Jay Lundgren

My grandpa was a cattle rancher, and my mom part of the 4H Club, so I have a soft spot for farming personally. Farmers are pragmatic people. They try not to spend what they haven’t got, they fix their fences before they fall down, and they plan for the long term, not just season by season. I see a lot of parallels to leading a community. Farms are what makes Langley, Langley. I don’t believe farming and Willoughby are at odds; in fact, developing Willoughby properly protects other farmland from the pressure to be turned into housing. We need to realize the rapid growth in Langley isn’t unique to us. Our country opened its doors to historic levels of population growth after the pandemic, and almost every city in the country strained under the weight of so many new people. The current mayor likes to blame previous councils, conveniently forgetting he was on one of them, but so many communities are dealing with this. The challenge in Willoughby is the homes showed up and everything else is still on its way. No community centre, pool or library, as the mayor spent our reserves and racked up the debt on other projects. Roads and sidewalks finished in front of one development and not connected to the next. Our plan is to bring in services built alongside homes, not years later. Sidewalks and traffic calming as part of every new build; schools planned with the neighbourhood around them. And Willoughby's community centre, pool and library with the price, the funding plan and the opening date out in public before we break ground.

I love Fort Langley, and you’ll often find me there with my wife and kids, grabbing a coffee at Blacksmith or Wendel’s, peeking in the shops. Yes, the mayor owns a considerable amount of the property there, and his slate pushed through a major lift in density for his land across the street from the Community Hall, with no public consultation. I recommend reading these two news pieces for more details on the mayor and his holdings: https://theijf.org/article/eric-woodward-foundation-financial-statements https://theijf.org/article/eric-woodward-charity.

It will depend on the contract and any agreements signed with the organizations involved, none of which have been made public to my knowledge. I could see this being reviewed as part of the forensic audit of the Township books and debt load, as it is not how a municipality normally operates.

What you term “generic promises” came from a long period of talking with people from around Langley. We listened first, we researched, we collaborated, and then we wrote the most comprehensive platform ever offered to Langley voters, and I am very proud to run on it. As a dad and a coach, it’s hard for me to not be the most pumped about the Children and Youth pillar; it’s the one closest to my heart as I raise my kids here. The hardest one: Respect for Taxpayers. We have to get the fiscal situation of the Township under control. The current mayor has run debt up to nearly $800 million, dangerously close to our legislated debt cap, and made us a total municipal outlier in the amount of debt in B.C. No one has as much debt per capita as us. Not even close. At the same time, he has raised taxes 22%. He has raided our reserves. His CAC scheme was found unlawful by the courts. That’s a lot of strikes against the Township. We need to dig deep into those numbers, the decisions behind them, the deals he may have signed, and craft a plan to get us back to solid footing financially. That’s job one, and everything flows out of that. It’s a massive, huge black hole of debt and very little information about how we got there. (And on fire inspectors and educators, remember: it’s cheaper to prevent fires than suppress them after.)

Thank you for raising this, and as someone who has played, coached and been a spectator in our facilities, thank you. Your work and quality are noticed and appreciated. This is one of several issues I’m sure we will learn more about when we take office, as we have heard many concerning stories from the past few years. It’s hard to say more than that now, as we just don’t have the information. Just a note on maintenance: the current mayor has slashed and postponed key things that need repair and refreshing, like the leaky roof of LEC. He’s done it because he needs that money to cover the payments on the nearly $800 million of debt he has racked up. We want to put that debt on a public payback plan and be smart with our priorities, so we have the money to maintain our facilities properly, for the long term.

The annual audit answers one question: do the financial statements fairly present the numbers under accounting rules? The auditor samples transactions, checks they're recorded properly, and signs off on the math. It doesn't ask whether a deal was a good one, whether a plan’s assumptions held, where the risk is hiding, or what led to the decision. A forensic audit does all that, following specific money through specific decisions. This could include the borrowing through the Township's housing society (taxpayers were told by the mayor it would have no effect on our borrowing cap, and yet it did), our exposure now that the court has struck down his CAC policy (the Township can’t live in denial about this), legal costs, and more. The mayor can’t have it both ways. He says the slowdown in growth is a good (and “planned” thing), but he also claims the Township’s debt will be paid off by growth. If it’s slower, less revenue comes in, and taxes will go up to cover debt servicing and operating costs for the new facilities. Through July, construction value in the Township is down 36%, permits down 15%, permit fees down 25%. The CFIB just gave the Township a 2.5 out of 10 on red tape. So the plan borrowed against growth and then made growth harder. That's how you get a 22.8% tax hike in the Township's own projection for 2027. Forensic audit first, so we know how truly deep the hole is. Then a public debt repayment plan, sequenced and prioritized capital projects, eliminating any slush funds within the Township, no more borrowing through the housing society, slashing legal spending and eliminating the Mayor’s contingency fund, and prioritizing economic development to get higher-paying commercial and industrial to locate here. One last note: we have been very forthright about our platform. 39 pages, posted at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform. The current mayor doesn’t have a single platform page posted on his site. Has to make you wonder why.

