Organizers say Progress for Langley’s candidates sat out the forum after Langley Strong withdrew. The mayor did not respond to our questions.
Township council candidate Andy Shen says Mayor Eric Woodward swore at him before a student-led climate forum at Trinity Western University on Thursday night. Fellow independent candidate Mike Parker says he heard it.
Woodward did not respond to our questions, which included the words Shen says the mayor used.
Organizers say Woodward and Progress for Langley council candidate Tess Rouse came to the forum but chose not to take part. Langley Strong had withdrawn earlier in the week.
That left three independents, Shen, Parker and Resha Sabti, to answer students' questions about climate and the environment. Here is what organizers, candidates and an audience member told us.
Who showed up
- On stage: independent council candidates Mike Parker, Andy Shen and Resha Sabti. Sabti came from another campaign event in Aldergrove.
- At the forum, but not on stage: Mayor Eric Woodward and council candidate Tess Rouse, both of Progress for Langley. Councillor Tim Baillie, also a Progress for Langley candidate, was in the audience.
- Invited, but declined in advance: independent candidates Benjamin Neff and Leith White. Neff says the new date conflicted with a campaign event he had already scheduled, and that he told organizers right away. White declined by email on 1 October, citing previous commitments.
- Withdrew earlier in the week: Langley Strong, which had not named its two candidates.
- Hosts: the Trinity Western Environmental Club and Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners.
The forum
The forum was held in the DeVries Auditorium on the TWU campus.
Kirk Robertson of Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners helped organize the event. He says each candidate was asked different questions and given two minutes to answer. Each candidate could also respond twice, for 30 seconds, to a question asked of someone else.
David Clements, the club's faculty advisor, says the candidates discussed environmental issues and the need for good planning. He says they made very little reference to the current council, and did not mention the mayor by name.
Despite a rocky start, "the atmosphere through the rest of the forum was quite convivial," he said.
Zach Shields, a UFV student who is not affiliated with any campaign, asked the candidates about AI data centres. He says all three answered his question well. He says the candidates gave careful answers and were kind and civil to each other.
Sabti says she arrived around 7:15 p.m., after another campaign event. She says she apologized for being late and began answering questions.
How the forum was set up
The forum was first planned for 8 October. Robertson says it was moved because most invitees had scheduling conflicts. In the end, he says, fewer candidates took part than would have on the original date.
Organizers invited nine of the 22 candidates for mayor and council. All five independents were invited. Each slate was asked to send its mayoral candidate and one other candidate. Robertson says inviting all 22 would have been unwieldy, and would have left little time for answers.
Parker, Shen and Sabti confirmed they would attend. Progress for Langley told Robertson that Woodward and Rouse would attend. Langley Strong said it would attend, but did not give names.
Neff says that once the new date was set, he told organizers right away that he could not attend because of a campaign event he could not move. White declined the invitation by email on 1 October, citing previous commitments.
Robertson kept his comments to us brief. "We do not want to become part of the fray of local politics," he said.
Why Langley Strong was not there
Langley Strong told Robertson on Tuesday morning that it would not attend.
In a statement, Langley Strong said its candidates have taken part in all five all-candidates meetings open to every candidate. That includes an Aldergrove forum last week, which Robertson also organized.
"This was not an all-candidates meeting," the statement said. It noted that the forum offered seats to only two of Langley Strong's eight candidates. With the vote two days away, it said, its team was busy knocking on doors, giving interviews and speaking at other events.
Langley Strong said it thanked Robertson for his work. It has committed to meeting with Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners after the election, it said.
Other candidates were not told in advance
Organizers did not tell the other candidates about Langley Strong's withdrawal before the forum, Robertson says.
Progress for Langley learned about it when its candidates arrived.
Shen and Parker say they also learned about it at the forum. Clements says he only learned about it himself on the day of the forum. He says the organizers wish they had told the participating candidates in advance.
What happened when Progress for Langley arrived
Accounts of what happened next come from organizers, candidates and one audience member. They differ in some details.
Clements says that when Woodward arrived and saw that Langley Strong was not taking part, he called it a setup orchestrated by Langley Strong.
Clements says Woodward decided Progress for Langley should not take part, to avoid harmful critiques from the three independent candidates. He says he and members of Climate Crisis Langley Action Partners tried to convince Woodward and Rouse to take part, but could not.
Robertson says Progress for Langley's candidates were told about Langley Strong's absence when they arrived, and chose not to participate.
Shen says the mayor described the evening as a plot against him, and said the candidates and organizers were in on it. Parker says the mayor accused Langley Strong, Parker, Shen and both host groups of working together against him.
Shen says he went over to greet the mayor, as he usually does with other candidates at forums. He says that before he had said anything, the mayor looked at him and said, "no, fuck off." Parker says he heard the mayor say this to Shen.
Parker says he told the mayor to calm down, and the mayor became louder and angrier. Parker says he then called the mayor "big man."
