langleywatchdog…. and more!

The rail line through the Township of Langley is difficult to deal with now but it is only going to become exponentially worse, given the plan to triple train movement through our municipality. Now, the Railway is not going away BUT it is long past time we deal with its interface within our community. There are 11 railway crossings to deal with! All of this comes at a very real cost, the cost of improvements should not in any way be borne by the taxpayer of Langley. As you can see by the local press features below, we are being presented with lists of needed projects and apparently the need for borrowing on one specifically, WHY?

The history surrounding the railways creation presents a number of historical REAL arguments in favor of the Township that have never been tested, in court if necessary! Is our Mayor and Council aware of the following? Obviously not!

It is time they stand up and challenge staff to do their job and do whatever is possible and probable in an effort to protect taxpayers. An example of that is the commitment back in September 24^th 1968 that B.C. Hydro will be building an overpass (grade separation) on the By-Pass – Really? Read below!

Message to Council: Dig into the facts before you waste taxpayer dollars. The easy solution is just paying the bill, the tough call is to fight back and say NO!

Learning from history provides us with the knowledge necessary to deal with the original intent, purpose, plan and or laws that governed a remarkable engineering feat going back to the year 1906! This achievement was a Rail line from New Westminster through to Chilliwack that served the farming community and the then 18,000 residents in the valley at a cost of $3.5 million. (Click on “S Fraser Community Rail” link on menu bar above for video)

All of what surrounded this achievement and allowed it to be built was governed by the by-laws of the day, which are still in effect. By-Laws were enacted by every Municipality and City affected. For the purposes of this writing we are dealing with the Langleys.

What, if any responsibility are we accepting OR what input are the Langleys being afforded for needed improvements in the railway / public interface through our community?

What is the impact of the Heavy Rail line (the Interurban line) through the Langleys?

Roberts Bank Rail Corridor Agreement committing $307 million for 9 road/rail separations along the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor. This agreement was signed off by 12 funding partners to be witnessed by invited guests only behind closed doors in the Township of Langley Council Theatre on June 28^th, 2007. 

Here are a couple of recent headlines:

“More than $375 million in transportation projects shortlisted for the Langley Region” according to new studies released by the Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum.

From the Langley Times

“Rail upgrades will cost Langley Township $6 million” Langley Township is looking at borrowing to deal with approximately $6.3 million in extra rail crossing upgrades it will need over the next several years.

From the Langley Advance – Mathew Claxton

It appears that the Township of Langley Mayor, Council and staff are unaware or ignoring the history dealing with the rail line. Why? Who is really responsible for the needed upgrades?

First, the history of how and why the Interurban corridor was developed and under what laws of the day permitted its development? I have highlighted key items in the agreements for brevity but I have the documents in my possession in case some would question my sanity.

The Facts in history are still in force! I will lay out the documents that are relevant!

The forerunner to the B.C. Electric Company and the current B.C. Hydro Company was known back in the early 1900s as the Vancouver Power Company Limited. For the then 79 mile Interurban Rail Line to be built, Vancouver through to Chilliwack, it required the right of way and cooperation of all the cities and municipalities along this route.

The Articles of Agreement – dated March 1^st, 1906 incorporated into 1906 By-Laws

The rules of engagement were outlined in great detail through “Articles of Agreement” dated the first day of March 1906 (Schedules A & B) with respect to what the owners and any other subsequent owners (successorship) were required to follow with respect to the responsibility to cover costs in a wide variety of interfaces with the public. Just a few highlighted items of interest within the agreement:

“2c The Vancouver Power Co. shall and will, from time to time, and at all times during the erection of any poles, the laying and stringing of any wire or wires, and during any repairs to and alterations of the same, during the erection, maintenance and operation of the said electric tramway, take due care and proper precaution for the safety and protection of foot and other passengers and of livestock of all kinds passing along the streets, lanes, bridges or highways of the Township of Langley on which the erection, laying, stringing, construction, alterations, maintenance and operations are being performed, and will not unnecessarily interfere with or impede the public right of travelling on such public highways, streets, lanes or bridges, nor in any way obstruct the entrance to any door or gateway, or interfere with the free access to any buildings or premises;”

“2e The Vancouver Power Co. at its own cost and charge shall strengthen all bridges on the public roads or highways crossed by its tramway sufficiently to make the same safe”…..

