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  "description": "IWD is a fight, not a party. Emergency shelter opens in the cold. 2,000 Indigenous youth head to LEC for the 50th All Native Tournament. Langley City wants volunteers for community safety. Plus volleyball nationals and an Okanagan extinction warning.",
  "path": "/langley-roundup-news-for-march-9th-2026/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-09T18:46:40.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.langleyunion.ca",
  "tags": [
    "Claudio Schwarz",
    "Unsplash",
    "Langley’s MLAs Voted to Gut Human Rights ProtectionsTwo of Langley’s three Conservative MLAs voted to advance a bill repealing the entire BC Human Rights Code. The third was absent without explanation. They call it procedural courtesy, but they blocked other far-right bills before. So why not this one?The Langley UnionRainer Fehrenbacher",
    "Read more",
    "Learn More",
    "Lee Thomas",
    "Read More",
    "Adrienne Merritt",
    "Read the full story at The Tyee.",
    "Robbie Down",
    "Take the Survey"
  ],
  "textContent": "💚\n\n****Support Local News—Spread the Word****\nThe best way to help __The Langley Union__ grow is simple: share this newsletter. Forward it to a friend, mention it to your family, or post it on social media and encourage others to subscribe.\n\nIt's a cloudy Monday in Langley with temperatures hovering around 4°C, and if you're feeling the chill, you're not alone. Gateway of Hope has opened emergency shelter spaces as freezing temperatures hit the region.\n\nIn today's Roundup, a fierce opinion piece reminds us that International Women's Day was never meant for champagne toasts, while two of Langley's Conservative MLAs continue to face scrutiny for voting to gut BC's Human Rights Code.\n\nOn a brighter note, nearly 2,000 Indigenous youth athletes are headed to Langley Events Centre for the 50th Junior All Native Tournament starting Saturday, and Langley City is looking for volunteers to help build safer neighbourhoods through its new Resilient Neighborhood Networks community safety program.\n\nPlus, top university volleyball teams battle for a national title at LEC this week, and a sobering warning about fish extinction in the Okanagan.\n\n## Sign up for The Langley Union\n\nGet daily news updates and feature community stories from the only independent source that is 100% owned and operated in Langley, BC.\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. No paywalls. Unsubscribe anytime.\n\n### International Women's Day is not a celebration. It's a call to fight.\n\nPhoto by Claudio Schwarz / Unsplash\n\nWriter Rhea Rollmann has a message for International Women's Day: put down the champagne.\n\nIn a sharp opinion piece, Rollmann argues that IWD was never meant to be a celebration of progress, but a rally point for working-class women fighting systems designed to keep them down.\n\nThe threats she names are not abstract. A sex predator sits in the White House. Reproductive rights are under siege across North America.\n\nAnd in BC, a Conservative MLA recently tabled a bill to repeal the province's Human Rights Code entirely.\n\nThat bill was supported by two of Langley's own Conservative MLAs, Jody Toor of Langley-Willowbrook and Harman Bhangu of Langley-Abbotsford.\n\nThis is a stark reminder that the battle for equality is not happening somewhere else. It is happening here.\n\nLangley’s MLAs Voted to Gut Human Rights ProtectionsTwo of Langley’s three Conservative MLAs voted to advance a bill repealing the entire BC Human Rights Code. The third was absent without explanation. They call it procedural courtesy, but they blocked other far-right bills before. So why not this one?The Langley UnionRainer Fehrenbacher\n\nRollmann traces IWD back to its socialist roots, including the 1917 textile workers' strike in Petrograd that helped spark the Russian Revolution, and warns that the day's militant spirit has been hollowed out by the co-optation of community organizations into system navigation rather than system change.\n\nHer call to action is clear: reclaim the \"feminist killjoy\" ethic, rebuild grassroots movements, and refuse to look away from the violence that too many are still willing to ignore.\n\nRead more\n\n### Langley City needs your help to build safer, stronger neighbourhoods\n\nLangley City is calling for volunteers to help launch Resilient Neighbourhood Networks, a community safety program born from the city's Citizens' Assembly.\n\nThe program, championed by Mayor Nathan Pachal, is designed to shift the city toward a more proactive safety model by building trust and connection at the neighbourhood level.\n\nVolunteers can help in a range of ways, from organizing block parties and safety walks to joining planning groups and supporting community events.\n\nNo experience is needed, and interested residents can sign up through the City's Volunteer Interest Form before the March 13 deadline.\n\nLearn More\n\n### Casino sues Langley City after SkyTrain land seizure valued at $10\n\nPhoto by Lee Thomas / Unsplash\n\nGateway Casino has filed a lawsuit against the City of Langley after the city expropriated roughly 0.25 hectares of land from its Cascades Casino site to build a SkyTrain station, offering just $10 in compensation.\n\nThe land, part of the casino's leased property near the future 203A Street station on the Surrey-Langley Expo Line extension, includes 55 parking stalls and forced a redesign of the casino's main entrance.\n\nGateway says the expropriation has disrupted traffic, reduced visitor numbers, and cut into revenue, with more losses expected as construction continues toward the project's planned 2029 opening.