Surrey Now January 20 2015

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BC Hydro projectdeemed ‘nightmare’

PASSAGESSubstation ‘essential’ to meet Surrey’sgrowing power demands but womansays construction is killing her farm.

ADRIAN MACNAIR, 13‘WONDERFUL MAN’REMEMBERED 4

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Contractor showsoff cooking skillsDavid Jorge, who runs Surrey’sAvante Concrete, lands a spoton CTV’s MasterChef Canada

KRISTI ALEXANDRA, 5

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015YOUR NO. 1 SOURCE FOR NEWS, SPORTS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT THENOWNEWSPAPER.COM

S U R R E Y - N O R T H D E L T A E D I T I O N

COVER STORY

MENTALHEALTHMISSION

North Delta’s Morgan Forry istravelling across Western Canada

in effort to convince feds to establishministry devoted to mental health

STORY BY ADRIAN MACNAIR, 3

Morgan Forry has been travelling across B.C. and the Yukon to get signatures for a petition to introduce a federal ministry devoted to mental health. (Photo: ADRIAN MACNAIR)

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A02 TuesdAy, JAnuAry 20, 2015 THe neWsPAPer.COM

A section about interesting people, events and issues in our community.

ENGAGE

Sign here for a healthier countryMental health

Adrian MacNairNow staffTwitter @adrianmacnair

Whenever Morgan Forry can stringtogether enough hours at hispart-time drywalling job, he

takes the money and hops on a Greyhoundbus with his petition in hand.

Travelling to cities and towns throughoutB.C., Alberta and the Yukon, Forry hascollected 2,800 signatures since last Marchwhich he hopes will compel the federalgovernment to create a ministry for peoplewith disabilities and mental health issues.

Diagnosed at 12 with bipolar disorder,today the 43-year-old has his good days andhis bad days when he needs to “isolate” andcan’t go to his job.

“When I’m down and out and can’t work,(my boss) understands that,” says Forry,who is currently homeless and couch-surfing among friends.

Forry says the problem is a lack of servicesfor people with a mental illness, particularlyin after-hour care when psychiatrists andclinics aren’t open.

“I’m going to the federal governmentbecause none of the provincial governmentsare taking care of the task at hand,” he said.

With nowhere to go after-hours or onweekends, Forry says the hospital emergencyroom intakes strain resources in health care.

And often when mentally ill people havenowhere to go, they try to self-medicatewith illegal narcotics, adds Forry, whospeaks from personal experience. Althoughhe’s clean and sober now, he says theoriginal problem of a lack of services hasnot been resolved.

“I know a lot of friends right now thathave got off the streets and are completelyclean of the addictions and everything like

that. They have mental health issues butthey have nothing to go to.”

Judy Gray, executive director for the Deltabranch of the Canadian Mental HealthAssociation (CMHA), says the municipalityis lacking in services for both homeless andpeople with mental illness.

“We have a hospital that does not havepsychiatric beds or services so peoplehave to be transferred to Surrey MemorialHospital,” she says, adding police officers arethen spending time in Surrey which leavesthe force shorthanded in Delta.

Delta Police Chief Jim Cessford hasspoken publicly many times about theneed for more mental health fundingbecause his officers are often left facingthe consequences. Between 2010 and 2012,

Delta Police attended 138 suicide attemptsand, of those, all but one had prior contactwith officers.

Compounding the problem, any homelessoutreach is handled by agencies in WhiteRock or Surrey because of a lack of sheltersin Delta, says Gray.

“Certainly there’s gaps in services andthere’s a lot of people in different non-profits trying to support the gaps andtrying to look at resolutions and work inconjunction with the ministries and healthregions to improve the services,” she adds.

The CMHA is working with localbranches throughout the province tobring forward questions surroundingsupportive housing when the BC Chamberof Commerce holds its annual cabinet

ministers breakfast series in May.Newton-North Delta MP Jinny Sims

met Forry last November during a townhall meeting in Strawberry Hill on mentalhealth and suicide. Sims says people fromall different ethnicities and backgroundsattended the meeting, some driving from asfar away as Mission.

“I don’t think there was a dry eye in thathouse as people talked about the lack ofservices and support for those sufferingfrom mental health issues,” she recalls.

Sims says she’s committed to helpingForry submit his petition to parliament inthe coming weeks, but adds what’s reallyneeded is a national action plan with a focuson getting to services first.

“If we fine tune the ministries that wehave and get them to focus on the servicesthat we have then I’m OK with that. For meit’s more about providing services and thisis a major issue that all levels of governmentneed to work on together.”

Sims says it shouldn’t be difficult toconvince those politicians of the need tocooperate, adding research shows mentalhealth issues are on the rise and many socialproblems faced by communities relate backto a deficit in services.

“It would be a lot more economicallysound and socially progressive to providethem with the services to address the mentalhealth issue.”

Forry says his goal is to visit everyprovince in the country to spread hismessage but doesn’t have the money andstruggles with homelessness.

“The hardest thing is that people whoare mentally ill who are homeless can’t getsupport,” he says.

By providing a ministry dedicated tothe mentally ill and providing after hourservices and support, Forry says ultimatelyeverybody will see the benefit.

“They’ll save taxpayer money, they’llclear up those hospital beds and not justthat but we’ll have healthier communitiesthroughout our country.”

[email protected]

North Delta mancalls on feds to createmental health ministry

North Delta resident Morgan Forry, who lives with a mental illness, has been travellingacross B.C. and the Yukon to get signatures for a petition to introduce a federal ministrydevoted to mental health. (Photo: ADRIAN MACNAIR)

NORTH DELTA — This year’s LauraSzendrei Walk, Run & Roll event couldreally rock, if Brian White has his way.

Plans are to expand the annual eventinto a day-long music festival at theNorth Delta Secondary track.

The fifth annual event

(Lswalkrunroll.com) will be held onSunday, June 14.

“We’d like to have the run in themorning and then continue withbands and performers on a stage in theafternoon and into the evening,” saidWhite, president of Laura SzendreiMemorial Scholarship FoundationSociety.

White said the school track is well-suited for a music festival, with a grass

berm for seating.“North Delta has never hosted

something like this, so we’d like to doit and turn the event into somethingreally special,” White added.

The memorial fundraiser is held inhonour of Szendrei, a North Delta teenmurdered in September 2010.

She was 15.On Jan. 13, members of the Szendrei

foundation were at University of

Victoria to donate $25,000 as part ofa new scholarship endowment forthe women’s soccer program there.These funds were then matched by ananonymous donor, with an additional$10,000 from the athletics department,totalling $60,000 in scholarship money.Preference for award winners will go tostudent-athletes from Delta with strongleadership and community service.