“2i Whenever The Vancouver Power Co. shall use the streets, roads or highways of the Township of Langley for its tram line or lines, it shall at its own cost and charge construct and maintain, where same is necessary, culverts for water courses and drainage purposes in such places and of such dimensions through and under its tracks as may be directed from time to time by the Township of Langley;”

“3 ….but it is understood and agreed that whatever shall be done hereunder shall be such as may be done without any cost or expense whatever to the Township of Langley.”

“4….The Vancouver Power Co. will in no other way whatsoever discriminate against the Township of Langley or any of the residents thereof in the carrying on of its business.”

“8 The Township of Langley covenants and agrees that it will allow no other Electric Railway or Tramway to be built and operated along any public highway or road hereafter occupied and used by The Vancouver Power Co. under the provisions of this agreement, provided, however, that this clause shall have no force after the expiration of 99 years from the date hereof.”

Interpretation of #8 above – That would mean the rights over Township of Langley land would have expired November 3^rd, 2005. The land I am talking about is the Municipal Road interfaces that cross the tracks that are in place. The land under the rails in the Township of Langley is not lineal ownership by the railway; it is a series of railway owned lands interrupted by municipal connecting roads owned by the municipality with rights given by the Municipality on a 99 year lease. That lease expired on Nov. 3^rd 2005!

“14 It is further covenanted and agreed between the parties hereto that this agreement is to endure for the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of the Township of Langley and The Vancouver Power Co. respectively.”

The Langley Tram Power and Light By-Law 1906

The “Articles of Agreement” were incorporated into and through By-Laws which were specifically enacted for this purpose.

1. On October 6^th, 1906 “The Langley Tram Power and Light By-Law 1906 was read a first time and a third time.
2. It was the law of the day that this railway required the assent of the electors (a referendum even back then) and was approved on the 20^th day of October, A.D. 1906
3. It was reconsidered, finally passed, signed and the Seal of the Corporation attached thereto the 3^rd day of November, A.D. 1906.
4. It was signed by John McDonald Reeve and J. W. Berry C.M.C.

Agreement between the The Vancouver Power Company and the Corporation of Langley

• The Board of the Vancouver Power Company requested the District of Langley to execute each of these agreements and served notice that the Board has decided to proceed with the building of the Electric Railway from New Westminster to Chilliwack without avoidable delay.

FAST FORWARD TO

Minutes of the Corporation of the Township of Langley Special Meeting September 24^th, 1968

Mayor Poppy was in the chair with Alderman Barichello, Blair, Booth and Shuster in attendance.

Topic for discussion, B.C. Hydro Railway. In attendance were Hunter Vogel MLA, William Mearns Vice President of B.C. Hydro, D. King and R. Martin of B.C. Hydro.

A full explanation and discussion took place with respect to the proposed Rawlison Crescent rail flyover from the mainline in Fort Langley connecting up to the Interurban Corridor by 232^nd and Highway #1. This section, known as the Pratt Livingston corridor runs through to Cloverdale where it separates and runs straight through to Roberts Bank. This was being proposed for the purposes of serving the NEW (at the time) proposed Roberts Bank Port for the purposes of Coal shipments.

Mr. Martin went through a list of stated crossings in Langley; of particular interest is #10 on his list:

“10. Langley By-Pass – The track shall be re-located to facilitate the building of a complete grade separation at this location. Mr. Martin stated that the trains will be one mile (5,280 ft) in length and there will be one train each way per day at a maximum speed of 35 mile per hour. It would take approximately two minutes for a train to cross any road. Mr. Mearns stated that the proposals regarding crossings in Langley will be confirmed in writing.”    

Follow up was promised but no follow up was received to our knowledge.

Minutes of the Corporation of the Township of Langley Special Meeting November 12^th, 1968

RE Roberts Bank Railway

Alderman Booth asked if any further information regarding the location of the railway link near Fort Langley has been provided to the municipality. Mayor Poppy replied that no information had been received to this date, and also pointed out that the decision to locate the railway in this vicinity had been made without any consultation at the local level whatsoever.

