Lauren Chalus for Township Council

Because the cost of living here is pushing out the people this community needs, and because decisions keep landing on residents before anyone thinks to ask them for their input. When projects get approved without proper scrutiny or public input, residents end up paying for infrastructure, servicing and debt that nobody sat down and explained to them.

Throughout my career, I've learned that the best decisions are made when people are engaged early, information is shared openly, and different perspectives are genuinely considered. That approach leads to stronger projects, better planning, and greater public trust. That is the approach I would bring to Council.

I live in the Salmon River area, and have lived in the Township of Langley for over 10 years.

Like a lot of residents, I fell for the things that make this place distinct: farmland and rural character, growing neighbourhoods, small businesses where people know your name, and community events that fill a parking lot on a Saturday morning.

Most of my involvement in the Township has been close to the ground. I sit on the Heritage Advisory Committee, I’ve spoken at public hearings as a resident on local planning and agricultural issues, and my weekends are spent supporting local businesses, attending community events, or walking my dogs through our Township parks.

That's why local planning matters to me. Every decision affects real people and real neighbourhoods. As a resident, I don't just see parcels and zoning maps, I see the streets, families, businesses, and communities that will live with those decisions for years to come.

Seven things I’ll push for at the Council table:

• Affordability for young families and working professionals. Tax, fee and utility decisions weighed against what a household here can actually carry, and housing choices that let people starting out or raising kids stay in Langley.
• Responsible spending and open numbers. A budget residents can afford, clear reporting on debt and capital projects, and every dollar tested against what families are already paying.
• A local economy that works for local people. Support for the small businesses and agricultural operators who employ our neighbours, and a permitting process that doesn’t punish them for trying to grow.
• Consultation that comes first. Real public input with enough time and information to respond, with meetings scheduled when working people can actually attend, and a clear understanding afterward of how their input shaped the decision.
• Transparent, accountable governance. Decisions made in the open, reports released before the vote instead of after it, and a Council that can explain its reasoning to anyone who asks.
• Growth planned with the infrastructure to match. Development sequenced alongside the roads, utilities, parks and services it depends on, rather than approvals first and infrastructure someday.
• Community character and heritage protected. Our historic sites, rural landscapes and neighbourhood identity treated as assets worth keeping, not obstacles to work around.
• Safe, healthy communities. Well-lit streets, safer intersections and crossings, emergency services that keep pace with the population, and safety designed into new neighbourhoods from the start.

Because I am living it, and so is nearly everyone I know at this stage of life. People are working full-time jobs and still doing the math on whether they can afford to buy here, whether childcare makes sense, whether one more tax increase means something else has to be sacrificed. Young families and young professionals are the ones who fill our schools, staff our businesses and volunteer at the events that make this a community. If they cannot afford to stay, we lose all of that, and it won’t come back quickly.

Council does not set interest rates or grocery prices but it does set a great deal of what a household here pays: property taxes, utility rates, the charges that get built into the price of a new home, and how much debt this Township carries into the future. Those are choices, and I want them made with a clear view of what residents are already carrying.

More than eleven years of engagement, consultation and relationship work on some of Western Canada’s largest infrastructure and capital projects. I hold a Bachelor of Environment in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University, with a minor in Indigenous Studies and a Certificate in Indigenous Research.

I started on the environmental side, including summer student roles with the City of Mission that gave me an early look at how a municipality really handles land use, environmental and administrative decisions. From there I moved into community outreach at FortisBC, then spent nearly four years in Stakeholder Relations on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, leading stakeholder engagement across British Columbia and Alberta with a focus on high-impact residential construction. Today I am a Stakeholder Engagement Advisor at BC Hydro, and before that I was the utility’s Project Engagement and Relationship Lead in Indigenous Relations.

As a Stakeholder Engagement Advisor at BC Hydro, I lead engagement and consultation on major capital, distribution, and infrastructure projects across British Columbia. My work brings together local governments, provincial agencies, landowners, businesses, and residents to navigate complex issues and move projects forward responsibly. Prior to my current role at BC Hydro, I was also a Project Engagement and Relationship Lead in Indigenous Relations, leading consultation with First Nations on a projects and working with the Provincial government. Across both roles, my focus has remained the same: building relationships, sharing information early, listening carefully, and helping deliver better outcomes.

Those experiences translate directly to local government. The Township of Langley is constantly balancing growth, infrastructure, budgets, environmental stewardship, and the needs of residents. I've spent my career working at that intersection, and I've seen firsthand that projects are more successful, more efficient, and earn greater public trust when communities are engaged early and decisions are made transparently.

What I bring to Council is experience making informed decisions on complex issues. For more than eleven years, I've worked on major infrastructure and public projects where communities, governments, First Nations, businesses, regulators, and residents all have different priorities. My job has been to understand those perspectives, build trust, and help move projects forward through collaboration, transparency, and practical problem-solving.

That experience has taught me that good decisions start with listening. People don't expect to agree on everything, but they do expect to be heard, to understand the process, and to know their input was genuinely considered before decisions are made. The Township is my home and I want the best for our residents.

I've also seen local government from both sides, as a member of the Township of Langley's Heritage Advisory Committee and as a community advocate. I understand how recommendations are developed, how decisions are made, and the importance of asking the right questions, reviewing the facts, and ensuring decisions are transparent, accountable, and in the best long-term interest of the community.

I joined Langley Strong because we share the same commitment to affordability, fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and meaningful public consultation. While every member brings their own perspective, we believe we can achieve more by working collaboratively than by working alone.

My commitment, however, is always to the residents I represent. I will read every report, ask the difficult questions, and make every decision based on the facts, the public interest, and what I believe is best for the Township of Langley.

That heritage is more than historic buildings. It’s preserving rural character, cultural landscapes, historic sites, conservation areas and the everyday feel of a neighbourhood. Once it is gone, we can’t get it back.

It also gave me insight at how advisory bodies and Council interact and make decisions.I've seen firsthand the dedication volunteers bring to advisory committees. Their role is to provide informed, well-researched advice, and I believe Council has a responsibility to give that advice meaningful consideration. That's one of the reasons I'm seeking a seat at the Council table.

Change is coming and Langley Strong will listen. I know what it’s like to feel like my concerns are being ignored at the Township level. Please reach out to me directly, I’m more than happy to talk to anyone. I will always share what I know, what the timeline looks like and key decisions points. I believe in transparency and informed decision making.

In my line of work, the quickest way to lose a community’s trust is to tell people their input matters and then make a decision that doesn’t reflect it. Residents can handle the truth, what is unacceptable is performative consultation.

I sat in on two episodes with Jay, one with Wally Martin, who owns the Princess and the Pea in Murrayville, and one with Diana Marsh of Happy Herd in Aldergrove. Both have built something incredible here, and both know their corner of the corner of the Township better than anyone.

What stayed with me is how often the conversation landed on something practical that Council could address, and how residents are feeling left out when decisions are made. We should be listening to our community leaders, volunteers and residents before decisions are made, not after.

I enjoy spending time with my husband Brody, our friends and family. I’m a dog mom, so a good part of my week happens on the trails and in the parks around here. I garden, usually more ambitiously than my schedule allows. I shop local whenever I can and I make a point of turning up to community events and farmers markets, partly because I enjoy them and partly because that is where you hear what people really think.

Giving back to this community matters to me. The Township of Langley is the place I call home and I would like it to still be a place people my age can afford to choose twenty years from now.