[email protected]

Music festival in works as part of Laura Szendrei memorial eventNorth Delta

Laura Szendrei

Tom ZillichNow stafftwitter@tomzillich

I don’t think there was a dry eye in that houseas people talked about the lack of services andsupport for those suffering from mental health.

Jinny Sims

THe neWsPAPer.COM TuesdAy, JAnuAry 20, 2015 A03

ENGAGE

Tom ZytarukNow staffTwitter @tomzytaruk

SURREY — A Surrey treasure has died.Al Cleaver, 88, died Thursday morning at

Surrey Memorial Hospital.The former Surrey fire chief received the

2010 Surrey Civic Treasures award for hiscommunity work.

Over the years, he served on Surrey’sHeritage Advisory Committee, SurreyHistorical Society, Friends of the SurreyMuseum and Archives Society, and theSurrey Professional Firefighters PioneerAssociation.

“It’s a shame about the chief,” said Surreyfire chief Len Garis. “He was a fixture here,definitely engaged and involved.”

Cleaver also served as a president andmember of the Cloverdale Rodeo andExhibition Association, and was a recipientof the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. Healso worked on the Disability Games in 1998

and BC Festival of the Arts in 2002A park in North Surrey is named after

him.“We’ll miss him,” Surrey Mayor Linda

Hepner said. “He was a great guy, always asmile on his face. He was a wonderful man.”

Cleaver was hired as a Surrey firefighterin 1958 and served as fire chief from 1972to 1986.

Longtime residents might remember hisbeaver suit – Cleaver the Beaver – whichhe used for fire safety education events inthe 1980s, back when Surrey’s mascot was abeaver.

A memorial service will be held Monday,Jan. 26 at Valley View Funeral Home (1466072 Ave., Surrey), from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

[email protected]

Al Cleaver remembered as ‘always having a smile’Passages

Al Cleaver, 88, died Thursday morning at Surrey Memorial Hospital. A memorial serviceis being held Monday, Jan. 26 at Valley View Funeral Home in Surrey. (Photo submitted)

Memorial for formerfire chief to be heldJan. 26 in Surrey

We’ll miss him.He was a great guy,always a smileon his face. He wasa wonderful man.


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Kristi AlexandraNow contributorTwitter @kristialexandra

SURREY — You could be seeinga lot more of David Jorge, a localcontractor, husband and father of two,in the coming months.

Jorge, who runs Surrey’s AvanteConcrete, landed a spot on CTV’sMasterChef Canada competing withthe top 50 home cooks across thecountry. The show, in its secondseason, airs this February.

“Cooking and eating out is basicallymy hobby, besides work and family.That’s what I do for fun, is cook. I wasalways a real cooking competitionfanatic or nerd, I’ve always watchedthose types of shows and thoughtmaybe I could do something like that,”Jorge told the Now.

Jorge was urged by his wife and

sister-in-law to put together anaudition tape last June “and it worked,”he said. He was one of six contestantsfrom B.C. to make it into the top 50.

To impress the panel of chefs, Jorgesaid he did a lot to represent his foodtastes and the west coast.

“For the white apron casting, wecould actually create our own dish soI… made a Dungeness crab potatosalad and a miso sablefish, which isJapanese (inspired) and west coast,” hedescribed.

If you’re wondering whether thatdish got the panel to bite, you’ll justhave to watch the show to find out. IfJorge does earn the MasterChef titleand win $100,000, he said he has anidea of what to do with the cash.

“Long term, my food dream wasalways to open up a restaurant. I’mvery passionate about what I do atwork… I love what I do at Avante, butI want to prove myself as a good homecook. If I were to win the title, I wouldwant to use the title and, of course, thefunds to potentially start a restaurantone day. If it were to happen, it wouldbe in Surrey,” he said.

Jorge can be followed at his websiteConcretecook.com, or on Twitter andInstagram at @concrete_cook.

Season 2 of MasterChef Canadapremieres Sunday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.ET/PT on CTV.

[email protected]

From concrete to crab saladTelevision

Surrey’s David Jorge will show off hiscooking skills on ‘MasterChef Canada’in February.

Surrey contractorscores a spot on TV’s‘MasterChef Canada’

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The Editor,Re: “French immersion pour la

bourgeoise,” the Now, Jan 15.As a parent of a child in the Surrey

French immersion program, I wasoffended and saddened to read AdrianMacNair’s column on why parents enroltheir children in French immersion.

I am 42 and I was also in Frenchimmersion in as a youth. I now have twodaughters, 10 and 12, who I enrolled.

I feel MacNair’s opinion is somewhatshallow, in that he feels that we parentsof French immersion students are “TypeA” and are only looking to segregate ourchildren in hopes of a higher education(or in his words a “publicly fundedbackdoor ticket to a private schooleducation).

Wow. Why can’t we, as taxpayers, want

a better education for our children?Children in Europe and Asian

countries are all learning two, three andeven four different languages in school.That alone puts them at an advantagelater in life when it comes to applyingfor a job.

And, given that our country is abilingual nation (French and Englishthe last time I checked), would it notmake sense to help better educateour entire nation by enabling themto speak another language, especiallyone that is spoken around the worldinternationally?

If you do a consensus, I’m sure youwould find many parents of Frenchimmersion students are more involvedwith their children’s schools. Why?Because we care about our children’s

future. If it’s our job as parents to raiseour children right to become valuablecontributing members of our societyand country, why criticize us for helpingthem get one extra tool/ability to add totheir resumés?

Yes, if looking at sheer numbers,Mandarin and Punjabi might be spokenby more people, but not in as manydifferent countries of the world.

Do I speak French every day? No. CanI hold a conversation? Yes. Does it makeme better than a non-French-speakingperson? No. Just simply a different skillon my own personal resumé.

Let’s embrace French immersion andwork toward a better educated nation asa whole.

Orianne Jangula, Surrey

Not all canafford to vote‘yes’ to tax

Address: The Surrey Now, #201 7889 132nd St., Surrey, B.C. V3W 4N2 Publisher: Gary Hollick

DEBATEOur view

Publisher: Gary Hollick Editor: Beau SimpsonEntertainment Editor: Tom Zillich Sports Editor: Michael BoothReporters/photographers: Tom Zytaruk, Amy Reid, Christopher Poon, Adrian MacNair

The NOW newspaper is a division of LMP Publication LimitedPartnership. You can reach us by phone at 604-572-0064,by email at [email protected] or by mail atSuite 201-7889 132 Street, Surrey, B.C., V3W 4N2

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Distribution: 604-534-6493

Circulation: [email protected] Gary HollickPublisher

Beau SimpsonEditor

Your view

Roughly 70 years ago, during the GreatDepression, Roosevelt signed off on theUnited States Gold Reserve Act which

ordered U.S. citizens to surrender all their gold andgold certificates to the government.