On Margaret and Barb: yes, they voted for a lot of what's on the books, including the $25 million loan for the new Brookswood fire hall and the budgets from 2023 to 2025. Barb was elected in 2022 on the mayor's own slate, and Margaret backed several projects in good faith. As a retired VPD officer, Barb has initiated many of the first responder and staffing growth initiatives over the past 4 years. But as less and less information about budgets and the Township’s true financial state was given to Council, they realized the mayor’s obsession with borrowing had run out of control, and was not sustainable. Earlier this year, they voted against the 2026 budget, which carried even more borrowing, and debt payments climbing from $47 million a year to $64 million by 2030. On Kim: I won't promise anyone else's vote. Council is nine independent people, and no one on our team gets coerced or commanded into voting a certain way. Each of us will vote our conscience and answer to voters. Every candidate on our slate signed on to a platform (See the full document at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform) that commits to staffing firefighters and police to keep pace with growth, with more prevention and public education. Kim has voted against most budgets and borrowing bylaws over her career. She has also voted yes on fire truck replacements, seconded the 2022 study that put the new Brookswood fire hall on the map, and moved a 2017 motion to require sprinklers in new condos and apartments. Her fight has mostly been about making good priorities and how things get paid for. Kim likes to see that there’s a good case and information provided on every issue, which I appreciate about her. We won't agree on every issue, and that's OK, it's actually healthy in a team. But I know Kim will always ask the right questions and promote healthy dialogue. And with the current mayor and his slate having drawn down savings, hiked taxes 22%, and running up an $800 million debt, she was right to be worried.

You’re right, and we can’t promise zero. The current mayor, his slate, and his “aligned” city manager (his word, not ours) have done everything they can to hide the true state of Township finances from the public. They have cut budget debates and decimated the budget process, offered no information on current state of various Township accounts, and we believe they have hidden deals or agreements as well. They have also outright misled the public, claiming that the $177 million of borrowing for the Township housing trust (that only Woodward slate members were appointed to the Board of) would have 0 effect on Township borrowing levels. Months later, that was proven false as it was shown on a Township debt slide. That’s why we want to start with a forensic audit, digging into what is owed, what is hidden on the mayor’s desk, what has been ignored or deferred, and why. Only when you know how deep the hole is can you make a plan to dig out of it. On seasonal staffing, I can’t speak to that as I haven’t seen information on what he has planned for 2027 (beyond the 22.8% tax hike he and his city manager have in the five year fiscal plan). This is obviously concerning, and I will add it to my list of questions for when I am elected. Please email me at jaylundgren@langleystrong.ca if you have paper or reports on this that I can look at.

Yeah, and this comes down to really looking at the numbers. We've seen a 22% increase in our property taxes in residential taxes in Langley over the past four years. Like Cory said, there's a 22.8 projected increase in the mayor's budget for next year. Those are his numbers. No one's making those up. None of the independents, no one on Langley Strong, we didn't make those numbers up. That's in his budget, approved by his council, that's aligned with his city manager. So it's important that we note that. Now, $800 million of debt, yes, 565 is published, but we also have approved spending up to $800 million. So we're looking at a serious debt crisis. And growth pays for growth. Growth is not, it's a catchy slogan, and you know what, it's a great theory and concept. But when we're in a recessed economy, where building applications are down 30%, where building permits are down 15%, where we're down 25% in construction fees, and our total construction value up to July, this past July, is 36% behind. 36% behind year over year. So growth is not paying for growth. That plan is not working. That forward plan is not working. So if growth's not paying for growth, then what is paying for growth? Debt. Debt is paying for growth. Up to $800 million worth of it. And we're running out of space. So we can promise another $450 million of projects, but there's just no space for that. And yeah, everyone loves promises. And my kids love me promising them everything at Christmas. But sometimes if I do that and I can't pay for their kids' sports in the spring, am I doing them a real service? So we need a proper plan. We need a forensic audit. And we need to put together a great financial plan that addresses the debt situation and puts a proper list of priorities moving forward. And that debt situation, it's real. We've got $47.7 million of debt servicing in the budget for this year. We've got a projection of up to $64 million in 2030. And that's going to debt servicing. That's not going to any projects. That's going to debt servicing. It's a problem. It needs to be looked at and addressed with a proper plan. Thank you.

