Shannon Russell Willing
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate team? If so, which one?
Community First Langford
Do you live in the municipality where you are running, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to that community?
Yes, I have lived in Langford for the past 25 years – my husband, a lifelong resident of Langford, and I have four children.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
I am recently retired as the executive advisor to the Premier and prior to that worked for 30+ years as a BC public servant working alongside some of our province’s most eminent leaders.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
Currently, I sit on Langford’s Economic Development committee, and I am also a resident representative on the Transportation committee. I am chair of the grassroots Langford Supports Ukraine committee and have been busy in the last few months helping support Ukrainian refuges settle in the Westshore communities. I have been a stalwart community volunteer throughout my life, having served on the Board of the Greater Victoria Boys and Girls Clubs, a large multi-faceted child and youth justice organization in which I also served as president.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
Langford was a great community for my children to grow up in and it is a great city for families today. I want to continue the good work that has been completed to create this vibrant, diverse community. I bring with me a variety of skills from my 30+ years working as a public servant. I am a problem-solver at heart, and I seek solutions using a collaborative approach, while building strong relationships with the people I work with. I have spent my entire career advocating for the public and I would welcome the opportunity to continue this work as a Langford city councillor.
What are your top three issues?
• Affordability – We need to ensure that our costs (or taxes) don’t create hardship for families. The investment made in our city brings much-needed employment, and also ensures that developers pay their share of tax dollars that build the infrastructure and amenities.
• Partnerships – Langford has developed some great partnerships over the years, and I see maintaining and growing those partnerships as key to our community’s ability not just to survive but to thrive!
• Working to grow innovative technologies – I want to continue with innovative thinking such as Langford’s low-carbon concrete policy and the geothermal wells drilled under Goudy field to heat homes in Westhills.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
• I see a bright future for Langford. Our diversity and focus on keeping life affordable for families helps to ground our decisions. Langford has the largest population of under 19-year-old’s in the province. It’s important that we recognize that we want to keep our youth engaged, healthy, and able to live their best lives. With the completion of a university in the urban core, we are investing in the next generation of innovators and leaders for our city.
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
