Residents are concerned that Mayor Woodward is acting like a little Trump. Like Trump, Woodward built his career in real estate before moving into politics. But now it seems that he has a new map for Langley politics and, much like Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state, no one asked for it or wants it. His slate, now branded Progress for Langley, is no longer confined to Township borders. It is registered to run in Langley City and even the school district. The mayor tries to frame it as public safety, but we can’t help but notice that as the Township’s finances are wobbling, a merger of the two municipalities would offer a temporary solution to the financial problems brought on by the mayor’s borrowing spree.

First, he went on a borrowing binge, then he lost in court when the policy intended to pay for the sinkhole of debt was challenged, then he started the policing split. Now he is putting a Township of Langley slate in the City of Langley political races. At the end of 2024 the calculations showed $317.3 million in Township debt against $21.65 million in the City. The Monitor previously laid out the surge in authorized borrowing. Council waved through approximately $668 million in borrowing capacity. That is the ceiling. In terms of debt already incurred, the Township owed $317.3 million at the end of 2024. Roughly $1,955 for every Township resident.

The City’s financial statements look nothing like that. Its audited debt was $21.65 million, or $613 per resident. One side of 200th Street is staggering under a mortgage. The other is carrying a car loan. In June 2025 the Township lost a major test in court. The BC Supreme Court struck down its Community Amenity Contribution regime as an unlawful mandatory scheme. Developers could walk away from millions in fees that Woodward’s borrowing plan depended on. Council patched in an interim policy and promised an Amenity Cost Charge bylaw, but until that is in place the Township’s repayment plan has a huge hole in it. Readers of our piece on Langley’s capital plan will recognize the theme, projects with no clear way to pay.

The financial situation has been matched by a steady retreat from shared services. On May 10, 2025 the Township pulled out of the 32-year RCMP cost sharing agreement with the City. Each municipality is now required to house, staff, and equip its own detachment. Earlier this year The Monitor reported on the Township’s fraying relationship with the Langley Animal Protection Society.

One by one, partnerships that had worked seamlessly and made sense are being unwound. For City residents the effect is simple: higher costs, less integration, and a neighbour that looks less like a partner and more like a separate and struggling enterprise. A little Trump!

Langley City also has something the Township does not, the Cascades Casino. Provincial law sends 10 percent of net gaming income to the host municipality. In 2024 the City’s audited statements show a $7.79 million payout. That is steady, non-tax legislated revenue that arrives whether housing starts are hot or not. When the Township is spending about $25 million a year on debt servicing, that casino cheque starts to look less like entertainment and more like a lifeline.

To recap, by the end of 2024 Township debt stood at $317.3 million, $1,955 per capita. City debt was $21.65 million, $613 per capita. The Township’s CAC regime was struck down in court and replaced by an interim patch. Shared policing was terminated after 32 years, and LAPS ties have frayed. The City received $7.79 million in casino proceeds in 2024, guaranteed by the provincial formula. Woodward’s record with his neighbours has been anything but smooth. The policing split was one example. The LAPS dispute is another. His break with Councillor Martens, reported by the Fraser Valley Current, gave the impression of a mayor who cares very little for teamwork, alliances, and loyalties. Taken together, these choices set the stage for how people are reading his expansion into Langley City politics: less as cooperation, more as groundwork for a takeover. Will the little Trump get his own 51st state?