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Michelle Sparrow

Fresh Ideas & A Fresh Face to Politics

I am so excited to represent your voice on Langley Township Council. The Langley Township is a young and vibrant city, one that is growing and changing, while also offering a rich and full history.I bring to the position of Langley Township Councillor, a voice of reason, integrity and of cooperation. I look forward to offering a fresh new perspective and to representing your point of view. I will stand up for your concerns, for the issues that are important to you and to your family. Whether, you are a stay at home parent, or a two-income family, a single parent, or a working professional; I will represent your voice.

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Nov 19

About Me

I was born and raised in the Langley Township and I am grateful to raise our daughters here. I love Langley and the quality of life it offers. The fine balance between Urban and Rural, between our future and our past, is what makes the Langley Township such an amazing place to call Home. I am a licensed Realtor, with HomeLife Benchmark Realty Walnut Grove. I have been married for eleven years and have four beautiful daughters, Ashley 10, Emma 8, Bella 6 and Jenna 3. My husband is a Captain in the Langley Township Fire Department.

Both my husband and I enjoy serving and working within our community and look to set an example of giving back to our daughters. As a Realtor I have the pleasure of working with many of our Langley Township residents, as well as acting as an ambassador to those who are looking to move into the area. I am also involved through HomeLife, in many community events and I am proud of HomeLife's involvement in our community. I have been grateful to be an active part of the Langley Stroke Recovery for the past 15 years and have gained so much from my experiences with this group. I am serving my second term on the Langley Township Heritage Advisory Committee, which has given me valuable insight to the rich Heritage of our community. Volunteering with the Student Vote program this past Federal Election was a great experience, I have such passion for the work they are doing. I am also currently a board member of the Derby Reach/Brae Island Parks Association, a group of individuals, who in cooperation with Metro Vancouver Parks, work to preserve and enhance the natural and historical features of Derby Reach and Brae Island Parks.

Michelle Sparrow Langley Township Municipal Election

Platform

Michelle Sparrow

Citizen Engagment
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Sustainable development

Citizen Engagment I believe there is a disconnect between the citizens and Municipal Government. I believe many are feeling disengaged from the process and the institution as a whole. Too many people believe that Government is something that is done to them, with particularly young people having less faith than ever in democracy. I will work towards changing that, to bring together our citizens and our politicians and to engage the public with our local government. I believe one step to this engagement is called E-Democracy or Digital Democracy. Wikipedia states: “E- Democracy aims for broader and more active citizen participation, enabled by the Internet."I see a future, which allows us to effectively, and efficiently engage each and every citizen, allowing them to share their voice and opinion.Imagine the future where added to our current open houses, public hearings and live video streaming is a digital democracy, an interactive relationship. Imagine being capable to securely log in online to give your voice. It would be a secure, accurate and a reliable tool for Township council to have at their finger tips, giving an honest portrayal of the opinions of its citizens. Other examples of this interaction would be, The 21st Century Town Meeting, which purpose is to engage citizens in the process. Others include an interactive live question period at the end of each Council meeting. Viewers watching the live video stream could pose questions online, to a moderator to have answered by Council members. This would give the public an opportunity to engage in the process. This technology exists already and is being used in Municipalities around the world. I as your Langley Township Councillor will work to bring this here to the Langley TownshipThere are many more innovative ideas out there, which work towards this goal. You may have thought of your own ideas on how our government can more effectively listen to the voice of its citizens. I would love to hear them.This truly is the way of the future. In the early 2000's The Crossing Boundaries Municipal Caucus was formed. It was created as a forum for Canadian Municipal leaders to meet to explore the opportunities E Government brings. This forum pointed out the importance of having a political champion, one who had taken up the cause, while also having the political support of their Council. I as your Langley Township Councillor will be that champion, and will work alongside my fellow Councillors to see E-democracy and the future of this online interaction, begin in the Langley Township.

