salishan Place by the River Opens

On Saturday, February 8, Mayor Eric Woodward, together with members of Council, Kwantlen First Nation, and the Fraser Valley Regional Library, celebrated the opening of salishan Place by the River, the Township of Langley’s new arts, culture and heritage centre in Fort Langley.

Several hundred community members attended an open house to tour salishan and to also celebrate the opening of the new Fort Langley Library, located on the first floor of the centre. They also had the opportunity to learn about the plans for salishan including programs, services, and the phased opening of the museum and its exhibits in the coming months.

“It is great to have the library in Fort Langley open again, for our community and residents to enjoy, in a new location with more space. I look forward to seeing the entire facility open for the community to enjoy,” said Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward.

salishan Place by the River is a 40,000 square foot arts, culture and heritage centre featuring a museum with collection storage, four multi-purpose rooms, a printmaking studio, a research room, coffee shop, gift shop, an Indigenous Garden, and outdoor amphitheatre. Additionally, there are conference and special event amenities including a reception hall, presentation theatre, a rooftop patio, and kitchen.

salishan Place by the River is also the home of the new Fort Langley Library which is the first amenity to open. It offers a collection of books and other materials and will offer program and related services going forward. Visit fvrl.bc.ca to learn more.

“Fraser Valley Regional Library is excited to celebrate the opening of the Fort Langley Library in its stunning new home at salishan Place by the River. This vibrant, modern space allows us to enhance the services and programming we offer and provide an engaging environment for reading, learning, and playing. FVRL is proud to be part of such a dynamic cultural and heritage hub. This marks an exciting new chapter for both the library and the community,” said FVRL CEO Scott Hargrove.

The rest of salishan will open in phases including the museum’s collection, which includes over 17,000 objects, and will be moved into the building as part of this process. Exhibit planning, development, fabrication, and installation are underway and will take some time to complete.

Programming and bookable spaces will soon be ready for use. Updates on opening timelines for each area of salishan will be communicated as details become available.

For more information on salishan Place by the River visit tol.ca/salishan.