To drive direct foot traffic

[15:24] and awareness, DLC runs its prize wheel for visitors to

[15:27] win coupons for free items or discounts from a selection

[15:30] of 12 tourism businesses. Secondly, the discover Langley City Office

[15:34] answers tourism inquiries on the phone and in - person

[15:37] to provide maps and visitor guides for Langley City experiences

[15:40] all year round. Thirdly, to showcase the unique stories that

[15:44] our tourism businesses tell, we go behind the scenes and

[15:46] capture social media videos from their perspective. One, shared theme

[15:51] across these examples is the enthusiasm that the businesses in

[15:54] Langley City have to participate in both discoverlinely city and

[15:57] the downtown Langley Business Associations Initiatives. The businesses understand the

[16:01] power and greater reach achieved by working together to share

[16:04] our community with the world. Showcase in the third and

[16:08] fourth photo here on the slide are two DLC tourism

[16:11] partner businesses. In that third photo is Matthew Purdy from

[16:14] Toy Traders, which is Canada's largest independent toy store. In

[16:17] a social media video with the Us, he took the

[16:19] viewer around the store to see the unique figurines and

[16:22] displays making it a tourist destination of a store. In

[16:26] the fourth photo is the team at KPU Brew Lab,

[16:30] including Alec Eggie, who is the chair of the Bring

[16:32] Program at KPU. That program is B. C.'s only brewing

[16:36] and brewery operations diploma program. In a social media video

[16:39] with us, he took the viewer through the process that

[16:42] students go through to serve student - made beer to

[16:44] customers on Friday beer sale days. Which creates a tourism

[16:48] experience that drives visitors into Langley City. Overall, partnerships with

[16:54] the community and tourism partners and Langley City showcase a

[16:57] vibrant community for residents, day trippers, business travellers, and sports

[17:02] tourism travellers who will want to continue to return in

[17:05] the future. So I'd like to close by saying that

[17:10] since stepping into this role, one thing that's really struck

[17:13] me is just how passionate this community is. Every day

[17:16] we meet people and business owners who are investing in

[17:19] downtown welcoming visitors supporting one another and helping create a

[17:23] community that proud to be a part of. Our role

[17:25] is to bring these efforts together, amplify them, and help

[17:28] them succeed. I'd also like to sincerely thank Mayor and

[17:31] Council, City staff, our board of directors, our businesses, our

[17:35] volunteers, our sponsors, and our many community partners. Because none

[17:39] of the work that we've talked about tonight happens in

[17:41] isolation. It takes collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to

[17:44] building a vibrant community. We're grateful to be a part

[17:47] of that work and we're excited about what's ahead. Thank

[17:50] you so much. Thank you so much for the presentation.

[17:53] I know we have Councillor Macko is a question and

[17:55] Councillor Albrecht as well virtually, but I just wanted to

[17:58] say, I sure on behalf of all of Council, we

[18:01] really appreciate the partnership we've had with the DLBA and

[18:04] obviously our partner through a contract DLC over the years.

[18:08] And I did see some of your online stuff organically

[18:11] pop up as well on my feed with the news

[18:14] articles that he ran. So thank you. So Councillor Mack.

[18:18] Thank you Mayor Pahall through the mayor. Um, I just

[18:21] want to say thank you for your presentation. I was

[18:23] a member of the DLBA for Wall Over 15 years.

[18:26] So, you know, pretty familiar with you guys and it's

[18:28] nice to see you here in this capacity. Um, it

[18:30] did have a question. In the 2025, um, AGM package,

[18:35] it talked about your guys'revenue. Um, and specifically government grants

[18:38] municipal, a referenced at 1. 044 million. So I'm just,

[18:43] and that's obviously, I just have it in front of

[18:44] me. But I was hoping that maybe you could discuss

[18:47] a little bit more of the funding model and the

[18:49] contributions that come to the DLBA from the municipal level

[18:52] of government. Cause I find that that's a gap when

[18:54] I talk with residents and taxpayers that they're not aware,

[18:58] um, that we contribute a lot to the DLBA. So

[19:00] I was hoping you could speak to that. Sure. Through

[19:05] the mayor to Councillor Mack, that's a great question. And

[19:07] I think the AEGM financial year referring to as a

[19:10] combination of both DLC and DLBA, because when they're, um,

[19:15] at the AGM level, they're combined together. So separately, the

[19:19] DLBA receives funding from business levy. Whereas obviously DLC receives

[19:24] it from hotel room stays. So those two amounts are

[19:27] combined to form the one million between the two different

[19:30] organisations. Thank you. You're welcome. Uh, thank you Councillor Albrecht.

