A lifelong Chilliwack resident, small-business owner and longtime community volunteer running for City Council with a commitment to thoughtful growth, responsible planning and a community where everyone has a place.
Chilliwack is changing, and every decision affects someone differently.
Raylene wants to hear what residents are seeing, experiencing and thinking about their city, from what's working well to what needs attention. Because good decisions don't start with assumptions. They start by listening.
Have something you want Raylene to hear? Tell Raylene what's working, what's not, or what you think Chilliwack should be talking about.
🎙 Leave a messageRaylene believes that local decisions rarely affect just one thing. Growth, infrastructure, public spaces, businesses and community services are all connected. Council should think about those connections before making decisions.
Chilliwack is growing. Raylene supports growth, but believes development should be intentional, supported by infrastructure and considered for its long-term impact on the community.
Young people, young adults and families need affordable opportunities to gather, participate and feel connected to the community they call home.
As a small-business owner, Raylene understands the realities facing local and family-owned businesses and believes thoughtful development can create opportunities for people to live, work and build their lives here.
Before automatically building something new, we should ask whether existing public spaces, infrastructure and community assets are being maintained, improved and made useful to more people.
A changing city needs to think ahead about sustainability, emergency preparedness and protecting both residents and infrastructure.
Responsible spending means looking beyond the immediate price of a project and considering whether it is needed, who it serves, what we already have and its long-term value to the community.
Born and raised in Chilliwack, Raylene has spent more than two decades working in community services, mental health, advocacy and program development.
Today, she serves as a director and volunteers seven days a week with Free Store Canada Society, helping oversee programs that support local families.
Her work has put her in direct contact with people from many different walks of life; including working families, lower-income families, youth, seniors and people navigating unexpected challenges.
A decision at City Hall rarely affects just one thing. Growth, roads, infrastructure, businesses, parks and services are connected. What happens in one place can create consequences somewhere else.
Click a ripple to see one example of how a single decision can affect other parts of a community.
The question isn't simply whether Chilliwack should grow. It's whether we're thinking ahead about the roads, infrastructure, services, public spaces and neighbourhoods that grow alongside it.
You don't have to know every policy, bylaw or municipal term to have a say in your city. Start with something you care about, and we'll show you where City Council comes into the picture.
Pick something that matters to you and see how it connects to local government and Raylene's priorities.
Municipal government affects everyday life, but it isn't always obvious who makes which decisions. We're building this section to make the basics easier to understand.
Start by learning what your local government is responsible for, what issues matter to you and what each candidate is proposing. You don't need to know everything about municipal politics to participate. You just need to care about your community and be willing to ask questions.
Councillors participate in Council decisions, debate proposals, consider budgets and policies, and help set the direction of the municipality. The exact responsibilities can be broad, which is why understanding the difference between municipal, provincial and federal responsibilities matters.
Municipal government is only one part of the housing picture. City decisions around planning, land use, zoning, infrastructure and development can influence how communities grow, while many other factors are outside municipal control.
Schools are not operated by City Council. School districts have their own responsibilities, while the City can still work with other public bodies when growth and community planning overlap.
Almost anything that affects your experience of the community. Ask a question, share an idea, point out something that isn't working or simply tell Raylene what you think City Council should be talking about.
Absolutely. A healthy community includes people with different experiences and perspectives. Listening shouldn't only mean hearing from people who already agree with you.