Thursday March 26, 2026 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted 6:03 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Business licence applications are at a record-breaking level in the City of Langford.
This signals strong entrepreneurial confidence and sustained private-sector investment, says the City of Langford in a news release today.
Year-over-year, Langford is seeing unprecedented interest from new businesses, expansion and home-based enterprises.
This is evidence that entrepreneurs continue to choose Langford as a place to start, expand, and invest, the City says.
Home-based businesses are likely to continue growing in number due to more seniors working past regular retirement age due to economic pressures and longer active lifespan.
Retail has always been strong in Langford as well as small commercial and industrial. As lifestyles adapt to cost of living challenges, climate impacts, and societal changes there is increasing room for home-based and online businesses.
The City can adapt with Temporary Use Permits and zoning changes.
Economic development strategy:
Building on this momentum, the City of Langford will bring forward its first formal Economic Development Strategy to Council in April.
The Strategy will provide a long-term framework to guide sustainable, intentional growth and ensure Langford’s economy continues to thrive for generations to come.
Entrepreneurial development is certainly part of that strategy, on top of retention and expansion of local businesses. Attracting new businesses and investment will help build community wealth. Attention will be given to workforce development.
As the city continues to grow, this approach supports thoughtful decision‑making that turns today’s momentum into lasting economic resilience and shared community prosperity.
Growing population:
Langford has a growing population — currently around 57,000 and expecting to reach 100,000 by 2050. The City has included this growth expectation in all of its look-ahead strategies and related budget deliberations.
Langford continues to see exceptional population growth and housing activity, with per-capita housing starts among the highest in the province, an indicator of both economic confidence and resilience.
The popular west shore municipality also ranks strongly for economic diversity, demonstrating a broad employment base that helps protect the local economy from market shocks as was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the city continues to grow, this approach supports thoughtful decision‑making that turns today’s momentum into lasting economic resilience and shared community prosperity.
Award-winning:
The City of Langford has been awarded the #2 spot in British Columbia for economic resilience in BC Business Magazine’s 2026 Most Economically Resilient Cities ranking, affirming Langford’s position as one of the province’s strongest and fastest-growing local economies.
The annual ranking evaluates municipalities using nine economic indicators, including population growth, housing starts, economic diversity, employment trends, rental vacancy rate, and residents’ sense of belonging. Langford’s ranking reflects performance across these indicators and continued momentum following several years of sustained growth.
“Being recognized as the second most economically resilient city in British Columbia reflects the strength of our local economy,” says Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson.
“This ranking confirms what we see every day; people believe in Langford’s future, they want to be part of the community, and are investing in that shared vision,” says Goodmanson.
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- Campus Perks online business directory in Langford (December 6, 2025)
- BC economic resilience despite global trade volatility, retail sales softening (November 27, 2025)
- Victoria Chamber CEO challenges municipalities to exercise fiscal restraint in 2026 (November 1, 2025)
- Survey to Nov 9: got ideas on Langford’s economic development? (October 17, 2025)
- Langford population to double by 2050 – public survey to Sept 15 (August 25, 2024)
- Work from home again during 3-week circuit breaker (March 29, 2021)
- Gig work & home-based business a big part of economic recovery, says Finance Minister (June 5, 2020)
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