Langley Politics Dotcom

Claude Richmond Is Done

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:57:00 +0000

This one is a surprise, as he had said repeatedly that he wanted to run one more time: Claude Richmond has announced he will not seek re-election. Richmond is 72 years old, but he had been adamant that he wanted another term. Apparently a health issue has convinced him there are more important things than Victoria at this point in his life.

The rumour around Kamloops is that Mayor Terry Lake may be thinking about seeking Richmond's BC Liberal nomination.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Sun notes that Gordon Campbell is busy recruiting "high-profile" candidates for the next election:

Already, Campbell has recruited former B.C. Cancer Foundation president Mary McNeil to run in Vancouver-False Creek and B.C. Paraplegic Association marketing director Stephanie Cadieux in Surrey-Panorama.

In Taylor's Vancouver-Langara riding, Campbell has pulled in Dr. Moira Stilwell, who heads the nuclear medicine program at St. Paul's and Surrey Memorial hospitals.

High-profile? I follow Surrey news and politics pretty closely, and frankly I had never heard of Cadieux before she decided to run for office.

Fraser Institute Grades Secondary Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

The Fraser Institute released their 2008 scores of local high schools yesterday (the elementary results came out last week).

Here are the Langley schools scores (out of 10), and their provincial rankings (out of 298 schools):

Langley Fine Arts 8.3 (27)
RE Mountain 7.6 (53)
DW Poppy 7.3 (71)
Langley Christian 7.2 (82)
Credo 7.1 (90)
Walnut Grove 6.8 (115)
Brookswood 5.8 (196)
Langley 5.4 (217)
Aldergrove 4.2 (267)
HD Stafford 4.0 (272)
Fraser Valley Adventist 3.7 (278)

What To Do This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:45:00 +0000

Here is this week's Tourism Langley Fresh Sheet of activities.

24 Hours Highlights My 200th Streetcar Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:35:00 +0000

My thanks to 24 Hours newspaper columnist Ian King for covering my 200th Streetcar plan. From Ian's article:

There's a stereotype in Vancouver of Fraser Valley residents as little more than a mass of blinkered, sprawl-loving, SUV-driving, blacktop-laying car nuts.

Not so. In fact, advocates from south of the Fraser - from all parts of the political spectrum - are pushing transit expansion far more aggressively than anything you'll find on TransLink's website or in a provincial government plan.

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You wouldn't expect a strong proponent of twinning the Port Mann Bridge to call for a streetcar to provide unheard-of levels of transit service in Langley. Langley Township councillor Jordan Bateman wants both.

Langley, explains Bateman, is at a crossroads. The next round of development could mean another swath of car-oriented suburbia - if regional leaders let it happen.

But it's not inevitable. The Langleys' centres of population and commerce are realigning, and with that comes the opportunity to pursue transit-oriented development.

"Langley was oriented east-west, along the Interurban, Fraser Highway, Old Yale. Now, the population runs north-south."

Enter, then, the idea of building some form of light rail along 200th Street from Willowbrook north to the job-rich Port Kells area, with expansion to Willoughby and Fernridge as those two areas become the last major developments in the township.

Bateman's calling it a streetcar; the actual technology might be light rail, but he's willing to leave that to technical experts. What it would be is surface rail with a moderate capacity - and a much more modest cost than the planned SkyTrain extension to 168th Street and Fraser Highway in Surrey.

"There's the [provincial government's] plan to extend SkyTrain to Guildford, and that's great, but the fact is that SkyTrain is four times as expensive to build as light rail, meaning you can get four times as much light rail for the same amount of money," says Bateman.

Monday night's Township debate on my Interurban motion is covered in both the Times and the Advance today.

South Fraser OnTrax has posted a recording of their inaugural meeting here.

I also see that my 200th powerpoint presentation is closing in on 900 views since being posted last week. In case you haven't seen it, here it is again:

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The Week's Best Late-Night Jokes

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:28:00 +0000

About.com has their regular list of the week's political jokes. My favorite is from Conan O'Brien: "Hillary Clinton says she isn't dropping out because there are still six states that haven't had their Democratic primary. That's right. Barack Obama's favored in the states of Oregon, Montana and South Dakota, and Hillary is favored in the state of denial."

