Consultation and transparency

I'm Shumail Javed. Thank you for the question. One of the things that we have heard across communities while door knocking, as well as in our platform, has been respect for community and respect for community associations. So our platform speaks to that. We will encourage and we'll support community associations so that they have a direct line to the council. They can share feedback because you would be able to come to them, and then we would have meaningful community engagement there. And that is for a very little incentive of amount that would be done. And we will encourage as much discussions in community, and we'll ensure it's across every neighborhood so that there's meaningful engagement across the board. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Margaret Kunst. Community associations provide something council just can't get from a staff report alone. Local knowledge. I'd support regular structured communication between council, staff, and recognized community associations, particularly when major plans or projects affect their neighborhood. They shouldn't replace broader public consultation, but they should have a meaningful seat at the table. We also need to make available a small grant that can be applied for through our Township of Langley Grants program as in the past. And in four years, we can have maybe five more all-candidates meetings. That would be awesome.

Barb Martens, Langley Strong. Community associations should have a real and consistent voice at the Township. This is how I've tried to approach my role as councillor. I've attended several Fort Langley Community Association meetings and stayed in contact with executive members to help answer questions they bring forward and keep communications open. I support giving community associations a direct line to council, a named Township contact, regular meetings, and early notice when important decisions are coming that affect their community. For me, this comes back to respect. Communities know their own needs, their history, and their issues affecting them every day. Council should be working with them, not around them. That is how we build trust and make better decisions for the whole Township.

Tess Rouse, Progress for Langley. In working in government for over 16 years, relationships are paramount. I think we have seen that in a number of the projects that have actually occurred over the last four years, including transit routes to Gloucester, working, obviously, on the SkyTrain route. There's a number of things that have happened, and we need to continue that collaboration, and also not be afraid to push other levels of government. I mean, I've had a front row seat to pretty much every level the township works with, and it takes bold voices with a serious vision that are actually going to stand up for what Langley needs. So, we need to continue fostering that collaboration, but also not be afraid to stand up for what this community needs and deserves.

Thank you for the question. I think we have this question as one of the important things that we have here going on right now in Langley. Public consultation is really important. I do understand that provincial government has imposed some rules and regulations. However, consultation has to happen, despite the fact that the province decides to put their hand and control things. What's important is, I do come with a background of being able to work with everyone and be able to answer and speak with people and the community. And that is the biggest thing that I will bring to this table. One of the biggest things that we have right now is really not able to have some of the questions answered, we need some transparency and able to look at data and information from the township resources really. Thank you.

Resha Sabti, independent candidate. I think this is a great question for an independent candidate. what an independent candidate brings to the table is somebody who can work and participate, research, ask questions, and work with everyone. And that is one thing that we all have to agree that we actually lack in Langley. We have a bit of a gap in the communication and the engagement with the community, as well as different organizations. What I do believe in, for example, in the case of the school district, we need to have a lot more active engagement, not once every three months meeting with the school board. It's important to understand what's happening on the school level as well as the community level and engage that actively. City of Langley, a lot of people don't really recognize that there is a difference between the two Langleys and that's also important to have that regular engagement on daily basis, if possible. Thank you.

My name is Andy Shen. I believe that because Bill C-44 was passed and they removed the need for public consultation, a lot of the messaging from the community aren't being heard. And this is emphasized when you have a slate dominating the whole city council. I don't believe that a slate should dominate. I think that as an independent voice, I want to hear the feedback from the community and I want to be a champion for those who live in the township of Langley because you guys are the taxpayers. We should listen to you, not to a particular slate. Thank you.

Andy Shen, independent candidate. So, I've worked for the BC Pharmacy Association, BC Optometry Association. I've worked for the federal government. I've also worked for the city of Coquitlam. Well, I volunteer for the city of Coquitlam and not work. So, I was a committee member, just making that clear. What I find the most useful is communications. When you have dialogue with certain organizations, they already have government relations folks and trying to convey our point of view together. I think what would be best for Langley is to have a dialogue with School District 35 or Langley School District. We should work with TransLink and we should work with the city of Langley to ensure that there's a dialogue to... Thank you.

Thank you, Michele St. Germain. I've never sat on council, so I really don't know. But I know that when I do have that opportunity, I'll learn everything I can about it and I will stand up for the people and I will do my best job for you.