By the time the Fraser Highway Employment Lands plan reached council, Michael Pratt had some prior involvement related to the corridor. Official documents indicate Pratt had some involvement in earlier land-use work in the corridor while at Giesbrecht & Company. An earlier neighbour letter identifies Pratt, then a project manager at the firm, inviting residents to an open house on the Fraser Highway Land Use Study.

When the Township formally launched the Fraser Highway Employment Lands Area Plan, staff did not describe it as a completely new exercise. The Township’s December 2023 report says council had directed staff to prepare a new plan “based on the Fraser Highway Corridor Study completed in 2020.” The same report says that earlier applicant-driven study was not a formal plan, but did provide “useful baseline information,” and that some components could inform the later planning process.

This indicates that the public file has a planning history prior to the Township process. The Township’s November 2024 What We Heard report says Giesbrecht and Co. was one of five interviewees in the engagement process, identified as representing multiple landowners in the plan area. The October 2024 open house itself, however, was hosted by Township staff with support from Urban Systems.

Material shared with The Langley Monitor indicates landowners also received a later Giesbrecht letter after that open house, inviting them to a Nov. 5 meeting and seeking support for proposed zoning changes. This may suggest that private advocacy and the public planning process were occurring during the same period.

Pratt also did not run for office as a slate loyalist. In his 2022 candidate profile, he told voters he would be “a voice for thoughtful planning, independent thinking, and respect for the taxpayer.”

In this case, a councillor had some prior involvement related to the corridor, the Township’s record acknowledged an earlier applicant-driven study, and the same consulting firm remained active as a landowner representative during the public process. 

The Township says council changed direction in March 2025 because of community concerns about the planning boundaries and the need for more specific land-use designations. By December 2025, council endorsed a Reference Plan instead, with future Regional Growth Strategy amendment applications to proceed site by site.

That is what makes the Fraser Highway file notable. He was not a councillor with no prior connection to the corridor. He had some prior involvement in planning work related to the area.