INFORMATION FACT – In 1968, in order to create a cost effective access to the NEW Delta Port Coal Terminal the WAC Bennett Government decided to route the heavy rail coal trains through Langley using the (Fort Langley) Livingston to Cloverdale section of the BCER/Hydro rail line. The entire Lower Mainland Planning Board was disbanded by the WAC Bennett Gov’t. as a result of the planning Boards opposition to the Langley routing. Langley was NOT consulted. Today the Township of Langley sees about 12 – 14 trains a day (coal and containers) that are 12,000 ft to 14,000 ft in length. With the advent of Terminal 2 at Roberts Bank it is public knowledge that we will be seeing upwards of 35 trains a day. How will this interface with car and truck traffic in the Township and the City?

FAST FORWARD TO

B.C. Government Press Release re sale of B.C. Hydro’s Freight Division to Itel of Chicago dated July 27^th, 1988.

“B.C. Government Names ITEL Rail Corp. as successful bidder in sale of B.C. Hydro’s Freight Division. (Otherwise known as the Interurban Rail Corridor) C.P. Rail acquires operating rights to strategic trackage for Roberts Bank Coal Port. (Otherwise known as the Pratt Livingston Corridor roughly 232^nd through to Cloverdale) a 21 year renewable agreement at either parties request. Passenger rights were protected in perpetuity as part of the ITEL sale and for 21 years as part of the CP agreement expiring in August of 2009 FOR THE Pratt Livingston Corridor.”

The terms and conditions pertaining to this sale seemed to disappear from public view or for that matter from the records of B.C. Hydro between B.C. Hydro, CP Rail and Itel of Chicago.

FAST FORWARD TO

Mayor Rick Green Township of Langley uncovered the previously unknown Master Agreement between B.C. Hydro, Itel and CP Rail in April of 2009

This Master Agreement could not be found by the Township and its lawyers going back to 2005. It was uncovered by myself within 24 hours of learning about it in 2009. “To the surprise of many passenger rights were spelled out in detail as a condition of this sale. Use for passenger service is to be at no cost!” It also spelled out that passenger use on the joint section known as the Pratt Livingston Corridor (approx.. 232^nd Street through to Cloverdale) was subject to a 21 year clause renewable at either parties wishes due to expire in August of 2009.

INFORMATION FACT – Through the efforts of Mayor Green (Township of Langley) and all Mayors South of the Fraser, these passenger rights were renewed in April of 2009, four months before they were lost forever.

Summary:

The quality of life for our residents is at serious risk due to noise and traffic distribution, not to mention millions of dollars annually in lost wages and productivity incurred by Langley residents having to sit in traffic for 5 – 10 minutes (or more) each time a train goes by. Well there is a very interesting professional study produced in 2005 locally using a formula that had been developed from a university in the U.S. related to a cost/traffic/rail interface analysis.

There were eleven crossings analyzed using 2005 vehicle and train numbers and length for calculation. They are dramatically far less than today.

• Based on ten of 18 port trains a day back in 2005
• Average wait time 3 minutes
• Average vehicle occupancy 1.5 people
• Fuel Consumption idle 1.66 Liters per hour (Dept. of National Resources Canada statistic.
• Fuel cost 90 cents per liter (todays cost $1.34?)
• Lost time cost per individual $9.00 per hour

Extrapolating the above equates to

• Direct cost of time lost per train             $  75
• Cost of fuel consumed per train $    74
• Direct cost to Langley residents per train $  49
• Direct costs to Langley residents per day $6,674.90

The estimated total net economic loss per year to Langley City and Township residents resulting from Vancouver Port Authority Roberts Bank Delta Port train movements – $2,436,338.50 ! This is based on 2005 movement and cost numbers!

We look to our Council to seek out solutions to this pressing problem, putting the pressure, legal or otherwise, onto the current users based on historical agreements. If we don’t come to grip with this problem, as I said many times while in office, we will be two Municipalities, one North of the tracks and one South of the tracks!

NOTE – There are up to 4 Southern Rail Trains per day not included in the above calculation.

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe are of significant concern to Township of Langley Residents, come back often for news of interest to Township residents.

Protect your Democratic Rights – Protect your NEIGHBORS Democratic Rights – stay informed, stay involved and VOTE!!!

Share this BLOG; forward it to your friends, neighbors and relatives!

To comment on this post – Click on this Post, top left hand corner under recent posts.

Congratulations to Mayor Jack Froese and Council; You once again continue to be the WORST financially performing major municipal government (elected Council) in the Province of B.C., very sadly quite an achievement!!!

