Finding strength in small-town community
My roots started in small town Ontario where I grew up in a loving family of 4 and a nearby large extended family with many uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins. My family nurtured a love of community and a desire to make the world a better place and this guided me to an undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph.
After many years of being sick, my dad passed away just after my first year of university. It was my love of rowing and the community I found through sport that would carry me through the next few hard years to continue my degree.
Finding vibrancy in the city
My husband and I met through varsity rowing competitions and after finishing my degree, we lived together in downtown Toronto while he completed his architecture degree. These years of urban living were formative and we both fell in love with city vibrancy.
Building a career in the trades
After a cottage wedding, Andy and I would adventure across Canada to make our new home on Vancouver Island. Here I found a passion for woodworking, apprenticed and earned my Red Seal in joinery and Andy worked to become a professional architect. Here we would start and raise our family.
Kimberley and parents, 1986
Kimberley and Andy, University of Guelph
Using trade skills at home
Early motherhood, 2017
Surrogacy, 2021
Kimberley, her mother, Andy and their two daughters
Putting down roots in Langford
Our girls were born 17 months apart which made for humble beginnings as Andy and I were in our early careers with modest incomes and no benefits. I took time away from work to save on childcare and we lived small. As soon as we were able to, we bought our first home in Langford. A few years later, my mom moved out to BC and joined our now multigenerational home with cats, dogs and backyard chickens.
Finding purpose in our community
As a family we joined a nonprofit cooperative preschool where I found a leadership opportunity as president and a collective of families that affirmed the power of community and belonging.
I also started a journey as a surrogate with an amazing couple who were born to be parents and together we completed their family. This well supported pregnancy would be the inspiration for advocacy for pelvic floor health in my term as councillor.
“As a parent, I knew I had to model being the change in the world that we want to see.”
Kimberley and her daughters celebrating preschool graduation, 2020
Talking to neighbours during the Langford election campaign, 2022
Working hard for you at city hall and out in the community
Stepping up for local change
In 2022, my girls were getting old enough to engage with the world around them. As a parent, I knew I had to model being the change in the world that we want to see. In the 2022 election, I wanted to offer a new choice and a champion for inclusive policies, safe routes to school, and a better city with good planning and design.
The community that formed around wanting change and a better city was incredibly inspiring and I have carried that energy into the work of the city after being elected. I poured my time into the work of council as well as the many boards and committees where I could show leadership as chair and vice chair.
Looking ahead for Langford
My passion for community is a thread that meaningfully ties my life experiences together and it is what is pushing me to continue serving today.
Langford has spent time planning for a city that meets the needs of current and future generations. There are a lot of tough decisions ahead about how to prioritize what needs to happen next and how to fund the needed changes that keep Langford amazing for decades. I want to focus on the initiatives that build community and make us feel connected all while keeping a close eye on affordability and safety.
Help keep up the momentum
I’m fighting for a city built for people, not developers. As a grassroots movement without big-money backing, we rely entirely on you. If you believe in this vision, please step up today; every contribution is the fuel we need to keep people at the heart of Langford