The Chamber of Commerce forum

You know, infrastructure on the roads is a problematic for not just in Langley, but everywhere right now, especially the area that has a rapid population growing. I have a similar experience in, another region working as executive director of Burnaby North Road BIA. Traffic is more horrible there What we did and what I did was talking to the business owners and the residents around the area I get a public hearing a consultation and feedback from the local people who actually gets impacted on the area and what we do is talking with different levels of government municipal provincial and seek for help from MLAs and MPs and finding a great solution to solve the problem and also not just talking to the local governments and provincial government what we should do is talking to TransLink a lot of conversations needed in order to solve the problem because we cannot solve the problem just by looking at just the numbers and the things that on the paper we have to actually listen from the residents who are in trouble with and that's my way of approaching things and make things moving progressively. Thank you.

Thank you Cory for the question. There are a couple of items that we can do in the Township of Langley. The first is we should support we look forward to supporting the BRT which is going to come across the 200th. Second thing is we need to work on our roads and infrastructure and make sure that our roads are able to handle the traffic volume that comes east-west corridor as well as make sure that businesses are well supported with that. Another thing that we will advocate for is to ensure that we encourage residents … to park so that and then facilitate walk around complete their tour. This would include that they can do their shopping, go to the appointment, and then they can take the transit as well. One thing which is in our platform is restoring relationship with associations. An example is TransLink. We need to work with the Metro Vancouver Transit to make sure that we have routes that feed into the system and our businesses are well supported. A good example is the new bus service that came to Gloucester. That's really helpful. But we need to make sure that there's more service that more stops are added and more businesses are supported. Thank you.

So transportation is something that affects everybody in this room. You got here today through the use of roads. … But if you work in Vancouver, if you work in Richmond, sometimes it could take up to 10 minutes to just get off Highway 1 at 200th Street. And I feel like that's ridiculous. They haven't been investing in infrastructure. The previous councils haven't. And this is the price that we're paying for now. We really need to be investing in our TransLink corridors. Whether it's 200th Street, the SkyTrain is going to be coming to Langley. We need to reimagine how traffic is going to get to where they need to go. The other thing is from a business perspective, traffic is a handicap when it comes to being competitive in … Lower Mainland Market, If you want to get your goods to Vancouver, to other parts of the region, you need to sit through that traffic. We have a big industrial base here. I'll give you an example. Costco here, they service about eight different warehouses here in the Lower Mainland, and it all comes from this Langley Distribution Center by the Golden Ears Bridge. And we really need to be doing more to get businesses to come here and say, "Hey, we're gonna invest in our roads. You're going to get goods from one part of the region to another in the fastest possible way, and invest in Langley here.

Well, as you've seen over the last four years, we've taken a lot of pressure off of 200th by finally finishing 208 After, what, over a decade of fooling around with that, we've also put in a very significant amount of bike lanes. And we've improved vital things, like if you look at what happened on 40th Avenue there, when the Atmospheric River in 21 took that down, it wasn't repaired properly and then a couple years later it dropped, it dropped at the wrong time so we had to have that out of service for something like eight months. Compare that to 216 now where we went ahead, that is off for two months because you have to deal with federal government, with DFO, you have to deal with the Ministry of Environment, low water flows and also trying to fit it into a time when there's not a lot of road users. I look at it a different way also too, I look at it for emergency services, made sure that when we're talking to transit that the BRT line is also available for emergency vehicles and that's vital because sometimes when you get into a collision scene you have to make sure you can get through that believes police, fire and ambulance. Thank you.

By listening very closely and very respectfully to all of their voices because they all have valid points of view and we have we have to move goods via trucks, they need truck parking and they need arterial roads because time is money for businesses. Congestion causes problems and increased … cost for businesses. We also have to take care of pedestrians. Now I'm super happy that we're getting this BRT. … line. It's only been like 15 years in the making. But that's one set of options. We still need roads. We still need those roads to work effectively. And the Chamber's paper did remark on using some new technology initiatives and AI help. Not that I like AI, but that's another story. AI in order to keep the traffic moving. So that's what I would do. At Council table. Thank you.

So are … two types of debt that I can think of right now on a personal level. You have the debt that's a mortgage, where you're actually buying asset to cover that mortgage debt. The other is a line of credit, which you're just borrowing because you need to buy groceries or something like that, and you can't wait for your next paycheck. The issue that we're seeing in … the about Langley is that developers haven't been keeping up with the amenities, which is why over the last four years they've had to spend a lot of money in order to build those amenities. And they're not quite done yet because I feel like there's things like swimming pools, there's infrastructure, there's amenities that haven't been built and they really need to be built. The good thing about borrowing is that you can finance it over 25, 30 years, but you have to be careful because you shouldn't be using debt to build things that a few individuals can enjoy it should be for everybody and it should be for things that everybody can enjoy and it increases our property value things like debt servicing it shouldn't be put onto our debt this is not visa and mastercard we need to be fiscally responsible with people's money Thank you.

Well, thank you for the question, Cory. I think one of the key issues that I've heard while door knocking has been how much the Township debt has ballooned in the last four years. Per household, it's more than $14,000. Though some debt is good to build amenities, we have to see that debt servicing, which is projected to be $60 million by 2030. This is something that the taxpayers will be on the hook to pay. The approach which Langley Strong will have is We will have a clear financial audit identify … what the fiscal hole is, and from there, we will present a transparent picture to all the residents where we stand, and then any new project that we have will have a clear funding plan that is available, and residents know what would be the operating cost for it going forward. While growth is essential, we also need to make sure that we are keeping taxpayers, their property taxes to a lower level, and we don't want, as we have seen in the last four years, a 22 percent increase in property taxes, another projected 22.7 percent in the Township books. So I hope we are able to put together a strategy that keeps taxpayers on the … Thank you.

Well, the reality is we can't do everything for everybody. We just can't afford to. And we have to live within our means, and this is why I think we're in a financial crisis right now. We're not living within our means. We've taken the Township, and I'm not going to say we because I don't didn't support a lot of those votes. We've taken the Township's credit card and run it up to the max. There's no more room on it. We have to get it under control. So the very first thing that Langley Strong is gonna do if they're elected is they're gonna have a forensic audit in the first 100 days. We need to know exactly how deep that hole is. And then we have to make a plan and a budget to get out of it. Thank you.