While we’re not quite yet there today – after all,we’re facing a plebiscite and not a governmentorder being foisted on us this spring on the region’stransportation needs – it’s hardly an ideal time, atleast for the “Yes” side, to have a referendum vote onwhether to pay more tax to fund a 10-year multi-billion-dollar plan for Metro Vancouver.

The Canadian Tax Federation notes we’ll beforking out more of our increasingly scarcehousehold cash to all three levels of governmentin 2015. Medical Service Premiums, BC Hydrorates, ICBC, Employment Insurance, and CanadaPension Plan premiums are all going up, as are B.C.Ferry rates.

Late last year, total Canadian household debt,including mortgages, rose to 162.6 per cent ofdisposable income and the average Canadianadult’s personal consumer debt, not includingmortgages, rose to a whopping $28,853.

The ratings agency Fitch has described Canadianlevels of consumer debt “unsustainable.”

This past Friday, Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner wasnamed vice-chairwoman of the TransLink mayors’council and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertsonwas voted its chairman. Both are expected to lobbywith vigor for a “Yes” result in the plebiscite callingfor a new 0.5 per cent regional sales tax to fund allthese transportation plans.

As Hepner notes, Surrey needs light rail, betterbus service and other improvements to fightgridlock. Sure. But people also need food andshelter. And for most of us, our wages have not seenany slightly substantial increase in years.

Robertson and Hepner will not be feeling thepinch so much, however, as they will reportedly bepaid an extra $50,000 each for their new positionson the mayors’ council.

It’s easier to vote “Yes” when you can afford it.The Now

French immersion gives kids leg up


Join the debate on Facebook and Twitter by searching for The Now Newspaper or by emailing [email protected]

DEBATE

How is it that Prime MinisterStephen Harper, who has beenvilified by his political opponents

like few politicians before him, is still thefront-runner when it comes to winning thenext federal election in October?

How can someone who stirs up deeplypassionate and emotional negativeresponses on so many issues still look likethe one to beat come the vote?

There are many reasons to be upset withthe Harper government (and many othergovernments, for that matter). So how can iteven stand a chance of being re-elected?

While political polling has to be takenwith a very large grain of salt these days(given how wrong some of them have beenin recent elections), one can’t simply dismissout of hand a series of polls that put theConservatives firmly in the lead over thefederal Liberals and NDP.

The latest Ipsos-Reid poll for Global Newsgives Harper’s Conservatives 35 per centof the decided vote, while Justin Trudeau’sLiberals are at 31 per cent and ThomasMulcair’s NDP appears to be fading, sittingat just 24 per cent. That Conservative leadseems to be solidifying, if not increasing.How can this be?

Well, first of all, take a look at who actuallyvotes in this country. As I’ve written here anumber of times before, voters tend to be

older and by nature more conservative inoutlook.

Polls often over-represent the views ofyounger people – who don’t vote in nearlythe same numbers as older people – andunder-represent older folks. Online polls,it seems to me, likely don’t reflect the viewsof a great many people who may still feeluncomfortable with the internet and on-linecommunications.

In fact, if your sense of where publicopinion is based on what’s being said online,you are likely getting a very distorted view ofthings.

Go to any major media website, andcheck out the comments (most of themanonymous) posted after political newsstories. Invariably, if they concern federalpolitics at all, Harper is basically referred toas the devil himself (although that is likelyone of the more polite characterizations).

Increasingly, people only listen to or readthings that reinforce their opinions. And so,on something like Facebook for example,people only read what their Facebook friendssend their way – friends who likely view theworld as they do.

Or people will only read or listen to amedia outlet that has a bias that tilts theirway. This is particularly a problem for thosewho are decidedly left-wing or right-wing– they shut out anything that clashes withtheir own views or ideology.

And so the people who are mostvehemently anti-Harper only listen to eachother, and therefore only reinforce their viewthat he is some sort of horrible leader whois about to be deposed. After all, everyone issaying that, so it must be true, right?

The trouble, of course, that if you onlylisten to your limited circle of friends,you’re not getting the full picture. I seemany people gleefully say they don’t reador watch so-called “mainstream media”and only consume media that agrees withtheir viewpoint – as a result, they live in anecho chamber that leads to ignorance anduninformed commentary.

This is a relatively recent phenomenon.The rapid rise of websites, blogs and socialmedia makes living in that echo chamberthat much easier – and that much easierto underestimate a supposedly unpopulargovernment like the Harper one.

Finally, throw in the fact we have threemajor political parties at the federal level,and you can see why the Conservatives willlikely grow more confident as the Octobervote grows nearer.

The Conservative voter base, which hoversaround 40 per cent of the electorate, is fairlyloyal and committed. But there are a fairnumber of folks who are likely comfortablevoting for either the federal Liberals or theNDP, meaning each of those parties can hurteach other through vote splitting (to saynothing of the Green Party adding to thatconfusion).

So, despite all that vitriol and fury directedHarper’s way, he can cling to power withonly a minority of voters backing him– a fact lost in so much of the noise on theInternet and social media, and among peoplewho only listen to those who think just likethem.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter forGlobal B.C. [email protected]

Politics

InTheHouse

Keith Baldrey

Harper can win despite vitriol, furyYour letters

The more languagesthe better, MacNairThe Editor,

Re: “French immersion pour labourgeoise,” the Now, Jan 15.

Adrian MacNair is worried thatparents in Surrey are signing up theirkids for French immersion for thewrong reasons. His suggestion thatlearning Mandarin or Punjabi might bemore useful further indicates he can’tsee the forest for the trees.

As a transplanted European, I amoften astonished at the reluctance ofNorth Americans to become multi-lingual. It would surprise MacNair thatit is possible (and desirable) to learnmore than two languages. The greaterappreciation of other cultures gives aperson a much greater appreciation ofthe world at large. As my grandmotherused to say, “everyone from the villagespeaks three languages, except thevillage idiot. He only speaks two.”

Clive Roberts, Cloverdale

Facebook page OKThe Editor,

Re: “Photos reflect reality,” the Nowletters, Jan. 15.

