IN THE CITY’S COUNCIL RACE: Rosemary Wallace

Rosemary Wallace

Visual artist/freelance photographer, age 57

Douglas Park area resident who’s lived in Langley 25 years

Rosemary Wallace has served as a Langley City councillor for three terms and as a Langley school board trustee for one term.

Her community building didn’t start there though.

As a mother of seven and grandmother of five, she has been volunteering in social programs, arts and culture, sports, environment, and education for over 25 years.

Rosemary’s passion for community building, arts and culture, environmental stewardship, and meaningful reconciliation with First Nations, is ongoing.

She has served as a Langley Arts Council president and was influential in establishing a mock up arts centre in the City.

She has, and continues to serve on many community organizations and has been a part of many events that include people of all ages and diversities. She’s done this while finding time to immerse herself in her work as a visual artist and photographer.

Rosemary lives in the Douglas Park community area with her husband of 37 years, and is dedicated to serving others while advocating and working together in creating an inclusive, safe, livable, and equitable community for all.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RosemaryWallace

Instagram: @Rosemaryhmwallac

Email: rosemary_creative@hotmail.com

Phone: 604-839-1150

.

Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: Three term Langley City Councillor and one term as a Langley School Trustee

.

CLICK TO CHECK OUT OUR FULL ELECTION GUIDE ONLINE

Questions:

(These answers are presented as the candidates submitted them)

1. Should Langley City have its own, separate RCMP detachment?

No.

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

Yes. An arts and cultural performing arts centre is a vision in the making, and is in need of philanthropists or a model that will afford it to come to fruition.

Langley City downtown core is the perfect place for a performing arts and cultural centre that connects to the entertainment district, businesses, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and the larger community.

We are in need of spaces for local artists, cultural sharing, and space to take in theatre productions locally and abroad.

3. Does the City need more overpasses to reduce train-caused traffic delays?

No.

4. Should the City 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?

Aside from the Lions project that will accommodate many seniors, I would like to see the an innovative project in a co-op that addresses both safety, security and healthy connection.

A housing model designed to give seniors access to gardening and a space for gathering and connecting.

5. Are City taxes too high?

Yes. I voted yes for the tax increase because of the much-needed support staff positions and infrastructure projects. Pushing that back would have had greater consequences on the City. It did not help that they started at 4% because of the renewal of the RCMP contract.

6. Is the City’s population growing too fast?

No.

7. Should the City institute pay parking in some downtown areas?

Don’t know.

8. Will the arrival of SkyTrain change Langley City for the better?

Yes.

It is important to create a connected city and to have less cars on the road It is important to create affordable transportation options for those who cannot afford other means of transportation.

Having the Skytrain come to Langley City will help to create more affordable housing and have young people stay and live in Langley City. Langley City is fortunate to build on having the skytrain through job creation, development opportunities in creating a vibrant entertainment district, a performing arts and cultural centre, expansion of educational opportunities and… opportunity for building a vibrant and welcoming community, a vision of a performing arts centre, a lively entertainment and business district and building on innovative education opportunities.

9. Can municipal staff and council do more to attract new green and high-tech businesses to open in Langley City?

Yes. I am excited about Langley City’s Official Community Plan having a designated InnovationB oulevard connected to the downtown core and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. It opens the opportunity for needed innovation for green and high-tech businesses that will help to create a circular economy.

10. Does the City have a handle on the problems created by homelessness?

No. We all know that the we are faced with a dilemma of creating safe spaces for everyone to live, work and play. This includes those in desperate need of housing and supports for the complex health needs.

It is challenging to fix a broken system that has been disconnected in helping those who face extreme vulnerabilities in accessing supports. I think it is difficult to point fingers and to blame! I think we are in a crisis and it is just so complex that it will take extreme measures is building supports and resources for those facing mental health, addictions, homelessness. We are in a crisis of creating supports for those who are on the verge of homeless because of affordability of housing and access to complex care. I believe that the environmental scan done by the city in bringing together needed collaboration from partners groups in supporting the most vulnerable.

.

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

.

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.

.