I'm glad that he brought up that I'm a sports coach. I've actually coached 600 kids in this community, been involved in their families. So I'm in touch with families in this community. I'm having these conversations with them. I, like them, are feeling the pinch in every area. When I was staring at a 22% tax increase and a proposed 22.8, these are things that are costing families. And I'm in a unique position here. I've got four kids. I've got two sets of aging parents that fixed incomes for seniors can't keep up with a runaway tax bill. A senior centre, another grandiose project that's been promised, along with a community centre, a pool, a new fire hall, all these... There's about 450 million worth with about 100 million of borrowing capacity left. How are we just going to continue to just run up the credit card debt? … run up the credit card debt without a plan. And there is no plan. We've seen it. Go on. Progress for Langley. Look at their website right now. Tell me, do you see a plan or do you just see a list of accomplishments or also known as a list of bills that we need to pay? So this is where we need to get a team in council that is going to do a forensic audit. That is going to not, and they'll say well we get the books audited every year. Well it's different than just getting the arithmetic audit. It's saying, it's finding out things like how could we borrow through a society 177 million, tell taxpayers that it doesn't go against our borrowing capacity, and now we find out in the budget that it does. Find out what is our risk with CACs that have been deemed illegal by the courts and beyond the township's authority to collect. What is the risk there? These are things that we need to look at and look at in depth in an audit and put a plan together that's going to tackle … going to tackle this debt because this burden is going on my four kids' bill in the future, and I, and I can say that because I have four kids who want to stay here in Langley for the long term, and it's important that we don't put that burden on them. $800 million, … per household, the highest municipal debt per household in the province, and there's no plan. There's no plan. We keep hearing there's a plan, but it's just growth pays for growth in a recessed economy with regressed numbers going in every situation. Developers, yeah. I've sat with like 40 of them as I've sat with multiple, multiple small business owners and trades people and union members and communities and families and seniors. I've talked to all of them. By the way, seniors don't want to drive to one senior centre. They want community in their communities. They want dedicated spaces in their communities. It's important that there's a plan to, to, to attack this debt and put together a priority list from there. And that's what we're going to bring with Langley Strong.

… is a great park. Pretty much everyone supported this, and the issue is the order. … sports facilities went first, but a lot of things … promised. A community center, …, and a library are still undone. The first priority is forensic audit, and that's a fiscal … that the township has. Then the priority is projects that keep people safe. That includes … fire hall, and … infrastructures like the reservoirs, roads, and sidewalks. I mean, the less flashy things that keep these residents healthy and safe. That's the lesson of this term. The township built on a funding tool … struck down, and the taxpayers now cover the difference out of reserves … The credit card is high enough that the basics may arrive with a 22.8% amount attached to next year. The next council should publish the …, the place, and the payback plan for the vote.

I believe that it really starts with listening to the communities. I think that's something people are missing … is the listening mechanisms to hear from our communities. … Hearing what they need, it's important to them. I think it's important that we do that and we establish those … because when you first have it, the communities do not feel that there's a fair distribution of tax dollars going to their communities. … But there's taxpayers all over … who are sitting in multiple different communities that have very … It's made … that we establish … so … can give us the feedback on what their …

I also know that I didn't make up that number. It's actually his number from his budget. And it's right there. You can look it up on the Township website. Growth, it's a super catchy saying. But when we're in a recessed economy, when development dollars are down, when commercial dollars are down, applications are down, yes, development applications are moving faster. That's because there's less of them. Our population increase has declined over the last few years. We've seen population growth of only 1,600 and 1,200 the last couple of years in Langley. So that increase, that growth that we're all betting on here is actually not happening. And if you're in touch with economic projections, it's not coming soon. So if growth's not paying for growth, then debt is paying for growth. And guess who has to pay for debt? We do in this room, right? So that is the reality of the situation. We've got almost $800 million of debt on the books right now. I know there's a lot of short-term debt that hasn't been converted to long-term. So that number is probably a lot larger. But that is where the growth has come from. It's come from debt. Now, the bill is due.

This is something that gets a lot of attention in our platform at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform, as it has been a recurring concern we have heard from parents across the Township. First, more lifeguards and instructors: we would partner with the School District on a lifeguard accreditation pilot so Langley teens can get certified during school hours. That gives them a job skill and gives our pools the staff to run more lessons. Second, more lesson times: more formal swimming lessons during school hours as part of PE. A couple of my daughter's friends are lifeguards, and it sounds like there is plenty of downtime to fill during school weekdays. Third, W.C. Blair's hours brought back to pre-COVID levels. As finances allow, we are also committed to getting a new pool, community centre and library into Willoughby, with the price, funding plan and opening date public before it starts. We'd also look at whether bringing back a small neighbourhood pool could work for Fort Langley. I grew up swimming in that pool, doing lessons, and attending summer birthday parties, and know that it could service many in not only Fort Langley but also the rural and Northwest areas of Langley in the summer. Finally, we want to see if we can extend the teen Summer Fun Pass into other seasons of the year, and we want to extend free admission to Township rec facilities for children under 12, paid for by charging out-of-town users higher fees to be in our pools. Township taxpayers subsidize the pools through taxes already; they should pay less than the people from Abbotsford, Surrey and the City who access our pools and rec facilities because they are closer to their homes than the ones supported by their taxes. That money, along with sponsorships, will go to getting more Township kids in for free.