Now, any action for change falls on the backs of you the taxpayers of the Township of Langley

 DO YOU CARE? GET INVOLVED TO CHANGE YOUR COMMUNITIES FUTURE!

“POLITICS IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT”

Remember the old Rafe Mair’s Axiom #1 – “You make a very serious mistake believing that people in charge know what the hell they are doing”. Ignoring the facts, is not an option!

In a just released updated independent research document by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business “B.C. Municipal Spending Watch 2017 (10^th edition); Trends in Operating Spending, 2005 – 2015 determine that:

• The Township of Langley ranks 20^th out of 20 major (over 25,000 population) municipal governments in British Columbia – 2005 and 2015. YES again – LAST PLACE!
• Put it another way, which is worse (if that is possible) in the overall provincial rank, the Township of Langley ranks 96^th out of 152 of ALL cities, communities or municipalities.
• The City of Langley after all is 23^rd out of 152!
• Port Coquitlam is #1 of 20 (The best performing) among major Municipal Governments.)

Key Findings:

• B.C.’s population grew by 12 per cent from 2005 to 2015. Over the same period, operating expenditures adjusted for inflation ballooned by 46 per cent – close to four times faster than population growth.
• In B.C., the excess spending above population growth and inflation over the past ten years represents $8.6 billion dollars. This means a B.C. family of four could have saved on average $7,445 in municipal taxes had municipalities kept their spending on a more sustainable path.
• In B.C.s 20 largest Municipalities / Cities, between 2005 – 2015, Real Operating Spending per Capita Growth in % – The City of North Vancouver is 1^st at 12.9% The Township of Langley is in last place, 20^th at 56.7%!

CFIB Conclusions and Recommendations – Municipal operational spending is considered sustainable when it is at or below the rate of inflation and population growth. However, over a ten-year term between 2005 and 2015, the majority of municipal governments in BC have spent well in excess of sustainable levels. A major driver of unsustainable spending practices can be attributed to a broken collective bargaining system that drives up the cost of public sector wages and benefits. As this expense continues to rise, so do property taxes to support the rising costs. Ignoring the issue will only continue to add to the financial squeeze on British Columbian’s. Furthermore, as a disproportionate amount of taxes are passed onto small businesses, many are finding it difficult to absorb the increases. Only a small portion of B.C. municipal governments have demonstrated meaningful fiscal restraint. Excessive growth in operating spending by local governments leads to higher taxes which, in turn puts pressure on local commerce and stifles job growth. For local governments, the choice is clear: address their growth in operational spending now or leave a greater burden for future governments to deal with.

CFIB believes there is still an opportunity for municipal governments to adopt more sustainable spending practices. Ultimately, it will require strong political leadership.

Where is the Langley Times, Aldergrove Star and Langley Advance in reporting this meaningful information to their readers, you the taxpayer? Are they afraid of the repercussions? All three papers are owned by THE SAME COMPANY “Black Press”, an absolute embarrassment! Are you aware they split revenue from the Township of over $250,000 per year?

A little history is needed – What we are seeing now is a product of staff control and Council fiduciary irresponsibility going back to the 2002 – 2008 period, one of the key reasons I ran for Mayor and won in 2008. What was happening back then?

