Good evening, everyone. Hello, everybody. Hi. My name is Wendy Bauer, and I'm the township
clerk. Once every four years, I get the honour of opening the council meeting, the inaugural
council meeting. It is one job that I greatly respect and honour. This meeting marks the
start of a new council. This council is a continuation of a long line of councils that have taken
on the stewardship of the Township of Langley. Several times over my tenure as a clerk,
I have desperately tried and failed to see how many councils we have had. It's not an
easy job to do. We've had councils that have lasted one, two, three, or four-year terms.
We've had councillors that have come and gone and by elections. We've had changes to the
number of councillors we have. So it's a very confusing thing to count. Thankfully, AI arrived,
and IT said I could choose it. So I gave AI the question, and the result is that tonight
is the approximate 130th council of the Township of Langley. With this knowledge of continuation
of the stewardship of the Township of Langley in mind, I call the November 2, 2026 Township
of Langley inaugural council meeting to order. If you would rise if you can for the entrance
of the council elect, and remain standing for the singing of O Canada.
Canada, our home and native land, true patriot love, with glowing hearts we see thee rise,
the true north strong and free. From far and wide O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land and on guard. Please be seated. The honourable Judge James C. Henry
will now oversee the administration of the OSAB office.
I, Jay Lungren, do solemnly affirm that I am qualified to hold the office of mayor for
the Township of Langley, to which I have been elected. I have complied with the provisions
of the Local Government Act in relation to my election to this office. I will abide
by all rules related to conflicts of interest under the community charter. I will carry out
my duties with integrity. I will be accountable for the decisions that I make and the actions
that I take in the course of my duties. I will be respectful of others. I will demonstrate
leadership and collaboration. I will perform the duties of my office in accordance with
the law. I will abide by the code of conduct. I will not allow any private or personal interests
to influence my conduct in public matters.
presenting the 2026 to 2030 Township of Langley Council. Mayor Lungren, the
chair is yours. Thank you and welcome everyone and thank you for being here
for all of us tonight. We really do appreciate it. I'd like to begin by
acknowledging that we are on the traditional territories of the
Kwantlen, Kacie, Semyamu and Matsui First Nations. We will start with item C1
Acting Mayor appointments and can I have a mover and a seconder. Any discussion? Okay
I will call the vote carried unanimously. We will begin with Councillor
Whitmarsh and our inaugural comments will begin with with Councillor
Whitmarsh. Thank you very much for being here all tonight. I wanted to
thank all the residents who voted in the recent election and took time to engage
in the electoral process by researching each of the candidates. I'm humbled by the
support that I received and I promise to do my best to lead with vision, passion
and integrity. I along with other members of the Langley strong team
promise to restore civic transparency, financial accountability and community
respect through a comprehensive campaign platform. The work on this platform
begins today and you the residents of Langley are invited to be part of the
community building that will take place over this four-year term. This was my
first re-election process as part of a coordinated team and there is no way I
could have run this type of campaign on my own. Thanks to each member of the
Langley strong team for your dedication, passion and hard work that you gave
over the past months. I'm amazed at how old friends, new friends and family came
together to form a strong and dynamic team with a common purpose. It would
take too long to talk about each person from the team but I did want to highlight
one member from the Langley strong team who demonstrated true team spirit
through his hard work and team dedication. Mr. Shamail Javed who is sitting here
with us today. He was tireless in his efforts to support Langley strong and
to be elected as a member of this council table. His efforts inspired me
daily. Not only is Shamail an amazing member of our community as he serves in
so many ways but he's also become a good friend for me and my family. The election
road can be challenging and tiresome and I want to thank every person who put
their name forward in this election. The democratic process was alive and well
and that is something that we should all be proud of. I met many new people, many
new friends and I have respect for every person who put their name on the
ballot in this election. I want to thank outgoing council members Tim Bailey
who I see is here today, Rob Rint and Eric Woodward for the time they spent
serving our community over the previous term. Congratulations to each member of
council for being elected and for continued passion for the township of
Langley. Many different visions ideas and concepts were brought forward during
the election for an improved community and the new council is now tasked with
moving forward with purpose and integrity. I'm excited to work with each
member of council and the township of Langley staff who have been so
helpful during my time on council. We have an incredibly talented and dedicated
staff in the township of Langley and I know that given the support and the
opportunity to flourish they will do amazing things for the betterment of our
community. I am committed to listening asking questions and making decisions
that best serve our community and residents. Most of all I would like to
thank my wife Lorraine and my immediate family. Most of them are sitting here
Karina, Brandon, Jolaine, Weston, Tana, Chad and my nine grandchildren. They have
provided inspiration encouragement and personal sacrifice both during the
election and the years that I have served on council. In addition I want to
thank my mother who's also here today, my sister Renee, brother-in-law Atticus and
good friends Drew and Mary Catherine for their continued support. Without the
support from family and friends it would be impossible to run in an
election and serve the community in an effective way. Langley is a truly
wonderful place to live and raise a family. I'm excited for the opportunity
to shape the future of Langley and to strategically guide the township of
today and tomorrow. A new path forward that every person in Langley can be proud
of. I look forward to hearing from the community, working with members of this
newly elected council and supporting the outstanding men and women who work in
the township of Langley. Thank you. Thank you Councillor Whitmarsh. Councillor
Ferguson. Thank you and Councillor Whitmarsh well said. Yes, good evening
ladies and gentlemen, friends, family members of course invited guests. First
of all I want to thank the residents of Langley Township for electing me for
this term. I'm humbled and extremely honored to sit here in chambers today.