[19:39] Thank you Mr. Mayor. Can you hear me okay? Yes,

[19:42] we can. Okay. Great. Uh, my feed seems a little

[19:45] wonky. So I just wanted to express my appreciation for

[19:49] the presentation. And, uh, I feel that, uh, we're very

[19:53] fortunate to have Chris and Taryn and your team doing

[19:56] some incredible work. Uh, to bring, uh, awareness two Langley

[20:00] City. And I just wanted to thank you so very

[20:02] much. Well, thank you, Councillor. Councillor Wallace and then white.

[20:09] Yeah. Um, I also want to say thank you very

[20:12] much for, for all you guys are doing and, uh,

[20:16] the summer concert series are amazing. And the growth of

[20:20] the audience and all ages fun. And it's so nice

[20:26] on the, uh, in, you know, on the one way

[20:28] now with, you know, wider sidewalks and the tables and

[20:32] the chairs. It seems like everybody's spreading out, but it

[20:34] is a full show. And just congratulations on that. And

[20:38] just wanted to commend you for, um, the downtown dollars

[20:42] and how you're always there to support community and events.

[20:44] And you've supported the Film Festival in the past and

[20:47] Earth Day as well. And among other things. And just

[20:51] wanted to congratulate you with the partnership with inclusion Langley

[20:55] with the Get Fresh Program. So yeah, very proud of

[20:58] what you guys do. Thank you. Council White. Thank you

[21:03] Mayor Bahal. Just wanted to express my thanks to both

[21:08] of your organisations for the partnership that we have with

[21:12] you and the incredible work that you do. Um, I'd

[21:16] like to say I'm one of your biggest fans. I

[21:20] think I could say that. But I think I would

[21:22] be outdone by many of the businesses that are recipients

[21:25] of your efforts and your work. Um, your team, I'm

[21:31] astonished when I see your team, uh, what you were

[21:36] able to accomplish. And, uh, the incredible output that, um,

[21:43] you're able to produce. And so I think, uh, there's

[21:47] a great value that's being, um, experienced, uh, my two

[21:52] favourite seasons in the downtown or summer and Christmas, um,

[21:56] you know, and I think that resonates with a lot

[21:59] of, uh, the community who participate in the, you know,

[22:04] programs to the experiences and the environment that's created in

[22:10] bringing people together. And you're doing a brilliant job in

[22:14] social media and getting the word out there in a

[22:18] fun, vibrant, informative and exciting way. So, um, kudos to

[22:24] you have two quick questions. Um, if I mayor, um,

[22:29] and that is, um, in, uh, in follow up to

[22:34] the investment over the last year, uh, in the phrase

[22:39] zero, one way strip upgrade and renewal that took place,

[22:44] um, how are you finding and what is the feedback

[22:48] that is coming to you, um, from, uh, that investment,

[22:55] um, the impact that it's having on the businesses. Recently,

[23:00] we were just recognised again, uh, for, uh, this project,

[23:05] um, uh, organisation within BFC. So that's encouraging. It's nice

[23:11] to see. But what's the tangible? What our business is

[23:16] saying. So that would be one of my questions. Through

[23:23] the mayor to Councillor White. Um, that's a great question.

[23:25] I feel that the feedback have has been wonderful. And

[23:29] I think the biggest takeaway is say the McBurney Plaza's

[23:32] summer concert series. People constantly coming up and just saying,

[23:36] I haven't been down here forever. And it's just incredible.

[23:38] I want to come down more. It's really encouraging that

[23:41] people are seeing the bright umbrellas. They're hearing the live

[23:43] music. They're seeing the wider sidewalks. And Taron and I

[23:46] have gone to speak to a few different associations, including

[23:49] the laneally seniors resource society, for example. Just explain to

[23:52] them just how welcoming it is now and how much

[23:54] brighter it is and how much easier to navigate the

[23:58] routes it is. And that's why we laid into that

[24:00] a little bit too on the redevelopment of the mural

[24:02] walk map was saying it's accessible for everybody. And I

[24:05] think before with the BRICS and everything kind of uneven,

[24:08] there's concern about, you know, tripping. It was darker and

[24:11] even arts alive. I noticed last year, despite the project

[24:14] not being completely finished, that there was just that much

[24:17] more room behind the tents where people, the businesses felt

[24:21] it because more people could easily get into their stores.

