Langley Life

CanIL Building and TWU Campus

Check out this document to find out more about the CanIL building and TWU campus, including a campus map, a list of locations to know, and details about food options and facilities for families.


Wireless networking that provides internet access is available throughout the campus. It is available for free for students and staff if you have a computer or laptop with wireless capabilities. See this TWU webpage for instructions on setting it up.

Mail

If you are a SUMMER, TRAINING TRACK, MA LING or MALT student - you may send/receive your mail through CanIL. BA LING students must go through TWU. 


You can have mails sent to the following address:

CanIL – Student                                                                         

22500 University Drive                      

Langley, B.C.  V2Y 1Y1             

Canada

(you MUST include CanIL in the address, or else the TWU Mail Room will not know where to direct your mail).

Parking and Security

If you wish to drive yourself to campus with your own vehicle, whether you are a dorm resident or a commuter, you will need a parking pass or permit for the duration of your studies. (Parking passes are not required for motorcycles if they are parked in designated areas.) Visit TWU’s Parking Services page to view on-campus parking information and purchase parking permits. 


There is a large parking lot in front of the CanIL building, and summer dorm residents can park in front of Fraser Hall.


Students without vehicles may wish to bike to campus. The Langley area is a great place for cycling, and there are many bike lanes at the side of the road. Lock your bike at the bike racks by the main entrance to CanIL, or in the parkade (parking garage) below CanIL. However, if you are biking - keep the following in mind: Bike helmets are required by law in BC. Also, keep yourself safe - make the investment to purchase proper lights for your bike (front and rear), and if you bike after dark, wear bright clothes. Should an accident occur, you will legally be at fault if you and your bike were not visible (i.e. - lights!!)


Visit the Parking & Security page to find more information about campus security, sign up for TWU Emergency Alerts, and more.

Bus and Transportation

TransLink 562 Bus Route

 

The public bus system is called TransLink. The only route that passes the TWU campus is 562, which connects to Fort Langley and Walnut Grove (north-bound direction, terminus Carvolth Exchange) or Langley City (south-bound direction, terminus Langley Centre). From either terminus, you can make connections to Surrey and the rest of the Greater Vancouver Area. Details and maps can be found at translink.ca. 


562 Schedule: transitdb.ca/route/562/ 

Trip Planner: tripplanning.translink.ca/hiwire


From Monday to Saturday during certain hours, the bus will actually stop on campus (Eastbound University Drive at Mattson Centre). At other times, please take the bus from Northbound Glover Rd @ 76A Ave and Southbound Glover Rd @ Labonte Rd, just outside of campus.


You can pay fares directly in coins (be sure to have exact change), at a rate of $3.05 per 90 minutes within one zone. You may also pay by tap: TransLink accepts contactless American Express, Mastercard, and Visa credit cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. See this link for details. 


If you plan to use transit often, you can get a Compass Card for $6 at a London Drugs store or any SkyTrain station. Compass Cards offer a discount on fare prices, as well as easier transfers over cash payment. You can load your Compass Card with either a Monthly Pass, Daily Pass, or just “Stored Value.” Stored Value allows you to travel within Zone 1 for $2.45 rather than $3.05, and you can reload your card with whatever amount of money you want. If you register your card, you can set up auto-reload, and protect the value you have loaded on the card; if it gets lost, you can order a new card with the same amount of money loaded. See this link for further details.


Alternate transportation:

Langley Taxi -  604-533-3333

Kuber Taxi - 778-565-8294 /  778-565-TAXI

Grocery Stores

Please note: This list is not exhaustive. Use Google to find additional options.


Groceries:

Hakam’s Independent Grocer Willoughby 80th Ave / 208th St.

Save On Foods Walnut Grove 88th Ave / 210th St.

Walmart 64th Ave / 202nd St.  

Save On Foods Langley 64th Ave / 206th St. 

Safeway Langley 20871 Fraser Hwy

The Real Canadian Superstore 19851 Willowbrook Dr. 

Michael’s NoFrills 5501 204 St.

Costco Langley (membership required) 20499 64th Ave



Farmers’ Markets:

Milner Farm Market 21327 Crush Crescent

Prime Farm Market 20689 Willoughby Town Centre Dr B135

Ralph’s Farm Market 22728 Fraser Hwy

Willowbrook Produce 6343 198 St 

Kin’s Farm Market Walnut Grove 88th Ave / 203 St.


 

Bakery / Deli / Dairy:

Milner Valley Cheese 21489 Smith Crescent

YourOh! Deli 20689 Willoughby Town Centre Dr A175

Cobs Bread 20330 88 Ave E

McGavin’s Breadbasket Langley Bypass, Highway 10 near 208th St

Edaleen Dairy ½ mile south of the Lynden border crossing, in Washington

 


U-Pick Fruit: The Langley area is full of berries in the summer and many local farms have fruit for sale either already picked or available for picking.