Yes, I really want to address, you know, like here we increased the taxes 20 percent over four years and now they say we're going … to increase 22% over one year. You know, the last year was projected at 17% and we came in at … So it shows that those figures that are being used in this election are political to be kind, okay? And looking at what we're doing is we're investing now at a lower interest rate. We get a much lower interest rate by borrowing the way we are. And we are looking at how we can pay it down. We've got a plan with CACs, which are funding. The debt right now, that is not operating debt, that is capital debt, and that is very, very important to establish that. So when you're looking at the debt, also look at what you're gaining. You're getting world-class facilities that are benefiting the youth of today, tomorrow, and into the generations. Also we borrowed for a fire hall that is going to serve this community without any renovations of that for at least 30, 40 years. So borrowing for capital assets is not the same as borrowing on a credit card. Thanks.

I guess everyone's standing while I'm answering these questions, I'll do it. So what happened four or five years ago? Just our taxes went up Or no, it's everything went up after COVID, right? Our payroll stayed the same. Our grocery bill went up. I used to pay $10 for my lunch, but now I need to pay 20, dollars right? Given that, we did a great job. So what do what we need to focus. It's not just a number on the budget sheet and the paper, but we need to focus on what we really need for the Township. What we have done the past four years, … street, you know Langley … center upgrade with um ice sheet and dry sheets, um and a fire hall down to the southern Langley. All those things that we need, we have to build it right now. If you want to build it 10 years later, it's going to cost you double, triple. Imagine borrowing … $10,000 30 years ago, you still think that is a debt. But if you're trying to pay up $10,000 30 years ago, it's a lot harder than paying up $10,000 right now. That's what we're … We need to focus on the vision and what we need to build for the Langley. Thank you.

So right now in Langley I feel like we've already had an increase in crime because our RCMP is very expensive to fund and they haven't been funding to the point where our population is growing. We really need to be funding our RCMP. The other thing is we need to be working with our provincial and federal stakeholders, our provincial and federal government because the issue is, and you can talk to any RCMP officer, every day they catch the same people. They book them into jail and the next thing you know they're getting a slap on the wrist and they're out in society just doing it all over again. Every store that you go to ask them about the shoplifters. They know who they are. They're probably on a first-name basis. We need to do more to invest in our crime fighting we need to do more in getting our provincial government to fund mental health so that people get the help that they need and we need to make sure that Langley becomes a good place to do business because when you're a business, you shouldn't be worried about whether people are going to steal your assets. You should be worried about operating your business. So I think we need to do more in investing in public safety. We need to make sure that we keep our taxes in line while doing all that. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the question. Very generic question and I want to answer the generic way. You know, If more people are coming in with the TransLink and SkyTrain moving into our area, There's obviously going to be more vandalism, more crimes, And we need to get ready for that right now. And one of the ways we can do is increasing the staff in a police department. I think we have 19. Am I right? Yeah, … 19. Probably, we're aiming to have 30 during our term. It's just that something that we cannot ignore and we cannot prevent. You know, Business moving in, new way of transportation moving into Langley, population is coming into Langley. That's all happening right now and that's the reality. What we need to do is we need to find the right candidate who's actually going to listen, talk to residents, talk to businesses, and make the real decision with an accountability. Not just talk about numbers, false promises. Look at what we have done in the past four years. All there. We say what we're gonna going to do and we did it. And that's our next four years. Thank you.

Thank you for the question, Cory I think a couple of aspects to it. The first is that we need to increase enforcement. We need to work with the RCMP. And we need to ensure that the hot spots where crime is happening, they are addressed. Second thing is we need to work with the province. We need to identify the root cause that has been causing, address the addictions issue. For example, CAR 67, that's one of the things in which we can mitigate those things. Third thing is we need to have discussions. We need to have businesses, by-law officers, RCMP, everyone at the same table come together. And we design a strategy. And then we have a public tracking. We can have a public safety committee, which we are proposing. Have And then we can track how the crime reduction has happened over the passage of three months and going forward and then we can track it to make sure our businesses feel safe, residents feel safe going, completing their shopping and Langley becomes an attraction where more businesses can grow. Thank you.

Absolutely. Failing to plan is like planning to fail. We, with the Township of Langley, have a plot of plan for dealing with these things. We've introduced more by-law officers, more RCMP, more fire people, but we also have to work with the courts, the BC government, addiction services, we all have to work together as a team because this thing is not solved overnight. I believe in some ways the province has left us with a lot of challenges. Regardless of that, … We have to work on solving these problems. Nobody likes, I walked by somebody at Tim Hortons today lying there. I felt bad. I didn't know what to do. I continued on my way, but as I drove home, I felt I should have done something. I think every single one of us feel a bit that way. Thank you for the question.

So I've in the past been on the Surrey Crime Prevention Society, and I've also been a community representative for the Surrey pre-trial. So I've seen some of the downsides of what's going on. At the pre-trial, and people think that's not a full prison and that at the time that I was on that the Bacon Brothers were imprisoned in there and saw that the situations that evolved like throwing cocaine and that over the top and that. So I worked in Whalley when the SkyTrain came in and I saw firsthand and I dealt with firsthand the results of what's going on there. Surrey Crime Prevention Society had a very, very comprehensive program of dealing with the businesses in the area, Whalley BIA and the Board of Trade and that was a very integral part of how they were able to manage what was going on. Lookout is an organization that was dealing and is still dealing down in the Whalley corridor and those are vital discussions that you've got to have and they've got to be on the ground and you've also got to involve your bylaw officers, your firefighters, and your police. Thank you.

Okay, so yeah, we do have an incredibly large debt. And Part of the problem … is that when you take a look at it from a business perspective, the debt that we have doesn't have a really good return on investment. And so what we have here is a bunch of debt that is going to be paid for over a long period of time. That's going to be pushing us back into a corner for our future. So when things come up, for instance, government grants that We could take advantage of to build art centers, things like that, we won't have the capacity to take care of them or to be able to utilize those grants because we don't have enough room left on our debt ceiling. So what we need to do is in the first 100 days, make sure that we have that forensic audit, that we've got a really clear picture of where our debt is, pay it down as best we can without raising taxes as much as possible, and then make sure that we are putting things aside for those eventualities in the future. Because if I ran my business the way the Township is running their budget, I would be out of business in about 10 minutes.

Well, I think you said something very important in the original question. Which was the remaining debt capacity on the capital slide was between 130 to 160 million dollars. That was on the capital slide when it came through. But then in a CBC article three months later, the mayor is saying it's 350 million dollars. So what's the true number of our remaining debt capacity? Is politics getting in the way of accounting? But regardless, we have spent and borrowed far beyond what our tax base can accommodate. That's why when you look in the five-year financial plan it shows a 40% tax increase. What we desperately need to do is grow our tax base in a financially productive way. We need to grow our business tax base, make it easier for business industry to come here because a business doesn't need a pool, it doesn't need ice rinks, it doesn't need those expensive amenities. That way all this debt and spending that's taken place over the last four years doesn't end up in residents who can't afford what's happened over the last four years here.

