Jr. Blaze Ground Jays PAGE 30
FRIDAY July 17, 2015 • www.langleytimes.com
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COMMUNITY Fine-Free Day at City Library
BUSINESS Pool Party for Dogs
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SPORTS SO Athletes Off to LA
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Sources food bank open in Langley EXISTING FOOD BANK NO LONGER A MEMBER OF B.C. ASSOCIATION DAN FERGUSON Times Reporter
Sources, a low-barrier food bank, based out of South Surrey, has opened its doors in Langley. The news comes after another Langley food bank reportedly declined to help a single mother because she went to school instead of attending a scheduled meeting. The Langley Food Bank was under pressure to change its policies by the Food Banks BC association to comply with the Food Banks Canada code of ethics. But rather than alter their approach, the Langley Help Network, the operators of the food bank, opted to quit the association last year. “We have absolutely no association with them whatsoever (now),” Food Banks BC executive director Laura Lansink said. Lansink said the association, which represents 96 food banks in the province, received a “significant” number of complaints, both from clients of the Langley Food Bank, and from donors. Most of the complaints con-
cerned food bank decisions to deny service to people, Lansink said. Lansink described a “philosophical difference” between the association and the food bank concerning The Ethical Food Banking Code that all members of the Food Banks BC are expected to follow. Lansink said after about two years of discussions, the Langley food bank decided to leave the association rather than adjust its policies to comply with the code of ethics. When contacted by The Times, Langley Food Bank manager Naomi Chambers refused to comment on the split with the association. “I’m going to decline (to speak),” Chambers said. Now, a new food bank is operating in Langley, one that is recognized by the provincial and national associations of food banks. After the Langley Food Bank quit Food Banks BC, the association asked Sources to set up a food bank in the community. Continued Page 4
DAN FERGUSON Langley Times
Bruce Strom of the newly-launched Sources Food Bank in Langley stands in the sorting room at the United Church on 200 Street and 56 Avenue. Sources, which has operated a food bank in White Rock for over 30 years, was invited to move into Langley by Food Banks BC after the local food bank left the association.
Going it alone on transit unlikely: mayors D AN FERGUS ON Ti m e s Report e r
Mayors from the south side of the Fraser River aren’t all that interested in building their own transit system, Langley Township mayor Jack Froese and Langley City mayor Ted Schaffer said, following a meeting with Surrey mayor Linda Hepner. It was their first meeting since voters rejected a proposal to fund transit improvements through an increase in the sales tax, an outcome that some have suggested could lead communities to exit the regional transit administration. Froese and Schaffer said there wasn’t
much enthusiasm at the July 8 roundtable meeting for that option, which would involve municipalities laying claim to their share of the regional gas tax that funds TransLink. “We would be too small to go it alone in any capacity,” Schaffer told The Times. “Going it alone is very difficult,” Froese said. Froese said trying to fund local transit improvements locally would require tax increases. “It would just be too high a burden,” Froese said, and unfair, considering the amount Langley taxpayers have already
contributed to transit improvements in other communities. “We’ve done our share,” Froese said. “It’s time Langley and south of the Fraser (communities) gets the transit we need.” Schaffer said it may be time to look further south, to Abbotsford and Chilliwack, to work with the Langleys, Surrey and other south-of-the-Fraser communities to develop a regional transportation strategy for this side of the river. The upcoming federal election could prove helpful too, Schaffer said, suggesting the federal government might want to nail down votes by committing funding
for transit upgrades. The three mayors plan another roundtable some time in September, Schaffer said, by which time he hopes some fresh ideas will have emerged. “(The question is) how we go about paying for it,” Schaffer said. “Maybe there’s something we’ve totally overlooked.” The Mayor’s Council on Regional Transportation has given the provincial government six months to find another source of funding and fix the way TransLink operates. Continued Page 4
GRAND OPENING Saturday July 18th & Sunday, July 19th 10-6! • Giveaways & Door Prizess Pictures with the • Free Draws , d ve o We’ve m • In Store Specials 501st just steps away,
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• Hot Dogs, Hamburgers & Veggie Burritos Available e
Saturday 12-3pm (by donation)
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