Leanna Kemp for Chilliwack City Council
A New Foundation for Our Community.
Leanna Kemp is building something for all of us. Grow local, grow together.
Three Priorities
How we grow. How we live. How we lead. Everything on this platform sits under three commitments. Not five, not ten, three, because I would rather you remember what I stand for than skim a long list.
Priority 1: Growth That Pays Its Way
Responsible growth that builds fiscal capacity. Chilliwack is growing. The question isn't whether we grow, it's how we grow, who pays for it, and whether our infrastructure keeps up. I want growth that expands our tax base, moves infrastructure forward, and gets transit working for the city we are today, not the city we were in 2019.
Growing Our Tax Base the Smart Way:
Growing our commercial and industrial tax base is one of the few revenue levers a city can meaningfully control, and it is a more sustainable answer than continually putting the burden on residential property owners. More businesses contributing to our tax base means more capacity to build the roads, recreation spaces, and services Chilliwack needs, without putting all of the pressure on homeowners.
Infrastructure That Moves:
Prest Road is being widened, including a new roundabout. Watson Road is being rebuilt and widened between Tyson and Vedder. I want a public project tracker that shows what is happening, when it is happening, what is holding it up, and who is responsible.
Getting Chilliwack Moving: Transit That Works for Everyone:
The last real expansion of our local transit network was back in 2019. I will push for more frequent service on key routes, better connections between routes, routes that reflect where Chilliwack actually lives and works today, real connections to our industrial parks and employment lands, and an honest conversation about what it costs.
Public Safety Dollars, Explained:
The RCMP contract was the single biggest driver of last year's tax increase. Budgeted is not the same as staffed. I will push for responsible local budgeting and accountability from the federal government for the staffing pipeline.
Priority 2: A City Built for Every Generation
Quality of life that leaves no one behind. Chilliwack should work for teenagers, families and seniors alike, with real places to live, play, connect and build a life.
Fields, Rec Space and Somewhere to Go:
The Landing Sports Centre Annex adds ten courts of dry-floor space through federal, provincial and community funding. But one facility won't solve everything. I want to know the gap in outdoor fields, make the plan, set a timeline, and build the partnerships to close it. I also want real, safe, welcoming places where teenagers can spend time, connect, and do things.
Revitalization Across Chilliwack:
Empty buildings should not become the norm, whether downtown or at major commercial sites. I want clear bylaws, reasonable expectations, and honest working relationships with landlords and business owners to get vacant properties back into productive use.
Preparing for a Changing Climate:
In 2021, 22 Chilliwack residents died during the heat dome. The city has secured federal funding for a formal Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan. I want a cooling-centre network planned before the next heat wave, protection and growth of our tree canopy, and stronger FireSmart preparedness. I believe in access and incentives, not telling people how they have to live.
Priority 3: Leadership That Brings People to the Table
A community where people see themselves reflected in its future. Chilliwack's hardest problems, reconciliation, homelessness, growth, aren't solved by one person or one level of government. They're solved by bringing the right people into the room, finding common ground, and staying at the table until something gets done.
Bridging Chilliwack and Local First Nations:
Eight years ago, I started reconciliation work that has grown into a community-to-community dialogue committee. Seven of Chilliwack's ten local First Nations are now part of that table. I also serve on an Indigenous economic board. I see an opportunity to build something better together.
Homelessness, Honestly:
The unhoused population increased from about 640 to nearly 740 people in a single year, while the city spent roughly $5 million in 2025 on security and bylaw response. I want to bring communities together around a clear ask: what we need, what it will cost, who needs to fund it, and when we expect an answer. And then make it public.
Why My Background Is Different:
I bring 21 years of high-level management experience with McDonald's. I co-founded the Chilliwack Economic Resource Network. I've worked with Chilliwack Restorative Justice. I serve on the Chilliwack Hospital Foundation. I chair the Provincial Executives of BC board and hold an elected seat on its National board. That's the leadership I want to bring to council.
About Leanna
I've called Chilliwack home since 2008, when I moved here after marrying my husband, whose roots run deep in this community. Together, we've raised our two children here. They're now in their early teens, active in local sports and growing up in the community we're proud to call home.
I grew up in North Delta, but what drew me to Chilliwack, and what keeps me here, is its small-town feeling, where people know each other and look out for one another, alongside the outdoors that make this place so special: the river, mountains, lakes and unique local spaces like the Rotary Trail.
Leanna Kemp is a proud Chilliwack resident and local economic leader, raising her family and investing in this community. She is honored to live, work, and play on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Stó:lō Coast Salish peoples.
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Authorized by Candice Lamotte, Financial Agent. Leanna Kemp for Chilliwack City Council.