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"The Crossing Boundaries Municipal Caucus was formed as a forum for Canadian Municipal leaders to explore the opportunities E Government brings to Municipalities. In October 2002 the results from that forum were prepared into a paper- E Government: The Municipal Experience.

In this paper the three levels of E Government were discussed,

Level One- Posting static information on a website,

Level Two- Transactional services, like applying for permits or homeowners grants.

Level Three- The highest level called Online Communities. This involves the interactive relationship between citizen and government, ultimately a dialogue."

Sustainable development We are an ever changing city, with so much of our land still untouched by development. The years ahead will be full of change. During this time we need a voice on our Langley Township Council to speak to what makes Langley Township so special, the fine balance between urban and rural, between our heritage and our future. We need to focus on planning thoughtful developments, which create neighborhoods people want to live in, families want to grow in, and homeowners can be proud of. There is such an opportunity while developing the Langley Township, to think outside the box and look at the bigger picture; incorporating into the design and planning, light rail or other possible transit options. We need to focus on creating mixed-use, walk-able communities, which provide at our doorstep, shops and services we would otherwise have to drive to. Leaving space for parks and Community gardens and ample green space. There is no need to fill large parcels of land with developments that just add to urban sprawl. We need to be thoughtful of what we want the Langley Township to look like, and what we want to leave for our children.Our rural and Agricultural lands need to be protected. We need a Council who stands up for what makes Langley such a unique place to live. We need to make a clear stand against the removal of land from the ALR. We need to work at educating the public on what a gift it is to have the ability to grow our food at our doorstep. There is such an opportunity to leave a legacy for future generations; as your Langley Township Councillor, I will stand up and make my voice heard, speaking for a Langley we can all be proud of

A creative Vision Technology today allows us to engage more than ever before; Manor,Texas is a small but progressive town, located on the outskirts of Austin Texas. They are a community of about 5,800 citizens or as they call them, innovators. The work they are doing with technology and government is inspirational. The use of QR codes is something we at the Langley Township, can use as an example to connect our city. Imagine the ability to receive real time work orders for Township vehicles with the click of a Smartphone, this would keep citizens informed of the work that is occurring in their neighborhoods, or picture a walk in historic Fort Langley and with the click of your phone you are able to learn about a historic landmark and view the family tree. All this and more is possible with this new and innovated technology!This is a description of what Manor has done with QR codes. Click here.Another way Manor has redefined government communication is with the creation of, Manor Labs. It is described as “an "open innovation platform designed to allow you to help us solve problems that plague our local government agency. It is also a place to submit ideas on how we can do things better."This kind of citizen collaboration, is what I will work to bring to the Langley Township.I believe the Langley Township is full of individuals who have creative ideas, different perspectives and points of view, offering a wide range of educational and life experience. As your Langley Township Councillor I will work to engage and connect with our residents, allowing them the ability to offer their ideas and expertise.I believe one of the most sincere forms of respect is to truly listen to what another has to say. I will strive to be creative and innovative, to continue to search for new and inventive ideas and to seek out ways to collaborate with our residents, staff, Mayor and fellow Councillors. “"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." ~Winston ChurchillI as your Langley Township Councillor will work to foster teamwork and cooperation among my fellow elected Council members. I believe our collective ideas and goals will only be achieved through the ability to work together, to encourage and support each other’s' ideas and embrace our differences. The word “Team” can be defined as: "A group of people organized to work interdependently and cooperatively to meet the needs of their customers, by accomplishing a purpose and goals”. I truly believe that the citizens are the customers and our council must be a Team. I believe my unique perspective; negotiating and problem solving skills will allow me to be a valuable asset to that team. As your Langley Township Councillor I will be committed to being a team player and to represent your voice, a voice of reason, of fresh new ideas and a new perspective.

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city-of-manor-white-paper-110619033407-phpapp01.pdf

Vision Summary rb_shade_001

Michelle Sparrow

Vision Summary...