[24:24] They could also navigate the festival. And it just felt

[24:26] brighter and bigger. So I think that's really positive. And

[24:29] yeah, to the businesses, they are all the ones that

[24:32] I've spoken to have been really optimistic about the future.

[24:35] I think, you know, they went through a few hard

[24:36] years. Uh, you know, coming out of COVID and then

[24:39] the revitalization. It just seems like the happening, you know,

[24:42] but I feel like people are really positive and really,

[24:45] um, excited about what's going on right now. So hopefully

[24:48] we can maintain that momentum. And again, that's thanks to

[24:50] the support of all these different organisations we spoke about.

[24:53] Awesome. Thank you. I'll just leave it at that. Thank

[24:55] you, Mayor. Thank you. Uh, just quickly did Councillor James.

[24:59] Did you have a question still I saw your hand

[25:00] was up and it's down now. Yes. Thank you Mr.

[25:05] Mayor. I got a glitch here. So it's going to

[25:08] come later than I'm speaking, but it does my heart

[25:12] good. To see that, uh, the DLBA and DLC is

[25:16] being left in such incredible hands and the changes that

[25:20] are being made of positive. Always while maintaining the hurt

[25:26] and soul of what the DLBA was. And I just

[25:29] really want to commend you Chris and you, Taryn, um,

[25:33] you've just taken it to the next level. And I'm

[25:35] very proud and I'm very happy for both of you.

[25:38] That's all I wanted to say. Thank you so much

[25:40] Councillor Councillor Solium. Great. Thanks. Just got two questions. Um,

[25:46] in the past one, I've gone to Arts Live. It

[25:48] was pedestrian only. I just want to check. Is it

[25:49] going to be pedestrian only again this time. Great. So

[25:52] yes. And then is that also true for confinger? No,

[25:57] it's not. Okay. So I was just going to, I

[25:59] guess as a follow - up, will the expanded sidewalks

[26:02] be incorporated into the fork and finger in that case?

[26:05] Like, how does that work? Yeah. Great question through the

[26:08] mayor to Councillor Solomon. You're correct. The Fraser Highway one

[26:13] way is shut down to traffic between 204th and 206.

[26:17] This always has been. So the traffic during that day.

[26:19] Forking fingers never been blocked off, which is nice. We

[26:21] still have the parking down there. But we notice even

[26:22] last year with the revitalization, still kind of underworks. It

[26:25] was still a construction zone in that the road wasn't

[26:28] drivable yet. Um, the business has started having 10 by

[26:32] 10, 10 out front of their restaurants and serving samples

[26:34] there. And the streets really came alive. And it was

[26:37] really need to see that. We'd seen that in previous

[26:38] years, like little, little drabs here, uh, but it was

[26:41] neat to see how many of them. And I think

[26:42] each one of them looked at their neighbours and went,

[26:44] ooh, next year I'm going to do. So I think

[26:46] you'll see more and more street activations, which is really

[26:48] nice. And I think that's to one of the points

[26:50] about the wider sidewalks is you started to see a

[26:53] couple cute umbrellas and little bistro sets. And I think

[26:56] that there also adds to just that feeling of downtown.

[26:59] So yes, you'll witness more of that at four configure

[27:01] as well. It'll still be the hub and McGrony plaza,

[27:03] but people are walking up and down those sidewalks. And

[27:05] there's going to be little activations to roll the downtown

[27:08] core, which will be great to see. Great, wonderful. And

[27:09] then I just have a follow up. Um, Councillor Mack

[27:12] asked about, um, I guess a municipal subsidy for you

[27:15] guys. And then you responded by saying it's a business

[27:17] levy and, uh, hotel levy. I just wasn't sure. So

[27:20] is it directly coming from the city or is it

[27:23] coming from these levees? Or is it a mix of

[27:25] the two? Um, through the mayor to, uh, Councillor Solium.