Langley Strong offers a full, 39-page platform at our website, including a tool that helps residents navigate to the ideas most applicable to them. Everyone has their own favourite in the platform but here’s mine: the big, bold goal (or if you like the BHAG acronym, Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to make Langley Township the most child-friendly community in the region. Our entire Respect for Children and Youth pillar is dedicated to that goal: free admission to Township rec facilities for kids under 12 (paid for by extra fees charged to pool users from outside the Township), the teen Summer Fun Pass extended to other seasons, more childcare options, a lifeguard accreditation pilot with the School District, a Youth Council of high school presidents bringing their ideas to Council directly once a year, wild spaces and accessible playgrounds in every community, and so much more. Check it out!

You’re not the first parent to point out the issue around swimming lessons. Our team of Council and School Trustee candidates have proposed expanding school-time swimming lessons as a way to get more kids into the pool at less busy times, when we have instructors free. And we plan to partner on a lifeguard accreditation program where more Langley teens can get trained and certified during school hours. This will give us more lifeguards and potential instructors to pull from. We are also committed to returning hours at WC Blair to their pre-COVID schedule to offer another option while Willoughby gets built.

I’ve shared this before, but that was a really tough time for my family and me. We owned a small business that hit a rough patch. I had made some bad business decisions in my late 20s based on some bad advice, and it was very costly. Not just financially, but with 3 kids in diapers at the time, for my family in many ways. We worked hard, made sacrifices, and we repaid it all. It’s the kind of issue that a lot of people face and I now have a lot of empathy for as a result, both in their businesses and personal lives, when things may not go quite as well as they hoped. Looking back now, I’m proud (and my friends, family, the people around me who know me well) of how we handled this moment/season in our lives, how we made things right, and the lessons I learned along the way. I tell my kids that trials are part of life, and trials can produce perseverance, and perseverance can produce character, if you allow it. I think if you take that time, and look at the successes I've had since, you can see the evidence of the character growth: Coaching 600 youth in Langley (including 4 girls who are now playing college sport this fall); running the business development for the fastest growing marketing agency in Canada from 2015-2020; being on the planning teams and raising millions of dollars for multiple local charities including the food bank, Rick Hansen Foundation, BC Autism, Wagner Hills Farm, and many more; celebrating 22 years of marriage this past August... mistakes aren’t mistakes if you learn something from them. In fact, it’s one of my reasons for running to be your Mayor. As you point out, the current administration has drained our Township reserves, run up our debt close to the max, and seem blind to the tough choices and hard work that will be necessary to put Langley back on solid financial footing. I want to restore the respect for Township taxpayers, with a Council that understands and treats every tax dollar like a sacrifice coming out of someone’s pocket, because it is.

I am very sorry to hear about your relative yesterday, that was an awful tragedy that all of us feel sick about. I wish there was something I could say to help you through that, but please know you have my condolences and we’re thinking of you and your family. When I was 11, my mom and I were driving to piano lessons after school and the vehicle in front of us hit a 5 year old boy on his bike right in front of an elementary school in Walnut Grove. He passed in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. This has shaped much of my thinking on safety; when my wife and I lived a couple doors down from Five Corners in Murrayville, I was always worried about my little ones being out front as people sped down 48th. In our candidate meetings, we talk about this a lot. As I’ve doorknocked with our team across the Township, it feels like every neighbourhood has gaps like this. We are committed to tackling those, adding more sidewalks and safe pathways for kids to get to school, finding ways to slow drivers on neighbourhood roads, and making the community safer. We want to make Langley the most child-friendly place in the region, and that starts with the smaller spends and details like sidewalks. A lot of politicians get hung up on big ribbon cuttings for massive facilities, but we know that livability and safety start with getting the little things right in a community. Sidewalks are a core need; we will look at increasing funding and keep getting these done. On your specific story, please reach out to me at jaylundgren@langleystrong.ca. When I’m elected, I will come walk the route with you and your kids and see first-hand what is going on. And again, our condolences for what your family is going through.

Our Langley Strong platform includes pilot projects to synchronize some series of lights. We will work with the Engineering department on potential corridors to test those out, and share the results with the public. On 200th specifically, that’s made more challenging by the rail line and Langley City, but that shouldn’t preclude us from trying in Willoughby and/or Brookswood. More broadly, we are committed to planning neighbourhoods as complete communities, with services built alongside new homes, not years behind them. We will also identify the Township’s busiest and most dangerous chokepoints and address them: a data-driven approach to making those priorities.

We are committed to building sidewalks, bike lanes and traffic calming with new construction, not added years later. We would also like to pivot staff to identifying gaps in the network, rank them by use/need, and then we can work down the list. This includes fixing buckling sidewalks, like the ones on the south side of 88th Ave. in Walnut Grove. The Arbour Ribbon is a unique opportunity as well. Started two decades ago, the Ribbon was envisioned as a way to buffer the urban areas on the west of the Township from the rural areas. There are still big chunks missing, but we would like to identify opportunities to connect the pieces and work, long-term, toward a natural park with trails and paths that stretch from the Fraser River to the U.S. border.

Barb is awesome! Public safety is more than just an election issue to her, it's what she’s spent her whole life pursuing. I'd love to ride it too. Reach out to me after I'm elected Oct. 17 and we will set something up!

