Millions spent on unsuitable parkland.

What the City said it was buying

A report in the August 19, 2019 special council agenda says Langford acquired 3680 Trans-Canada Highway in spring 2019 to give residents access to the ocean, including rowing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. That was the promise residents were paying for.

The City also made improvements. Its 2019 annual report lists renovations to two waterfront dwellings, water and septic upgrades, landscaping, and docks. An August 2019 council meeting authorized a licence agreement with Pacifica Paddle Sports. Millions followed the purchase, but the City’s later assessment rejected the site as a future park.

$6.19 million spent by June 2026

A City cost breakdown released under freedom of information on August 26, 2026 records $6,186,909.87 in purchase, site work, and operating costs from 2019 through June 30, 2026. The response and table were published by a resident in Langford Voters.

The largest year of site work was 2022, at $2,441,852.45. The total also includes $590,482.02 in site work during 2023, after Young left office, and operating costs under subsequent council. This is the cost of the property across the full period, not spending solely during his term.

Costs and constraints emerged

A 2020 parks budget report says council had approved $500,000 for 2019 improvements, most of which were completed, and proposed another $300,000 for 2020. In January 2021, staff proposed $1.5 million to engage professionals to resolve geotechnical and hydrological issues. Those proposed figures are not a total-spent calculation, but they show the scale of work contemplated after the purchase.

In February 2026, council adopted the Parks and Trails Master Plan. It says the Finlayson Arm property has physical and geotechnical constraints that limit recreation and accessibility. The plan recommends that the City explore selling it and put proceeds toward other park priorities. The City has recommended exploring a sale; the property has not been sold.

The site also required blasting work in 2022, according to City advisories. By June 2026, residents discussing the property¹⁰ were asking how much it had cost and why public access remained limited. The public-access promise remained unresolved after years of spending.

A public-access purchase became a catered retreat venue

Copies of records released through freedom of information and published by a resident in September 2026² document another use of the property: closed council workshops with City-paid catering.

The May 13, 2019 minutes place a closed council-priorities workshop at Finlayson House, 3680 Trans-Canada Highway, with Young and five councillors present. The day's calendar schedules lunch, the workshop, and a social hour. The catering invoice billed to the City totals $3,485.45, including a $425 gratuity. Its itemized bill lists beer and wine alongside food and other drinks.

A second City invoice for an October 22, 2019 workshop at Finlayson House totals $1,801.06, including food, drinks, audiovisual charges, gratuity, and taxes. Together, the two invoices amount to $5,286.51. Names of other attendees are redacted in the released records.

The released records document City-paid food, drinks, and a scheduled social hour at land bought for residents’ ocean access. Young attended the May retreat. These closed events delivered a use for council while the property’s public recreation future remained unresolved.

The verdict on the decision

Young’s council committed public money to land that the City now says should not become a park. The purchase and subsequent work have cost $6.19 million across two administrations. The original promise of public access has given way to a recommendation to explore selling. That is a failure to deliver the park residents were sold.

Questions still open

• What site assessments and cost estimates were available before the 2019 acquisition?
• What work accounts for the $3.81 million spent on the site after purchase, and what usable recreation did it deliver?
• What public access, if any, has been delivered, and what has council decided about its future?

Sources

1. City of Langford, property expenditure table, FOI F2026-0079Resident-hosted copy reviewed alongside the August 26, 2026 response letter. Purchase plus site work totals $5,963,392.94; adding $223,516.93 in operating costs gives $6,186,909.87. The funding table is not additional expenditure.
2. Released catering invoices, minutes, email, calendar, and workshop agenda, published on r/LangfordBCEight document images reviewed. May and October 2019 City invoices total $5,286.51; the May minutes list Young among attendees.
3. City of Langford, special council agenda package, August 19, 2019Staff report states the public ocean-access rationale for the spring 2019 acquisition.
4. City of Langford, parks committee agenda package, January 28, 2021Proposed 2021–2025 parks budget identifies contemplated site work.
5. City of Langford, 2019 annual reportLists improvements to the property in the acquisition year.
6. City of Langford, parks committee agenda package, January 23, 2020Reports approval of $500,000 for 2019 improvements and proposes $300,000 for 2020.
7. City of Langford, July 2022 blasting advisoryNotice of blasting work at 3680 Trans-Canada Highway.
8. City of Langford, adopted Parks and Trails Master Plan, 2026Page 128 recommends exploring sale of the property because of constraints and a poor fit with park priorities.
9. City of Langford, February 19, 2026 announcementConfirms council adopted the plan on February 17 and identifies the Finlayson Arm property in the disposal recommendation.
10. r/LangfordBC community discussion, June 2026Residents raise questions about public access, cost, and intended use. Comments are leads, not expenditure records.