Striving to make Langley City a more livable city. That’s what I’m here for. But what does that mean to me?

For me, improved livability means having a community that provides all of the needs to its residents and visitors with a balanced approach to a

:comfortable home life

:productive work life

:entertaining social life

1- A comfortable home life means safe and secure neighbourhoods.

We need a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t in regards to keeping our City safe and secure. Many calls to the police involve homelessness and mental health issues. Our City needs to focus on collaborating with surrounding communities to address these issues with a housing first approach. This combined with additional resources that are currently available and areas for expansion will help to alleviate these issues allowing our police resources to be better allocated.

Expanding current local lower income, social and co-op housing is imperative if we are to help our seniors, people with disabilities and others in need, to retain and obtain affordable housing. In addition, we need to review expanding our housing stock to allow more legal suites and construction of guest/coach houses which would help two fold; 1. Increase the number of available rentals, and 2. Supplement those who are looking at or are currently in the detached housing market.

2- In my opinion, a productive work life means being in a community that is open for business. Being a smaller community, our City needs to continue to help established businesses grow and also make it attractive to new businesses. With expansion to transit as well as improvements to parking and accessibility, our City can have all the amenities needed within a walkable community. This means making it as easy as possible for businesses to set up shop and flourish in our City. We can do this by minimizing red tape and providing incentives for companies to expand into Langley City. Increasing community involvement in activities such as farmers markets, special events, volunteer work and adding a variety of entertainment will help foster a greater sense of community and could generate support from neighbouring communities. By allowing business to grow in our City, we create more job opportunities for our residents and enable them to work where they live.

3- Personally, an entertaining social life means having fun in your own backyard. An interactive, innovative and inclusive social atmosphere is a must in creating a thriving community. Social events within our City help to supply residents with a sense of pride in their community and allow visitors to enjoy all that the community has to offer. I believe our City can expand on its unique identity to truly stand out in the GVRD as a destination and not just a city between cities. We can review additional usage of our parks and recreation centres to include year-round activities and events to really engage our community. Increasing involvement in arts and culture will open up Langley to endless possibilities of entertainment for all ages within our own City and surrounding communities.