The Wall family, owners of a Milner farm property where a 67-unit residential subdivision has been proposed, backed numerous candidates for Township council last fall.
The proposal received third reading from Langley Township council on Feb. 13, by a 6-3 margin. In favour were Mayor Jack Froese and Councillors Grant Ward, Charlie Fox, Steve Ferguson, Bev Dornan and Bob Long.
All but Froese and Ferguson received financial backing from the Walls in their 2011 campaigns.
Fox received $500 from 2300 Kingsway Residences, a limited partnership operated by Peter and Bruno Wall. Dornan received $500 from Wall Financial, as did Long. Ward received $500 from 2300 Kingsway Residences.
The Wall limited partnership also gave $500 to unsuccessful candidates Dan Sheel, Misty vanPopta and Rebecca Darnell, as well as $1,000 to unsuccessful mayoral candidate Mel Kositsky, who was a councillor last fall.
The Wall family have owned the property on 72 Avenue, once owned by Vancouver businessman Austin Taylor and operated as a thoroughbred farm, since 1966.
It is within the Agricultural Land Reserve. They have put several development proposals forward over the years, including a golf course.
The successful developers of Vancouver’s Wall Centre and many other properties aren’t the only developers to donate to Township campaigns, nor were their donations, which totalled $4,500, the largest.
Kositsky, who received $70,254 in donations, received $1,000 from John Redekop Construction, which also gave $500 to the Froese campaign. It also donated $250 to Ferguson, $250 to Kim Richter’s campaign. $500 to Fox, $250 to Long and $1,250 to former mayor Rick Green’s Vote Langley Now (VLN) slate.
Kositsky got $2,500 from Trygg Management of Milner, which also donated $1,500 to the Froese campaign. Eric Trygg also operates Foundation Freehold, which donated $250 each to the Ferguson, Fox and Long campaigns, and also donated to several other campaigns.
Realtor Joel Schacter and his wife Sharon donated $6,000 to Kositsky. Schacter does a large amount of business with the development community.
Infinity Properties, a Langley company operated by Robert and Tim Bontkes, gave $3,000 to the Kositsky campaign and $3,000 to VLN. Ferguson, Fox, Dornan and Ward received $500 each. Sheel received $300 and vanPopta $500.
Nordel Construction of Surrey donated $1,000 to Kositsky, $500 to vanPopta and $500 to Ferguson.
84th Avenue Joint Venture, operated by Manny Bains, donated $2,000 to Kositsky, $1,000 to Dornan and $1,000 to Long.
Umber Developments of Surrey gave $1,000 to Kositsky, as did 596466 B.C. Ltd. of 20424 64 Avenue in Langley. The numbered company also gave $600 to the Rebecca Darnell campaign.
Platinum Enterprises of Surrey gave Kositsky, Ferguson and Sheel $640 each. Fox, Ward and Richter received $500 each.
Fort Langley commercial property owner Eric Woodward gave a total of $2,000 to the Froese campaign, $750 to Fox and $500 to Ferguson.
Marcon Developments, owned by Marco Paolella, gave Froese $1,000 and Ferguson $500.
K and T Properties of Surrey gave Froese $1,500, VLN $500, and $250 each to Ferguson, Fox, Long and Richter.
N.R.J. Developments of Abbotsford gave $2,500 to Froese and $1,500 to Dornan.
Other donors to Froese from the development community were Benchmark Properties, $1,500; Lanstone Homes (Woodrow Lane) Ltd., $1,000; Peak Construction of Surrey, $2,000 and Dream Castle Homes of Surrey, $1,000.
Juniper Enterprises, operated by the Berezan family, gave Froese $1,000 and Ferguson $600.
ParkLane Homes gave $2,500 to VLN, $750 to Froese and $500 each to Fox and Ward.
Quorum Construction, operated by Roberto Bosa of Aldergrove, gave $2,500 to VLN. Three other companies from the same address, Hyume Holdings, 0715686 BC Ltd. and Langcorp Developments, also gave $2,500 each to VLN. Ferguson got $500 from Quorum and $2,000 went to Kositsky.
Shato Holdings of Vancouver gave $1,500 to VLN. Other VLN donors were
Bridgeman Construction of Surrey, $1,000; Atlantic Contractors of Surrey, $1,000 and Foxridge Homes of Surrey, $2,000.
Foxridge also donated $500 to the Kositsky campaign and $250 to Fox.
Complete details on all donors to campaigns are available on the Langley Township website.