Langley Township is a wonderful community. I strongly believe it to be a most
livable community in our metro region, if not the province. And I want to
congratulate Mayor Jay Lindgren and his team for their successful election to
our Langley Township Council and all those that put their names forward to
run. Running for public office is not an easy chore. It takes a lot of work and
time. I also want to congratulate my colleague Councillor Michael Pratt for
getting reelected to council again. And I also wanted to have pleasure of
working with Councillor Tim Bailey and Rob Rint in achieving many
accomplishments with past Mayor Eric Woodward. Roads, engineering projects,
soccer, lacrosse, hockey, BMX and other recreation items. And myself and the
Mayor with Metro, MFA, regional parks, regional recycling, a 21 million dollar
project. Exciting times for the future for Langley Township. I want to thank my
family Lydia, Alexander, Sarah, Will and my granddaughter Victoria. And of
course the hardest working person on my campaign, my lovely wife Denise. I
couldn't do it without you. All these years, all these elections. Agreeing with me
at some times, definitely disagreeing on others. Love you honey and many, many
thanks for your support. By the way more is coming. I have worked with six mayors
and Mayor Lindgren will be my seventh. Mayor John Beals, my first mayor, I learned
a lot from him. Although John has passed away, I have these memories of him.
Well, I asked a lot of questions of council, extended the meetings. Quite a few
times went on his airplane that he also was a pilot. One short trip we had was
five minutes up, lost power, glided in and straight to the shop. I pretended a
motion that a road be named at the airport. The Mayor John Beals Wake. I
was able to speak to his son today, Barry Beals, about a number of things
regarding his dad. Barry Beals had to say this about that. The right way, the
wrong way, the John Beals way. Mayor John Schultens, actually he's here today,
I don't know where, but thank you if you are, actually gave me a deputy mayor
position, lasted a few months and the rest of council voted me down. Oh well,
back to my first election. Actually John's wife Fanny, a fellow co-op board
member, said, Steve, I think you should run for council and I did and believe it
or not I won. I asked Mayor Schultens for a quote and this is what he said, Steve,
you are the most enthusiastic, exciting and infectious counselor I have ever
worked with. Certainly humbled by that quote. Thank you, John. When asking Mayor
Kurt Alberts, he sent me a clipping of elections and happenings back in 1988
that 200th Street overpasses other functions in the community. Kurt, along
with three amigos, very instrumentally put together the building of the Langley
Events Center. Steve, quote from Kurt, in 1988 you were Alderman Steve Ferguson.
I was planning director and we had to fight with the province to get a
traffic light at 200th Street and Wilbrook Drive. In 2002 you were
comeback kid as an independent. The ever-changing face of Langley but it
comes down to serving the community in the best way you can. When asking Mayor
Rick Green, he was the mayor for the official opening of the Golden Ears
Bridge. Joining the two committees of Langley and Maple Ridge, a
big deal. His direct quote, Mayor Green was responsible for the uncovering of a
previously unknown master agreement to reenact the interurban with personal
passenger rail between the old Patella Bridge and the city of Chilliwack.