Tess Rouse with Progress for Langley. So number one, municipalities are not for profit, they're not profitable businesses so they shouldn't be run like one. That's number one. Number two, um there's a lot of value in actually the borrowing that we've been doing. Ask any parent here, maybe the ones out there. Playing sports right now. The facilities that have been built in the last four years, the roads that we all just talked about on the last panel of candidates actually, all of those are investments for this community that were put off for so many years. I served under multiple mayors, I saw it myself. Let's talk about 208 Street. That was voted down by some of the people running here. It would have been 30 million dollars just before covid, instead we paid 60 million to do it. That's double. So if we want to talk about finances, our platform is to build more roads, more facilities, more parks, to give Langley the services that it needs to move the goods that all of you in this room probably need moving without congestion. We need state-of-the-art facilities to bring more people to Langley. Those are the people shopping in your businesses. Those are the people staying in your hotels. And we want to see more of that, and we have the team to get it done. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you for the question, Cory And as a team, what we'd like to see is that the ratio between the industrial, the commercial mill rate, and the residential mill rate stays. As narrow as possible in the long term so that it's fair for businesses and operators to do business here in the Township. And one of the ways that we will make sure that we keep that industrial and commercial tax base and mill rate as low as possible is to, where appropriate, where makes sense, expand our employment base, expand our industrial base. And we do that along major truck routes, like along Fraser Highway. We do that along major infrastructure nodes, like in Brookswood on 28th Avenue there. We don't do it by paving over the Salmon River watershed. We don't do it by paving over the forest and wetlands like is in the platform of some folks on this stage So what we do is we make sure that we have the right employment base we have the jobs close to home we have these employment centers for people to be able to work and live and play close to home here in the Township and that's how we're going to make sure in the long term we are growing our tax base in a sustainable way because the slower rate of development that we have brought in here in the Township on purpose by phasing multiple acres hundreds of acres in Willoughby that growth rate is … still sufficient to make sure that the growth is paying for the amenities that we're all enjoying while bringing in more people to shop at your business.

Thanks for the question Cory. I don't have the experience or the background to actually give you exactly how much the number should be or what's the percentage what I do know is that you're here from our Chamber so the consultation process is very important working with businesses working with advocacy such as Chamber as well as working with different levels of government to make sure that the business our businesses are supported part of it what we have in Langley also making sure that they are along the act of transportation process where we can support the teams that work in different businesses to be able to get their jobs efficiently and provide the ability for them to access these places, there's also important to keep in mind, parking is also important. Understand when we do the employment structuring and the commercial areas and the zoning, we have to understand how these people will get to that area. So I definitely will advocate to make sure that there is a balance and also working with the different organizations that we have in the Township. Thank you.

So currently, the business businesses pay 30 about 30, percent maybe even more, a little bit more of our property tax base. So we need to keep businesses, make making sure that they're viable and that they stay in our community. And that if we have a higher tax rate, they're gonna they're gonna take off so there's a really nice property over on 216th and 80th that we could have had some great employment there you know that could have been people working and people paying into our tax base right now we have employment lands that you know Fraser Highway we have some in Brookswood and that's gonna be a really great way for us to increase our tax base and keep making sure that our businesses are not gonna have to pay more and as well as our residents so we have to make sure that our businesses stay profitable and we can't talk some more.

I think one of the biggest things is learning from other municipalities. BC housing, for example, has been working on different, albeit … what are they pilot projects, and that will work with modular housing. And these are one ways to work with it within the Township. Working with government as well, bringing in, making sure that we have a projection into the future, making sure that our infrastructure will support the growth. I think at this time, although we keep talking about ai and not liking it or stuff like that. But in reality, these are tools that we can use to project what we are going to see. We know that by 2050, we will have about 240,000 people in Langley. So it's important to have that projection, looking at the infrastructure. … Bring data-driven solutions, not just numbers thrown out here and there and sitting down with different aspects of government. One way that we actually employed here, it was the integrated project delivery method. Which is sitting with different government levels, sitting with different community members, sitting with different organizations that actually support housing in Township of Langley. Thank you.

Thanks, Cory. Tess Rouse with Progress for Langley. So number one, our team wants to create a complete community. Steve Ferguson would say, we want Langley to be livable. And so what that means, you know, current Council has created the Langley housing trust, and right now I believe there's over 250 units coming online, being built and developed that are 30% below market rate to create affordable housing. This is something that the Township actually has control over. We get to ensure that those bedrooms are actually put here within our community. We also need to look at projects like Gloucester and the recent bus and transit routes that were just upgraded to ensure people can actually, you know, live here as well as work here. Some people don't have a car. We need to ensure that transit is part of our transportation and mobility strategy. And so all of those things collectively need to create complete livable communities where people can work, play, and live. Thank you.

It's a great question Cory and thank you and over the course of this term our team has been very dedicated to ensuring that we have an additional supply of light industrial and employment lands in multiple different neighborhoods across the Township so that no matter where people decide to live in the Township they could feasibly live and work close to home. So for example, on the Fraser Highway employment land, corridor. We undertook one of the most rigorous public engagement processes I've seen even as a Council watcher before I was on Council. It's reminiscent almost of the Brookswood-Fernridge days, if you can remember the OCP open houses that they had for those. So we have had extensive community engagement, multiple rounds of iterations of plans. We have gone into Brookswood-Fernridge adjacent to Campbell Heights in an area where eventually we can bring additional transit, additional road infrastructure to make sure that there are employment centers close to home. Of course, we have initiated infrastructure projects like road widening, like detention pond construction, where we can have commercial mixed-use neighborhoods as well. Because it's not just about the employment lands, because obviously we need the warehouses. We have further, even more employment lands west of 200th Street coming. So across the Township, we're making sure that each community has a center that people can work, and we're going to continue that over the next four years. Thank you,.