People should be able to expresstheir own opinions. Linda Hepner hasno control over Facebook. If it’s reallythat bad, do something about it! ThisFacebook page shows we need to domore to keep out city healthy.

Farish Jamal, Surrey


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DEBATE

The Editor,The amount of litter in the front yards,

boulevards and on the streets in the EastClayton neighbourhood is becomingunbearable.

It’s time for people to be responsible andtake individual action to clean up theirspace – and maybe even their neighbour’sspace.

It’s in each owner’s best interest to protecttheir investment and to stop the downward

spiral of becoming a ghetto.Littering is like a progressive disease in

that it feeds on itself. If a neighbourhoodlooks clean, I think people are less likely tolitter.

Parents need to have a talk with theirchildren. People snacking and slurping intheir cars need to take it with them and notthrow it out the window or dump it on thecurb. Dog walkers need to bag their dog’swaste and take it with them for disposal and

not leave doggie bags behind or throw themin the trees.

Renters need to be as responsible asowners, as this is your home too.

We live in a townhouse complex and oftenmake a point of picking up the litter on theperimeter around the complex when wewalk our dog. We will fill a large plastic bagon most days – this need not be the case ifpeople showed respect.

The City of Surrey could help by

providing more garbage cans in hightraffic areas and walking paths. TransLinkshould have garbage cans at all bus stops forsnacking riders.

There has to be a sea change in publicmentality to clean up this area and keep itclean ongoing. Collectively, the residents canmake this happen by being responsible andtaking individual action.

Wally Forder, Surrey

Team effort needed to keep neighbourhoods cleanYour letters


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INFORMBrieflyHealth

Hepner electedvice-chair of transitmayors’ council

SURREY — Surrey Mayor LindaHepner has been named vice-chairwoman of the TransLink mayors’council.

“I think it’s really important forSurrey,” she said. “We have a lot of skinin this game. There’s a lot at stake forSurrey in this.”

Hepner said Surrey will have a “boldand vocal” voice at the council’s table.Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertsonwas voted its chairman.

Hepner defeated Delta Mayor LoisJackson for the job in a secret ballot.

Hepner is campaigning for a “Yes”vote in the plebiscite calling for anew 0.5 per cent regional sales tax tofund $2.5 billion in transportationimprovements over 10 years.

Hepner said the city needs light rail,expanded bus service, HandyDARTservice and an upgraded PattulloBridge to fight gridlock and other trafficcongestion.

“The benefit of this plan will keepout people moving,” she said. “We needthose upgrades.”

Tom Zytaruk

Harpreet Singhmay run for Tories

SURREY — Surrey journalistHarpreet Singh hopes to square offagainst New Democrat MP Jinny Simsand Liberal candidate Sukh Dhaliwalin this year’s federal election as theConservative candidate for the newriding of SurreyNewton.

TheConservatives’nominationmeeting isexpected to beheld in mid-February, with alocation yet to beannounced.

“I feel stronglythat the time has come to cross the lineand enter federal politics to serve thecommunity,” Singh said.

“I feel that I owe it to the residents ofthis great city that their voices are heardin our nation’s capital.”

Singh has worked as a televisionand radio host, political commentator,writer and producer.

If he wins the Tory nod, Singh’sgeneral election rivals will be formerSurrey Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal andcurrent New Democrat MP Jinny Sims.

Tom Zytaruk

Amy Reid and Tom ZytarukNow staff

CITY CENTRE — Former mayorDianne Watts has been named CEO of anew foundation for Surrey’s InnovationBoulevard.

The Health Tech Innovation Foundationwill oversee the “Innovation Hub” at CityCentre 1, located across 96th Avenue fromSurrey Memorial Hospital, which is set toopen in April.

In September, Watts announced herintention to seek the Conservative MPnomination in South Surrey-White Rock, ariding currently held by Conservative MPRuss Hiebert, who is not seeking re-election.The federal election will be held later thisyear.

‘When the election is called, I will stepaside and focus on the federal election,”Watts said of her “exciting” new job.

The hub is part of Innovation Boulevard,a high-tech health sector occupying onesquare mile of Surrey’s City Centre betweenSimon Fraser University and SurreyMemorial Hospital.

The city hopes to foster a network ofhealth institutions and a communityof talented academics, clinicians andresearchers here.

Innovation Boulevard is focused oncreating new medical devices as well asindependent living and digital healthtechnologies.

“This is a significant milestone forInnovation Boulevard,” said Mayor LindaHepner in a release. “The foundation will

provide the companies with access andsupport for health technology development,research and testing while the additionof former mayor Dianne Watts will bringtremendous value to the position with herlong history and expertise with InnovationBoulevard.”

Health Tech Innovation Foundationwill work with companies to developtechnology to solve specific health-relatedissues with the goal of improving outcomesfor patients. The city says the foundationis currently engaged in talks with 43companies, including three multi-nationaloperations.

For more information visitHealthtechfoundation.com.

[email protected]

[email protected]

Harpreet Singh

Watts named CEO of Innovation foundationSurrey

Christopher PoonNow staffTwitter @Questionchris

SURREY — The province’s busiest ERgot even busier this past weekend afterfacing “unprecedented congestion,” anddifficulties finding beds for patients.

According to an internal staff bulletinobtained by the Vancouver Sun, SurreyMemorial Hospital was facing “the highestvolume of patients in emergency needingadmission without assigned beds,” as wellhas having difficulty finding patients todischarge.

Ken Donohue, director of public affairsfor Fraser Health confirmed the hospitalwas seeing higher than normal volume ofpatients and noted they don’t ever turnpeople away.

“It peaked one day last week at 470patients seen in a day, which, is a hugenumber,” said Donohue, adding a normalday at Surrey ER is usually in the 300s.

On Monday morning, Donohue said thesituation had somewhat settled.

“This isn’t exclusive to Surrey, it’s beingreported at hospitals across the provinceand even North America,” he said.

“What we’re seeing is the severity of theillness is a lot higher than it normally isand that means patients are needing to staylonger in hospital and so obviously thatposes challenges for the hospital and staff.”

Those challenges mean finding spaces forpatients while the usual beds are alreadybeing occupied, which can lead to patientshaving to be stationed in hallways for

treatment and recovery.Donohue admitted those situations are

never ideal but hospital staff do what theycan with what they have.

“The memo that went out to staff wasreally an alert that the entire hospital needsto work together to ensure proper flow-through throughout the hospital,” he said.“When a patient no longer needs hospitalcare it’s important that staff is working todischarge that patient so they can go homeor receive care in the community.”