Something he and her society are still hard at work at. Something I fully
support. Mayor Jack Prose, I was unable to get a hold of him. He's probably
vacationing somewhere. I worked with Mayor Prose at Metro Vancouver. Remember
the challenging of finally getting the correct Langley wording and zoning
requirements for the regional gross plan. Metro took Langley County to court
but by no means was it easy. It was a land use challenge and Langley
Township won a court case twice under appeal. Jack loved parades and having
having a saying, you can't have a parade without a mayor and he was
responsible for the Alder Grove Community Center, new pool and water experience.
Mayor Eric Woodward, I was on the 2018 council with Eric and their mayor Eric
Prose term had the opportunity to work with him on budgets and important
capital matters within the township. I learned he had much in common and we
formed a team in 2022. He was elected mayor and focused on two oh eights
freighter highway, major roads, recreation and other things. It was an honor to
work with Eric on this project. Mayor Lungren, the future awaits you. I will
always make myself available for you and look forward to working with you. Now
enough of that one minute, Mr. I put before you a proclamation with a hat
borne by by the former Chief Justice Begbie. I put before that Stephen James
Ferguson on the second day of November, November the year of the Our Lord
2026 has officially become the longest-serving township of Langley
Councilor in the community's history by beginning his tenth term and as
evidenced and as evidenced by records of the township of Langley Archives 1987 to
1996, 2002 to 2014, 2018 to 26 and also as evidenced by a seal of the Union of
British Columbia municipalities dated September the 25th, 2025 and signed by the
President Trish Bandale and Executive Director Gary MacIsaac. I proclaim
this to be true and accurate sign Stephen James Ferguson. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Wish you well. Thank you, thank you, Councillor Ferguson. Councillor Schell's.
Thanks, Jay. Thank you, Steve. Good evening everyone, family, friends and members of
our community. Being here today is both an incredible honor and a responsibility
that I don't take lightly. I want to start by thanking the residents of the
township of Langley for placing their trust in me and giving me the
opportunity to serve the community I am so proud to call home. I also want to thank
my husband, family and friends for all the support that you gave me during this
campaign and to our amazing Langley strong team. When I made the decision
to run for council it wasn't because I had always envisioned a future in
politics, it was because I cared deeply about this community, the direction we're
heading and the future we're leaving behind. As a younger member of council
I bring the perspective of a generation that is looking ahead, thinking about
where we will raise our families and whether we can afford to stay in the
communities that we grew up in and love. But looking forward also means
remembering where we came from Langley's history, agricultural roots, unique
neighborhoods and the generations who built this community deserve our
respect and protection. Throughout our campaign Langley strong spoke about
restoring respect. To me that starts right here at this council table. It
means listening with an open mind, making thoughtful and responsible
decisions and remembering that public service is about the people we
represent. I'm excited to bring my experience, young energy and
perspective to this role and to work collaboratively with my colleagues to
make a meaningful difference because the Langley we build today is the
Langley future generations we'll call home. Thank you. Thank you Councillor
Chalice. Councillor Martins. Thank you and good evening. First I'd like to
congratulate our new mayor Jay Lungrin and my fellow Councillors. It's an
honour to be sitting around the table with you all and I look forward to what
we can accomplish together. I'd also like to acknowledge our outgoing mayor and
councillors and thank them for their service to the township. To the
residents of the township of Langley, thank you for placing your trust in me
for another four years. Being reelected means a great deal to me and I don't take
that trust or the responsibility that comes with it lightly and to my family
Matt, Abby, Amaya and my friends Steve and Heather Wade and my rotarians, my
fellow rotarians and then to all the many volunteers of Langley strong who
supported us along the way. Thank you. Elections are a lot of work and I
certainly didn't get here on my own. Four years ago I came to this council
table with a long career in public service behind me and a genuine desire to
make a difference in my community. I thought I knew a thing or two about
public service and then I got elected to municipal council. It's fair to say I've
learned a lot. There have been successes, challenges and some difficult
moments but those experiences have made me a better councillor and reinforced
why I wanted to serve in the first place. I've long admired the work of
Brene Brown and one of her quotes says particular meaning for me, integrity is
choosing courage over comfort. Those few words say so much because sometimes
public service requires us to ask uncomfortable questions, make difficult
decisions and stand by what we believe is right even when it would be easy or
not to. But I've always learned that courage and respect must go hand in
hand. Standing firm in our convictions doesn't mean closing our minds to
another perspective and that's the spirit I intend to bring to this next term
of council. Throughout the election campaign I spoke often about restoring
respect. Respect for our residents, respect for the unique communities that
make the township, respect for our neighbours and community partners and
respect for one another around this council table.