Well, I think it starts with consultation, because what we have to do is when we're prioritizing the industrial lands, which we must do in order to broaden our tax base, we need to make sure that there's appropriate buffer zones between them and the housing areas, between agricultural land and all the other non industrial-based uses or employment-based uses. When a successful business needs to grow … and it needs room to expand, it doesn't just stop growing because we don't have room for it. If we don't have room for those businesses, they will leave Langley and we can't afford that right now. So what I'd like to do is protect the established industrial areas from incompatible residential incursion, plus support bringing the roughly 500 acres of the non-ALR Fraser Highway employment lands into the productive employment use with phasing and appropriate buffers and consultation with the community. And then use an economic development department to attract employers, not merely to designate land. So consultation being the primary thing and protecting employment lands is an economic development, jobs and a tax base issue that must be on the top of any Council that's incoming.

Yeah, thank you so much for the question. So for people that don't know, I do rent industrial space, so I'm fully aware of how tight the market is. I want to touch on the Fraser Highway employment lands, though, because you're absolutely right. There's trade-offs that we have to make. And as Council, we have to decide who wins and loses when we make those trade-offs. The Environment, people that live in the neighborhood. So I really struggle with something like the Fraser Highway Employment Lands when someone sitting on Council has their name on a development application inside of the Fraser Highway Employment Lands. We need to be more clear with residents who are we making decisions for. Now next up is how do we attract development to the employment lands that we have? Right now we're the most expensive place east of Burnaby to develop new industry. We need to take a look at this. Are we suffocating our future tax base by chasing immediate revenue? We need to take a long-term approach on what is the long-term property tax we could be getting, but we're losing by chasing development revenue here today. Thank you.

I think … the really important question you put in there is maintaining. We have … borrowed and built so much, but take a look at the staff report from last year. They've said outright that we don't have enough money for maintenance. And this is going to be a long-term struggle. It's not just our parks, it's this very building we're in There's a staff report that said we don't have the money to repair the roof on here. We are so focused on building new we've completely forgot that we need to maintain our existing assets. Things are gonna fall apart five, ten, twenty years down the road because we've been chasing, chasing, chasing what's gonna win us election or what's gonna win us votes at the next election. The Township is gonna be here for years, hundreds of years to come. We need to focus on the maintenance of the long term of what we're going to do here. Thank you.

I it's one … thing I love about the Township of Langley and it is our parks and recreation. I grew up here and I can see how the trails, I mean you just go down to Derek Doubleday. I have a bike, I love riding my bike through the parks and trails. I have a brother that lives in Vernon he comes here to Langley. Guys, wow you guys have such great parks and what we need to do is we need to make sure that we prioritize that we take care of them. When I think about the facilities that we have, we do have amazing facilities but what people forget is that the councils before us actually bought the land that we could build the facilities on. So you know we talk a lot about what we've done this term but without the strategic acquisition land acquisitions of the councils before us we can't actually do this so a lot of the parks and trails that were that we're you know we get to enjoy today was actually built by previous councils so I just always want to just take a moment to just think about the people who were before us and acknowledge that and we've done some great things on this Council term and we can do more so I just want to say that thank you.

Tess Rouse. So parks and facilities are economic development they are what create Langley as a destination I had the privilege of interviewing a couple different sports association members and what I heard was crazy there are 300 kids that couldn't play hockey last year because there was no arenas there were kids on wait lists for soccer that couldn't play house level league sports because we didn't have the facilities here that should be a concern for every business every parent in this room it is for me we are not just investing in those industries or sports we also are protecting natural space look at the horn pit natural area in Brookswood it's huge we are looking to expand also and improve our normal parks that everyone can access Go to … Booth Community Park it has lights finally. It has trails that don't get flooded out. That costs money, but that investment has value for our kids, for our future generations. And we are also investing in land acquisitions to ensure that we can keep building a Langley that makes it complete and makes it livable. Thank you.

Thanks, Cory, for the question. That's a great question. One of the biggest things that we have is that we did bring facilities into the Township. In reality, we had some facilities that were not really invested. And let me be clear, I thank every single person that serves before, that serves today and hopefully will serve in the future. There is no comparison. At that time, they had certain sets of facts and information and they were able to judge using that. Moving forward, I'd like to see more prioritization on the use for everyone. So now that we have some of these facilities that we've already built, I do believe the Willoughby Community Center is a big priority. I know it was proposed a long time ago. It was proposed in the past. Council meeting, group, or year, or time. And it is something that we're talking about today still. Swimming lessons are very hard to get. I gave up on that for my boys. Their dad takes them and throws them in the swimming pool and that's how they learn swimming, no more lessons. They also have been learning in different state situations such as taking and exploring other like kayaking … and canoeing club in our community. So there's a lot of things that we have in this community and I hope we can maintain it, thanks.

When I grew up in Murrayville, the W.C Blair pool was there from the very beginning. It was something that I got to take advantage of from a very early age. Unfortunately, for the 65,000 people who currently live in Willoughby and the soon-to-be 100,000 people who live in Willoughby by the end of this half decade, There is no community centre, And so our team has been very clear that the number one priority for the next term will be to build a community centre in Willoughby with an adequately-sized aquatic facility with a library, gymnasium, senior centre, basketball, gymnasiums, everything of the works so that Walnut Grove can get their community centre back and the W.C Blair Pool in Murrayville can have pressure relieved off of it as well. Now, obviously Brookswood is the next horizon for growth over the next 20, 30 years. And so the planning and the proactive approach to getting a community center built in Brookswood begins now. We want to make sure that whoever is on Council over the next decade and a half does not inherit the same problem that we had, which was there was not a single plan for a Willoughby Community Center We undertook two rounds of public engagement to determine that the site next to the tennis center was not sufficient, that is why on day one, if there is a Council and a school board that is united in vision and drive to get that community center built, we'll approve the land swap so we can get a community center built and a new school built for Willoughby as well.

Okay, first I want to make something very clear, is that any shovels in the ground projects need to be finished. We cannot waste, put good money after bad by not completing projects. So that's a non-issue there. What I do want to do going forward though is I would support anything that makes sure that whatever facility we are building, we know that Willoughby needs a community center we know that Brookswood need some attention as far as their facilities goes, has the maximum benefit for the maximum number people of people that are in the in the area that they serve. Not just a select few. What we can't do is keep making things for ribbon cuttings and then having somebody whose parents can't afford to put them in sports not access any parks or recreation facilities. So that's a very big priority for myself. We also need to consider that we need to rebuild that relationship with the school board so that we can work together and build facilities attached to schools so that every facility that we are using is used to its absolute maximum potential. We may not be able to afford to build a lot more but what we can do is look at utilizing what we have to its maximum benefit and I think that makes sense.

