Thursday November 6, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 89)
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City of Surrey otes: Candidates for Surrey’s civic election Nov. 15 – including seven mayoral and 35 councillor hopefuls – were invited to share their key issues and platforms for your perusal. i see page 16-19
Mayoral candidate denies making threats to coworkers
Ballot error aftermath
One Surrey takes aim at election officer
‘Smear’ claimed
Kevin Diakiw Tracy Holmes
Black Press
Staff Reporter
Barinder Rasode’s campaign manager is “building a case” to have Surrey city clerk Jane Sullivan removed as the city’s chief election officer. The move came after a misprint on a ballot that left two of Rasode’s candidates without the One Surrey party affiliation beside their names during advanced voting Saturday. One Surrey campaign manager Brad Zubyk said he contacted Sullivan at about 9 a.m. and he says the polls remained open for another couple of hours. “We’re building a case with our legal team,” Zubyk said Tuesday. “To be honest, I’ve never seen such a s--t show in my life.” Sullivan sent out a notice on Monday evening indicating all procedures after the error were correct. “Independent legal counsel has confirmed that Surrey election officials took appropriate steps to ensure the integrity of the voting process,” Sullivan said in a release. “The chief election officer also confirms that all the ballot boxes containing all ballots cast prior to the temporary 55-minute suspension of voting on Nov. 1, 2014 were segregated and secured.” While it was initially estimated that 200 ballots were printed with incorrect information, it is now believed that nearly 700 of the errant ballots were cast, and more than 100 were sent out by mail. Zubyk says he has nothing against Sullivan, but suggests she’s over her head handling this election. This is Sullivan’s fifth time as chief elections officer in Surrey; she has also run civic elections in Alberta. Zubyk said he’s travelled the world observing other elections and says he’s never seen anything like this. “Once again, Surrey is in the media for all the wrong reasons,” he said. Zubyk was expected to file his case with the province this week.
White Rock’s sole mayoral challenger says a CBC news report this week – detailing a grievance he filed against the B.C. Teachers’ Federation after he was fired for allegedly threatening to “go postal” on his co-workers – is inaccurate and sensational. And, David Bradshaw says it has done nothing to sway him in his run to unseat incumbent Wayne Baldwin. “Of course I’m still running for mayor,” Bradshaw told Peace Arch News during a brief phone conversa❝The fact of the tion Wednesday. “And I’m looking formatter is, there never was any ward to Monday’s (allthreat of any candidates) meeting very much (see page 4), kind to anyone… and I’m waiting to see at any time.❞ if the coalition and Mr. David Bradshaw Baldwin have the courage to show up.” Bradshaw was featured on television news Tuesday night, after copies of an arbitration decision were anonymously distributed in recent weeks to various media. Incumbent councillor Helen Fathers – who was among 10 people to sign Bradshaw’s nomination papers – said sharing of the document “has all the appearance of a smear campaign formulated by somebody close to the BCTF.” i see page 8
Lance Peverley photo
David Bradshaw addresses last week’s all-candidates meeting at White Rock Community Centre.
30,000 youths respond to questions on drugs, alcohol, sex, mental health
Teen survey reveals less substance use Jeff Nagel Black Press
Fewer teens South of the Fraser are drinking or taking drugs than five years ago, according to a comprehensive new study that paints a generally improved portrait of adolescent health in B.C. The McCreary Centre Society surveyed 30,000 B.C. students in grades 7 to 12 in 2013 and released its detailed report Tuesday on the Fraser South region, which includes Surrey, Delta and Langley school districts.
On substance use, the survey found fewer youth in Fraser South had ever tried alcohol (37 per cent), marijuana (21 per cent) or tobacco (16 per cent) compared to 2008, when those rates were 48 per cent, 26 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively. In 2008, 74 per cent of students surveyed had their first drink of alcohol before turning 15, but that dropped to 61 per cent in 2013. Fewer also reported binge drinking. The survey found 14 per cent of students have had sex (other than oral sex), down from
18 per cent in 2008 and below the provincial average of 19 per cent. Among youth who have had sex, most did so for the first time at age 15 or 16. Fraser South students were more likely to feel safe at school and less likely to feel bullied, the report says. But the findings were more troubling on issues related to mental health. Eight per cent of girls reported attempting suicide, up from six per cent in 2008. i see page 8
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