That prioritization comes through consulting with the residents of Langley, and that's something that we really need to open up in Langley. We have one … community association left, where we used to have community associations in every community. So to hear the voices of the residents in Langley and hear what their needs are is a priority of Langley Strong. You'll see that in our platform at langleystrong.ca, which is a 31-page platform plan that outlines how we want to move forward with Langley. It's approximately 31 more pages than the Progress for Langley website has detailed in their plan, which is a four-word plan, Growth Pays for Growth. And I just refreshed my phone while I was sitting there to make sure that we're seven days away from early ballots and early election, or early voting, and we still haven't seen a plan come out from Progress for Langley. So it's important that I note that. Willoughby needs a community centre, 100%. That is our priority one. And we heard that four years ago. That Willoughby was going to be promised a community centre. And for us, it's about priority of projects. Now there's been some great single sport facilities made, built in this time. The amazing new arenas at Langley Events Centre that our four incumbents all endorsed and voted for. The soccer fields at Smith Athletic Park, again, the priority, do we need a huge soccer stadium, or could we have built 10, 15 fields in every community in Langley. With Murrayville, Brookswood, Walnut Grove, Aldergrove, would they have benefited from more fields instead of spending upwards of $150, $160 million on one single crown, beautiful stadium, but it is only one field. So these are priorities that we want to look at. How can we open up, like the mayor just said, there's wait lists for sports. One field doesn't take care of a wait list. 10 to 15 fields do. We could have covered them like Surrey did for a fraction of the cost. So these are things, as a group, we want to look at as a priority. But that, we get back to the priority of Willoughby. Willoughby has been promised a community centre. That should have been a priority, and that's going to be a priority of our team. That we bring a community centre, a pool, and a library to Willoughby, and service the 65,000 people that more people can benefit from than a single sport facility.

Well, I'm going to use my three minutes here because there's one thing I just wanted to mention too regarding that last question. Yes, in election year we did keep our taxes down at 3.97% but what we didn't mention in this answer is that we borrowed 79 million from internal reserves to cover that deficit and that's a huge thing because we can't continue to do that year after year to keep taxes low in an election year. So it's important that we note that. And that we're aware of it, because that 22.8% in their budget is real. It is real. SkyTrain, an amazing thing that's coming to Langley, but it also transports crime. It does bring opportunity, and that's something that we're going to really need to prepare for. It comes in three years, or sorry, two years from now. So the process starts now, bringing everyone to the table, from business associations to RCMP to neighboring communities, especially the city of Langley. We need to work together. Crime knows no borders, so we need to put together a plan that really includes each other and understanding what is coming to our community. Also, the bus transit and the feeder system into SkyTrain. It's important that we're working with TransLink to make sure that we're putting together a great plan that services all the areas in Langley and services SkyTrain. SkyTrain is an opportunity for our community. It's an opportunity for local businesses. It's an opportunity for growth and density in certain areas, like the Willowbrook area. And it all comes down to planning, consultation, and making sure that we are putting together a plan that takes advantage of that opportunity for business growth, for development growth, so that we can invite development back into our community. … communities, development that has been leaving for other communities where they aren't faced with the highest development charges in the province, and where there's cost certainty in development, we need to bring that and attract that back. We need to attract small business back into our community, where we've seen the CFIB give a rating of F for small business and permitting and process and fees. We need to improve that relationship with small business and medium business and attract them back into Langley so that we can take advantage of the amazing opportunities that SkyTrain will bring to our community. Thanks.

Because growth is not paying for growth, families and seniors are paying for growth right now. That's the reality. That's why the taxes are in the situation we're in. That's why they continue to rise. That's why they continue to be projected to rise. And developers that I've talked to as well are leaving Langley. They don't want to do business in Langley. And if you think about it from a business aspect, would you want to do business with a place that has no certainty to their costs? That has no certainty to their timelines? Time is money. We just got a 2.5 out of 10 in dealing with permitting as a township. This is an issue. It's chasing business away. So growth is not there. It's not paying for growth. It is the seniors. It is the families. And it shouldn't be. It should be the growth. It should be the development. And we need to attract it back into Langley. Transit is an important part. Sorry, clearing congestion in Langley is key. Many of the same roads that Mayor Woodward just listed are on our priority list. You can see them at langleystrong.ca. I'll also add 16th Ave to that. We need a widening of 16th Ave. It has now become a major truck route. … also add Fort Langley, the rerouting of the trucks from Fort Langley. Not only is it a nuisance when you're taking a walk through the beautiful area of Fort Langley, but it's a safety hazard, it's a safety concern having semi-trucks on Glover Road in Fort Langley. So these are issues that we need to address: 202nd, 200 Street, we need an widening, we need to prepare for the density and for commercial and for business in that area, and for RBT in that area, or BRT, sorry, Bus Rapid Transit in that area. So these are all things that we want to see. 208, it's great that it's done. It's something that all four mayor candidates campaigned on last election. So it's great to see that it's been done. And we need to continue that progress. We aren't anti-progress. We want to see these things done. That's why we want to put a budget in place that prioritizes things. Because with only a hundred million or so left of debt capacity, we are going to need a plan that pays off debt so that we can do these things, that we can provide infrastructure for Langley, for the residents, for business coming in. And that's important. That's why LangleyStrong.ca and our plan is important for you to research and look at to see that we are addressing all these important topics.