Friday Morning News

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:34:00 +0000

More on the Public Safety Inspection Team investigation. (Langley Times)

The Township is in a good position to attract more sports tourism in the coming years. (Langley Times)

More on the recent trails forum. (Langley Times)

Thursday News Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:56:00 +0000

Police are investigating a member of the Township's Public Safety Inspection Team for taking a flashlight, says the Province. Again, it would be inappropriate for me to comment until the RCMP are done their investigation.

Aldergrove Star editor Kurt Langmann disagrees with Bob Long's assessment that downtown Aldergrove is a ghost town.

BC Liberal Candidate News

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:30:00 +0000

Public Eye has a couple of posts on possible BC Liberal candidates. Apparently the mayor of Colwood is thinking of running provincially, as is Arthur Griffiths.

PSIT Put On Hold

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:24:00 +0000

It would be completely inappropriate for me to comment on this while the RCMP are looking into it, but I note that our Public Safety Inspection Team has been shut down while police investigate one of its members. News stories can be found here and here.

Finally, Some Livable Region Plan Details

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:40:00 +0000

Metro Vancouver continues its work on a new Livable Region Strategic Plan. Today's Surrey Leader has some interesting details. Central City in Surrey will be listed as the region's second downtown, but of more significant interest to Langley:

The other regional town centres in Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge and Langley City remain the same and will now be known as regional city centres.

But the 12 smaller designated municipal town centres – which include areas like Ladner, Port Moody, Guildford, White Rock and Aldergrove – are slated to grow to 16, with additions recognizing Surrey's Cloverdale area, Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, South Vancouver near 49th and Main, and northwest Langley Township near the 200 Street corridor.

The urban centres are to be the focus for jobs, services and high-density housing.

But in addition to those areas, the plan calls for heavy growth in Surrey, Vancouver, Coquitlam and Langley Township.

That's where most of the region's "priority development areas" are to be designated, mostly along corridors planned for frequent transit.

Gone is the old concept of "growth concentration areas" that the former Livable Region Strategic Plan set to focus high-density growth.

Much of the changes are being driven by the province's recently unveiled vision for transit expansion. Metro's new plan will assume ramped up transit in traditionally underserved eastern areas of Metro Vancouver.

Defending The Suburbs

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:31:00 +0000

In the face of a new round of City-dwellers bashing the suburbs, Sun columnist Pete McMartin defends the rights of the hundreds of thousands of us who live in one:

But suburbs aren't adjuncts to urban cores, anymore: they have their own dynamics and interests to protect. And in a world of An Inconvenient Truth, the inconvenient truth about suburbs, at least in the Lower Mainland, is:

They not only constitute the majority of inhabited land, they will soon constitute the majority of the population. While Sam Sullivan's vaunted (and much covered) EcoDensity initiative hopes to squeeze a measly 70,000 people inside city limits, suburbs south of the Fraser, the Tri-Cities area and Langley in the next 15 years will quietly outstrip Vancouver's population growth by a factor of seven.

A social engineer might find it easy to muse about uprooting so large a constituency for the good of mankind: a politician, no way. Suburbs, even in a Peak Oil world, will have to be accommodated.

If I were betting on the future, I might bet that suburbs have a better chance at survival than Balfour believes.

I might also think that if the Apocalypse does arrive, the very last place I'd want to be was in a city.

It's Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:27:00 +0000

The big win last night in North Carolina, and his better-than-expected showing in Indiana have the chattering classes declaring that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee. The Clinton campaign is now bleeding money--and even worse, superdelegates.

Kinsella Thinks The Next Election Will Be Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Over in The Hill Times, Warren Kinsella says the next federal election will be a nasty affair:

"I think the election will be nasty because the Tories are lacking in options. They can't do the stuff they did in 2006. They can't run an 'outsider' campaign, they're the incumbent. They can't run an ethics campaign, thanks to Mr. Mulroney and the in-and-out mess. And they can't run on the economy, because—while we are in much better shape than the U.S., due to the riches that my friend Chretien left successor governments--we are clearly in or near a recession. So, eliminating all the options leaves you with one: go neg. It worked for the Tories in 2006 after the Liberal leadership, when they swift-boated Mr. Dion on the environment, so they will be mightily tempted to launch a massive air war. And they've certainly got the dough to do it," said Warren Kinsella.

