Jay Lundgren’s Reddit “Ask Me Anything”

1. Asked: Campaign videos talk about farming roots while Willoughby becomes dense and urban. How does the candidate see that balance, what are the biggest problems with how Willoughby has been planned (roads, schools, parks), and what would change?

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   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.

2. Asked: Would the candidate reverse decisions such as private, members-only facilities that were built with taxpayer money?

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   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.

3. Asked: How would the candidate improve access to aquatic facilities and swimming lessons?

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   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.

4. Asked: A parent whose children walk to elementary school on a road with no sidewalk asked for concrete promises on infrastructure that keeps children safe on the way to school.

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   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.

5. Asked: The platform promises lower taxes, lower debt, better services and new investments: if only two of the four, which? How willing is the candidate to drop a promise that cannot be done, and which promise is the candidate most and least confident of delivering?

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   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.)

6. Asked: Township employees who maintain parks and facilities are having their contract lengths cut next year. How would parks and facilities still be maintained, and what would the candidate say to those employees?

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   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.

7. Asked: What can be done about density and traffic?

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   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.

8. Asked: Leaving aside what would be stopped or fixed, what is the candidate’s positive vision for the Township?

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   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!

9. Asked: Does Langley Strong have concrete plans for improving active transportation?

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   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.

10. Asked: A follow-up in the same thread: the asker said Councillor Barb Martens had joined a cycling tour of Willoughby to see the gaps, and extended the same invitation.

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    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!

11. Asked: The Walnut Grove community centre, library and pool are so busy that residents cannot get swimming lessons or parking. Apart from a Willoughby community centre, what can be done to take the strain off Walnut Grove?

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    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.

12. Asked: After calling ambulances twice this year for people overdosing in public places, the asker asked what can be done about the growing addiction problem.

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    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.

13. Asked: The Township’s books are already public and audited. What administrative spending, specifically, would be cut to bring down the projected increase in 2027?

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    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.

14. Asked: Does Eric Woodward own much of the vacant land in Fort Langley, and what is the village’s situation?

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    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.

15. Asked: How can voters trust the candidate with the Township’s finances, given a past court claim over personal debt?

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    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.

16. Asked: The question was deleted by its author. The answer is about the firefighters’ union endorsement and fire department staffing.

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    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.

17. Asked: Councillors Kunst and Martens voted for the debt the candidate now calls a crisis; how does that square? And would Councillor Richter, who often votes against spending, vote for taxes to hire more firefighters and police?

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    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.

18. Asked: What is the plan for provincial housing legislation that requires municipalities to allow fourplexes on single-family lots and sets building quotas?

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    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.

19. Asked: Any plans for disc golf, baseball, volleyball, equestrian and farming?

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    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!

20. Asked: The platform promises to turn some Department of National Defence lands in Aldergrove, in the Agricultural Land Reserve and near sensitive habitat, into industrial land. Why?

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    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.

21. Asked: The current council has already cut budgets for roads, parks and fleet to cover debt payments, with seasonal staffing cuts planned for 2027. How would tax increases be kept reasonable without letting infrastructure and facilities slip?

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    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.

Last reviewed October 2, 2026.