It’s been a weird year here in Langley, in British Columbia, in Canada.
It’s hard to know if things got worse, or if we’re turning a corner, starting to make things better.
In many ways, things were going great. The economy boomed. Unemployment was low. “Help wanted” signs were everywhere.
It was also a year that saw us transfixed with homelessness, with the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, with the housing crisis, with trade wars with the United States. In the wider world, storms and fires warned us that global warming is expected to keep getting worse, and to impact us directly.
And yet, it was also a year that saw hopeful changes.
We’ve seen the government of B.C. unveil a plan to create a green economy, and even to phase out internal combustion cars over the coming decades.
The biggest single change in Langley is undoubtedly the approval of the supportive housing project in the former Quality Inn. By this time next year, at least 49 people now on the streets will have a secure home to call their own.
We also saw the things that give us hope and pride in our community year round – the day-to-day acts of kindness and charity that we have come to expect in Langley.
Whether major efforts like the drive to fund a new ER for Langley Memorial Hospital, or personal efforts through animal adoption groups, You’ve Got to Have Friends, or Big Brothers Big Sisters, Langley is a giving place.
As we look to 2019, those examples of reaching out to help will guide us forward.
– M.C.