OnTrax Recaps Council Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:36:00 +0000

South Fraser OnTrax, who are hosting their inaugural meeting Thursday night at the Langley Civic Facility, has a report on last night's Interurban motion on their blog.

Rees Looks At 200th Streetcars

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Transportation blogger Stephen Rees has posted my 200th Streetcar slideshow, and made some very favorable comments about the idea. Most importantly, he and Malcolm Johnston have assured me that a streetcar can handle the 200th Street hill:

Do not let the nay sayers scare you about hills. There is a frequently cited myth here that LRT cannot climb more than a 6% grade. Twaddle. Ancient old streetcars climb steep hills in Lisbon every day... It is just a question of power - and sand for wet days. I think trams on 200 Street are a brilliant way to start to make Langley more urban and less gasoline dependant!(Rees)

The industry standard for streetcars climbing grades is now 8%, which means a streetcar, carrying a maximum capacity, but be able to stop and start at that grade. In Sheffield, their 3 section articulated cars are able to climb 10% grades (all axles motorized)and their steepest station is on a 9% grade; and in Lisbon, their venerable streetcars climb 13.7% grades on one of their routes. I believe Vancouver streetcars climbed 10% grades on Alma and Montreal had 14% grades on their tram system. With wheel anti-slip controls and automatic sanding, streetcars/LRT can climb almost any grade in the region. 200th street would be dead easy. (Johnston)

Here's the 200th slideshow:

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Langley Township Council Report--Monday Afternoon Meeting, May 5, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Notes from Langley Township Council's afternoon meeting on Monday, May 5, 2008.

South Langley resident Margaret Ormston asked Council to do what we can to stop a soil deposit permit application at 411 256th St. I think Council shared Margaret's frustrations with the way the senior levels of government manage soil deposits--they look at the impact on agriculture and fish, but not on neighbours. Under provincial law, the Township cannot prohibit soil deposits, we can only regulate them. That being said, we are hopeful the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will stop this permit as it is near the banks of the Bertrand Creek, and proposed to go on top of a tributary stream. Later in the meeting, Councillor Richter gave notice of a motion that would have the Township send a letter to the Agricultural Land Commission and DFO, asking them to reject this application.

Representatives from two transportation groups--Sonya Paterson of VALTAC and Joe Zaccaria of South Fraser OnTrax spoke in favour of my notice of motion to do an Interurban route and ridership study.

Staff gave us a presentation on the new lacrosse/hockey box covered arena at McLeod Athletic Park. The facility was co-funded by the Township and the Provincial Government, through a School Board grant.

Council received a report on the 2006 census. Of interest to me is the fact that the Township is very close to meeting its goal of having one job for every person in our workforce. We're at 0.965 to 1 right now, and we expect to be at 1 to 1 in 2010. The census also broke down our population by generation:
5,180 residents aged 0-5 (up 1.9% from 2001)
20,385 residents aged 6-19 (down 1.7% from 2001)
22,380 residents aged 20-39 (up 2.8% from 2001)
29,680 residents aged 40-59 (up 12.6% from 2001)
16,090 residents aged 60 plus (up 24.3% from 2001)

Council voted unanimously (moved by Fox, seconded by Ward) to forgo a full botanical garden at the Derek Doubleday Wetland Arboretum in favour of a much cheaper, and more appropriate, natural site. A powerpoint presentation on this can be seen here:

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Essentially, the study endorses the model the Township has been pursuing for the Wetland Arboretum--a not-for-profit society charged with maintaining a site with trails and some observation decks. We would have invested roughly the same amount of money in the site either way, but a society will help us generate volunteer hour and grant dollars.

We voted unanimously (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ward) to endorse the recommendation of the Spirit Square Statue Task Force and pursue a statue in the Salish house post style for River Road and Mavis Ave.

Council voted unanimously (moved by Bateman, seconded by Fox) to replace a 65-year-old sewer line at 204th St. under Hwy. 1 after it failed due to old age. Sewage is currently being rerouted through the 201 line. The cost will be $440,000--$300,000 of which will come out of Development Cost Charges.