Well, I think it's important to keep our urban, … our rural areas in our urban areas and keep it separate from rural. I'm sorry, I'm nervous and I can't think. What I bring, Thank you everyone. Thanks for your mercy. [The moderator repeated the question.] Okay, so it's really important to keep our high density on our corridors, like 200th Street and keep our rural land protected. And by doing that, we can keep that separated. But important with our rural land is keeping agricultural land is all rules the same for everybody. So that farmers get to farm the way they need to farm, that we can bring agriculture back like 4-H and we can do things to grow more crops and that. Because over 70% of our land in Langley is rural and it's important to keep it rural. Thank you.

Well first we need clear boundaries. As we develop lands, as we move and as we expand, we have to expand slowly and in consultation which is actually a great moment that we're in right now because our rural plan is desperately needing an update And because of the changes from the provincial government that requires anything that's compliant to the OCP applications that go in don't need public hearings. So we've seen a lot of times that applications will go in and the neighborhood feels like they're left behind because they don't feel like they have a say anymore. But we're in this moment where we can come together collaborate and have a say over what the rural lands will look like. For the next 30, 40, 50 years or even 100. We have to do this well and in collaboration with our farming community there are many things farming practices have changed drastically over the last 30 years. So there are innovations and efficiencies that we can find and encourage through our updated rural plan. Now when I said boundaries this is important because as we're developing our suburban urban areas we need to have appropriate barriers whether it's environmental … landscaping barriers and like so that there is a transition between our urban centers and the farmland. We need to do this well. We need to be careful, but ultimately, we have to plan clearly and communicate with the public. Thank you.

Thank you for the question Cory, and absolutely and I think we've been hearing a lot from the business community that the Township is quite unpredictable when it comes to development applications We're constantly hearing that the goalpost is moving and it's making it more challenging for businesses and developers so we would look to implement digital permitting and something similar to a 3-1-1 model that you are seeing in other municipalities I think we can learn from other municipalities on how they're doing it and how they're speeding up the permitting and licensing process because time is money and that cost is being put back on to the buyer or the tenant and that could be both from the residential or the commercial space Additionally when it comes to DCCs we do need to obviously use them because we do need to have growth paid for in some way when it comes to development cost charges but we also do need to diversify our industrial tax base and we need to expand and we need to look to continue with expanding and protecting employment lands across the Township Thank you.

Yeah thank you The most important thing that we can do and control is time How long does it take to get permitting and to be able to get the appropriate permits to build the housing that we need Langley … has not done a great job in that. In fact, we got an F rating recently in the small independent business rating of how well we do with permitting and getting small businesses to be able to move forward. And development, building houses, is a small business. So that's the first thing. How do we manage time? That We can manage that. Second thing that we need to do is a great job of consulting with the people around to discover what kinds of housing are they looking for and where does that fit best for us to provide in the community. It's critical. That we look at ways that we can process our timing faster. One of them is a 3-1-1 tracking system, which allows people to see online how they do with their permitting process. They can see exactly where it sits in the line. They can see how it moves along and have very specific standards set for the Township of Langley staff on how quickly these permits have to be processed. That'll get housing done quickly and fast and at a at a much cheaper rate.

I … would agree with what I've heard in terms of the processing time for applications. It's critical. As Lauren said, time is money And, and that is a critical aspect of the whole process. I think we need to do more, as Blair mentioned, about leveraging technology to actually process permit applications and plan plans that are being submitted. There's a lot of advancement that has taken place in many other communities throughout BC that are doing this. For me, the critical thing about the whole housing aspect, which feeds into our finances, is actually what we're charging for DCCs. And I'm going to bring it back to that because right now, from my perspective, we are undercharging on DCCs. And it is it is creating a structural deficit within our community. And that means that if we're not charging enough, in the end, taxpayers hold the bill. They are the ones that are having to cover the gap between what should have been charged for infrastructure going in versus the reality of what they're being charged. So, thank you.

So I'm a big fan of BRT. I think it's critical, especially along the 200th street corridor. Having the ability to move people, transportation along that corridor is vital for our community. It's connecting peace to SkyTrain station at Willowbrook mall, and without that kind of coordination and enhanced plan for transportation, It's just going to cause further problems. I think there are problems. That we need to look at In terms of … feeding … transportation lines towards the … corridor, that's going to be a critical component that needs to be evaluated and make sure that we have that done very well. In terms of … what was the other last? … [The moderator repeated the second part of the question.] Oh, … yeah, well, I'm a fan of active transportation of bike lanes. I think they're essential. What we have to do is make sure that, obviously, it's not impeding, uh you know, vehicles and transportation, um major transportation carrying goods. Thank you.

Barb Martens, Langley Strong. Yes, I support BRT I'm coming forward on 200th. We need to get ahead of it and be planning for what that's going to look like for us. I think one thing we need to keep in mind is the routes that we're looking at that aren't already a traffic fiasco that we're going to add to those problems. And I think we need to plan around not just the movement of people, but the movement of goods. Every part of the network needs to keep moving Roads, transit, walking, cycling. BRT … be taking up roads and I'm thinking specifically in North Langley of 202 and I do have a concern around that area if anybody lives up there it's a complete traffic chaos. It would be good to pilot smart synchronized signals along the corridor to keep things moving and what we can do more generally is have a regional committee working together to advocate for transit needs in this area in this entire region not just try to do it on our own and when we work together and build bridges with other municipalities. We can have a much more powerful voice in Victoria and with TransLink and in getting funding from those sources. Thank you.

Yes, Blair Whitmarsh with Langley Strong. Certainly, you know, on the transportation topic and getting around, I think it is critical that we recognize that Langley Township is not an island to itself. We are part of a region, And the region is important for transit. So working well with the other communities, restoring relationships that would help us to be much better at developing a regional transit network. As far as other kinds of infrastructure that we need, there are some continuation of widening of roads. I think Fraser Highway, the widening was good. I think we can continue to do that. Glover Road is a real choke point in the Township. Long waits in the line to try and turn left up to 216th. That's an area that needs to be addressed. Can't stay the way it is. We need to address that from a transportation point of view and I do think that we need to have public transit available to some of the wider communities not just here in Willoughby which is an important area and certainly BRT I'm fully supportive of but also better transit to places like Aldergrove Fort Langley into Brookswood thank you very much.

