Tuesday February 24, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 16)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
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Cold cash: More than 300 people took part in White Rock’s Coldest Night of the Yearr fundraiser Saturday, raising more than n $50,000 for Sources Community Services’ ices’ homelessness-prevention programs. i see page 13
White Rock Coalition raised nearly $100,000 to win four council seats
Surrey First spent $1.18M for sweep Kevin Diakiw & Tracy Holmes Black Press
Surrey First spent $1.18 million securing every seat on city council, according to recently released campaign disclosure statements. The expense period covers money spent from Jan. 1 to Nov. 15, 2014, and eclipses that of Mayor Linda Hepner’s Surrey First competitors. Mayoral candidate Barinder Rasode’s One Surrey coalition spent $347,000 during the run up to the election, and Safe Surrey, with Doug McCallum as mayoral hopeful, spent just over $70,000. The $1.2 million spent by Surrey First is a
new high-water mark for the organization, which spent $662,000 in the 2011 election, when it also swept council. In White Rock, the highest expenses were logged by the White Rock Coalition, which raised just shy of $100,000 to win four of six councillor seats. White Rock’s mayor, Wayne Baldwin spent $10,950 to get re-elected. This year’s contributors to the Surrey First campaign read like a who’s who of the development industry, as $902,000 of the campaign war chest was created by corporations. David Balsor contributed $25,000 to the campaign, while Robert Bosa gave the coalition $21,500.
Boaz Joseph file photo
Mayor Linda Hepner’s election-night victory. Other big contributors include: Bhupinder Ajula ($20,000), Surrey Firefighters Association ($32,600), Gurved Sandhu ($15,000) and Ralph Berezan ($13,000).
The vast majority of the campaign expenditures ($301,000) went to salaries and wages. Research and polling gobbled $163,000 of the campaign funds, while radio, TV and newspaper ads came to $174,000. Contributors to Rasode’s One Surrey’s campaign were a mix of union groups, developers and members of the community. Larger donors included Bosa Properties ($14,000), BC Maritime Employers ($12,000), United Steelworkers ($10,000), Value Industries ($10,000), and the Rasode family ($10,000). The bulk of Rasode’s expenditures went to “other” advertising ($120,000) and research and polling ($50,000). i see page 4
East Beach upgrades
Rail fence disappoints Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Tracy Holmes photo
Workers install six-foot-high fencing along East Beach Thursday, eastwards for 160 feet from the Surrey-White Rock border at the pedestrian crossing.
STAND UP AGAINST BULLYING ♥
BORDER GOLD CORP.
Stephanie Cadieux
Gordon Hogg
MLA Surrey-Cloverdale
MLA Surrey-White Rock
604-576-3792
604-542-3930
stephaniecadieuxmla.bc.ca
gordonhoggmla.bc.ca
Construction of fencing ordered by Transport Canada to curb trespassing along the waterfront rail line east of White Rock’s Finlay Street got underway Wednesday – to the dismay of merchants and residents alike. Darren Marshall, owner of Feral Boardsports, said he is upset about minimal notice given, the lack of opportunity to provide input and the potential impact the barrier will have on business. “This, it just seems like it’s all been kept a secret,” said Marshall, who learned of the work late last week. “I think it’s a massive disrespect to every single person that owns a property down there.” The six-foot-high, wrought-ironstyle barrier went up along 160 feet of property on the north side of the train tracks, eastward from the pedestrian railway crossing. Gus Melonas, spokesperson for railway owner BNSF, confirmed the structure is a result of discussions with Transport Canada regarding safety concerns that arose following the July 2013 death of a jogger on East Beach tracks. i see page 2