• Council had voted for a Compound Property Tax Increases since 2005 – (6 yrs) +33.6% – Compound Cost of Living (CPI) of +9.3% throughout this 6 year period.
• Voted against the recommendations of the Mayor’s Standing Committee of Finance which included a need to look at department efficiencies in 2009 and a recommendation of a .93% tax increase. Immediately moved a motion to approve a 5% tax increase / passed.
• During a 6 year period the majority of Council never voted against 1) any wage increase (Metro or Township), 2) an increase in staff numbers as requested by staff 3) a change in Council remuneration formula or 4) a Conversion of Fire Halls to full time.
• The majority of Council supported the purchase of Redwoods Golf Course by Township of Langley –  no public referendum – Significant Public Cost tied to a very questionable contract with previous owner who has a comfortable management contract for 20 years and another 10 at their option. Township taxpayers continue to pay.
• Supported purchase of Bedford House Restaurant by the Township of Langley –  no public referendum – Significant Public Cost of close to $1 million over assessed value.
• Supported the sale of public land (Questionable advertising of non ALR Dixon Pit property) to close friends of some in the Township of Langley for pennies on the dollar. Sold for $2 million when market value of 40 acres developed just as hobby farms was estimated to be $12 – $14 million.
• Building of Langley Event Center (LEC) for a cost of $66.2 million with the following
  • Awarded contract to the Langley Development Group (LDG) without a contractual agreement providing a clear understanding of the services they were paying for or what LDG was to provide.
  • No P3 partnership (To reduce Township taxpayer risk) This was promised and advertised in numerous press releases by the BC Gov’t and Township of Langley to the citizens of Langley. This was a LIE, there was no P3 agreement in place!
  • Supported 3 Council resolutions to permit staff to negotiate and conclude all contracts between the Township of Langley and the LDG. Council abdicated their fiduciary responsibility to staff from who should be responsible, that of Council.
  • Unwilling to review LEC agreements when no P3 agreement was uncovered, December 2008
  • No Business Plan
  • No public referendum
  • Despite no contractual agreement to do so, paid the Langley Development Group $8.83 million to go away. Settlement should not have been any more than $2 million max.
  • In an answer to the media: What did the taxpayers receive for $8.83 million? Jordan Bateman’s answer – Ownership of the LEC! Message to Jordan and the citizens of the Township of Langley, the Township always owned the LEC!
  • The Langley Development Group (LDG) who was awarded the contract under a less than open and public process had a principle partner, one Maury Keith (Jim Bond was the other partner with Keith whose construction company was awarded the building contract).

It is long past due that Township of Langley taxpayers should be awakened to what is being done to them every year and the accumulative effect of out of control spending and taxation. A few additional facts that should be clear when talking about Township spending –

• An $800,000 expenditure in the Township of Langley equates to an approx. 1% tax increase.
• A line that is often used by Municipalities is “they have to balance their budgets” per Provincial legislation – True except simple Math 101 will tell you that a) tax increases or b) increasing debt – will solve the balancing budget problem for municipal politicians and the bureaucracy in a heartbeat – they have learned that art form very well. It does nothing to stop their thirst for your tax dollars.
• Capital Spending – A $7.5 million expansion to the LEC which received no public input, scrutiny or announcement prior to construction start. Public process in awarding this contract was non-existent! $7.5 million of your tax dollars on a whim!
• Staff statements that these Capital expenditures do not affect taxation rates nor are they part of any tax payer supported debt is an insult to the intelligence of all of us. Regardless of how you cut it, funds for these expenditures came out of reserves, which were funded by taxation and will have to be replenished through taxation. There is only one taxpayer, YOU, this council just doesn’t get it and more importantly they refuse to challenge staff on proposed expenditures!

On the Taxation Side – Tax and Spending History:

The reasons for my criticism are real based on FACT, not imagination or hyperbole!

Tax Increases –

• 2002 to 2008 + 26%              6 years
• 2002 to 2011 + 40.49%         9 years
• 2002 to 2014 + 49.08%         12 years

A compound tax increase of over 49% in 12 years!

• How many residents had a 49% increase in pay over this period of time?
• B.C.’s Cost of Living since 2002 – 2014 was only +19.9%            (Stats Canada / B.C.)
• Taxation Increases – Close to 2 1/2 times the cost of living!

What is it you often hear at tax time? – On average a general property tax increase is only 2.95%? This is all slight of hand BS!

Creative Property Tax Statements –

I don’t know how many of you will remember, it wasn’t that far back, that our Property Tax Bill used to contain one if not a couple of classifications. In other words you received a tax increase of say 4% which included ALL services under the General – Municipal heading. Well in the spirit of creativity we are now being provided numbers for a variety of categories of services.

In reality it is nothing more than an attempt to justify their tax increase by breaking it out by category. We are now provided with –

• General – Municipal
• General – Protective Services (Fire and Police, I guess it could also include by-laws?)
• Fraser Valley Regional Library
• Parks
• Sewer
• Storm Water
• Transportation – Roads

Maybe we should ask for “General – Administration” and “General – Legal” and “General Staff / Council Expenses” which seems to be a popular expense with today’s Council.

I am not sure how or why I should feel more comfortable, especially knowing how inadequate our budget process and oversight is.