This is one of the most troubling issues facing Langley, and our whole region. I had an office for years just off Fraser Highway in Langley City where the problems were really concentrated. It was so hard to see out my office window, the impact of addiction on people’s lives. But I also have two very close friends who came from lives of addiction, and have recovered, and are now incredible leaders not just of their families but of organizations and businesses. On our Langley Strong team, we have two amazing council candidates with real experience on the frontlines of these situations: Barb Martens, a retired VPD officer used to work on the Downtown Eastside, and Teresa Townsley, who was an ER nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital. They have been pivotal in shaping my thinking around this. The first step to addressing the problem is to quit pretending it doesn’t exist in Langley Township. It’s here, it’s in every neighbourhood. Early on in our term, we will put together a table of Township council and staff, RCMP, Township fire, bylaws, Fraser Health, local NGOs and service providers, business groups, and (if they accept the invitation) Langley City, to talk openly about how we are handling these situations and what we can do better.

It is disappointing that the union ignored several Langley Strong candidates who, throughout their time on Council, have voted consistently and vocally supported staffing up the fire department. But that’s politics. I’ve met with both the fire chief and the union leadership. We have great relationships and I know we will work together very well to address and continue the advancement of the Department. Our public safety plan commits to continuing to add firefighters, including some new inspectors and public educators, to help prevent fires before they start. We are also looking to enhance supports for first responders who witness traumatic incidents, to make sure they are taken care of emotionally and mentally. Due to the tremendous debt and massive tax increase the current slate has left us with, this will have to be done in a measured, prudent way. But our commitment is more firefighters.

Penalties that aren't looked at as the "cost of doing business" and exceed the profit of an illegal dump or fill, the ability to revisit after issuing a ticket for bylaw officers: True enforcement More bylaw officers trained in soils, currently only 2, and enforcement on illegal truck parking.

Great question. There are so many community and infrastructure challenges with these rules. Everyone rightly talks about parking, but our power grid in established communities like Walnut Grove and Murrayville is already stressed as more electric vehicles, heat pumps, and air conditioners are added by existing users. We are in a provincial election, and the fastest way to change provincial policy is to push candidates for MLA on these issues. I would encourage you to attend any MLA all-candidate meetings and send them a note asking them to deal with this. After I’m elected on Oct. 17, and after the Oct. 24 provincial vote concludes, I’ll seek a meeting with our new MLAs as soon as possible to discuss this and other issues. If a government is elected that favours these policies, we will work to collect data on the outcomes, share that with other cities and the Union of B.C. Municipalities, and lobby the new housing minister together. Ultimately though, provincial governments hold the hammer on policies like these; we will talk with them, share the impacts felt by the neighbourhood, the Township and the utilities like BC Hydro, and make the case for change.

There's … And that's when timing is money in building pricing. A platform commits to timing. It's time certainty, cost certainty. Those are things that developers … make decisions on … So we need to look at development charge … so that we can continue to grow and offer housing at an affordable price for residents. I will say that it would be great if we as residents had access to the financials so that we could actually see what the true debt is. I think that's something that even our … would love in the decision-making process is to understand truly what the financials are so that they had access to make informed decisions. That's all about transparency. When we talk about respect for taxpayers, transparency is respect.

Check out our platform at LangleyStrong.ca/Platform, and you’ll find a lot in our Restoring Respect for Farmers pillar on farming and equestrian, including a new Rural Plan, lobbying the BC Assessment Authority and government include horse boarding as a farm use, creating an emergency livestock evacuation plan, and a lot more. On sports, we are committed to reviewing each neighbourhood’s needs and working with residents who live there on prioritizing and sequencing projects. I know there is need for non-school public gymnasiums for volleyball, basketball, and other sports. I for one would welcome more disc golf (and many of my friends who play frequently) as I’m a pretty decent frisbee tosser!

To be clear, our explicit promise is to have a conversation with the federal government: “Open conversations with the federal government about the long-term future of the Department of National Defence lands south of the 264th St./Highway 1 interchange. Investigate dedication of a portion that could be used to create more industrial space, to grow Langley’s economy and tax base, create more manufacturing jobs for Canadians, and designed in a way to respect the environment.” Those lands have sat for decades, with seemingly little action from the federal government on it. With the U.S. trade issues, and the feds looking to harness any economic advantage possible, we think it’s worth a conversation about their long term plans. Yes, there are wetlands within the lands, but there are likely developable areas that could be used while balancing environmental considerations. Langley desperately needs to grow our tax base. The current mayor and council have spent our savings, run us up to $800 million of debt, slowed the growth they claim will pay for it, and parked a 22.8% tax hike in their 2027 fiscal plan. An important route out of this mess is to attract commercial and industrial businesses who pay more in taxes, and use fewer services than the average home. So our commitment is a conversation with the federal government about their long-term plan for those lands, and if there is a strategic purpose for them that could help Canada, and the Township taxbase.