We voted unanimously to rejig the Sport Langley Advisory Committee's terms of reference, moving it to an annual AGM, with the option of event-specific task forces (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Ward). Council made an amendment (moved by Vickberg, seconded by Fox; passed unanimously) to the report in order to add Bedford Channel to the list of event venues.

Council unanimously accepted a request from the Langley Agricultural Advisory Committee to meet this month (moved by Ferguson, seconded by Fox).

Council voted 5-4 to defeat a motion by Councillor Long (seconded by Richter; Bateman, Fox, Vickberg, Ward and Alberts opposed) to spend $15,000 and staff time on hosting a BC Day concert at McLeod Athletic Park.

It took a lot of debate and an amendment, but Council passed my Interurban ridership and route study unanimously (original motion moved by Bateman, seconded by Fox). These actions come out of the UMA high-level review of community rail service in Langley. These are their suggestions as we pursue the ultimate goal of reviving Interurban service south of the Fraser.

A route and ridership review are key elements to getting this thing moving. We need information, hard facts, about how many people will use this service. These numbers can then be presented to TransLink for their review, hopefully prompting them to put in the service.

Groups like VALTAC, the Fraser Valley Heritage Rail Society, and South Fraser OnTrax have been working toward this goal. They have done an admirable job of engaging the public, and educating the politicians. Now it's our turn to step up to the plate and take the next step. I saw nothing in the UMA review that was a deal-killer. Indeed, the president of Southern Railway seems keen in the local press to look at passenger rail on their portion of the old Interurban route.

My original motion was to pursue these measures, and offer other municipalities and levels of government the opportunity to participate in both research and funding (a report is believed to cost about $100,000). Some members of Council were uncomfortable with the Township making a financial commitment to doing these studies, believing it to be a TransLink or provincial responsibility. Councillor Kositsky made an amendment (seconded by Richter) to change the motion to say "pursue funding from other orders of government and agencies" for this study. The amendment passed 7-2 (Alberts and Fox opposed).

Thinking it over later (and this may shock those of you who think elected official are infallible--wait, none of you think that!), I think supporting that amendment might have been a mistake. I don't think Council showed the kind of leadership we are capable of. We passed the buck on this instead of leading the way on this effort and, yes, putting Langley's money where its mouth is.

The regional landscape has changed. We cannot simply wait for TransLink to see our need and get around to giving us proper transit service. There are too many communities lobbying for too many improvements. The north Fraser is not shy about fighting for what they want. In Port Moody, Mayor Joe Trasolini quit voting for developments until he got his Evergreen Line funded. Coquitlam and Port Moody lobbied long and hard to get the alignment they wanted. They provided hard numbers and political pressure. In Langley City, Mayor Marlene Grinnell made her case, based on hard facts, for the 204th overpass. She fought for that for years and finally got it. We have to stand up for Langley, and fight and scratch for what our residents need. Instead, we are again relying on some outside agency to see enough merit to give us the facts we need.

While I'm having second thoughts regarding the amendment, I do not think this is fatal to the Interurban's chances. It is always possible that the Province could fund the study (Minister Falcon has said he is interested in looking at the line). And if no funding is forthcoming, Council can look at the issue again and spend the money ourselves. It's also possible that Abbotsford and Surrey may express interest and we come up with a funding model among the three of us. I do feel instead of taking a big step forward on the Interurban last night, we settled for a quarter-step. Nonetheless, it was forward progress.

We voted unanimously (referral moved by Bateman, seconded by Ferguson) to refer a Councillor Richter motion to form a south Fraser transit task force to the Livability Accord discussions with Surrey, Abbotsford and Coquitlam.

Keith Richmond Assesses Sonya Paterson's Chances

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Over on his blog, School Board watcher Keith Richmond assesses Sonya Paterson's chances of winning re-election.

He misses a few key points: I suspect that Sonya's name recognition is very high for a Trustee (thanks in part to her work with VALTAC), and she has a track record of eking out close-shave wins (less than 75 vote margins in both her election victories). She wins these close ones because she works hard during campaigns.

However, not every School Board voter is a parent. Many voters weigh fiscal responsibility of a Board at least as highly as a child's right to a good education. Some of those people may not look at the decision to make Stafford a middle school in the same way Stafford parents do. And the majority of Stafford parents (certainly the most vocal ones) live in the City and are unable to vote for Trustee Paterson.

