Thursday January 24, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 8)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Testing the water
Breath of fresh air: South Surrey’s Rose Marie Borutski isn’t a smoker, but her refusal to ‘butt out’ her efforts to ensure the availability of smoke-free affordable housing have prompted an award from two B.C. organizations. › see page 13
Tracy Holmes photo
Royal Canadian Marine-Search and Rescue 5 (Crescent Beach) crew chief Morgan Brewster (left) holds the tow line as RCM-SAR 7 (Steveston) coxswain Kevin Robertson (right) and Marc Gregoire pass control of the BC Ferries life-raft off to the Vigilant crew, during a joint-training exercise Monday at the ferry terminal. Three volunteer marine teams participated in the effort, which included deployment of the Spirit of B.C.’s rescue chute and rafts. See story page 11.
BC Liberal MLA criticizes colleague for calling councillors in between public-hearing sessions on casino
Minister’s intervention ‘inappropriate’ Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Rich Coleman
Gordon Hogg
BC Liberal MLA Gordon Hogg says he is “surprised” and “disappointed” to learn that B.C.’s minister responsible for gaming made personal calls to Surrey councillors during last week’s publichearing process on the Gateway casinoentertainment complex. “I’m planning to have further discussion with my colleagues on this,” the Surrey-White Rock MLA said Tuesday. Hogg said it’s a matter of concern for him that his BC Liberal colleague, Rich Coleman, was talking to council members between two public hearings on the South Surrey project. Hogg said such conversation was open to interpretations that it was an attempt to influence the decision. Repeated attempts by Peace Arch News to reach Coleman since Monday morn-
ing have been unsuccessful. Couns. Tom Gill and Bruce Hayne confirmed to PAN independently Tuesday that they had both received calls from Coleman between the first publichearing session Jan. 14 and a second ses-
sion Jan. 18. Both councillors said Coleman advised them that if the project didn’t pass, Surrey would not receive any other applications through BC Lottery Corporation. Neither councillor, however, inter-
Anywhere-but-Surrey mandate Jeff Nagel Black Press
South-of-Fraser communities from Delta to Langley will now be considered for a new casino to replace the South Surrey proposal narrowly rejected by Surrey council. BC Lottery Corporation president and CEO Michael Graydon said a call for expressions of interest from nearby communities is likely, and that would
include White Rock and First Nations, such as the Semiahmoo band, which has indicated some interest. “If you circle that South Surrey/White Rock area, we would certainly entertain any opportunities in communities like that,” Graydon said Tuesday. “We’re very open to any opportunities that may potentially exist now that Surrey has decided they don’t want it.” › see page 4
preted Coleman’s message as lobbying. “Intervention by anybody in between (the sessions), I think, is inappropriate,” Hogg told PAN. “Any type of intervention was inappropriate.” The proposal was ultimately rejected by council in a 5-4 early-morning vote Saturday, prompting widely published comments from Coleman, also minister responsible for housing and minister of energy and mines, that he was disappointed for Surrey and that BCLC would not consider any other casino proposals in the city because it had lost confidence in council’s decision-making. Hogg said he objected to such criticism of “a city council doing its due diligence,” adding that the remarks indicated an assumption that councillors could make up their mind before the “process of public engagement” was complete. › see page 5
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