As for “multiple outbreaks” of illnesseslike Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) andothers, Donohue said only the C. difficileconstituted an outbreak at this point.

“Sometimes people get scared when theyhear outbreak but it’s a word that we usein the case of C. difficile when there’s threeor more cases,” he explained, adding thatenhanced cleaning procedures and transferpractices are then implemented in order to

prevent infection.In terms of a message for the public,

Donohue wanted to remind people that theER operates on a triage system, meaningthose with more serious illnesses are givenpriority when admitted to the ER.

“So if you nave a less serious illness thatmight mean you have to wait a little longer.We appreciate people’s patience in thatregard and we want to let them know staffis always working hard to see people as soonas they can,” he said.

Donohue also wanted to remind thepublic that they can call 811 if they believetheir illness may be less serious, whichwould put them in touch with a nurse.

“You may be able to talk to a nurse aboutyour illness or your condition and you maynot need to go to the emergency,” he said.“There could be other options they couldhelp you with.”

With files from Tiffany Crawford

‘Unprecedented congestion’Situation settles after Surrey Memorial Hospital hit by overcrowding on weekend

A hecticweekendat SurreyMemorialHospitalpeaked with470 patientsin one day. Anormal day isin the 300s.(File photo)


INFORM


SURREY/WHITE ROCK — Surreycouncil is officially committed to holding acampaign to encourage a “yes” vote in theupcoming transit referendum.

The motion was passed unanimously atthe most recent council meeting and fallsin line with the city’s long-term vision forSurrey light rapid transit.

But while Surrey has come out with a firmstance on the matter, White Rock councilhas yet to take an official position.

According to White Rock Mayor WayneBaldwin, council has not yet been able tomeet about the upcoming referendum butnoted they were hopeful TransLink wouldbe able to come in soon to discuss it withthem.

“We’re trying to work out a time forTransLink to come along and give us thelowdown on the referendum, what it entailsand what are the actual takes for the City ofWhite Rock,” he said. “Once council has thatinformation, we’ll be in a better position totake a position on it.”

Baldwin, a member of the TransLinkMayors’ Council, said at first glance WhiteRock would likely derive some decent

benefit if the referendum were to pass, butwould like clarification from TransLinkdirectly.

“What we’d get would be a B-Line busfrom White Rock into a new light rapidtransit station in Surrey, somewhere towardsKing George and Newton,” he said.

“I believe we would get better handyDARTservices and some new buses as well. Theindirect benefits are much bigger probably.”

Baldwin also noted the new PattulloBridge would provide more opportunitiesfor people to take public transit, as “if wedon’t do that, our gridlock situation is goingto be worse so it’ll make it much moredifficult for anyone in White Rock to go outof the city and do anything else.”

Baldwin said something needs to be donesoon, as the region cannot continue as-is formuch longer.

“It’s going to be way, way worse than wecurrently have it,” he predicted. “For thosewho still have to drive and aren’t able touse transit, (the referendum) may directlyreduce the load on the streets. With anothermillion (people) moving into the LowerMainland, people are going to have cars andyou can’t stop them from doing that, so wehave to be prepared for it.”

[email protected]

Surrey will push ‘yes’ vote,White Rock is still unsure

Transit referendum

SEE BREAKINGNEWS ONLINE ATTHENOWNEWSPAPER.COM

Police corral llama on lamSURREY — A Surrey llama enjoyed its 15 minutes of

fame Wednesday afternoon after it escaped from a farmand had a bit of an adventure near 168th Street and 92AAvenue.

“Everybody was calling us,” Surrey RCMP Cpl. BertPaquet said.

Police helped get it back home.“It was on a roadway for a while, and that’s usually

why we care,” Paquet said. “It’s still alive, back in its pen.Police were able to run Bessie the llama back into itsfield, where it is being kept in custody pending furtherinvestigation.”

At the same time Bessie was on the lam, Paquet said,a cow was also on the loose at 88th Avenue and 168thStreet. He said a fellow Mountie tried to herd it off theroad with his car.

“The angry cow proceeded to kick the police vehicleand left a small hoof-sized dent in the front passengerdoor,” Paquet said. “Forensics have been able to link thesuspect’s hoof to the damages, however, the cow ran offinto the forest and police lost visual contact.”

Tom Zytaruk

Surrey

Couple andbaby narrowlyescape car fire

SURREY — A youngSurrey couple escaped withtheir three-week old babyboy just in time beforetheir BMW sedan burstinto flames in Newton onThursday night.

They were travelling inthe neighbourhood of 78thAvenue and 140th Streetat about 8 p.m., after ashopping trip, when the carstarted smoking. After theypulled over, the car burstinto flames.

Nobody was injured.“It appears to be

accidental in nature,” SurreyDeputy Fire Chief Karen Frysaid of the fire. “It appearsto be electrical.”

Tom Zytaruk

Surrey


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An evening of inspirational readings, music and a candle lighting ritual tosupport and encourage those who experienced the death of a loved one.

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INFORM

METRO VANCOUVER — Port containertruckers are warning they could go on asecond strike in less than a year over claimsthat the promises ending the first workstoppage have never been met.

Unifor national president Jerry Dias,whose union represents 300 containertruckers in Metro Vancouver, said theundercutting of industry-wide rates bycompanies not abiding to the terms of theagreement is once again threatening labourpeace.

“So they’re showing both the provincialand federal governments their middle fingersand the government doesn’t have the guts todo anything about it,” said Dias.

The undercutting of rates also putshonest companies at an unfair competitivedisadvantage, further putting truckers at riskadded Dias.

“You can’t meet with all of thestakeholders, agree and celebrate thatwe have now stabilized the industry byestablishing a floor for rates to make sure

that there’s no undercutting and then donothing to implement it,” he said.

Container truckers serving Metroports in Delta, Surrey, Vancouver, andNorth Vancouver, went on strike for onemonth in March and April 2014 to protestundercutting, low wages and long wait timesat terminals.

The strike came to an end after theprovince, the federal government, PortMetro Vancouver and the union representingtruckers negotiated an agreement with thehelp of labour mediator Vince Ready.

The provincial government agreed toincrease trip rates by 10 per cent within onemonth of labour peace, strengthen ratesenforcement and expand terminal operatinghours to reduce wait times.

But Unifor claims that a new fee structureintroduced by the province in Decemberunder the Container Trucking Act offers

trucking companiesthe choice to paytheir drivers hourlyor by a flat rate,which Dias said will cost drivers $1,000 amonth.

In a statement released by the Ministryof Transportation and Infrastructure, thenew legislation will establish a rate structurethat ensures truckers are paid fairly for theirwork.