Thank you Cory, and Lauren Chalus with Langley Strong I think I'll start with BRT I think that is vitally important especially with the expansion that we have seen within the Township and I fully support it with the movement of people going from the Township and back and forth to Maple Ridge But also with the SkyTrain we need to be ready We need to have a plan in place to support the commuters whether that is bus feeder networks across the Township connecting into the core to be able to take the SkyTrain whether that's looking at a parking strategy so that we can make sure that commuters have somewhere to park to be able to safely and properly use the SkyTrain but as well approach or adopting the approach of park once and walk often And this could be having you know employment and commercial centers enforcing this so time limits associated with how long that people can park for better access for commercial and industrial to any new developments that we're planning up 200th because 200 it's likely going to be a commercial and employment hub. And we need to make sure that we are ready for it. Thank you,.

Yeah, well, we've mentioned BRT. It's an important tool that we can use to get around the Township and not just in our cars. We have other options and hopefully we can expand that out. Relieve some of the traffic congestions, make people move faster, be able to get home, spend more time with family rather than sit in traffic like we all hate. I know you do as much as I. It was mentioned Glover. Glover isn't a really important transit through … for our trucks. We need to make sure that is widened that we can actually build that infrastructure out so that trucks, people aren't sitting in traffic, but we can get our goods from the bypass up to … Highway one efficiently and effectively, moving goods. Third is Fraser Highway widening. That is a project that needs to be completed. Again, making sure that trucks and our main arteries we're able to move and drive and have other access points. And the last piece is 202 needs to be completed. We need … That is a quagmire through North Langley that needs to be fixed, needs to be completed, worked on, and I hope we can move forward with that in the next Council. Thank you.

Yeah, well, I sure hope there's a mix, because a mix of ideas is how we actually achieve what the best type of Langley we can get. We get there through the combat and the discussion of ideas. Not just what we come up in a back room and come out and say, hey, this is what we're going to do. And ultimately, remember this. As voters, we build Council one seat at a time. Whether that becomes a you know a slate or not, that is up to you. And so on Council, everybody is actively acts as an independent. They might have a title, they might have a team that they say they're supporting, but ultimately, that support is simply a promise. It is a promise to work together, and I hope that But as independents, anybody who's elected is willing to work with everybody who's at the table. Now, I think partisanship is something that is counteractive to the best Langley possible. It means we have more division, we have more hostility, more combativeness. We don't need that at Council. We don't need that spilling into our social media and spilling out into the wider public. We need discourse, collaborative discourse, to move a Langley that is worth it for everyone together forward. Hope that I can do my part on that on Council. Thank you.

… been working with Canada Border Service Agency for three decades and now working, serving as an … school board trustee. I've been working … in collaboration for decades. I think it's always good to have other people's perspectives on the table, listen to their views with an open mind and work together. At the end of the day, we're here to work to better for the betterment of the Langley residents. So yeah, I think leadership comes with responsibility. You have to show up, you have to work with whoever is on the table with you and make those tough decisions and be accountable for them and be able to answer to the public that why you made those decisions and never forget why you serve. So I don't I don't think I'll ever have an issue working collaboratively with anybody. Professionalism, integrity, trans transparency, those are the things that um I have been instilled in me for decades. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Blair Whitmarsh, Langley Strong. Having good discussion, debate, open dialogue is actually critical to government. I would highly encourage that we have those kinds of opportunities to meet and debate and discuss issues. The ability to have that is what people are wanting. I think every one of you would like to be part of that process and give input into what's happening with our local government. And I am absolutely fully supportive of that. And I know the Langley Strong Team is fully supportive of having independent decisions being made at the Council table. Debate and discussion is healthy, It's strong, and we should be advocating for it. Not finding out late in the game of a decision that's happened already that may have been made behind closed doors, not getting a budget that only comes with about one meeting to decide what we want to do with the budget, but instead having a process, having staff to present, having open dialogue and discussion and debate, and having the public be witness to that. We are open to having everyone involved. Everyone in this community should be part of the leadership. It's about servant leadership, and Langley Strong is supportive of servant leadership and open dialogue. Thank you.

Thank you, Cory. Barb Martens from Langley Strong. So what kind of Leadership where you talk to one another, where you discuss things openly at the Council table, where you take into consideration other people's ideas. Showing up at this job knowing you don't know everything, everybody's got a perspective, and it's always good to listen. … And it's, … sorry, Cory, I apologize. Can you just ask the second half? [The moderator repeated the second part of the question.] Thank you. So as far as my voice, my voice, I've got three decades in public service before I came to Council, and I've worked with all sorts of stakeholders and different people in the community, and I feel it's important to have people with lived experience and people who have been out in the community who talk to the community and consider different perspectives. That's all I have right now. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Cory. My decision-making style and my leadership style is very collaborative. Listening is key, and in my past four years as I've served on Langley City Council, it's been one of my strengths in being able to Engage not just the public, but also my peers, Council peers, in being able to have those conversations and being able to have those difficult conversations. Nowhere in the world does it work where people stop talking and stop working collaboratively. That garners a great result. If you want a good result, you have to know how to talk with people and work with people, and doing that on Council is essential. Facing, As Kim Richter said, a lot of crises, and one of them is a relationship. Crises and that matters and so this is one of the issues that we have to fix on Council and is one of the reasons why I'm running thank you.

Thank you so much Cory and for me it's about respect we have to be respectful to one another no matter what the problem is or to the decision but what I like to always lead by is we need to be hard on the problem and not on the people and that is something that I carry with me through my work we need to have dialogue and I find that some of the best decisions and outcomes usually come when there is a disagreement at the start and I welcome that and for me what I feel that my style brings to the table is I have over 11 years in the project delivery space and I have been part of some very controversial high-profile projects where people do not like what I'm doing and I have experience with having those hard discussions having that dialogue collaborating listening to the community and seeing if we can find solutions that people can live with and for me that is what I'm planning to bring to the table you know I know that we're gonna going to have to make hard decisions I know that they're going to have be large projects but for me I will always lead with kindness and I look forward to … hopefully getting your vote on October 17th.

I'll … start with my voice. Being a mother and a grandmother, You're always refereeing. There's always something going on So you always have to come to a place of Just listening and trying to find solutions to build relationship. We're all unique in this room. Not one person is the same and we all have different values, different gifts, and we have a lot to give them. One of the things that I really appreciate is that we all really care about the Township of Langley and that's why we're here tonight. So I bring the business … set from being in real estate for almost 20 years as well as the farming aspect. But I noticed when I work with clients. My clients always came to me because they liked the service I gave them because I listened, I was honest, I'm a woman of integrity, I'm a woman of faith, and I really truly care about people. So no matter who I sit with at the board, I at Council, I will work with all of you. I will listen and I hope that we can all come together for the good of our Township of Langley. I'm Michele St. Germain running with Progress for Langley and Eric Woodward.