As I stated above, the unbelievable but true fact remains it is staff under the direction of outside forces who are the ones steering and commanding the ship. Council members over the past 12 – 15 years have been nothing more than passengers on that ship taking their marching orders from those unelected. OH don’t get me wrong, Council members get their opportunity to make themselves feel good in front of the public in public debate, Q & A during Public Hearings (we know how that listening goes don’t we) and Notices of Motion (although I see Councilor Long wants to find a way to circumvent that opportunity, why am I not surprised). The fact is the MEAT of the management of our Municipality is left to others, those unelected! It is being allowed to happen by your Mayor and Council.

As to Budgeting:

As anyone in business knows, respect for a thorough budgeting process is essential to accomplishing the desired result of fiscal accountability on behalf of taxpayers in this case or survival of a business. In the case of Municipal Government that process requires RESPECT for your tax dollars through a thorough vetting of all departments provisional budget requests. Every single department, if left to their own will and resources has an extensive WANT list. The challenge is paring that down to an affordable NEEDS list. Now there is no question that budgeting is a very difficult process, it requires the elected (Council members) to be challenging of the unelected (Staff) line by line as to their and Council priorities measured against Municipal needs and measured against value for money. Again, it is all about RESPECT for your tax dollars. This Council by their actions has NO RESPECT for your tax dollars nor any respect for democracy.

It requires the elected to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure taxpayers are getting value for money, both in operating and capital expenditures.

I will give you one small example – There was one discovery that my Standing Committee of Finance uncovered (among many) while going through the budgeting process. When Committee members questioned a few items of significance we discovered that staff had created “Capital Projects Funded – NOT STARTED” which went beyond the most recent year into the past number of years than the year we were dealing with. While investigating a number of these items we found that they were nothing more than a method of creating a variety of slush funds of convenience for staff. There are numerous such slush funds spread throughout the budget.

A fundamental principle should be to review every Capital Project approved by council that wasn’t started in that given year. Is it still needed? Why wasn’t it started? What was the business plan for it?

Another small example – At the start of our Mayor’s Standing Committee of Finance process and in discussions with the CAO, one of our committee members who was a retired CA and Senior Managing Partner from a prominent accounting firm stated he would like to see us adopt a 0 based budgeting format, to which our CAO replied, we do, it is modified 0 based budgeting format. Most professionals in the business will tell you, there is no such thing – It is either O based or it is not! That was just the start of a no cooperation attitude.

In my opinion, going through the “well entrenched Township of Langley staff budgeting process of convenience” and my attempts to correct that process, it was clear that nothing was going to change. Councilors of the day Bateman, Fox, Ward, Ferguson, Dornan, Kositsky and Long were determined that would be the case. Today’s Mayor and Council by their actions are NO different! It was very clear to me that not one of the above ever met a tax or spending increase they didn’t like. Just look up their records, it is a fact!

I would also suggest Councilor Richter’s actions through this period were less than helpful. While she likes to come across as the taxpayer’s conscience, in my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I measure people by their actions not words! So all of us are left with the status quo!!

In Summary:

The Township of Langley has without exception one of the worst spending and taxation records within British Columbia! I have said it many times before, these Council members make a habit of adopting a staff budget, NOT a Council budget. If you don’t believe me go and compare a Provisional Budget presented by staff and compare it to the adopted budget by Council.

This long standing process of budgeting with tax increases and spending increases that are in some cases, three times the cost of living and more are just not sustainable. What is more worrisome is there is no move a-foot to change these habits. The only thing that will change what is happening is a NEW Council which can bring about change in senior administration, are you up for it? The election is less than one year away!

Am I surprised by this independent CFIB report NO! I warned residents of what was going on going back to 2007 and through the 2008 election to the end of my term in 2011. This is a shocking report and should serve as an alarm bell to taxpayers. The Township of Langley is a Municipal Government out of control with NO checks and balances, by staff or more important by your Council. Budget reviews are a joke and an insult to the intelligence of you the taxpayer. There is NO true budget review. As I stated earlier, a statement that I used in a public budget meeting when Council were determined to pass the staff Provisional Budget was “If Council adopts this budget you are adopting a STAFF budget NOT a Council Budget”. I received severe criticism by members of Council for that statement, but IT WAS TRUE! That statement is as true today as it was back in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Now we have this CFIB research supporting and proving that FACT.