Citizen Engagment
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Sustainable development

Citizen Engagment -I will work to bring together our citizens and our politicians and to engage the public with our local government.-Work towards the implementation of E-Democracy or Digital Democracy. Broader and more active citizen participation, enabled by the Internet.-Creat a future, which allows us to effectively, and efficiently engage each and every citizen, allowing them to share their voice and opinion.-Create a future where added to our current open houses, public hearings and live video streaming is a digital democracy, an interactive relationship-Incorporate technology like The 21st Century Town Meeting, which purpose is to engage citizens in the process. - Include an interactive live question period at the end of each Council meeting. Where viewers watching the live video stream can pose questions online, to a moderator to have answered by Council members. This would give the public an opportunity to engage in the process-This technology exists already and is being used in Municipalities around the world. I as your Langley Township Councillor will work to bring this here to the Langley Township

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In this paper the three levels of E Government were discussed,

Level One- Posting static information on a website,

Level Two- Transactional services, like applying for permits or homeowners grants.

Level Three- The highest level called Online Communities. This involves the interactive relationship between citizen and government, ultimately a dialogue."

Sustainable development - I will be a voice on Langley Township Council to speak to what makes Langley Township so special, the fine balance of urban and rural of our heritage and our future. -Work to require Traffic calming be a requirement of new development proposals which are to be paid for by the developer.- Make Traffic calming a priority in our existing neighborhoods. -Speak for planning thoughtful developments, which create neighborhoods people want to live in, families want to grow in, and homeowners can be proud of. -Focus on incorporating into the design and planning, light rail or other possible transit options. -Focusing on creating mixed-use, walk-able communities, which provide at our doorstep, shops and services we would otherwise have to drive to. Leaving space for parks and Community gardens and ample green space. -I will be a strong voice for protecting our rural and Agricultural lands; they are what make Langley such a unique place to live. I will make a clear stand against the removal of land from the ALR. -Work towards increased education for the public on what a gift it is to have the ability to grow our food at our doorstep. Education on how, why and where to buy locally grown products.-I will stand up and make my voice heard, speaking for a Langley we can all be proud of.

A creative Vision -Work to see new technology brought to the Langley Township, allowing for new and innovation platforms which are designed to allow our citizens to be involved and engaged in solving the problems which plague our local government. - Work to see the implementation of QR Codes in the Langley Township. From useful information on the signage of our parks and facilities; to allowing in depth and detailed information about our historic landmarks, the possibilities are endless. -I will work to engage and connect with our residents, allowing them the ability to offer their ideas and expertise.-I will be creative and innovative. I will continue to search for new and inventive ideas and to seek out ways to collaborate with our residents, staff, Mayor and fellow Councillors. -I will work to foster teamwork and cooperation among my fellow elected Council members. - I will be committed to being a team player and to represent your voice, a voice of reason, of fresh new ideas and a new perspective.

Donation page rb_shade_001

Michelle Sparrow

How to Give Support

Financial donations, as well as in-kind donations of services, are greatly appreciated. Please contact the Campaign Office at 604-882-8330 for further details. Thank you again for your support! “"Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”." Margaret Mead
Please note: I will not be accepting donations from Unions or Land Developers; I appreciate your understanding, Thank you.

Michelle Sparrow

Directions
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Directions

Info

Please Contact my Campaign Office with any thoughts or questions.

Phone: 604-882-8330

Fax: 1-866-369-0028

Email: info_VoteSparrow.ca

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Events

Michelle Sparrow

Events

Kick off to Summer Neighborhood Block Party

Sunday July 10 11-2 West Langley Hall 9400 208 street
Come out to this free neighborhood event and enjoy a Hot Dog lunch, Cotton Candy, Children's Activities, Bouncy Castle, Raffle prizes and much more!!! Local Vendors will be on hand displaying a wide range of products and services. It will be a great family event, hope to see you there!!!

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