I believe we have an opportunity to set a new tone.
That doesn't mean we always agree, in fact, I hope we don't.
Good questions, healthy debate, and different perspectives lead to better decisions, but
we can disagree without being disagreeable.
We can challenge ideas without making things personal, and we can remember that every
one of us was elected because we care about this community.
We have important work ahead.
Our township is growing, and with that growth comes responsibility.
We need to make thoughtful decisions about infrastructure, public safety, and how we spend
the taxpayers' money.
We need to focus on needs before once, be transparent about what our decisions are, and ensure our
communities have a voice in shaping the future.
And we need to rebuild and strengthen relationships, because we will accomplish far more by working
together than by working apart.
I've spent much of my life in public service, and one thing I've learned is that leadership
isn't about having all the answers.
It's about listening, asking the hard questions, and being accountable for the decisions that
we make.
As I begin my second term, my commitment remains the same.
I will show up, I will do the work, I will ask the hard questions, and I will always
remember that I am here to represent the residents of Township of Langley, all of
you.
I'm grateful for the lessons of the past four years, but I'm even more hopeful about
the four years ahead.
We have an opportunity to turn the page, restore respect, and get on with the important
business of serving our community, and I'm ready to get to work.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Martin's Councillor Kunst.
Good evening, everyone.
To the residents of the Township of Langley, thank you for once again placing your trust
in me, and giving me the opportunity to serve you for another four years.
It's a privilege I don't take for granted.
After months of door knocking, attending all candidates' meetings, and giving more speeches
than I care to count, I wondered what I could possibly say tonight that you haven't
already heard, so I'll just speak for my heart.
The last four years have not been a picnic, but then again I didn't sign up to go on
picnics.
I signed up to help make the tough decisions, tackle the challenges we face, and help guide
the Township into the future.
After eight years on Council, I know this work isn't always easy, but it's meaningful
and it's worth doing.
When people ask me why I would consider another four years, my answer always comes back
to the people.
I've lived in Langley my entire life.
I grew up here, raised my family here, built a business here, and now have the joy of watching
my grandchildren grow up here too.
And if there's one thing that I've come to appreciate over the past eight years,
it's the importance of relationships.
Relationships with the residents who trust us to represent them, and the people who
volunteer, run businesses, support their neighbours, and contribute so much to our community.
I've also learned that some of the most meaningful work we do as Councillors happens
outside this Council Chamber.
Sometimes it's as simple as responding to a resident's concern, making a phone call,
or connecting someone with the right person who can help.
These may seem like small things, but to the people involved, they can make a real
difference.
And as we begin this new term, I want to congratulate our new Mayor, Jade Lengren,
and my fellow Councillors, Barb Martin, Blair Whitmarsh, Kim Richter, Teresa Townsley,
Lauren Chalice, Michael Pratt, and Steve Ferguson.
I look forward to working alongside each of you as we make decisions that will
shape our township's future.
I'd also like to acknowledge my colleagues from the previous Council,
and thank them for their service, Mayor Woodward, Tim Bailey, and Rob Brandt.
To the Langley Strong team, and to Shmael Javel.
Our volunteers and supporters, thank you for the countless hours and the hard work
behind the scenes.
To our township staff, thank you for all you do for our community,
and I look forward to working with you once again.
As we look ahead, strengthening relationships with our First Nations,
neighbouring communities, and senior levels of government will be important
as we tackle the challenges of a growing township.
I'm looking forward to helping build those partnerships.
And as a woman of faith, I'm grateful to God for the opportunity
to serve this community.
To my dear husband, Fred, our children, my four children, and their spouses,
and seven grandchildren, my mom and my brother, my dear friends,
who have been there for me along the way, thank you for your love,
your patience, and encouragement.
Public life isn't always easy on families,
and I'm so grateful for your understanding, your support,
and I could not do this without you, and I love you all so much.
And finally, to my grandchildren, who sometimes ask me,
Nana, are you the boss of the town?
Well, I have a little confession to make.
As much as I love that you think Nana is the boss of the town,
the truth is I'm not.
You see all these people sitting beside you and behind you.
They're the residents of this township,
and they're the ones we're here to serve.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Coons.
Councillor Townsley.