Yes, the Rural Plan is 33 years old, and farming has changed in that time. Review the AVS and ensure farmland stays farmland. Truck parking is designated areas, as solution that will work for both sides. Highway 1 corridor; make this a component of a new rural plan.

I was going to look up the age of our rural plan because I believe it's been 33 years if I'm not correct. Yeah. One specific change is the rules for the farm-based businesses are same on inside the ALR as they are out. It's been 33 years since we've had an updated rural plan. So it is very, and farming has changed. Farming has changed in that time. The plan hasn't. So we don't protect farmland by just freezing it. We protect it by making farming viable enough that nobody wants to sell and protecting farmland and farm economy are the same job. Land stays in farming, only farming pays. So right now the answer a farmer gets … the line they're on, not on what they're doing. So another concrete issue is also horse breeding. Right now that's not, or horse boarding, sorry, that's not considered farming in Langley. So we have to look at that as well. So those are two areas that we need to look at is really updating the rural plan and looking at horse boarding as well.

18 aquifers and 14 watersheds by Township counted in provincial review of these in areas of concern. ie. Bertrand Creek. Usage: Metering? Encourage drip irrigation vs. spraying.

Marina Park is an important area. And it's important to the fabric and the character of Fort Langley. So it is something that is very important to me and to our group is that there was a plan. It was scrapped. But to re-look at that plan. But that all comes down to feedback from the residents of Fort Langley. We need to hear what is desired for the waterfront there. What is to be included, what we need to put in there that's going to enhance the character of Fort Langley. So it's important. We are only going to know that through consultation from groups like this, Fort Langley Community Association, so that the people of Fort Langley are giving that feedback so that we can make a good decision based on that feedback.

I think I offer a unique perspective in this mayoral race, in that I am a family man with four kids, and I have two sets of aging parents in this community. And the seniors, and I'm talking to a lot of my parents' friends, and seniors are on fixed incomes that are having trouble chasing this runaway tax increases. And that's something that we need to really think about and honor our seniors. And they've built Langley, they've invested their lives in Langley, and it's important that we are respecting them in the decisions we are making. There's community centers, there's facilities right now where we can dedicate space for the community, for seniors to come and have community and gather and create community within those groups right now. We have to look at a rideshare program where seniors aren't left stranded in times of need. Snow, heat, things where we're respecting them. But we need to do it by making sure that they aren't footing a bill for everything else that they can't do on a fixed income. I've talked to many seniors that are making decisions whether they can stay here or not, whether they can stay in their homes because of the rising costs. They're getting pinched as we are as families from every angle. And we need to be able to provide them with these opportunities to create community without always just promising a grandiose new space and a new center here and a new center there. There is a limit to what we can spend. And we have to make sure that we're addressing the needs now. Obviously, we would love to provide those things for them in the future. But they have to make sense. We have to follow a budget, we have to follow a plan, we have to report back to the residents and make sure it makes sense.

Great, well thank you Cory and thank you to the Chamber. You do such a great job in Langley. I appreciate being a member and how you unite the business community here is awesome so thank you for the Chamber. Great to see many faces in the room tonight that I recognize and that I've grown up here in Langley with. I've lived in Langley for 42 years. My family moved to Walnut Grove 42 years ago when Walnut Grove was actually a Walnut Grove. We grew up in that area and attended West Langley Elementary School. Went to Walnut Grove Secondary School and Trinity Western University where I did my Bachelor's of Business Administration. I've played a lot of sports in Langley. I love sports. It's a big part of my life. … basketball here and hockey and soccer and baseball and made so many relationships in Langley through the years and I started a family here. My wife and I, Melissa, have four kids in Langley and we love Langley. We love this community and how much it means to our family. My kids love Langley. They want to put their roots down here. They want to raise their families in Langley. Langley is a special place. It really is. It combines the country with the city life and so many great things and great people in Langley to celebrate. But I'm running because of my family and two debts that I see in Langley right now. One, first the fiscal $800 million debt is obviously a big concern and the plan to take care of that debt is not there. It's not working. So I'm here to represent a plan, a positive path forward to tackle that debt. And also the debt of respect. Respect for our businesses, for the people, our taxpayers in Langley, that we have a conversation over the things that concern people in Langley.