It will be interesting, but Sonya works and campaigns hard, and that's a big check-mark in her column. I think she is second only to Steve Burton in name rec. And, of course, a candidate's success depends partially on who else runs.

Langley Township Council Report--Monday Night Meeting, May 5, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:43:00 +0000

Notes from Langley Township Council's evening meeting, Monday night, May 5, 2008.

In unanimous votes, Council sent two rezoning bylaws to public hearing. The first would add financial institutions to the list of permitted uses at the Langley Banquet Centre location at 264th and Fraser Highway (moved by Bateman, seconded by Fox). The second is the Athenry Irish Cultural Centre, Willoughby Hall relocation, and seniors apartment complex proposed for 208th and 83rd (moved by Ward, seconded by Vickberg).

Here are some slides on those developments:

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Council gave unanimous final reading to our new graffiti bylaw (moved by Fox, seconded by Vickberg).

We also voted unanimously to proceed with bylaws allowing two local service projects in Brookswood (moved by Ward, seconded by Long).

Council voted 8-1 to give final reading to out annual rates and tax collection bylaw (moved by Ferguson, seconded by Fox; Richter opposed).

We voted 7-2 (moved by Richter, seconded by Bateman; Ward and Alberts opposed) to send a letter asking the federal government to convene public hearings on the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Motor Vehicle Transport Act.

Council voted 5-4 to approve a Ferguson notice of motion to have staff review our burning bylaw (seconded by Bateman; Long, Richter, Ward and Kositsky opposed).

Kelowna Looks Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:11:00 +0000

The Globe and Mail has an interesting piece on the challenges facing Kelowna:

elowna is in the middle of unprecedented growth. More than 8,000 people a year are currently moving here, drawn by the promise of a four-season playground with big-city conveniences. The 2006 census pegged the population at just under 107,000, with about 55,000 more in the surrounding region.

Apart from congestion, there are other stresses. The local hospital, while undergoing an expansion, has had frequent cancellations of elective operations and procedures because of too many emergency cases taking up bed space. There are concerns over water supplies and the possible loss of agricultural land to urban sprawl.

Local politicians believe Kelowna will double its population in less than 25 years, and are currently seeking high-density solutions, particularly in the form of a redevelopment scheme in the city's core. The Downtown Plan has 13 high-rise towers - some up to 30 storeys tall - in a four-block area, plus commercial, office and retail space on the ground floors.

More Streetcar Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Today's Times has a piece on my streetcar presentation to VALTAC:

New population statistics he collected show that when Langley is built out (with Willoughby and Brookswood-Fernridge fully developed), 78 per cent of Langley residents will live between 196 and 216 Streets.

That's 170,000 people in an area where employment, shopping, sporting and entertainment options will flourish along the 200 Street corridor, which will one day have 20 storey high rises, beside townhouses and business parks.

He envisions a 200 Street line would start at the Interurban line that bisects 200 Street and go north to the Northwest Langley Industrial area. As Brookswood develops, the line would extend south, he said.

Bateman doesn't think his desire for streetcars instead of buses will distract the government from focusing on the Interurban line that would run through Langley and Surrey, eventually getting out to Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

I also note that VALTAC president Sonya Paterson (who, incidentally, the Times reports will run for re-election to School Board) wrote some very kind comments about the idea on the VALTAC blog calling the idea "forward thinking," "innovative," and "an interesting thought." Very kind indeed.

Sonya mentions that such a service may attract tourism and movies. I must confess I hadn't given much thought to that possibility. I've been focusing on how to move 170,000 residents around the 200th Street corridor--plus the employment, retail, Golden Ears Bridge, and Langley Events Centre traffic. I believe a streetcar will be incredibly attractive to people who would otherwise drive. It will also create a whole new kind of transit-oriented development along 200th Street.

Clearly, people are thinking about 200th. My presentation has now been viewed more than 600 times, according to Slideshare, and a post examining the idea is South Fraser OnTrax's most-read article.

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Relay For Life Poised To Break Records

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:17:00 +0000

With your help, the Langley Relay for Life will smash its participation, team, and fundraising records. All money goes to fund cancer research and survivor services at the Canadian Cancer Society. For the second straight year, our church has entered a team. If you're interested in giving to this worthy cause, click here to sponsor me.