Shopping and Recreation

Used Clothing & Household Items: There are many local thrift shops, mostly clustered in the centre of Langley City, some supporting causes such as the persecuted church (ICR Thrift Shop - 200 St.) and orphanages (Hope for Children - 56 Ave.). Here are a few of the biggest stores:


Mission Thrift Store Langley - 5785 200th St.

Talize Langley - 20450 Logan Ave. (next door to Mission Thrift)

Value Village Langley - corner of Glover Rd. and 56th Ave.


Keep in mind that “dollar stores” can be good places to get basic household items at low prices. 

 

Shopping Malls & Department Stores:

Willowbrook Shopping Centre 200th St. / Langley Bypass

Walmart 64th Ave / 202nd St.  


Movie Theatres:

Colossus Movie Theatre (Cineplex) 20090 91A Ave.

Meadowtown Cinemas (Cineplex) 19800 Lougheed Hwy #410

Hollywood 3 Pitt Meadows ($5 cinema) 19190 Lougheed Hwy

Twilight Drive-In Theatre - 3350 260 St, Aldergrove

Cineplex Cinemas Abbotsford - 3122 Mount Lehman Rd, J200

Discounted movie night on Tuesdays at all Cineplex cinemas. 

  

Community Centres:

Walnut Grove Community Centre 8889 Walnut Grove Drive

Langley Events Centre 7888 200th St, Langley

Banks

Non-Canadians should consider opening a bank account at a local bank (especially if you plan to work and receive paycheques while living in Langley). The closest banks are in Willoughby Town Centre (by car) or Walnut Grove (by bus). RBC and TD have branches in both Willoughby and Walnut Grove, while CIBC and BMO have branches in Walnut Grove and Langley Centre. Check out their websites for the best student rates. Non-Canadians may wish to inform their banks and/or credit card companies that they will be transacting in Canada for the duration of their program.


Banks: Some local businesses accept American credit cards. American debit cards and cheques are not always accepted.  Banks can exchange your currency:

TD Canada Trust Bank 20689 Willoughby Town Centre Drive

RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) 20678 Willoughby Town Centre Drive

TD Canada Trust Bank 8840 210th St. (Walnut Grove) Langley

BMO (Bank of Montreal) 20330 88 Ave (Walnut Grove) Langley

CIBC Bank  20191 88 Ave

RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) 8843 204th St. (Walnut Grove) Langley


American banks in Lynden, WA: Most banks are on Front Street, east of the cemetery. They can exchange Canadian currency.


ATM on campus: There is an ATM machine in the Reimer Centre just outside the bookstore. It does not accept international cards.

Cell Phones

Many non-Canadian students wonder what to do about cell phones. There are a lot of options! If you are unable to (or don’t want to) purchase a phone plan that will cover you in Canada, you can opt to use your phone on wifi only, and use a free wifi-based texting/calling app like WhatsApp for communicating with friends and family. Reach out in the CanIL Community group on Facebook if you have questions and want to see what others have done! Students and staff who have been in the Langley area for a while will also be able to advise you about which providers have the best coverage on campus and in your neighbourhood.


Public Mobile is currently a popular budget option with CanIL students and staff. (Ask for a referral code in the Facebook group to get an additional discount!) If you want to do some of your own online research, a good place to start is moving2canada.com's helpful guide to Canadian phone providers.

Churches in the Local Area

These are just some of the local churches that CanIL faculty, staff and students attend.

Please search the internet for other options in your area, your denomination or language.


Employment Opportunities

You may be wondering if you will have the time to have a job during school terms. That’s a great question! CanIL Admissions and Academics strongly recommend that students NOT work during a full-time summer session (3 to 4 courses) or their first full-time semester of graduate studies. The workload may be more than you expect (even if you are an excellent student). Taking time to adjust to the pace of your courses will be key to helping you establish a good work/study/life balance. We suggest that once students are familiar with the workload, they take on part-time work at their discretion. Whether you are an international or a Canadian student, it is inadvisable for full-time students to work more than 15-20 hours per week. Know your workload, and know what you can handle!


International students with a valid study permit and enrolled as a full-time student are permitted to work on- or off-campus AFTER applying for and receiving a Social Insurance Number (SIN) from a Service Canada office.


Your study permit must have a clause written on it indicating that you are permitted to work on- or off-campus. You will not be able to apply for a Social Insurance Number without it. When you enter Canada via the US-Canada border, and apply for and receive a study permit, be sure to check the study permit and verify that details regarding work allowances are written on the permit. (It should say that you are allowed to work 20 hours per week during the school year, and full-time when school is not in session.) The student is responsible to handle all of this paperwork. This webpage is a good starting point to research and learn more about working while studying in Canada: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work.html 


There are two main categories of on-campus employment with CanIL:


TWU On-Campus Positions: Students who have applied for and received CanIL Financial Aid are eligible to work on the TWU campus. Please refer to this page for information: TWU On-Campus Employment. In the past, CanIL students have worked on the TWU grounds crew, in the TWU cafeteria, the TWU library, the TWU writing centre, and on the TWU admissions team. There are also posted job openings that are available to non-students (a student's spouse who holds a work permit, for example): twu.ca/human-resources/join-us.