Val Van den Broek
Running for mayor in the City of Langley
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Federal public servant with the RCMP, 45
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• Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: Currently on Langley City council
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Candidate provided bio:
I’m honoured by the support from my husband Rob, Langley City Mayor Ted Schaffer, former Langley City Councillor Terry Smith, and retired RCMP Insp. Richard Konarski.
I’ve worked in government approximately 20 years: Langley City councillor, federal public servant (RCMP & Corrections), Langley City RCMP community police office coordinator, Langley RCMP auxiliary constable volunteer – giving me first-hand community knowledge.
My business background, experience, and leadership skills will provide a fresh voice to local and regional issues: Revitalize using Smart Growth/CPTED, green spaces and community events; open houses with residents and staff for active communication; diverse housing so everyone can grow roots; augment integrated case management team + advocate for more health services; rapid transit + more buses and ridesharing services; fiscal responsibility; support seniors’, youth, art & sports programs.
I value the quality of life for our community and endeavour to continue the progress we’ve made.
Thanks for your support. Let’s move forward.
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Website: www.val4citymayor.com
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Facebook: @val4citymayor
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Other internet/social media platforms where voters can learn about you: Twitter = @Val4citymayor
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Phone: 604-533-8161
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Email: val4citymayor@gmail.com
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• Who is your favourite superhero, and why? Wonder Woman…she’s a strong, independent, intelligent woman who gets the job done.
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There are three candidates running for the City of Langley’s mayor’s chair. The following are questions asked of each candidate hopeful. They were directed to provide a minimum of a Yes, No, or Don’t Know answer, and given an option to expand on one answer in print (to a maximum of 100 words per question). They could expand on all questions online, if they wished to do so. The following are their replies.
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Questions and Answers:
1. What neighbourhood of Langley do you live in?
Answer: Blacklock
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2. How many years have you lived in Langley?
Answer: 18+
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3. How many Langley City council meetings have you attended in the past year?
Answer: All, because I’m on City council
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4: Should the City be directly funding social housing to reduce homelessness?
Answer: No – We can partner with organizations and other levels of Government to possibly provide land, buildings, or services etc…but the Provincial level of government should be providing this.
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5. Do you support elevated rail over light rapid transit from Surrey to Langley?
Answer: Yes - I support an increase in any transit or ride sharing options. I would like to see elevated which carries more people in a shorter amount of time, without obstructing traffic flow. We’ve been warned about LTR by other major cities in North America and we should listen.
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6. Should the City’s industrial area be phased out in favour of residential and commercial development?
Answer: No – We need a mixture of all land uses. Industrial areas create jobs. They also provide for people to learn trades and do apprenticeships.
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7. Would you vote to raise taxes to hire more police?
Answer: Yes – if reports or studies indicate that we need to increase our policing services within the City.
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8. Do you agree with the growth estimates for Langley City in its new Nexus of Community strategic plan?
Answer: Yes – Extensive research has been done on this subject. We’re bound to increase as the cost of living rises in Vancouver and more people move here for more affordable options.
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9. Should Langley have its own municipal police force, replacing the RCMP?
Answer: No – There’s no financial benefit switching to a Municipal Police Force. The initial cost, plus operational expenses including medical, dental, & pensions would be astronomical.
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10. Should the City fund an arts centre?
Answer: It would be great to have a centre where residents can meet to showcase their art, whether it be art hanging on a wall, a play on a stage or a musical production.
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11. Does Langley City need an indoor swimming pool?
Answer: Yes – We need to provide a range of health facilities for all ages. An indoor pool would provide healthy family fun, socialization, after school activities & low impact exercise in a safe environment all year round.
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12. Should Langley City lobby for its own urgent care centre?
Answer: Yes – The centre would improve quality of care and also provide more care to more people. There are one in six people in B.C. who don’t have a family doctor. It would alleviate emergency room wait times and could cater to 1,300 patients a week. It could also have outreach workers connecting nurses to community locations such as senior centres or shelters.
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13. Do you think residential property taxes are too high?
Answer: No - We have the third lowest taxes in the region. City staff work very hard to plan the budget in an effective and efficient manner.
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14. Should the City amalgamate with the Township?
Answer: No – We are two very different places with two very different visions.
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15. Should the municipality offer tax breaks, incentives, or rebates to companies looking to set up shop here?
Answer: Yes – We need to attract the right kind of businesses to make this community grow. Sometimes that requires a mutually beneficial plan.
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16. Is Langley City being pushed to grow too fast?
Answer: No – Previous council planned for future growth and current council is upholding that vision. We need to continue planning to accommodate the current growth rate.
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17. Should Langley City take more direct action to combat the opioid crisis locally?
Answer: Yes – Using newly available federal government grant monies, we can strategize with health care workers on how to combat this crisis.
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18. Should the City encourage the creation of more rental and low-income housing?
Answer: Yes – The majority of our current rental and low-income housing is at the stage of redevelopment. We need to encourage rebuilding with more living units at an affordable price without displacement.
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19. Should the City taxes be cut by cutting services?
Answer: No – City staff has already cut services over the past five years to keep taxes lower.
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20. Should there be a limit to the number of consecutive terms a member of council can serve?
Answer: No – Voters decide if they don’t want someone in office. The public can vote them out if they’re not happy.