[27:31] So, um, municipal and regional district tax that discovered Langley

[27:35] City receives or MRDT is through hotel overnight stays currently

[27:40] at two percent for the hotel accommodations. And that is

[27:45] facilitated through the provincial government, um, and then if Chris

[27:48] wants to specify to the levy. Yeah. So there comes

[27:54] to the overnight stays with the tourism levy. And then

[27:58] the, the BIA is through Bylaw through the business, um,

[28:03] property taxes that it's levy on the business property owners

[28:06] that's paid. So that's not coming from residential taxes. I

[28:09] see. And so just to clarify, so it's not the

[28:12] municipality. It's not Langley City funding directly. Either of your

[28:16] organisations. It's through these levies instead. The city of Langley

[28:21] is the, um, designated recipient of the MRDT and then

[28:25] discover Langley cities, the service provider. Um, but that is

[28:28] again from, um, from the Ministry of Finance. Thank you

[28:32] so much for the clarification. Thank you. Uh, any other

[28:35] questions or comments. Uh, thank you so much again for

[28:39] the presentation. I hope you both have a wonderful evening.

[28:42] You're free to stay or go, whatever you prefer. So

[28:45] thank you so much. Thank you so much for your

[28:46] time. Very much appreciate it. Uh, so our next Council

[28:50] meetings are September 21st followed by September 28th. Is there

[28:54] any council advisory updates. So seeing none, I'll move on

[28:57] to the administrative reports. So item 8A. The first is

[29:02] at Council Approve the Manager of Engineering and Parks Operations

[29:06] and Trademen, water metre coordinator to attend the 2026 Neptune

[29:11] Connect users conference and MANET, Ontario from October 26 to

[29:15] 28, 2026. Is there a mover and techender? Move by

[29:19] Councillor Wallace, seconded by Councillor White. Any further discussion. So

[29:23] seeing none, I'll call the question all those in favor.

[29:26] Opposed. So that's Care Dynamously onto 8B. Um, if you

[29:29] would like me to speak, I am more than happy

[29:31] to, otherwise I'd just like to move what's written in

[29:34] our agenda. Uh, so is there a seconder for that

[29:38] or Councillor White for their discussion on that. So see,

[29:42] now I'll call the question all this in favor. Any

[29:44] opposed. So that's carried unanimously onto item 8c, which is

[29:49] the roadway encycling improvements. Again, I would like to just

[29:54] move that as the four recommendations in our agenda and

[29:58] see if the seconder. Uh, so seconded by Councillor Wallace

[30:01] for their discussion. Councillor Mack. Thank you Mayor Paul through

[30:05] the mayor to staff. Um, I'm just curious whether there

[30:08] was any way to separate the traffic signal upgrades and

[30:12] the rode repaving from the, um, cycling infrastructure upgrades, uh,

[30:19] because as it appears in the agenda, it's a 4.

[30:21] 4 million for bypass roadway encycling improvement. So I'm just,

[30:27] I feel conflicted because it's all lumped into one tender.

[30:30] Um, the vast majority of this tender is for, um,

[30:35] cycling improvements, which from my perspective are underutilized. So I

[30:39] was just hoping to get clarity as to whether or

[30:41] not, or why this was tendered together. Uh, so I

[30:45] think the question is, can the tender be separated? And

[30:48] I will ask, um, at this point in time in

[30:51] this meeting right now, can you separate the tender. And

[30:55] I'll turn that to reach. Yeah. Sorry. I don't know

[30:59] if we would like to respond to that. Thank you.

[31:02] Thank you for that question, Councillor Mack. Um, at this

[31:05] stage, we couldn't separate the tender we'd have to close

[31:08] it. But the reason we combine them is the work

[31:10] is integrated. And when you're in putting in the multi

[31:13] - use path, the work that we're already doing with

[31:15] the intersection improvements, it all works together. And we have

[31:20] more efficiencies and cost savings as we do the work

[31:23] all tendered. They're all, they're all combined to do the

[31:27] cycling improvements, the multi - use path to move the

[31:29] curb lanes, you're already working in that intersection. Um, I'm

[31:33] not sure if that covers your question. So I think

[31:36] to be direct, we can't split it up right now

[31:38] in this meeting. We cannot. Yeah. No, definitely. Um, I

[31:42] guess I just more am asking, not necessarily a mechanism

[31:45] to split it up immediately right now, but when it

[31:47] actually goes out to tender, I do view that there

[31:50] are three different elements to this project. Um, the most

[31:53] costly one being a cycling improvements. So I guess, um,

[31:56] to be more succinct if this was to referred back

[31:59] to staff or if council ended up voting this tender

[32:03] down, um, would it be possible to go back to

[32:06] market for the traffic signal upgrades and the road paving,

[32:10] which I'm very much in favor of. To TAF. To

[32:16] Councillor Mack, the tender has gone out and has closed.