\n\nThe City confirmed the expropriation took place but declined to comment further, as the matter is now before BC Supreme Court.\n\nRead More\n\n### The 50th Junior All Native Tournament tips off in Langley this weekend\n\nNearly 2,000 Indigenous youth athletes from across British Columbia will compete in the 50th Junior All Native Tournament at Langley Events Centre and local schools from March 15 to 20.\n\nThe six-day event, co-hosted by the Vancouver Bandits, Kwantlen First Nation, and Vancity Nation, features 129 teams across seven age divisions.\n\nHaida Gwaii-born actor and former Big Brother Canada contestant Kiefer Collison will host the opening ceremony on March 15, which was already 75 per cent sold out as of Sunday.\n\nMost games are free for fans of all ages, with Championship Friday wrapping up the tournament on March 20.\n\nRead More\n\n### Township asks families to remove cemetery items before April 20\n\nPhoto by Adrienne Merritt / Unsplash\n\nThe Township of Langley is reminding families to collect personal decorations and memorial items from municipal cemetery grounds before April 20, 2026.\n\nUnder Cemetery Bylaw No. 5236, restricted adornments left after that date will be removed and stored for 60 days before disposal.\n\nThe annual cleanup is intended to keep grounds safe for maintenance crews and visitors, as weathered items can become hazards over time.\n\nFamilies with questions can contact the cemetery office at 4393 208 Street, by phone at 604-534-5965, or by email at cemetery@tol.ca.\n\n### Gateway of Hope opens emergency shelter spaces amid Langley cold snap\n\nThe Gateway of Hope shelter in Langley issued an extreme weather alert Sunday as temperatures dropped to freezing or below.\n\nThe shelter at 5787 Langley Bypass has 20 mat spaces available for adults, with intake open between 7 and 9:30 p.m. until the site is full.\n\nMeals, showers, and laundry are available, and the shelter is wheelchair accessible and pet friendly.\n\nAnyone needing shelter after 9 p.m. can call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200 for assistance.\n\nRead More\n\n### Top university volleyball teams compete for national title in Langley this weekend\n\nThe 2026 U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship comes to Langley Events Centre this weekend, hosted by Trinity Western University from March 13 to 15.\n\nEight of Canada's top university women's volleyball teams will compete over three days for the national title.\n\nFans can expect food trucks, music, and interactive crowd zones alongside the on-court action.\n\nLearn More\n\n### New St. Paul's Hospital takes shape in Vancouver ahead of 2027 opening\n\nPremier David Eby and Providence Health Care CEO Fiona Dalton wrap up their walking tour of the new St. Paul’s Hospital. Photo for The Tyee by Michelle Gamage.\n\nThe Tyee got a first look at the new St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, a $2.18-billion facility set to open next year with 548 beds, all-private patient rooms, and systems designed to withstand floods, earthquakes, and airborne pathogens.\n\nPremier David Eby joined Providence Health Care CEO Fiona Dalton for the February 27 media tour, the first public look at the site since construction began in 2021.\n\nThe building includes over 90 negative pressure rooms, 15 outbreak control zones, and on-site generators capable of running the entire hospital for 72 hours during a disaster.\n\nOne notable question mark is whether the new site will include an overdose prevention site, with Providence leadership saying the matter remains unresolved.\n\nRead the full story at The Tyee.\n\n### Okanagan fish face extinction by 2040 as waterways warm, expert warns\n\nPhoto by Robbie Down / Unsplash\n\nA Similkameen watershed expert is warning that climate change and over-logging could trigger a fish extinction event across the entire Okanagan Basin within 15 years.\n\nLauren Terbasket, a Lower Similkameen Indian Band member, presented the findings to regional leaders on February 20, citing warming water trends, record-low snowpack, and decades of clear-cutting as the key drivers.\n\nLast year, warm water in the Okanagan River created a thermal barrier that reduced returning salmon to a fraction of the previous year's numbers.\n\nTerbasket and her partners are now working on restoration efforts including tree planting, willow-staking, and ceremonial land stewardship to slow the warming and protect what remains of the fishery.\n\nRead More\n\n### Ottawa Braces for Debate on Iran War as National Issues Converge\n\nThe federal Liberal government has proposed a parliamentary debate on the escalating war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, as multiple critical issues compete for attention on Parliament Hill.\n\nThe debate comes as Canada navigates its position on the Middle East conflict while simultaneously dealing with domestic concerns including public service job cuts and the ongoing Stronach trial.\n\nThe convergence of international and domestic issues is creating a complex political environment in Ottawa, with MPs expected to engage in heated discussions about Canada's role and responsibilities regarding the Iran war.\n\nThe Liberal government faces pressure to articulate a clear foreign policy position while managing various domestic political challenges.\n\nThis debate will provide a crucial window into how Canada plans to respond to one of the most significant international conflicts in recent years.\n\nRead More\n\n* * *\n\n###  What did you think?\n\nHelp us improve! Take a quick 60-second survey to share your thoughts on this article.\n\n Take the Survey ",
  "title": "Langley Roundup: News for March 9th, 2026",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-09T18:46:41.802Z"
}