Shen says he saw the mayor talking with organizers even after the forum began, but could not hear what was said. Parker says he could not hear those conversations either.
Shields, who was sitting near the front, says he heard "some man yell and swear from the back of the room." He says he turned and saw people leaving through the door. He says he did not know at the time who it was.
Sabti, who arrived after the forum had started, says she saw the mayor outside and said hello. She says nothing seemed wrong at that moment, and that she did not see or hear any exchange herself. Her full account appears below.
The mayor's response
We emailed Woodward on Friday with a description of these accounts, including the words Shen says the mayor used. We asked for his response.
He has not yet provided a response. If he responds, we will add his reply and note the time it arrived.
About Parker's video
Parker posted a video to TikTok after the forum, describing the night in strong terms.
Some of what it says matches other accounts. Woodward and Rouse were set to take part and did not. Langley Strong was absent. The three independents carried the forum.
We checked the rest of the video against what organizers and other witnesses told us. Their accounts put two of its claims in a different light.
The video says three of 22 candidates showed up. Organizers say they invited only nine, so three of the nine invited candidates took part.
The video also describes the mayor arguing with organizers behind the stage. Parker told us he could not hear those conversations himself, and that organizers told him about them during a break. Clements, who took part in those conversations, describes them as an effort to convince the mayor to take part.
In our view
Students and community volunteers organized a forum on climate change two days before an election. They invited nine candidates. Three took the stage, and one came straight from another campaign event to be there.
Both slates gave reasons for not taking part, and readers can weigh them. In our view, the students deserved to hear from more of the people asking for their votes.
The candidates who showed up and took part deserve credit for it.
Rainer Fehrenbacher
Resha Sabti's account, in full
Resha Sabti asked that her response be published in full and word for word. It appears below as she sent it. Some details in it were told to her by others.
Thank you for your email and for taking the time to investigate all accounts. I am also copying the Langley Advance, as I believe this may draw wider attention if videos are being shared.
I tried to find Mike Parker's video but was unable to access it. I understand I am blocked from his page, so I cannot confirm or dispute what he said without seeing it.
I will answer your questions below based on what I personally witnessed. If you publish my response, I ask that you include it in full, word for word, so that nothing is taken out of context. I do not want to contribute to gossip or incomplete accounts.
I do not excuse anyone's inappropriate behaviour yesterday. I am disappointed in how this unfolded, particularly given the effort students put into organizing the event and the example we should be setting for them. That includes both slates and both mayoral candidates, I am really disappointed, those who didn't show up and cancelled last minute and those who showed up but didn't stay or participate.
1. About what time did you arrive, and was the forum already underway?
To clarify what I personally witnessed: I was at an event in Aldergrove before heading to Trinity Western University. Jay Lundgren arrived around 6:40 p.m., as I was getting ready to leave. I asked whether he was going to the students event, and he told me Langley Strong had made other plans for that event and sounded unsure.
That left me wondering whether something had changed, so I checked my email. I found no cancellation notice and headed to Trinity.
I arrived around 7ish p.m., spent a few minutes finding my way and reached the DeVries Auditorium around 7:15ish. I was in a panic mode because I was late.
I saw Mayor Woodward outside, said hello and entered the auditorium, I didn't feel there was anything wrong at that moment. Andy and Mike were there, with my name placed on the table. I also saw a table with Mayor Woodward's and Tess Rouse's names, but no table with names for Langley Strong.
I was trying to understand the situation as I walked down, but I sat down, apologized for being late and began answering questions. I cannot speak to what happened before I arrived.
2. When you arrived, who was on stage, and was Mayor Woodward or any other candidate in the room?
Mayor Woodward was outside, Councillor Bailie was sitting in the room, I believe I saw Michael Pratt as well. I didn't see anyone from Langley Strong anywhere near the venue nor did I receive information to say who declined or not showing up.
I was told that Langley Strong cancelled in the afternoon, and the two other independents, one had another commitment and didn't hear from the other.
3. Did you see or hear any exchange involving the mayor, other candidates or the organizers? If so, what did you see and hear?
I did not see or hear anything. I spoke to couple of the organizers and they said they didn't see or hear much.
Andy and Mike Parker said they had some sort of arguments and words were exchanged.
4. Did the mayor or any other candidate take the stage at any point while you were there?
Myself, Andy and Mike Parker were onstage at all times
5. Did the organizers or anyone else tell you what had happened before you arrived? If so, who, and what did they say?
From what I have heard, I am disappointed in both slates.
This event was organized by students, our future leaders. No matter how tense politics becomes, we have a responsibility to be role models and disagree respectfully.
I am saddened that neither mayoral candidate gave this event the respect and attention it deserved. These amazing young people put time and effort into creating a space for meaningful discussion. I am sorry they had to witness these conflicts. They deserved better from us.
6. Could you share contact information for the organizers, with their permission
I do not have any.
7. Do you have any video or photos from the event that you'd be willing to share? If so, may we publish them, and who should we credit?
I have nothing actually.
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