[32:21] So this is the, um, report to award the tender.

[32:24] So if we, if it was decided that council did

[32:27] not want to award that tender, it would have to

[32:29] be cancelled. And we would have to then redesign the

[32:32] project into different phases to separate those out and tender

[32:35] on them separately. We could not tender it as is.

[32:38] We'd have to redesign it into the three separate portions.

[32:42] It means coming back and we're doing work in intersections.

[32:49] Um, and prolonging that work over many months, possibly years

[32:52] and coming back and doing, um, ripping out work that

[32:57] we've already done as part of the bike improvements. And

[33:01] or the intersection improvements. Okay. Thank you. Councillor Albrecht. Yeah.

[33:10] Thank you Mr. Mayor. And just for clarity, uh, maybe

[33:13] staff could, um, make sure that I'm correct on this.

[33:16] I see that we're getting almost three million dollars through

[33:19] a combination of transling funding and some bicycle infrastructure capital

[33:24] costure and walking infrastructure and major network, uh, programs. So,

[33:31] um, uh, a lot of this, um, like the component

[33:35] of the Langley bypass roadway encycling. It isn't just cycling.

[33:39] It's, it's a combination of road work, multipath and cycling.

[33:43] Is that correct? Uh, through this half. Through the Mayor

[33:50] to Council Albrecht. That is correct. We have just about

[33:53] three million and funding from TransLink and those are all

[33:55] part of the programs, the funding programs. I did you

[33:58] have any further questions or comments, Councillor Alrecht. No, I'm

[34:03] good. Thank you very much. Uh, any other questions or

[34:07] comments Councillor Mack. Yeah. Thank you. Just, um, I do

[34:11] feel challenged when these applications come forward. I alluded towards

[34:15] this are actually referenced it during the budget because we

[34:18] have five different options to apply for various different transLink

[34:22] grants. And because of our strategic initiatives with the Council

[34:25] majority, we regularly apply for active transportation grants. So by

[34:30] the time these applications come to us while, yes, we

[34:33] are getting TransLink money at the end of the day.

[34:35] It's because it's strategic direction. And we could have actually,

[34:38] we could have applied for any of the other four

[34:40] categories of TransLink Grants. So yes, we have TransLink funding

[34:44] now, um, you know, I just feel frustrated, I guess,

[34:47] in some regard. I do believe that we should be

[34:49] reprioritizing our capital expenditures as well as the money that

[34:53] we are applying for with TransLink. So that this money

[34:57] we can get and then better invest it into roads,

[35:00] um, more or less. So I think we are here.

[35:03] We have this application. There's TransLink funding that's already been

[35:06] secured over a number of years. Um, that is the

[35:08] large proportion at share of the bike lanes. Oh, sorry,

[35:14] Councillor, that's completely out of line. Sorry, Councillor Mack.

[35:29] Are you okay to continue? Okay. Um, okay. So, uh,

[35:34] I will continue, I guess on with the conversation here,

[35:38] um, one of the things that I would like to

[35:41] comment on on this tender, um, is that just from

[35:45] a perspective of the different accounts we do get a

[35:48] base allocation from TransLink for walking, um, for cycling and

[35:53] for the major road network components as well. Uh, so

[35:56] those are things that are, we get as a per

[36:00] capita funding. So that's something here that I just wanted

[36:03] to kind of point out in that discussion. Uh, so

[36:05] those are things that we get kind of, you know,

[36:08] regardless. And then we can apply as well for the

[36:10] different programs. So, um, I guess I'll just leave it

[36:13] at that and just double check with staff. This project,

[36:16] is there any, is this all funded by TransLink and

[36:19] DCCs. Harley, let me check. Yes, we have TransLink Funding.

[36:30] Sorry, I have my.

