Gail Chaddock-Costello NDP Candidate Nominee Fort Langley/Aldergrove

Brief Biography Who am I and what have I done?

Origin/Birth Place: Halifax, Nova Scotia Education: BA, B.ED, and M.ED. Doctoral Candidate Employment History: Started as a Social Service Worker, then onto education where I have taught at risk students at all grade levels, provided services as a district coordinator and assistant superintentend, school based administrator, Ministry of BC Curricular Evaluator and Adjuct Professor. Current Employment: President, Langley Teachers Association Personal: Married to George Costello and together we have four children Home: Fort Langley, BC since July 1995 Recent Community/Professional Campaigns/Projects: Langley Special Education Inquiry; Community Forum on At Risk Students & Services; Social Justice Regional Conference; Community Dialogues on Debt re: School Board Budget; engagement with Township Mayor and Council regarding protection of old growth forest in Glen Valley and stating my opposition to the proposed three story business centre in Fort Langley at the old IGA site.

Why am I running to represent you? What can I offer to address your concerns?

I am seeking the candidate nomination in Fort Langley/Aldergrove because I believe the skills I have acquired professionally are transferrable and beneficial in the political realm. Representing teachers, negotiating on their behalf and advocating for social justice issues are clearly political in their own right. I have demonstrated on numerous local and provincial projects that I can identify issues, work with a team to develop the vision and produce positive, tangible results. Several local union presidents have already signed on to my team to help with new member recruitment, and friends and local community leaders have assisted with the distribution of my initial materials. I know I have support, a proven track record and a positive public profile which will benefit the NDP when we enter into full campaign mode in 2013. The Langley Special Education Inquiry is one example. Following four years of significant funding cuts the cracks in the education system were evident. I began with an idea to create a video that generated a grant to conduct local research with provincial applications. We held local community dialogues/hearings, forums and the research culminated two years later in the production of an Inquiry Report. This document was presented publically, provincially and with support from MLA Robin Austin, to the Minister of Education. The desired results were not immediately forthcoming. However, I met this spring with the Superintendent of Langley Schools to finalize a $2 million spending plan for 2012/13, targeted solely on the most urgent needs for at risk students in the Langley school system. Its a beginning and a positive step forward. I know that systemic change takes time, effort and the combined energy and commitment of many people. I have the organizational, educational and personal attributes to work with you and our community to address our local issues and to work on broader provincial issues which matter to all British Columbians. Our constituency has varied concerns, ranging from the need to improve regional public transportation services, protect our ground water, our old growth forests, our Agricultural Land Reserves, plan with families in mind for expansion and growth of the recreational and business sectors, generate local employment, and work to expand access to educational opportunities for our children at our universities, colleges and apprenticeship programs. We also need to look provincially at the impact legislation has on all British Columbians when public corporations are sold, when raw resources are exported with no value added resulting in lost employment, lost tax revenues and lost growth for BC.

Together we can tackle the issues that matter most to us; I am willing to work with you to move forward to a brighter BC, focused on the needs of BC citizens.
NDPGailChadCostello http://GailChaddockCostello.blogspot.ca