[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.