Yeah, the prioritization comes around, you know, what we hear from the residents in the Township of Langley over that eight-year period that I've been on council and watching council for years before that. You know, really listening and understanding and talking to sports groups and parents and consultation, all the open houses, all the feedback after so many years of adding so many people to Langley. Without that infrastructure plan, and one of the basic ones that is a top priority is completing the … the Willoughby Community Centre because of the 65,000 people today, never mind the population of Willoughby is going to be by 2035 or 2040 without that. And it's a chronic deficit around the ability to provide something as basic as swimming lessons for up to 100,000 people, not never mind today, but five years from now. Making sure that we have public safety in place for North Willoughby and Walnut Grove. And these are the top priorities for us next term is to complete a Willoughby Community Centre and show respect for seniors by actually having the first senior centre in the township of Langley. Providing Willoughby with a library, dealing with the chronic indoor training facility issues with gymnasiums and other deficits that Willoughby has to be addressed. And because of the impact it's having on the Walnut Grove Community Centre, W.C. Blair and other facilities throughout the township. If there is no plan, of which there is no plan, to address this, if our plan doesn't get done, the chronic situation in Willoughby is going to continue to impact all of us throughout the township of Langley. Whether you live in Salmon River, or live in South Langley, or live in Glen Valley, … live in Fort Langley. Not providing the facilities necessary, completing the infrastructure plan that we started this term to catch up with chronic lack of a forward-looking plan while the previous councils did open up development all over Willoughby, all at the same time, not finishing roads, Not addressing chronic deficits in youth sports and soccer and ice sheets and ball hockey, lacrosse. Now that those issues are solved and substantially solved for a very long time, we can move on to the next big issue, and that's solving aquatic capacity. Not just for youth swimming lessons, but for seniors, a proper senior centre, a library, gymnasium in a great location in the heart of Willoughby, … we ensure that when we require land for that project, that we don't spend that money and provide it to a land speculator or developer, but do we ensure that that funding remains in the Township of Langley to build a replacement school at Willoughby Elementary. It's a fabulous plan, and we need a board of education and a council that's going to approve it. Not gaslight you, say the debt's $800 million when it's $575, not tell you all kinds of misinformation to get you to vote for them. Please let us continue the infrastructure plan for the future of Langley. That's working.

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.

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.

Yeah, it's a great, great question. I'm going to come back to in a second. I mean, I'm not even sure where I start with some of that. On the previous answers, you know, it's not a soccer stadium. It's an indoor training facility for kids under 12. It's for high school students and middle school students at the new middle high school secondary schools. If it's such a challenge, then why are members of his slate, ones that voted for it, they're campaigning against their own record? Why, if debt is such a challenge, why are members of his slate people that voted for all of it? He's campaigning against his own record for an election. And so the challenge is the debt is about 575. It's not 800 million. And they just keep saying it like it's true. It's not true. Property taxes are rising in the township because of operating costs that the township faces similar to every household, you and me. My taxes have gone up just the same. Here in the township this term, the 20% was in the bottom four of Metro Vancouver. Myself and others on council, we did a lot of work to deliver that. Bottom four in the region, Metro Vancouver, not 30% Vancouver, not 38% like the city of Langley. We did a lot of work. And in between there, we had 40% … inflation and costs from the RCMP imposed by Ottawa. That was the main driver of a lot of these increases. While we staffed a fire hall, added 44 firefighters, significantly preparing for SkyTrain, as was mentioned during some of the council debates, hiring police, and completely overhauling our by-law enforcement department for a number of other initiatives. And so the challenge we have is that, you know, people will say they're in favor of public safety. They will look into your face, look into your eyes, and say they support firefighters and your public safety, and vote against staffing a fire hall that they voted to build. You can't make this up. This election, we've seen an unprecedented amount of misinformation. We all know the 22% projection is a complete, utter lie. We all know that. Because in 2025, for 2026, it was projected to be 17%. And it includes every wish list from every department, contemplates every capital project being approved, contemplates every renewal project being implemented, contemplates every call for it being fixed, contemplates every department getting every staff member that they want hired. It is just that. Debt service is not $47 million. It's around $40, $42. They don't account for all the different by-laws, because they don't understand it. And they don't ask. They don't ask. Not one of them has ever come to my office and asked, because they don't want the answers. They want to come into an election, gaslight, and lie to the community about how this plan is working, where growth is paying for growth, just as it is doing in countless other municipalities throughout the province of British Columbia, with councils that are like ours, put residents first, not second.

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.

Yeah, there's some really important aspects to that, but I'm going to come back to it in a minute. No reserves were used to offset property tax. Finance Department wouldn't go along with that. Again, I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. It's completely not true. The internal borrowing is done to defer external lock-ins to reduce costs for everyone. It's very, very smart to do that. And I'm happy … to get more into it if he wants me to. The issue we're having with SkyTrain I think is very clear, that the public safety aspect of it are well understood and well known. Langley City is going to be on the end of the line for the new SkyTrain extension. And this is going to significantly impact the township of Langley if we don't follow through with the action we've taken this term, which is that if the city of Langley, which they've so far made it clear that they're not going to, funding public safety adequately, that we need a Township of Langley RCMP detachment for township of Langley residents and taxpayers. This is critical. It's millions of dollars of tax money we need back for service levels for our residents to prepare for SkyTrain, especially in the Willowbrook and Willowbrook Mall areas and Langley Meadows and Routley. It's really critically important. And sitting on the TransLink board, as I do, I can see firsthand how much work it's going to take to continue to make sure that we have TransLink police in our communities, that we continue to actually see the province fund Bus Rapid Transit on 200 Street to help us finish that corridor and get residents a lower cost affordability option to get around the region for that commute. It's really, really important to us that we see that implemented. So this is why it was so critical that I was able to achieve with the Mayor's Council that 200 Street is the tier two priority corridor behind King George Boulevard. And that was a tremendous amount of relationship building and consultation and work with the TransLink board and the Mayor's Council throughout the region. The problem and the concern I have is that they have labeled the RCMP detachment a mistake in the last by-election. They're making it very clear that they either don't understand it or don't prioritize it. We have to prioritize the township of Langley's RCMP detachment for township taxpayers because of SkyTrain. And the Langley City, they have their position and I respect their position, but I serve the township of Langley and it's really important that we have township of Langley councillors that prioritize the township of Langley's residents. And this is what we are doing and we have to follow through on. They will not. And it's really, really critical that we understand this. They have labeled it a mistake. They have labeled it something that should not be completed. We have to prioritize public safety for SkyTrain. We have to get bus rapid transit done and funded in the next investment plan. And we need someone like myself with the experience that knows how to do that, doesn't know what he's talking about.