Thank you, Mayor Lundgren.
Today as a new Councillor, I take my seat at this table
with four things foremost in my heart.
Humility, courage, respect, and gratitude.
Humility, because the trust placed in us
by the residents of this township,
is a privilege, not an entitlement.
Courage, because good leadership requires
thoughtful decisions, difficult decisions,
and always the conviction to do what is right.
Respect for our colleagues, our dedicated staff,
and every resident we have the honour of serving.
May we lead by example through thoughtful, constructive,
and respectful public dialogue.
And gratitude to everyone who supported
and encouraged us along this journey.
To my husband Bill, my two children
who cannot be here with us today,
and my parents who are here with us.
Thank you for your love and unwavering support.
And I wanna have a special thank you
to Councillor Kim Richter.
Kim, your friendship and belief in me,
even when I doubted myself,
have meant more than words can express.
Langley is a remarkable community,
and its future deserves our very best.
And I am honoured to serve you,
grateful for your trust, and ready to get to work.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councillor Townsley.
Councillor Pratt.
Thank you, Yourship.
So in my remarks four years ago,
I ended by thanking my friends and family.
This time, however, after the last 10 months,
I wanna start by expressing my sincere,
profound appreciation for those who have supported me.
For my fiance Ashley,
who has had patience and understanding
beyond measure during the campaign,
and who was always there for advice
or simply a listening ear when I needed it,
I could not have been this without you.
For my parents, Jim and Jane,
who have supported and helped me through three elections now,
when their 20-year-old son said in the summer of 2017
that he wanted to run for council
to play a small role in building a better township,
they encouraged it,
when many parents would probably have politely
but firmly told their kid to focus on something else.
For my grandma, who was here tonight,
who's always supported me
and who's always kept her eye out for newspaper clippings,
and whose dad ran in 1956
for the BC Liberals up in the South Peace
against Wacky Bennet's Social Credit Party,
I have one of his campaign ads
still framed in my office at home
as a constant reminder that going up against long odds
is never a bad thing.
In fact, it's a family tradition.
I also have a deep appreciation
for those who stepped up in this election
and put their names forward
as candidates for progress for Langley,
for Langley Strong, and as independents,
for council and for school board.
Running for local office
may be one of the hardest job interviews possible
and someone only goes through it
if they have a genuine desire to serve their community
to the best of their ability
and to do what they believe
to be the right things for their community.
The beautiful thing about democracy
is that while we might disagree on what those things are,
when we are elected,
it's our job to try to think outside of our own worldview
and work with the others who have been elected with us.
Taking a moment to think about the last four years,
I want to extend my thanks to Eric Woodward,
Tim Bailey, Rob Rindt, and Misty Van Popta,
all of whom gave their time and energy
to serving this community we all love.
To Mr. Woodward in particular,
thank you for four years of leadership.
Regardless of where we each stood on the decision,
I always appreciated your willingness to discuss the issues
and work every day on behalf of our community.
It's been over 15 years
since my sister and I stood here in these chambers
to ask then Mayor Rick Green and council for support
in creating the Walk to Remember Memorial
at the Derrick Doubleday Arboretum.
I realized the difference that local government
can make back then.
And that realization was reinforced daily
over the past four years.
And that makes it truly a privilege
to have had so many residents of this amazing township
put their trust in me for another four years.
It is a serious responsibility
that each of us has been given to work every single day
to leave this place better than we found it.
That notion of leaving something better than you found it
has been a guide for me my whole life,
but especially over the last four years
and certainly over the next four.
34,029 people cast a ballot in this election.
Thousands of them for people other than myself.
Every day, I will work to represent all of those people
and those who didn't vote,
not just those who voted for our team.
It is incredibly exciting and gratifying
to have the opportunity to continue the work
to build our community.
And I'm looking forward to seeing
what these four years will hold.
Thank you, sincerely thank you
to the people of Langley Township for this privilege.
A final thank you to all the amazing staff
at the Township of Langley.
Across every department,
the people of Langley Township are served
by amazing, hardworking individuals
who keep one of the largest municipalities
in the province working as well as it does.
To those who organized tonight, thank you.
It's been a beautiful evening
and we all appreciate every effort you put in
to make it so.
To Mayor Lundgren and to all my fellow Councillors,
congratulations.
We are public servants
and I look forward to serving alongside all of you
for the next four years,
to making decisions, to doing our best
and to working every day to leave the home
we all love better than we found it.
