Vancouver British Columbia Temple

© 2007, Intellectual Reserve. All rights reserved.

As of April 2008, work on the Vancouver British Columbia Temple remains below ground level. The plumbing, footings, and foundation are largely in place, however, including a foundation for the baptismal font. With the arrival of spring, construction will progress more rapidly. The next phase of construction will be framing for the ground level of the temple.

Elder Ronald S. Rasband of the presidency of the Seventy presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vancouver British Columbia Temple on Saturday, August 4, 2007. Beautiful weather and heavenly music accompanied the event—the music being provided by a choir of members from the Lower Mainland. President Paul D. Christensen, president of the Abbotsford British Columbia Stake, addressed the congregation telling the remarkable story of the temple site's selection and acquisition. Numerous priesthood and civic leaders participated in the ceremonial shoveling, marking the formal commencement of construction.¹

Just 12 days before the groundbreaking on Monday, July 23, 2007, the fourth and final reading of the rezoning bylaw—necessary to clear the way for construction of the temple, new Langley meetinghouse, and temple president residence—passed the Langley Township Council in a 7-to-2 vote.²

A public hearing was held June 18, 2007, at Township Hall to get public feedback on the proposed temple, meetinghouse, and residence. Public concern focused on increased traffic, height of the spire, nightly floodlighting, and environmental impact. Other participants helped allay these concerns by explaining typical traffic patterns and special lighting used at temples. Patron visits are spread over the day, creating minimal impact on traffic. The soft directional floodlighting prevents overspill onto adjoining land. The temple grounds were described as a neighborhood asset, which will feature walkways among gorgeous landscaping—open to the public for daytime or evening strolls.³

On May 7, 2007, the Township of Langley posted a 30-page rezoning application to its Internet site, submitted by the Church in preparation for construction of the temple. The document, made available for the public hearing on the project, includes proposed renditions and floor plans of the temple, meetinghouse, and temple president's residence planned for the site.

During a visit to the Lower Mainland in 2006 to examine potential temple sites, President Gordon B. Hinckley declared of the Langley location, "Here is where we are going to build the temple." The site was not among the available properties, which had all been found wanting. Then, driving east on 82nd Avenue from the Langley meetinghouse, he had the car stopped at a large hedge and identified the land as the temple site. The 11-acre parcel, just east of 200 Street, was assembled from three smaller parcels—none of which were for sale and one which had recently sold—but the Church eventually acquired each one. The beautiful land is at the highest elevation in the Township.⁴

In a letter to British Columbian priesthood leaders dated May 25, 2006, the First Presidency announced the construction of the temple. The new edifice will be Canada's seventh operating temple and British Columbia's first. It will serve the many saints of British Columbia who currently attend temples in Alberta or cross the U.S.-Canada border to attend the Seattle Washington Temple.⁵

The maturation of the Church in Langley began with a small branch organized in the 1950s. Services were held on Norris Road in the home of the Mitchells, who arranged to obtain of an old pump organ, built benches from scrap lumber, and rearranged their living room every Sunday morning to accommodate the approximately 20 area members. After a year, membership had grown to 35 members, and the Mitchells received notice of a job transfer to Chilliwack—about 50 kilometers east of Langley. Before leaving, they secured a building location for the branch, and the congregation has continued to grow ever since.⁶