This Week's Late Night Jokes

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:06:00 +0000

About.com has their usual list of the week's best political jokes, but they seemed pretty bland to me. Yeah, we get it: Bill's a cheater, McCain's old, Hillary's mean, W's dumb, and Obama, well, Obama gets a pass. Anyway, we'll give joke-of-the-week honors to Craig Ferguson: "Hillary Clinton announced today she'll appear on 'The O'Reilly Factor.' That should be a great confrontation. On one side, a loudmouthed bully who wants to tear apart the Democratic Party and on the other side, there's Bill O'Reilly."

Fraser Institute Grades Langley Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:33:00 +0000

So the latest Fraser Institute elementary school performance has hit the papers, and the Langley schools have all been graded. The report gives every school a score (out of 10) based on ten indicators:

(1) average, scaled Foundation Skills Assessments (FSA) score in grade-4 reading;
(2) average, scaled FSA score in grade-4 writing;
(3) average, scaled FSA score in grade-4 numeracy;
(4) average, scaled FSA score in grade-7 reading;
(5) average, scaled FSA score in grade-7 writing;
(6) average, scaled FSA score in grade-7 numeracy;
(7) the difference between male and female students in their average, scaled FSA scores in grade-7 reading;
(8) the difference between male and female students in their average, scaled FSA scores in grade-7 numeracy;
(9) the percentage of the above tests written by the school’s students that were judged to reflect performance below expectations;
(10) the percentage of the tests that could have been written by students who were absent, but had not been excused, from writing the test.

The rankings are always very controversial. Anyway, here are the Langley schools scores (out of 10), and their provincial rankings (out of 981 schools):

St. Catherines 10.0, 1
West Langley 9.2, 46
Langley Fundamental 9.0, 60
Uplands 9.0, 60
James Hill 8.6, 89
Langley Meadows 8.4, 100
Glenwood 8.0, 150
Peterson Road 7.9, 162
Willoughby 7.8, 178
Credo 7.7, 190
Noel Booth 7.6, 211
Langley Fine Arts 7.2, 252
Alex Hope 7.3, 275
Belmont 7.2, 288
Lochiel 7.2, 288
Gordon Greenwood 7.2, 288
North Otter 7.0, 333
Topham 6.8, 371
Dorothy Peacock 6.7, 392
Simonds 6.6, 407
Shortreed 6.5, 426
Langley Christian 6.5, 426
James Kennedy 6.5, 426
Fort Langley 6.5, 426
Aldergrove 6.3, 468
Bradshaw 6.1, 507
Parkside 5.9, 552
Blacklock 5.9, 552
Murrayville 5.5, 637
Betty Gilbert 5.4, 661
Wix-Brown 4.7, 788
Alice Brown 4.3, 829
FV Adventist 3.9, 874
Douglas Park 3.5, 903
Nicomekl 3.0, 936

As a reporter, I never knew how to cover these things (over on her blog, Vancouver Sun education reporter Janet Steffenhagen gives her take). But as a parent, I must confess I have looked at the numbers. Indie is headed to James Hill (her catchment school) in the fall, and an 8.6 does bring some comfort that she will be in a good environment there. I'd be especially interested to know how School Board watchers and/or potential candidates weigh these things--it would seem to me that having nine schools below the provincial median could be an important issue.

What To Do This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Sat, 03 May 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Tourism Langley has released this week's fresh sheet of activities.

Beauty (and Safety!) on Every Corner

noreply@blogger.com (Jordan Bateman) — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:33:00 +0000

Over on Pelalusa, Robert posted this photo of a Vancouver traffic circle. I'd love to see these kind of circles come to the Township as safety and speed reduction measures in our neighbourhoods. They look good and keep the traffic speed down. And they feel so much friendlier than speed bumps. It also ties into the slow move to roundabouts that we are seeing around the Lower Mainland.

That reminds me: I should check in with our engineering department this week and see how work is progressing on our Walnut Grove traffic calming plan. Last year, I made motion, passed unanimously by Council, to look at traffic patterns in light of the coming Golden Ears Bridge. I'm hoping what we do in Walnut Grove can become a model for speed issues in the rest of the community. Last I checked, traffic counts were being done, but I'll ask for an update.