Mike Parker grew up in Abbotsford before moving to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta for a degree in Accounting and Finance. After graduating he articled at BDO and after passing the UFE moved home to take over his family white label manufacturing business. He's gotten increasingly more involved in Township politics serving as a director of Strong Towns Langley advocating for better urbanism and fiscal sustainability. 

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 - Reform Langley's developer fee system. Currently Langley uses a flat rate development fee system based on door count. This encourages developers to produce increasingly larger homes while ignoring starter homes and smaller homes for young British Columbians to try to move into. Instead of a flat rate system Mike wants to turn it into a per square foot system similar to other municipalities. This also encourages better land use decisions.

 

- Neighborhood scale ammenities that don't burden future generations. The last 4 years of Langley has seen big bets on large projects while smaller neighborhood scale projects have been cancelled. See, the Willoughby Library and Neighbourhood Parks Reserve being drained for completion of Smith Park. Small neighborhood ammenities are what can build vibrant local communities and importantly are on a fiscal scale that Langley can afford. Young British Columbians moving to Langley need ammenities in their neighborhood to make them great places to live.

 

-Long Term Capital Planning. When large capital items go through council important questions, like how much will what we build cost to maintain and operate are often completely side stepped. We focus so much on the upfront capital cost but then forget for decades in the future property tax payers will need to actually pay to operate and maintain these assets. We are not setting up young BC residents well by ignoring their future costs.

 

- Recognize that the future isn't as rosy as it once was. Langley has been built and planned with the assumption that owning and operating a car is affordable. What is gen Alpha going to do as they enter the working world and rent and basic necessities take up their entire budget leaving nothing for transportation? We need to recognize the burden this is going to place and create community where not owning a car doesn't preclude you from being a participant in society.

 

- Redefine 'Housing Cost' to be the overall cost of owning a home. Increasing the supply of housing is important, but affordability does not end when someone receives the keys. Build quality, maintenance costs, energy costs, transportation costs, and the quality of the surrounding neighbourhood all affect the long-term cost of housing. We should ensure that today's first time homebuyers are not exposed to avoidable financial hardship through poor construction or inadequate long-term planning. This also means protecting mature trees where practical, rather than relying primarily on a clear-cut-and-replant approach that leaves residents without the environmental and community benefits of mature trees for decades

 

- Rural land protection. Agricultural and rural lands are among Langley’s most valuable long term assets. Once these are converted they cannot be recreated. I would oppose efforts to weaken the Urban Containment Boundary and instead focus on making better use of the communities we have already built. Young British Columbians should inherit a Langley with access to the farmland and rural landscapes that make the Township unique.