Thank you, Councillor Pratt and Councillor Richter.
Thank you, Mayor Jay.
What an unprecedented opportunity
you have all given us here today.
Thank you so very, very much
for your belief in what we can do
for your challenge to get it done.
And for your support and trust in us to do it.
We would not be here today
without each and every one of you.
Or without the many long hours and hard work done
by the entire Langley Strong campaign team,
including our always patient campaign manager, Derek Robson,
our extraordinary communications lead,
Annika Pansini, all our advisors
and our many volunteers who made it happen.
I send my sincere appreciation and gratitude
to each of you,
especially the president and vice president
of the Langley Strong electoral organization,
Barb Sharp and Rebecca Darnell.
To all my amazing family, Bob, Stafford,
Sterling, Grayson and Uncle Drew,
you are my everything.
Thank you for always standing behind me
every step of the way.
It is a great privilege and honor
to be able to continue to serve our beloved township
for another four years on council.
Most especially with my Langley Strong colleagues this time.
I will continue to stand up and speak out
for you and your issues just as I've always done.
Now it's time for us to roll up our sleeves
and get to work together on charting
and delivering a positive path forward
for all our township communities and residents.
It's time to restore respect for our taxpayers and residents.
I am so looking forward to resolving
the many challenges ahead of us this term.
And again, I thank you all very much
for allowing me to be part of this next adventure.
Thank you, Councillor Richter.
Let's just give one more applause
to all the Councillors today.
Thank you.
16 days ago, the people of Langley Township
chose me to serve as their mayor.
I want to start where I will try to start every day
for the next four years by saying that I am honored.
And I know this is not a trust,
or this is a trust, not a prize.
You lent it to me to steward on your behalf,
but this office and this township is yours.
Before I say anything about what comes next,
I want to say something about who came before.
Eric Woodward gave eight years to this township,
four as a Councillor and four as a mayor.
That is eight years of evenings in this chamber,
of weekends at events, of time away from other things.
Whatever our disagreements, that service was real,
and I thank him for it.
I also want to thank Councillors Tim Bailey and Rob Rent
for the four years they gave this community.
Public life asks a lot of people who step into it
and of their families.
They stepped up and they deserve our respect.
I also want to acknowledge two people
whose council I have come to value.
Former Mayor Jack Frows and former, yeah, yes,
who is away but is watching online tonight,
and former Mayor Kurt Alberts.
Between them, they led this township for more than 20 years.
They did not have to take my calls, but they did,
and they were generous with what they had learned,
including the hard parts.
I intend to keep calling.
None of this happens without family.
Seven months ago, Melissa and I sat by our fireplace
and decided to do something we had never planned on.
It's been Melissa's support, encouragement, and wisdom
that has brought me to this place today.
Her servant heart to others, sorry, I'm an emotional guy.
Her servant heart to others is a principle
she's instilled in our family.
Serving others is something that was taught
and modeled to me from a young age,
from my incredible parents, Bob and Ginny.
It's something that I've learned as an adult
from my incredible in-laws, Andy and Carrie,
who live a life of service to others,
not for recognition, but out of a heart of gratitude
and love.
To our four kids, I love you all so much.
Thank you for sharing your dad with 157,000 people.
I will try to make it worth it.
And to live in Austria, I miss you
and we'll see you at Christmas.
That's my oldest.
I'm going off script here
because I also wanna thank a couple of important friends
in the room tonight.
Lou, Chris, you guys have been here by my side
since the beginning, so I appreciate that.
Yeah, and someone who's, it's kind of his fault
that I'm sitting up here
and I didn't know he was coming to the night,
but Whistler's mayor, Jack Crompton, is here tonight.
Yeah, I met Jack when I was in high school
and he was a youth leader at that time
and took me under his wing
and we formed a friendship 32 years ago
and has always been an incredible mentor in my life
and I appreciate you, Jack.
Thank you so much.
I also wanna thank my girls' basketball teams
that are probably watching online right now
for being patient with me during this process.
I've been a little bit busier than normal
and for coming up with a great nickname, Jayr,
that has stuck now with many.
To the Langley Strong team,
many of you on the support team that are here today,
I just...
thank you for everything you've done. Incredible team, incredible campaign team.