“We believe this is the right starting point– allowing the Lower Mainland’s containertrucking industry to move forward to ensurethe continued efficient operation and globalcompetitiveness of Port Metro Vancouver,which is critical to a robust provincial andnational economy,” reads the statement.

The ministry said it recognizes thattruckers have identified some areas wherethey would like to see the regulation

changed, and will look at those items overthe next couple of weeks.

The ministry also intends to appointa new, independent container truckingcommissioner to provide oversight to theindustry. The commissioner would beresponsible for future rate setting, oversightof the audit and enforcement function andfuture licensing. He or she would also bedirected to engage with labour and industryleaders through a committee to informfuture decisions impacting the stability andcompetitiveness of the sector, according tothe ministry.

Meanwhile over the next two weeksDias said he would be meeting with B.C.’stransportation minister, Todd Stone, andfederal transport minister Lisa Raitt to avertanother strike.

The union president added the situationcould be remedied if the province wouldsimply crack down on trucking companiesnot living up to the terms of the 2014agreement.

“This isn’t very complicated. All you needto do is pull the license of three or four orfive of them and watch what happens.”

[email protected]

Unifor strike threat puts Metro’s ports on noticeLabour dispute

Jerry Dias


So they’re showing both the provincialand federal governments their middlefingers and the government doesn’t havethe guts to do anything about it.


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INFORM


FLEETWOOD — It was two inthe morning on Jan. 9 when the firstof two transformers weighing 114metric tonnes arrived at the ruralconstruction site where Surrey’s newestBC Hydro substation is being built.

The massive machinery weighedthe equivalent of a fully-loaded 200-passenger 747 jumbo jet at takeoff andrequired a 128-wheel flatbed truck todeliver it from Fraser Surrey Docks,where it had arrived three weeks agofrom a factory in China.

Greg Reimer, executive vice-president of transmission anddistribution for BC Hydro, said the$94-million project in Fleetwood isone of four major capital projectsin Surrey over the next four or fiveyears to meet population growthprojections.

“Reliable power is essential togrowth,” said Reimer. “To allow theeconomy to grow, the electrical systemneeds to kind of keep up with it. In factwe need to be one step ahead of that.”

According to projections, Surreyis expecting a 30 per cent increasein population over the next 10 yearswith a two-fold increase in electricitydemand over the next three decades.

Reimer said the substation, whichwill become operational in October,will allow BC Hydro to decommissionfour aging substations across theirinfrastructure network.

But farmer Penny Beck, whose horseranch is directly adjacent to the siteat the base of 156th Street, said theproject has been a nightmare sinceconstruction began last January.

For the first eight months, she said,construction crews worked with heavy

machinery spewing dust and makingnoise at all hours of the day and night.The effect on her farm was noticeablewhen she was unable to sell her usualcrop of blackberries and strawberries.

“We could not sell any of ourblackberry crop this year becauseit was too dusty,” said Beck, whosefamily has been on the land since 1975.“(People) don’t want dirty berries, theywon’t touch them.”

The noise and dust has created stresson her horses as well, according tothe farmer who raises yearlings thatfrighten easily. She claims that the netresult is likely bankruptcy.

She’s also worried about the lossof habitat for wildlife, claiming redtail hawks, bald eagles, coyotes, blacksquirrels, hummingbirds, screech owlsand other animals have disappearedsince the project began.

Beck said she’s not the onlydisgruntled resident. One localresident and nature photographer hasdocumented the loss of trees on hiswebsite, Stephenbolwell.com.

Most disturbing of all, Beck saidthe substation is being built onprime agricultural land. BC Hydroreceived special permission from theAgricultural Land Commission toremove the farmland from the reserveand build over it.

However, Reimer said the project hasan environmental plan and managersto ensure proper compliance.

“I’ve been out to the sites anumber of times to see progressas we started construction and tomake sure we’re taking all the stepsnecessary to mitigate the impacts tothe environment, noise, dust and theresidents in that area,” he said.

Reimer added that the projectoperates within the city’s noise bylawsand makes use of a water truck for dustsuppression.

The substation is located just behindSurrey Lake Park near the SerpentineRiver floodplain and along an existingtransmission line.

[email protected]

With files from Amy Reid

Hydro project reaches milestone,but farmer says it’s a ‘nightmare’

Fleetwood

Penny Beck feeds one of her horses on the farmland she’s owned in Fleetwoodfor the past 40 years. Her property lies beneath powerlines leading to a BC Hydrosubstation under construction nearby. (Photo: ADRIAN MACNAIR)


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PLAY

SURREY — For the third time in fouryears, the Tamanawis Wildcats senior boys’basketball team has been crowned best inthe city after winning the Surrey RCMPBasketball Classic.

In the final game of the 24th annualtournament Saturday (Jan. 17), the Wildcatsdefeated Southridge Storm 73-65 at EnverCreek Secondary.

Co-coach Doug McKenzie said he wasvery satisfied with the effort his teamshowed over the five-day tournament, butis more looking forward to next week’s BillKushnir Invitational and their remainingleague games.

“It’s great to win the tournament, butwe want to get better every week,” he said.“We’re very proud of what the boys did, butwe’ve got bigger goals. This is just a greatstepping stone along the way towards abigger goal.”

Even though Southridge is a Double Aschool, the Wildcats never considered theiropponents underdogs.

“Playing teams like Fleetwood Park inthe semifinal and teams like Southridge inthe final, they’re going to make us a betterteam,” said co-coach Par Bains. “That was aheck of a game, and we learned a lot.”

Southridge’s Hunter Hughes was namedtournament MVP after the Grade 11 studentput up an incredible 30 points, 23 reboundsand five blocks in the final.

“We knew Hunter (Hughes) was going tobe a handful, and they have other kids whoare tough and work hard,” McKenzie added.

Storm coach Steve Anderson said the losshurt his team because they feel like they canbeat anyone on any day. Southridge defeatedSullivan Heights, Semiahmoo and LordTweedsmuir to make it to the final.

“That’s easy to say, but we’re a proud groupand we think we can beat anybody. Are wehappy that we made it to the final? Yes, butwe’re not happy that we didn’t win it.

“We work very hard,” Anderson added.“We compete and we know that we’ll lace upour shoes like anybody else and we’ll get outand play. We don’t care about what level orhow big the other school is or how small theschool is.”

The loss has to be a learning experiencefor his squad as they look to make a

statement later in the season, the coachadded.