There are an endless number of irresponsible decisions being made by this Council. To bring effective change you need a Mayor with a vision for good responsible government and ability to lead and a Council who can think for themselves and not just fill a chair to do others bidding.

Change will only happen if we can unite taxpayers from every community to bring dramatic change to this fiscally and morally irresponsible municipal government. I challenge all of those over the past number of years that got involved because of a parochial (self-serving) interest. It is beyond me how, knowing the truth about what is going on, taxpayers can sit back and dismiss so much wrong doing, what many would call corruption! Trust me, none of this stuff happens by accident!!

If you have any questions with respect to the accuracy of the content or about issues raised please contact me directly at any time. Contact information is available through www.langleywatchdog.com

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe are of significant concern to Township of Langley Residents, come back often for news of interest to Township residents.

Protect your Democratic Rights – Protect your NEIGHBORS Democratic Rights – stay informed, stay involved and VOTE!!!

Share this BLOG; forward it to your friends, neighbors and relatives!

To comment on this post – Click on this Post, top left hand corner under recent posts.

As most will be aware it has been six plus months since my last BLOG Post, unfortunately this sabbatical was beyond my control due to personal health reasons. As I am sure those that know me well will understand, given the wide number of important policy and governance issues before us, municipally and provincially, it has been driving me crazy not to be able to write about them – UNTIL NOW! They are just too important to keep quiet about so we are back at it!

First up, why the delay in publishing our BLOG? An IMPORTANT PERSONAL MESSAGE! In short a diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, something nobody ever wants to hear right? On a personal note I would not normally go public with my personal situation but on second thought it is important to send a message out to our male readers, GET YOURSELF CHECKED OUT! My sense is the key reason us guys don’t get checked out is FEAR, that is understandable, BUT please remember, THE ALTERNATIVE IS NOT GREAT, IT CAN ONLY GET MUCH WORSE! Please understand anything I state here are my personal facts and my choices, everyone is different, but if my story and/or message help ONE person, this has all been worthwhile.

In my case it all started by receiving a call from our family doctors office asking me to come in for a physical exam before he could or would renew my prescriptions, it had been two years since my last exam. So off to the doctor for what most of us guys see as a very unwelcoming experience, followed up by getting all of the normal blood tests including a PSA test. My PSA, two years previous was 3.3 (normal right?), my test this time came back at 8.8 so I was scheduled for another PSA a month later which came back at 9.9. All of that bought me a ticket to a local Urology Specialist who immediately scheduled a biopsy – the unfortunate result Prostate Cancer. Out of 12 samples taken 12 had a varying number of cancer cells, it was aggressive. I am 71 years old and had none of the published signs of a prostate problem, I felt great!

So what now? I was immediately sent for a Chest X-ray, CT Scan, Blood Tests and Bone Scan, feeling very uncertain given the biopsy results? Obviously we had lots of questions through the process and all of the what-if questions we could think of. The good news – the results of all of the above tests were negative, no signs of cancer elsewhere, which obviously was THE concern and the results were a relief. But it is still Cancer!

Throughout this process we were given a variety of options for treatment, many with varying degrees of concern; however the primary initial treatment offered is Hormone Ablation Therapy (shots) every four months. FYI – Prostate Cancer cells grow by feeding on a man’s testosterone, the principle of hormone therapy is it reduces and/or eliminates testosterone which either kills off cancer cells or causes them to become dormant as their food source is eliminated. We started this treatment immediately. (The primary side-effects of Hormone Ablation Therapy that I experienced and still am experiencing are hot flashes which many women will know only too well.) I have been the brunt of many family jokes!

Well then what? Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy), Direct Beam Radiation and/or surgery were all considered and discussed, but we were referred to a Radiation Oncologist at the Abbotsford Cancer Center for a broader discussion of the options. After a great deal of family discussion we went for Direct Beam Radiation which began a meticulous process followed by 28 days of radiation, 5 days a week (Monday thru Friday) for 28 days. The daily process of water consumption prep was tough but the radiation was a piece of cake for me while going through it but there is certainly a cause and effect that follows for a number of months (still dealing with it in the form of fatigue, a common side-affect). All of this said it was all very worthwhile, two months after my radiation my PSA was down to .017, which is very significant. The question now is how long it will last, but there are many other options coming, one step at a time!

