Frankly Speaking

Frank Bucholtz photo This development proposal sign went up on 184 Street, shortly after work began on a new high school for Clayton. The new school is expected to open in September, 2018. Fresh on the heels of Premier Christy Clark saying last week that there is no need for a “made in Surrey” solution to the severe overcrowding in some schools, the Surrey Board of Education has unanimously asked the city to stop approving development applications in three neighbourhoods. Grandview, Clayton and South Newton schools are all overcrowded, with portables used to house thousands of students. Meanwhile, the provincial government, which determines when new schools will be built, has been slow to approve new schools for Surrey. This led to the board agreeing unanimously on Thursday (April 21) to ask the city to “temporarily suspend all new development approvals in the Clayton. Grandview/South Surrey and South Newton regions until the Surrey School District receives adequate prov

Water conservation should be a fundamental objective of any government and community, no matter where the water comes from. While B.C. generally has an abundance of water, due to our regular rainy season and lots of snow in the mountains, last year was an exception. Water levels in reservoirs were low and there were lengthy restrictions on water use during the spring, summer and fall months. A delegation to White Rock council reinforced the importance of water conservation last week. Marilyn McArthur said her Beachview Avenue triplex will be charged for using a minimum 12,000 cubic feet of water per quarter, even though the water actually used by the residents is just one-third of that amount. While she has some concern about the extra cost – up quarterly to $610 from $94 – she told councillors that the most important thing is water conservation. “The important thing, I think, is not the fee. It’s the fact that we’re wasting water and people are being overcharged for

Ousted federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair. The federal NDP, assembled in convention in Edmonton, did an unprecedented thing on Sunday. The delegates removed their party leader by a 52 to 48 per cent margin. The loss of confidence in Tom Mulcair which culminated in the historic vote amounted to what National Post columnist Michael den Tandt calls a "day long execution." That's a pretty apt description. While the federal party has been all but torn in half now, this vote will also have a devastating effect on the B.C. NDP, and on NDP provincial parties across the country. The first to be punished will be the Manitoba NDP, now in the midst of an election campaign. Incumbent Premier Greg Selinger (who barely survived a revolt against his leadership) and the party are down significantly in the polls. The Progressive Conservatives seem posed to win big when the Manitoba vote takes place on April 19. In B.C., the next provincial election takes place in May, 2017. The two main

Surrey RCMP Insp. Shawna Baher examines a $4.5 million drug seizure at a press conference on Friday. Photo by Kevin Diakiw/The Surrey-North Delta Leader Surrey RCMP have now been called to 31 shots fired incidents in 2016 – as of Monday afternoon, when the latest shooting took place at 140A Street and 86A Avenue. There may well be more by the time this column is in print in the Peace Arch News on Wednesday, and the Surrey-North Delta Leader on Friday. While there has only been one death as a result of the gunfire thus far, there have been five injuries. Nine buildings have been shot at. Perspective is important. The 30 shots fired incidents represent half of all such incidents reported to police last year. That was a year in which police and members of the public both made it clear there were a staggering number of shots fired. If this year’s incidents continue at the same rate, there will be twice as many in 2016. While most of these incidents are related to drugs, gan

The most important news in the federal budget for residents of Surrey, Delta and White Rock was very good – the federal government will pay 50 per cent of the cost of public transit projects. The South Fraser region is badly served by transit, and the transit deficit keeps growing because of development and population growth. Two big projects designed to help reduce the deficit somewhat are LRT lines. One is scheduled to run from Newton along King George Boulevard to 104 Avenue, and then east to Guildford. The other is supposed to run along Fraser Highway, from King George Station to Langley City. The cost of the two is estimated at $2 billion. The budget itself did not provide funds for these projects. However, the shift in the funding formula makes it far more likely that they will actually be built. Prior infrastructure projects have been funded on an equal one-third/one-third/one-third basis, with each level of government paying the same amount. However, local go