To the candidates who stood beside me, those who are seated at this table tonight, and Shamil,
who gave up so much to help us all across the line. And to the trustees who will make their
seats at the school, take their seats at the school board. To the organizers who built a
winning campaign from nothing. To the volunteers who helped us knock more than 40,000 doors
in the rain, after work, on their days off, and who were met with more kindness than any of us
expected. You did it. You did not do that for me. You did it for your community, and I thank you.
To all those who put their names forward for this election, we appreciate you.
We appreciate your commitment to this community. And to the voters, to everyone who voted,
whoever you voted for, more people voted in this election than any prior, and that is the best news
of the night. You showed up. You asked hard questions at the doors and at the forums. You
read the platform, and you offered your ideas and dreams for our home. Thank you for that, too.
A community that argues and talks and discusses its future is a community that takes care of it.
I heard one thing at those doors more than any other. Not a policy, not a project. One word,
and that was change. People told me they wanted change at Township Hall. Not change for its own
sake. Change because something had gone wrong with the way this place was being run and the way
people were being treated when they asked about it. I came to articulate it as our Township
carrying two debts. The first is money. We have borrowed, started, and approved close to $800
million, more than any municipality in British Columbia. I'm not going to stand here tonight
and pretend that that debt is a surprise or that it belongs to one person. The majority of this
previous council voted for it. Residents now bear it, and our job is to deal with it honestly.
Open the books, understand every dollar, put that debt on a public plan to pay it down
and finish what is already underway without burying any generation under the bill. That work
starts this week at this table. The second debt is harder to count. It is the debt of respect.
For four years, too many people in this township learned that the door at Township Hall
only opened for those who already agreed. Residents who came to this chamber with a
worry about their street went home feeling they had been ignored. Community groups that
had served Langley for decades found themselves on the outside. Staff learned to keep their heads
down. Neighbouring councils, the school board, the province, TransLink, too many bridges burned.
I want to be careful here because it's not about any one person. It's not about settling any scores.
It's about a habit, and habits can change. So let me be clear about what this council owes you.
You should not have to agree with the Mayor to be treated with respect by your Township.
If you come to this chamber, you will be heard. You will get your turn, not a deferral to the next
month. If you ask a question, you will get an answer in plain language and you will be able
to see what every major decision costs. We will hold closed meetings when the law requires it
and not a minute longer. We will treat Township staff as the professionals they are
and ask them for their best advice, not the advice that we want to hear. And we will go
back to the tables where this region makes its decisions and sit down and listen and bring
Langley's share home. Here's why I believe we can do it. Because of what this place is,
Langley Township is a river village and a farm and a new city all at once. It is Fort Langley
on a Saturday morning and Alder Grove on a fair weekend and Willoughby on the first day of school.
It is a farm family in Glen Valley who has worked the same ground for three generations
and a couple in Brookswood who arrived last spring and now call it home. It is firefighters and nurses
and trades people and teachers and the people who coach our kids for free. Seven months ago,
I thought I knew this Township, but I've learned so much since then. I know it now, one door at
a time and I've never been prouder to live anywhere. We have a growing economy, young families,
choosing us on purpose, farmland that still feeds people, streams that hold salmon and in three
years sky train. We have problems too, but I would not trade our problems for anyone else's.
Every one of them is a problem of a place people want to be. To the six Councillors elected with
me from Langley Strong and to the Councillors and to Councillors Ferguson and Pratt, this is
one council. Nine of us elected by the same people serving the same Township. There will be
votes we lose and votes we win and votes where we surprise each other. I will ask only one thing
of every person at this table and I will hold myself to it first. Disagree with the idea,
never the person. That is how a council earns back what was lost. A campaign is several months,
a term is four years, but Langley Township is forever. Tonight we took an oath. Tomorrow we
take the first step, open the books, open the doors and start paying down both debts.
The one on the balance sheet and the one owed to every resident who stopped believing their
Township would listen. I cannot promise you every answer will be yes. I can promise you
you will be heard. You will get an answer and that you will be treated the way neighbours should be
treated by the people who work for them. The people of Langley Township ask for a change.
It's here. The respect starts now. Thank you. Thank you. Again, I want to thank everyone
for being here tonight to support this team and we ask that you continue to
support us as we move forward for these next four years. Can I have a motion to terminate?
Such a harsh word, terminate. Moved by Councillor Martin, seconded by Councillor Kunst.
We will vote show of hands for those against. The motion is carried. The meeting is terminated.