[36:47] Correct. We have funding through TransLink, DCC, and funding TransLink

[36:53] and DCC funding. Thank you. And I would like to

[36:57] just follow up and with the Councillor Mack that we

[37:00] funding is, I appreciate where she's coming from. We do

[37:05] have our transportation 2050 that was recently endorsed and adopted

[37:08] by Council. That'll help us be more strategic in our

[37:12] planning and of making sure we're applying for the grants

[37:15] that we know or we'll go ahead. There are multi

[37:18] - year lead time with TransLink. So we do try

[37:21] to make sure we're doing that. And the transportation master

[37:24] plan does help us focus on that. Thank you so

[37:28] much. Uh, just a quick technical thing is, um, Councillor

[37:32] James is in the meeting right now. Okay. Perfect. Thank

[37:36] you. Awesome. Okay. Um, any to other discussion on this.

[37:41] Councillor Wallace. Um, yeah, I guess maybe through the mayor

[37:47] in regards to our 20250 that you spoke about in

[37:51] regards to cycling, um, I mean, I think that we

[37:58] should be pushing that more. Not that I'm, you know,

[38:01] I just, I don't understand, um, in regards to the

[38:04] transit in the, you know, there was part of that

[38:07] plan was going to line the secondary school, the road

[38:11] work. And just to explain that in the continuum of

[38:15] our bicycle network, um, just to talk in regards of

[38:20] how we are, because sometimes it's like a piece and

[38:23] then it's another piece. And it's another piece. But what

[38:25] is our, our plan in syncing that. With the township

[38:30] and other networks? Well, let's turn that over to staff

[38:34] as well. Thank you Councillor Wallace. We do have been

[38:39] coordinating with the townships. They are currently going the township

[38:42] to going through their updated plan. Uh, we did meet

[38:44] with them on this project to make sure we were

[38:46] aligned with their future. The transportation 2050 has identified priorities.

[38:50] Um, high priorities, medium priorities when it comes to our

[38:53] cycling and pedestrian networks. And we will be using those

[38:56] to guide us on our projects forward. The linked bypass

[38:59] was identified in the higher priority category of needing upgrades

[39:03] for facilities for pedestrians and bicycles. Thank you so much.

[39:09] Uh, any other discussion on this one? Council White. Thank

[39:15] you Mayor Bahal through you to staff just a question

[39:20] of clarification. I remember previously there was a, uh, conversation,

[39:27] um, regarding the, or there was a comment regarding the

[39:33] multi - year process, um, that's involved in these applications.

[39:38] And I'm just curious how far back does the application

[39:42] go with TransLink regarding this project. And for me, that's

[39:49] a consideration in this whole project is the amount of

[39:53] energy that's been put out, um, versus, you know, when

[39:59] we kind of get injected into the process as new

[40:03] councillors, for instance, um, so yeah, how, how long has

[40:08] this been in the works for our application with TransLink

[40:14] and the planning that's gone into it? Thank you. Through

[40:19] the Mayor to Council White, thank you for that. We

[40:21] did get approval from TransLink in 2023 for this funding.

[40:26] That's when we first applied through allocated and competitive funding.

[40:31] And we have three years to construct once they're approved.

[40:34] And we also applied for additional funding in 2024 and

[40:37] 25 prior to 2023, the work that went into pre

[40:41] - doing this. I'd have to, there was enough to

[40:45] be able to, the concept and preliminary budget. So, but

[40:49] 2023 was when we first applied for funding. Thank you

[40:52] so much. Thank you. Um, and then I just wanted

[40:55] to check if Councillor Albrecht had a question or comment.

[41:00] Uh, yeah, it's more of a point of order, Mr.

[41:03] Mayor. I want to apologise to all members of, uh,

[41:06] of Council and staff. Um, I'm remote right now. Somebody

[41:10] came in and interrupted me, uh, I didn't know I

[41:14] haven't been put on mute. So I, I apologise. It

[41:18] was nothing to do with the Council meeting. It was

[41:20] somebody that was interrupting my attention to the Council meeting.

[41:24] So I just wanted to clarify that. I'm embarrassed. I'm

[41:27] sorry. And I'll be more diligent. Uh, that's noted. So

[41:33] with that, um, Councillor Mack. I think that I just

[41:41] wanted to say that I'm glad that some of this

[41:43] behaviour is coming out in public now. So I think

[41:46] a lot of things have been said. And so I

[41:49] will just leave it there. Uh, so on the question

[41:51] of this, um, all those in favor opposed. So is

[41:56] there none opposed to this? So then that's carried unanimously.

