IN THE LANGLEY TOWNSHIP COUNCILLOR RACE: Tim Baillie

Tim Baillie

RUNNING WITH CONTRACT WITH LANGLEY

Retired fire captain, age 67

South Langley resident who’s lived in Langley 7 years

I retired after 27 plus years in the Surrey Fire Service as a captain.

I have also served on boards and projects in Surrey dealing with the homeless and those in poverty, and also coached youth sports over a 40-year period.

These experiences I hope to bring to council to give first-hand knowledge in these fields.

I am the only candidate who knows how to not only bring the fire department up to standards, but also why, where to properly station firehalls, equipment, and firefighters.

I also will bring my experiences in the poverty field to help prepare the Township for the future, including the results of the SkyTrain coming to Langley, and also youth in poverty and their lack of access to sports.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/contractwithlangley

Email: Tim.baillie@contractwithlangley.org

Website: www.contractwithlangley.org

Phone: 604-762-6061

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Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: No.

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CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Should the Township set targets for the creation of more low-income and seniors rental spaces, social housing units, and/or co-op development to improve home security?

Yes, the Township should set targets to create more low-income and seniors rental spaces, social housing units and/or co-op developments to better achieve home security. This needs to be planned and prioritized with truly affordable housing for these sectors of our community. We have a plan to do just this. Our team will build 300 units of specialized housing with land the Township already owns. We will make progress in chronic homelessness and women and children at risk of domestic violence of which we have none in the Township.

2. Should the Township create a performing arts venue within the next council term?

Yes, The Contract With Langley Team will get this done with the with the federal grant of $22 million plus announced during the last federal election.

3. Does the Langley Township fire department need to be expanded in terms of crews, equipment, and/or halls?

Yes, our team will replace both Hall 5 in Brookswood and Hall 8 in Walnut Grove, which are both in locations that do not maximize the effectiveness of the fire department.

Both of these halls will not only be built to better serve now, but also long into the future including both being built to accommodate two fire crews.

We must not only catch up to where our department should be now – according to industry standards and regulations – but also planned to house specialty teams needed in the future like MVI rescue, high-angle rescue, haz-mat, confined space, etc.

In our first budget we will begin the staffing up needed so badly in a fiscally responsible and affordable manner.

4. Should property tax increases be restricted to the rate of inflation or lower?

Yes, we have a clear plan to NOT raise property taxes to get our plan done. In the future we will not rely on raising property taxes by comprehensively doing a budget reform that only our team will do and get it done.

5. Should the Township encourage greater housing density in new and existing neighbourhoods?

Yes, we need more housing supply but it must be with getting a fair deal from development. Real affordable housing and neighbourhoods that are properly finished, with parks and facilities are not currently planned for.

6. Should the Township do more to build and upgrade roads, sidewalks, and bike paths in fast-growing areas?

Yes, these are fundamental needs of the Township that must be planned in advance especially before the available land is restricted by unplanned usage.

7. Is the Township’s population growing too fast?

Yes, our team will ensure that proper plans to accommodate this growth are in place.

8. Should the Township consider switching to a municipal police force, instead of using the RCMP?

No, we can see this playing out in Surrey with horrible results to date.

9. Does the Township have enough parks and public spaces to meet the needs of its growing population?

No, our team has a plan to get a fair deal from the development for our residents and businesses to ensure a high quality of life and enjoyment. We will also address the significant infrastructure currently existing. Our plan will then build for the future.

10. Should the Township commit to making a decision on proposed new developments within 12 months or less?

Yes, the Contract With Langley has a clear plan to deal with new developments in the coming 12 months. Our detailed plan will star making it happen immediately.

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CLICK ON OUR ELECTIONS 2022 TAB TO FIND A WIDE VARIETY OF RELEVANT STORIES

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

How the questions were presented to each candidate

Langley Advance Times readers have repeatedly told us how much they value this important, straight-forward reference guide that helps orient them with the range of choices on the ballots – both at the council and school board levels.

Towards that end, we have attempted to make this package available (along with the following instructions) to each of the candidates in a timely fashion ahead of the Oct. 15 election.

Please read carefully before you start to fill this out.

To help voters in Langley make their choices on election day, the Langley Advance Times is asking local candidates 10 issue-based questions.

You must provide a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or a ‘don’t know’ (Y, N, D) response to EACH of these questions.

Each question MUST be answered with yes (Y), no (N), or Don’t Know (D). This will be published in a grid in the Oct. 6 edition. Any questions not answered will be LEFT BLANK.

Candidates may also expand on ANY OR ALL of these questions (to a maximum of 200 words each). Please note any responses longer than that will be cut off at the 201-word mark.

Due to space limitations, we can only guarantee to run one of these answers in the Langley Advance Times print edition ahead of the election. You must CLEARLY indicate which expanded answer you want to see published in print. If you do not specify, we will choose. Any and all expanded answers provided will be published online at www.langleyadvancetimes.com.

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