In conclusion on this topic, I am only telling my story as it affected me based on my personal status, everyone is different, but my message is clear GET CHECKED OUT! Our medical system in my opinion was nothing short of outstanding and amazing from our Doctor to our Specialist to the timely scheduling of tests and appointments to the referral and care by the B.C. Cancer Agency. Am I out of the woods, probably not, after all again it is Cancer, but I am feeling very positive on my prognosis. I have no plans on going anywhere anytime soon. AGAIN A REMINDER, GET YOURSELF CHECKED OUT!

Back to langleywatchdog.com, why I continue to publish it and what is to come????????

NO, I AM NOT RUNNING FOR OFFICE AGAIN, so I will get that question out of the way, but I am determined to use my many years of experience as Provincial Candidate, Provincial Executive Positions, Mayor, Alderman, a member of the Mayor’s Translink Council plus years sitting on a multitude of Municipal and Metro Vancouver Committees to speak up and inform and educate the public. I use my network of insiders in obtaining information that will be of interest to readers. What to look for, what to be aware of and why you should be concerned, on what and where appropriate. I will be available to answer questions publicly and/or privately and willing to meet residents (publicly or privately) where and as needed.

For those old enough to remember Rafe Mair, a Lawyer, a Provincial Cabinet Minister and a long-time very popular open line host on CKNW you may remember his oft stated Mair’s Axiom 1 “You make a very serious mistake believing that people in charge know what the hell they’re doing”! From the inside, no truer statement was ever stated.

This BLOG was started in January of 2013, designed to inform and educate residents. To-date we have published in the neighborhood of 90 plus BLOG Posts on a wide ranging number of topics and issues that the general public should know and be educated about. Viewership as of today stands at over 80,000.

Our world of what and how citizens and residents learn about what is going on municipally and provincially has been stood on its head. Speaking of Municipal Government, our traditional source of learning about issues occurred through our local press, unfortunately not any more. Today, through mergers and consolidation our local press publishes nothing more than puff pieces as a fish wrap to carry local flyers. How do the local media stay alive? Example, when I left the Mayor’s office in the Township we were paying collectively about $250,000 annually to the Times, the Advance and the Star for our weekly Township page. Another major source of revenue is the Real Estate and development industry, and we know what is happening with development in the Township, don’t we? They are not interested in upsetting these sources of revenue; it is their bread and butter. I could go on and on about other reasons the local press is less than effective and mute on so many issues of local concern, but I digress! Maybe at a later date!

I will give the local editors, managers and publishers this much, they are having to meet budgets and directives from their employers and DO NOT have the resources they used to have to do the investigative job and reporting they should be doing. Having said that, given the intimidation by the powers that be, I don’t have any confidence they would report anything they did find. Oh as well let’s not to forget, they no-longer have any competition thanks to recent mergers and acquisitions. Something that used to be done effectively by the local press, the proper dissemination of information through investigative reporting, has become nothing but a joke on an unsuspecting public.

Sitting back for the past number of months and watching what is going on, specifically at the Municipal level has driven me crazy. Not just what is going on BUT the number of issues that are affecting the majority of residents in the Township of Langley which are not being dealt with by the local print media.

Stay tuned, we will frequently be publishing a number of BLOG Posts on a number of issues that you should be thinking about and in many cases concerned about. What is happening in 2018? By the looks of it there will be more than enough to cover and be concerned about.

 Let’s consider –

• The 2018 Municipal Election – It will be a busy year for local candidate campaign news!
• What will be the 2018 Campaign Issues?
• Facts and issues in and around the Township of Langley in the areas of:
  • Finance – Debt and Taxation
  • Development – Community Plans and Zoning
  • Actions of Mayor and Council
• The 2018 Provincial Referendum on Proportional Representation – What are the facts?
• Translink plans as they affect the region and the Township of Langley
• And of course news and views on Municipal and Provincial issues that break and are of interest to readers.

Remember Mair’s Axiom 1

“You make a very serious mistake believing that people in charge know what the hell they’re doing”!

Stay Tuned!

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe should be of significant concern and interest to residents of the Township of Langley.

Protect your Democratic Rights – Protect your NEIGHBORS Democratic Rights – stay informed, stay involved and STAY ACTIVE!!!

 

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