[41:59] So that brings us on to item 8D. So I

[42:03] would like to move all four of those recommendations that's

[42:07] presented in the agenda and see if the seconder. Seconded

[42:10] by Councillor James, uh, further discussion on this Councillor White.

[42:16] Thank you Mayor. Um, through the mayor to staff, I

[42:22] see that there's the estimate on this, um, was

[42:32] curious about the, the difference between what the original budget

[42:36] was and what the accepted bid was, which was significantly

[42:41] less. And I'm just wondering what the reason for that

[42:44] may have been. And I'll turn that to the staff.

[42:52] So yes. Uh, to Councillor White, thank you for that.

[42:56] We are seeing in the region, uh, tenders are coming

[43:01] in a bit lower. It's a competitive market out there

[43:03] right now. And city capital projects are benefiting from that.

[43:07] So that is what we're seeing is companies are, are

[43:11] putting their best bids forward to get the work. Thank

[43:15] you so much. Uh, any other discussion on this one.

[43:19] Uh, so I'll just add a kind of a general

[43:21] comment, uh, we did, uh, approve our budget last year.

[43:26] And so we moved the process about three months forward.

[43:29] And so in the past, we've seen a lot of

[43:30] the paving projects almost like a year delayed just because

[43:33] of the way it would work out with the budget.

[43:35] Then it gets tendered in September. Then it rains. And

[43:38] so the work actually doesn't happen until the following spring

[43:41] and summer. Uh, this year we've been able to actually

[43:43] get these tenders out while essentially a year and a

[43:47] bit earlier. So it's really exciting to see that these

[43:50] are all starting construction. If this one is approved all

[43:54] in August. So it should be wrapped up by the

[43:55] end of the year. So I think that's one of

[43:57] the benefits that I've seen with that process of moving

[44:00] things forward. We're just able to get this work done

[44:02] earlier. So, uh, with that in mind, I'll call the

[44:05] question on this one. All those in favor opposed. So

[44:08] that's carried unanimously. And onto the final item, which is

[44:11] the Firewall building envelope. I'd like to move those recommendations

[44:15] as presented in the agenda as well. Seconded by Councillor

[44:18] Wallace. Any further discussion on this. So see, not all

[44:22] call the question, all those in favor. Opposed. So that's

[44:25] carried unanimously. Uh, onto the public release of information just

[44:30] as a note. So that's just from the investingly city,

[44:33] which is already available online. And so we're onto the

[44:37] correspondence, uh, which is from the Canadian Association of Physicians

[44:42] for the environment. So I think Councillor Wallace, what would

[44:46] you like to do with this correspondence? Yeah. Just the

[44:48] call for stronger heat protections falling the fifth anniversary of

[44:52] B. C. heat dome. And like you said, um, I

[44:55] would just like to move this referral to staff to

[45:00] see if we can work with, uh, with, uh, some

[45:03] more information. And they're asking us, um, to meet and

[45:09] discuss how we can work together to protect residents from

[45:12] extreme heat. And am I? Yeah. So I guess you're

[45:16] a recommendation is you might, if I, I may, your

[45:19] recommendation might be to refer this to staff for a

[45:22] response back to the organisation. Yes. And can I elaborate

[45:26] or no? I will second it. And now you can.

[45:28] Thank you. Um, just new Westminster has done a lot

[45:30] of great work in this area. And I feel that

[45:34] we have a lot of older, um, condos and apartments.

[45:40] And I worry about, um, what we're experiencing as far

[45:43] as heat dome. So just as, you know, it's going

[45:46] to take some, some time to redevelop some areas and

[45:50] some will exist for some time. So I'm just, uh,

[45:53] wanting to bring this forward. Thank you. Thank you so

[45:56] much. Is there any further discussion on this one. Okay.

[45:59] So see, not going to call the question on this.

[46:01] So all those in favor. Any opposed. So there's an

[46:03] opposed. So that's carried. So that brings to adjournment. So

[46:05] I'll move that we adjourn. Is there a seconder? Councillor

[46:08] White. So I'll call the question. All those in favor

[46:10] opposed. So we are adjourned and I'll see you in

[46:12] September. Thank you.

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

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