“We’re going to have to draw back fromall of the lessons we’ve learned from thistournament and put it forth when we go toValleys and, hopefully, provincials,” he said.

Tamanawis guards Sagar Dulay andMiguel Tomley joined Hughes as first-teamall stars.

Dulay, whose brother Manny was namedMVP of the 2012 tournament, said it feelsgood to join the company of his sibling, andhe’s glad the team can turn to him.

“You have to come up big sometimes foryour team, and it feels good when you do it,”he said.

Tomley, a Grade 9 student, was happyto be named a tourney all-star, but was farmore satisfied with the team’s success.

“It feels cool, but I’m more happy withour championship than anything,” Tomleysaid. “First-team all-star is good, but I don’treally care about individual accolades asmuch as I care about our team.”

In the junior boys’ division, Tamanawisdefended its title with a 62-53 victory overLord Tweedsmuir.

It is the first time in tournament historythe same school defended both junior andsenior titles.

[email protected]

Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic

Tamanawis Wildcats still kings of court

Kyle BenningNow contributorTwitter @kbbenning

Tweedsmuir Panthers earned a 69-43 victory over Fleetwood Park Dragons in the bronze-medal game Saturday at the Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic. Here, Tweedsmuir’s K.J.Johnson (left) rejects Fleetwood Park’s Rajan Bir (#35). (Photo: GORD GOBLE)

Newton school againwins two banners afterjuniors and seniors repeatas Surrey’s best teams

GUILDFORD — Holy Cross Crusaders basketballteams didn’t have much luck over the weekendwhen they hosted the B.C. Catholic BasketballChampionships, as both the senior boys and seniorgirls lost in their respective finals on Saturday (Jan. 17).

The senior boys lost 66-53 to Vancouver Collegedespite leading 31-26 at halftime.

The Fighting Irish won the title with dominancedown low and took advantage of the Crusaders’

turnovers. The away side was able to pick up twiceas many offensive rebounds, with a total of 16 moreboards.

The eventual champions outscored Holy Cross by12 points on turnovers.

Keegan Konn led the Crusaders in minutes andscored a game-high 23 points, while Matt Narvaezput up 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and apair of steals for the Irish.

Vancouver College defeated the Archbishop CarneyStars and Saint Patrick Celtics on the way to the title,

We’re very proud of whatthe boys did, but we’vegot bigger goals. This isjust a great steppingstone along the waytowards a bigger goal.

Crusaders lose Catholicprovincials on home court

Tournament at Holy Cross

Kyle BenningNow contributorTwitter @kbbenning

see › page 15

Holy Cross Crusaders fans drum up support for the home teamduring a game Friday (Jan. 16) at the B.C. Catholic BasketballChampionships tournament. (Photo: GORD GOBLE)


while Holy Cross beat St. John Brebeuf Bearsand St. Thomas More Knights to qualify forthe final game.

In the girls’ division, the Crusaders fell tothe Immaculata Mustangs 78-41 on homecourt.

Holy Cross struggled early in the game,scoring just four points in the opening frame.

Emma Johnson and Ashlyn Day both hadmonster days for the Mustangs, the formerrecording 33 points, eight rebounds, sevenassists and seven steals while the latter racked

up 25 points, three assists and three steals.Holy Cross superstar Nicole Vander Helm

scored a team-high 17 points, eight reboundsand six assists.

Similar to the boys’ game, it was turnoversthat made the difference, as the Crusadersgave up the ball 43 times while the Mustangsturned the ball over only 21 times. It resultedin 31 more points scored from turnovers forthe Kelowna school.

Holy Cross was the defending championsin this tournament in both the boys and girlsdivisions.

[email protected]

Holy Cross girls fall to Kelowna school in finals

PLAY

‹ from page 14


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Join the debate on Facebook and Twitter by searching for The Now Newspaper or by emailing [email protected]

DEBATE

How is it that Prime MinisterStephen Harper, who has beenvilified by his political opponents

like few politicians before him, is still thefront-runner when it comes to winningthe next federal election in October?

How can someone who stirs up deeplypassionate and emotional negativeresponses on so many issues still look likethe one to beat come the vote?

There are many reasons to be upset withthe Harper government (and many othergovernments, for that matter). So how canit even stand a chance of being re-elected?

While political polling has to be takenwith a very large grain of salt these days(given how wrong some of them havebeen in recent elections), one can’t simplydismiss out of hand a series of polls thatput the Conservatives firmly in the leadover the federal Liberals and NDP.

The latest Ipsos-Reid poll for GlobalNews gives Harper’s Conservatives 35per cent of the decided vote, while JustinTrudeau’s Liberals are at 31 per cent andThomas Mulcair’s NDP appears to befading, sitting at just 24 per cent. ThatConservative lead seems to be solidifying,if not increasing. How can this be?

Well, first of all, take a look at whoactually votes in this country. As I’vewritten here a number of times before,voters tend to be older and, by nature, moreconservative in outlook.

Polls often over-represent the views ofyounger people – who don’t vote in nearlythe same numbers as older people – andunder-represent older folks. Online polls,it seems to me, likely don’t reflect the viewsof a great many people who may still feeluncomfortable with the internet and on-line communications.

In fact, if your sense of where publicopinion is based on what’s being saidonline, you are likely getting a verydistorted view of things.

Go to any major media website, andcheck out the comments (most of themanonymous) posted after political newsstories. Invariably, if they concern federalpolitics at all, Harper is basically referred toas the devil himself (although that is likelyone of the more polite characterizations).

Increasingly, people only listen to or readthings that reinforce their opinions. And so,on something like Facebook for example,people only read what their Facebookfriends send their way – friends who likely

view the world as they do.Or people will only read or listen to a

media outlet that has a bias that tilts theirway. This is particularly a problem for thosewho are decidedly left-wing or right-wing– they shut out anything that clashes withtheir own views or ideology.

And so the people who are mostvehemently anti-Harper only listen toeach other, and therefore only reinforcetheir view that he is some sort of horribleleader who is about to be deposed. After all,everyone is saying that, so it must be true,right?

The trouble, of course, that if you onlylisten to your limited circle of friends,you’re not getting the full picture. I seemany people gleefully say they don’t reador watch so-called “mainstream media”and only consume media that agrees withtheir viewpoint – as a result, they live in anecho chamber that leads to ignorance anduninformed commentary.

This is a relatively recent phenomenon.The rapid rise of websites, blogs and socialmedia makes living in that echo chamberthat much easier – and that much easierto underestimate a supposedly unpopulargovernment like the Harper one.

