Richard (Rich) Coleman, one of British Columbia’s longest-serving MLAs, has a long list of accomplishments within and outside his community of the Township of Langley, including capital projects that help define Langley. He was building community facilities even before he was elected in 1996, and every neighbourhood hosts a school or project that he helped bring to life. Many people know Coleman as the person who delivered the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, LNG Canada’s Final Investment Decision, a visionary project that took years of focus and drive. He knows how to achieve results through collaboration, at every level.

Coleman and his wife Michele have lived in Langley Township for thirty eight years and he believes it’s the best city in which to raise a family, a remarkable community of people he calls the volunteer capital of Canada, built on volunteers and the people who care.

In Langley, people know him as the leader who brought together resources for community amenities. Coleman’s was frequently in the news because he was the minister tasked with speaking for the BC government on every major issue. A problem solver by nature, in government Coleman was responsible for critical events including BC’s response to 9 / 11. He is credited with having the most successful affordable housing program in North America, working in partnership with the private sector. He concluded a successful Softwood Lumber Agreement, reformed policing in BC, and set up an Organized Crime Task Force that was so successful he received death threats from Hell’s Angels. He also designed an innovative solution to Avian flu by using an old farmer’s solution and stopped the flu from crossing the Vedder Canal.