Thursday August 1, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 62)
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
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Picture-perfect pastime: South Surrey teen Noah Snell is turning his passion for photography into his own business, including selling his work during this weekend’s Spirit of the Sea Festival. › see page 11
White Rock water purchase cited
Legal fees exceeding budget Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
Paige Glazier, 17, with the first group of youngsters to be mentored through Glazier’s positive social behaviour campaign.
Freda Zhang photo
Orange You Glad anti-bully campaign to launch at Spirit of the Sea Festival
A-peeling for attitude change into action, resulting in the creation of her pro-social behaviour campaign “Orange You When Paige Glazier returned to her former Glad You’re Not A Bully.” high school after two years, the 17-year-old Glazier chose to use orange as the colour was greeted with the last thing a teenaged for her campaign, turning a negative experigirl would want to see. ence into one that could benefit others. In bright orange spray paint, “I decided this had gone on a vulgar phrase which included ❝The aim… is to take for long enough and it needs to her name was emblazoned on someone from feeling stop,” she said, noting the prothe side of her school. the worst they have gram aims to prevent the negaIt had been similarly cruel tive social behaviour in young felt to ‘I’m OK.'❞ remarks and taunts from forchildren before it becomes a Paige Glazier mer friends that had spurred habit. her to leave Elgin Park SecondIn the months since she ary for private school two years prior. After decided to organize the campaign, Glazier mustering up the courage to return, she had has divided her time between her duties as thought things would be different. a B.C. Ambassador candidate and the pro“My principal, Mr. Filsinger, spent his first gram. Family Day, not with his family, but scrubWith help from her tech-savvy grandfabing the neon-orange spray paint off the ther, who has an extensive background in school’s walls by the front door,” Glazier developing software, Glazier is in the process recalled of last Feb. 11. of creating a phone app that would provide The incident spurred the White Rock teen an outlet for youth struggling with bullying, Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
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depression and other social stigmas. The app also includes short videos featuring doctors from around the province providing information and methods to cope. “It’s amazing to have these professionals behind me. It shows that this isn’t just some app created by a 17-year-old girl,” she said. “The aim of the app is to take someone from feeling the worst they have felt to ‘I’m OK.’” In addition to the app, Glazier is focusing on writing a book designed for preschooland elementary-aged children that would teach them positive social behaviour. The book and app are set to be released in mid-September, but Glazier will be giving the community a preview of her efforts this weekend at the Spirit of the Sea Festival. Along with hosting the Waiter’s Race, Glazier will have an orange tent set up on Saturday and Sunday with T-shirts and wristbands in her signature colour. “You won’t be able to miss us,” she laughed.
The City of White Rock will not hire inhouse legal counsel, despite projections it will exceed its budget in that department for the fourth year in a row. The issue was raised at Monday’s meeting of the finance and audit committee by Coun. Helen Fathers, during discussion of the city’s quarterly financial report. In the report, director of financial services Sandra Kurylo notes the city’s legal expenses are expected to be $40,000 over budget by the end of this year. “I know in the past we have talked about ❝Legal costs having a legal person are a bit of a on staff. black hole.❞ “Have we given any more thought to that?” Wayne Baldwin Fathers said. mayor In 2010, the city went over budget on legal fees by $104,300. That number climbed to $123,650 in 2011 and, in 2012, came in at $149,800. However, Mayor Wayne Baldwin said past experience with in-house counsel had resulted in an increase in costs. Baldwin added that the city currently receives legal advice from a number of sources, and the city would be restricted to one person if they took on a legal staffer. Dan Bottrill, the city’s chief administrative officer, noted the legal increases were a result of unexpected issues, including the planned purchase of the city’s waterworks from Epcor. “This year was a little unusual because of some of the things we were dealing with, including the purchase of the water utility – these are things you won’t see normally,” Bottrill said. The mayor did, however, ask staff to provide a detailed breakdown of legal expenses in order to pinpoint where the money was being spent. “Legal costs are a bit of a black hole, and sometimes it might be useful for council’s information to have a bit of a breakdown to see what issues have been causing the increase in cost,” he said.
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