Yeah, I think that's the core distinction which I really value in this election. We've got one or two more critical large infrastructure projects like a community centre that can't be built without it. If you want to save up for that project like they've said they're going to do, you'll see it in 2050 after we have 125,000 residents and kids and thousands of youth in our Langleys can't get swimming lessons. That's their plan. They say they're going to build it, but how? They don't have a clue what they're talking about when it comes to how capital debt works. For those that don't know, I also sit on the board of the Municipal Finance Authority as appointed through Metro Vancouver, and I've learned a tremendous amount of how valuable a tool it is if it's structured correctly. We have 12 different development revenue sources that we are using in a very strategic way to deliver infrastructure results for residents. And ensuring that growth pays for it. We have up to 12 development revenue sources that are being strategically placed and organized to do that. Shorter amortizations. These are bonds. These are not mortgages. So when he says we're doing debt service, I don't think he knows what it means. That over half of the payment is direct to principal. Debt comes down very quickly. And so with our plan, we will see roads, parks and facilities that we need if we're going to continue to grow. We will have growth paying for growth not taxpayers and with their plan constantly telling everyone that CACs, community amenity contributions, are illegal is them handing $200 million of Township of Langley future revenue to a handful of people at your expense. That is who's funding their campaigns and this is what's at stake is an actual plan to serve residents and hold development accountable. We deliberately slowed our growth rate. He will call it some kind of calamity. It's deliberate because we need time to catch up on infrastructure and have less housing units but have the right volume to make sure that growth is paying for that growth. Catch up on the infrastructure. Not have thousands of kids on waiting lists. I've never heard of a sports coach campaigning against sports facilities for kids that he's coaching. This is not right. We need to have a plan for roads, parks and facilities and we do have a financial plan to pay for it. And of course there's a handful of developers that are propping them up that don't like it. Just look where their signs are all located. It's not hard to see what's actually going on here if you look. And what I want to do is continue to get things done for the Township of Langley that I love. We have to get through this phase. We have to use debt as a tool and ensure … that we have a plan to pay it down, which we do.

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.

Yeah, so I'm going to, again, I don't, again, I don't know where to start. I'll say it again. The debt is about 575. It's not 800 or 900. I'm sure by tomorrow morning, it'll be a billion. You know, we have to get the facts straight. This is not, it's not funny, right? This is, this is real. This is real information that they just continually say this again and again and again as if it's true. See, community amenity contributions are not illegal. They just keep saying it like it is. It's infuriating to me because it just isn't true. Communities all over the province are collecting these revenues. Somehow they're only illegal when we're using them correctly to build facilities for the community. And a handful of people don't want to pay them. A handful of people don't want to pay them. So all of a sudden they're illegal. He just keeps saying it over and over and over again. Meanwhile, since that court ruling, we have collected millions, as a community, millions of dollars in community amenity contributions. How is that possible if they're illegal? It is nonsense. And the irony of the whole thing is it only ends up on the senior citizens tax bill if you vote for him. Because he's going to wipe them away. Hundreds of millions of dollars in development revenues will get wiped away if Langley Strong, is successful. Wiped away. And that's the irony of this whole thing. The taxes only go up to the degree they're talking about if you vote for them. This is how outrageous this is becoming. Again and again and again. Illegal when they're not. Because we've collected millions since this court case. And we have to continue to invest in our community. Such as transportation bottlenecks. Like 216th and Crush Crescent when you come down the freeway. That is the biggest bottleneck we're facing right now. 202 Street, 86th Avenue is a key second north-south corridor we have to finish so that when Bus Rapid Transit is under construction under my leadership hopefully next term in the next investment plan we can finish 200th Street, we have to get 202 Street finished completely first so that when 200 Street is under construction there's two finished north-south corridors. We need to finish 80th Avenue at 196th and 197th for residents on the west side of 200 Street. We need to continue to have a plan for Glover Road Highway number 10 in consultation with the province, the only two-lane section of number 10 highway from 232 to Delta. It's completely unacceptable that the province continues to ignore this, we're going to need as a community to continue to highlight that as the biggest bottleneck we have to address. We have to continue now to incrementally widen and improve roads, so we're not in the situation again in the future, if they were to take charge and have 10 more years of doing nothing, then we'll be back in this situation again 10 years from now while they wipe away hundreds of millions of dollars for their friends.

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.

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.

Yeah, I really appreciate it, Cory, and I really appreciate everyone. … being here, and I really appreciate all of those, … everyone that's running for council. I really do appreciate most of them. You know, the issue we're having, no, that's true. The issue we're having in the Township of Langley is we have two, I think, opposing visions, which I appreciate very much. But the challenge we're having is you can either go back to voting against everything, or we can continue to make progress for Langley. And that's what we want to continue to do. … continue to make progress for Langley on roads, parks, and facilities, and yes, with growth paying for growth, because we haven't had that for generations. And when they say things like bring back investment, that's a dog whistle to reopen up development all over Willoughby, all at the same time. When they talk about CACs being illegal, that's taxpayers paying. That's not respect for taxpayers. That's not putting residents first. We want to continue to make sure that residents are put first and that ensuring that development is held accountable, that we lowered the growth rate to provide time for catch-ups with infrastructure that we had to get done. We cannot go back to what we had before, which is a council that didn't campaign in 2022 to widen 208 Street. You campaigned to stop it. They just make this up. They just completely running against their own record. They're running against the truth, which is out there. That the 22% is the biggest lie I've ever seen in local politics. The CACs are illegal. It's the second biggest lie I've ever seen in local politics. These are dog whistles to put residents back to where we were before with Township of Langley being a place to build housing, not a livable community for seniors and for youth and for families, for all the people that live here, not being just a place to build housing. So in four years from now, I see us completing this catch-up to ensure that we have an amazing Township of Langley, everyone who lives here, not just a handful of developers. We have an amazing township that is on a path to meeting the challenge of SkyTrain and future population growth projected by Metro Vancouver, with a council that wants to get things done, not vote against everything, not build a fire hall and then vote against staffing it while you claim you care about public safety, not preparing for an election, you know, a year ago voting against everything and now gaslighting the entire community on what are basic facts that anyone can verify. We want to move forward into the future. We want the Township of Langley to be an absolutely amazing place to be in another four years. We'll make even more progress for Langley.