Finally, throw in the fact we have threemajor political parties at the federal level,and you can see why the Conservatives willlikely grow more confident as the Octobervote grows nearer.

The Conservative voter base, whichhovers around 40 per cent of the electorate,is fairly loyal and committed. But thereare a fair number of folks who are likelycomfortable voting for either the federalLiberals or the NDP, meaning each of thoseparties can hurt each other through votesplitting (to say nothing of the Green Partyadding to that confusion).

So, despite all that vitriol and furydirected Harper’s way, he can cling topower with only a minority of votersbacking him – a fact lost in so much of thenoise on the Internet and social media,and among people who only listen to thosewho think just like them.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter forGlobal B.C. [email protected]

Politics

InTheHouse

Keith Baldrey

Harper may windespite vitriol, fury

Your letters

If your sense of wherepublic opinion is basedon what’s being saidonline, you are likelygetting a very distortedview of things.

The Editor,What a ridiculous concept to raise

the sales tax in all of B.C. to fund transitinitiates in Vancouver. The TransLink taxgrab has only benefited the people north ofthe Fraser River for the past 25 years.

Surrey, has shouldered all the high costsof commuting and extra TransLink gastaxes, now made even higher with tolls ontwo bridges and a third on the way.

Give us a break. They are threatening“no Broadway corridor rapid transit” if thereferendum is not passed. I say, “Who cares?”

Vancouver cares. So what?I have lived in Surrey for more than 25

years and am still waiting for the brokenpromises to be made good.

Surrey’s new mayor Linda Hepner wasnamed vice-chair of TransLink’s mayors’council to get the “Yes “vote.

A stacked TransLink board – what a joke.Surrey now has almost the same populationas Vancouver – time to make good onbroken promises for our rapid transitcorridor through to Langley (promised 25years ago), before Vancouver gets a fifthrapid transit line. Hey, why not just makeall the drivers in B.C. pay the TransLink gastax? That’s fair too, isn’t it? Or why not tollall the bridges in B.C.? Vote no.

Paul Fitzgerald, Surrey

French immersioncolumn nailed itThe Editor,


I am so thrilled and happy with AdrianMacNair’s column exposing the bourgeoiseattitude regarding French immersion.

I completely agree that it is a formof segregation from the “mainstream”population. However, from my experiencewith friends and family, the education thatone receives from French immersion is inno way superior. OK, so you know howto ask, “Ou est la bibliotheque?” but that’s

about it. It is demanded that you speak onlyin French and learning skills such as math,and science are secondary to speaking thelanguage.

In fact, it has been my experience thatevery student I have known who has leftFrench immersion (for whatever reason)when placed in a “regular” public schoolclassroom, struggled at their grade levelbecause they did not have the set of skillsthat they needed and would have received ifthey had attended a regular classroom.

Where we are situated in Canada,knowing French as a second language is alow priority. I can say this because I haveFrench as a second language (and as a sidenote, the base of my French knowledgestems from a mainstream, regular, publicschool. When I lived in France, I seemedto do OK). Thank you again, Adrian, forshedding a light on this form of elitism.

Danielle Carey

The more languagesthe better, MacNairThe Editor,


Adrian MacNair is worried that parentsin Surrey are signing up their kids forFrench immersion for the wrong reasons.His suggestion that learning Manderinor Punjabi might be more useful furtherindicates he can’t see the forest for the trees.

As a transplanted European, I am oftenastonished at the reluctance of NorthAmericans to become multi-lingual. Itwould surprise MacNair that it is possible(and desirable) to learn more than twolanguages. The greater appreciation ofother cultures gives a person a much greaterappreciation of the world at large. As mygrandmother used to say, “everyone fromthe village speaks three languages, except thevillage idiot. He only speaks two.”

Clive Roberts, Cloverdale

Onereader saysTransLinkhas noright toask Surreyfor morecash. (Filephoto)

Surrey already paysits fair share to TransLink

THe neWsPAPer.COM TuesdAy, JAnuAry 20, 2015 As07

INFORM

WHITE ROCK — The South Surrey &White Rock Chamber of Commerce haveannounced the finalists for its 16th AnnualBusiness Excellence Awards.

❚ In the one to seven employee category,the finalists are EPR White Rock, ADISABenefits Solutions Inc. and Pelican RougeCafé.

❚ For eight to 14 employees, the finalistsare Westland Insurance, Moby DickRestaurants and GS & Company.

❚ For businesses with 15 or moreemployees it’s between Whitecliff by Revera,We Care Home Health Services, EnduranceWind Power Inc. and Save on Foods WhiteRock.

❚ For the New Business of the Yearcategory the four finalists are LegalShield,All of Oils, Wholesome Oils and Vinegarsand Sticky’s Candy.

❚ There are three contenders for the Non-Profit Organization of the Year, with White

Rock South Surrey Hospice Society, WhiteRock Museum & Archives and the SeniorsCome Share Society.

❚ The Business Person of the Year categoryhas three finalists, with George Zambus ofCosmos Greek Restaurant, Robert Madsenof White Rock/Surrey U-Lock Mini Storageand John Dale Bradford of Bradford &Green Law Office.

❚ For Business Person of the Year(Corporate) the finalists are Jeri Coxof Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, GuyDorchester of Morgan Crossing White Spotand Michael Braun of DMCL LLP.

The winners will be announced at the16th Annual Business Excellence Awardson Jan. 29 at the Hazelmere Country Club.Tickets to the event are $98 per person or$760 per table of eight and can be purchasedonline at Sswrchamberofcommerce.ca or bycalling 604-536-6844 ext. 201.

Now staff

Finalists announced forbusiness excellence awards

Business


WHITE ROCK — WhileSurrey has committed tosupporting a “yes” votein the upcoming transitreferendum, White Rockcouncil has yet to take anofficial position.

White Rock Mayor WayneBaldwin said council has notyet been able to meet aboutthe referendum but notedthey were hopeful TransLinkwould be able to come insoon to discuss it with them.

“Once council has thatinformation we’ll be in abetter position to take a

position on it.”Himself a member of the

TransLink Mayors’ Council,Baldwin said at first glanceWhite Rock would likelyderive some decent benefit ifthe referendum were to pass,but would like clarificationfrom TransLink directly.

“What we’d get would bea B-Line bus from WhiteRock into a new light rapidtransit station in Surrey,somewhere towards KingGeorge and Newton,” hesaid.

“I believe we would getbetter handy-dart servicesand some new buses as well.The indirect benefits aremuch bigger probably.”[email protected]

White Rock awaits more transit info

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Surrey Now January 20 2015