I see Langley returning to being a true community where people feel … People feel free to share their thoughts and opinions, where they aren't feared, they aren't afraid to approach council with their true thoughts and opinions, where they aren't spoken down to when they voice concerns. I see it as being a place where council truly listens to the residents and provides avenues for them to give feedback to the things that are important to them, the issues that are important to them. And those things that are addressed by a council that truly cares about them. I see a Langley that is important to me. I love Langley. I see two girls back there that I coach. That's what Langley is to me, is the people. That's how I've served this community, and I've always served this community. There's people in this room that have known me for 30, 40 years, and they can attest to my character and how I deal with people and how I respect people. And that's important to me, that that respect is restored in Langley. I talked about two debts when I opened. I talked about the obvious financial debt that we as a council need to address. We need to put together a plan, not hearsay, not a slogan, but a true plan that addresses this debt and provides a plan to grow Langley and provide infrastructure for the future of Langley without burdening our future generations. But I also talked about the debt of respect. And that means restoring respect to taxpayers, to small businesses that are dealing with an F report from the CFIB, to corporations who have invested in Langley, to outside investment. The mayor's role is to be the number one salesperson for Langley. This is something I've done all my life, is create strategic partnerships for business. And that is needed in our Langley. We need to attract investment into our Langley so that the burden isn't on everyone in this room as taxpayers, the families in this room, the seniors in this room that truly love Langley. I think you see from my track record that I love Langley. I love the people. I've always served it. I've raised millions of dollars and been a part of raising millions of dollars for many charities in this beautiful community. And it's something important to my heart that we restore the respect and the community aspect of Langley back to where it needs to be. My name is Jay Lundgren. I'm mayoral candidate for Langley Strong. See our plan at langleystrong.ca.

Good evening, everyone, and I just want to first thank you hosting this amazing event. Fort Langley is a special place to me personally. As many of you know, I grew up in Walnut Grove just down the road, my family moving there in 1984. And back then, Walnut Grove didn't have the infrastructure and amenities it has today. Fort Langley was where we came. If our car needed fixing, we would go to the Sinkovics auto shop there. If we needed some fixing in the home, we would go to the … Hardware Store on Glover. My sister and I played countless softball, baseball, and soccer games on the fields nearby here. And I still spend a lot of time here today with my family, walking the river, getting ice cream. This is an incredible community. It truly is one of the jewels of the Lower Mainland and has its history and character that needs to be respected as we plan for the future. The connection to the community is a big part of why I am running for mayor. And I want to be clear about something tonight. I'm not a professional politician. I haven't sat on council for eight years or been on a bunch of regional boards, and I'm not going to stand here tonight and pretend I have all the answers. What I am is a dad who's worried about two debts in this township. The first is financial. We're carrying a level of debt that concerns me. It's putting pressure on taxpayers and reducing the financial flexibility that we'll need when times get tough. And the township's current five-year financial plan projects a significant increase in property tax revenue for 2027. For families and seniors already dealing with the rising cost of living, that's a serious issue. But there's another debt that concerns me just as much. And it's what I call a debt of respect. Respect for residents. Respect for small business owners. Respect for taxpayers. For neighbours who take the time to speak up about what's happening in their community. I believe people should be able to disagree with their local government without feeling dismissed or talked down to. And restoring that respect is a big part of why I'm running. I grew up here. My wife and I are raising our four kids here, and I've spent years coaching kids here in Langley. Langley has given my family so much, and I want my kids and your kids to have the opportunity to build their lives here in the future. And that means respecting taxpayers, being disciplined about spending, being transparent about our finances, and making sure we're getting value for every dollar. It also means respecting the individual communities like Fort Langley that make up this township.

I want to thank everyone here again for coming out and being a part of this conversation. I think it's important that we're continuing to have conversation as a group and getting the feedback from residents. These conversations matter in every community. In the Township, we can't understand what Fort Langley needs by sitting in an office at Township Hall. This conversation needs to happen. We need to be here. We need to listen. And we need to keep that conversation going even after the election. I started tonight by talking about two debts, financial and a debt of respect. And for me, restoring respect means respect for taxpayers, respect for communities like Fort Langley, respect for small businesses, farmers, seniors, respect for people who disagree with us, and respect for our kids in the future we're leaving them. And for me, that one is personal. As a father of four, I want my kids to be able to grow up in Langley, find a home, build careers, and raise their own families here in Langley. And I also think about my parents and in-laws. Like many seniors, they're living in a world where everyday costs just continue to rise. And we need to be mindful of what increasing, municipal costs mean for the people on fixed incomes. Those two generations remind me of good local government or what good local government should be about. Taking care of the community we have today, while planning responsibly for the community we're leaving behind. And that requires listening. Our team has been out talking with residents across the township, including here in Fort Langley. And one message we continue to hear is simple. People want to be heard. Not just during an election, not after a decision has already been made. They want to know their voice matters at Township Hall. And I don't have all the answers. I'm not going to pretend that I do, but I do know how I want to lead. Listen first, be transparent about the decisions we make, respect the people we're elected to serve, and work together to get things done. The municipal election is on October 17th, and I encourage everyone here to learn about the candidates, look carefully at the different plans being presented, ask questions and make your voice heard. And if you're here tonight, we haven't had a chance to meet. I would love to meet you. I'd love to shake your hand and hear about your concerns. Thank you again to the Fort Langley Community Association for bringing us here tonight. And thank you to all of you for being here and caring about your community.