Friday July 31, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 61)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
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Celebrating a ‘saint’: Birthday wishes are flooding in for White Rock’s Percy Hayes – known to many as a fixture around Christmastime – after a socialmedia post went viral last week. i see page 11
Young man’s life celebrated as loved ones demand answers
More calls for ‘Justice for Hudson’ Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
As friends and family prepared to celebrate the life of Hudson Brooks this week, a woman who described the 20-year-old as “like a grandson to me” confirmed those who knew the South Surrey man continue to struggle with the circumstances of his death. “We have many questions,” Donna Krieger told Peace Arch News hours before the private service, held Wednesday afternoon at Victory Memorial Funeral Centre. “Everybody around town… everybody says that it was overkill.” Brooks died around 2:30 a.m. July 18, after police responded to reports of a “suicidal” male in the parking lot of the South Surrey RCMP building, in the 1800-block of 152 Street. There was a struggle, shots were fired and Brooks did not survive his injuries. An officer was also shot in the altercation, presumably by a police-issued weapon, however, that wound was not life-threatening and police confirmed this week that the officer has since been released from hospital. PAN requests for the operational status of officers involved in the incident have gone unanswered. The Independent Investigations Office – which investigates policeinvolved incidents of serious harm or death to determine if an officer may have committed an offence – has taken over the file. i see page 4
Tracy Holmes photo
A police car leaves the South Surrey RCMP parking lot Wednesday, past the growing memorial to 20-year-old Hudson Brooks who was killed July 18.
City survey indicates dissatisfaction with quality of buildings
‘No one has defined White Rock’s unique character’ Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
How do White Rock residents and business owners define the city’s unique character? That is one of the biggest questions to arise from the city’s recent ‘Imagine White Rock 2045’ survey, according to Karen Cooper, the city’s director of planning and development. In a report to council Monday, Cooper outlined some of the findings of the survey, noting the city’s character stood out
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as something that came up frequently in respondents’ written comments. “Many people said we need to protect White Rock’s unique character, but no one has defined what White Rock’s unique character is,” Cooper said. “I think it means different things to different people, and I think we need to do some work with the community on defining that and coming to a common understanding.” The survey was launched in May, in con-
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junction with the kick off of the city’s Official Community Plan review. Cooper noted that 320 completed surveys were submitted between May 13 and June 17. One portion of the survey examining satisfaction levels on a variety of elements indicated a low level of satisfaction with the “condition, style and character of the buildings in White Rock,” Cooper noted. “That’s a very significant finding, and it shows we have some work to do,” she said,
noting that the city’s seaside setting ranked high in respondent satisfaction. “So people love being here, but they’re not happy with the quality of the built environment.” Development played a big part in the survey, as well, Cooper told council, noting that the areas that were most preferred as ‘potential growth areas’ were in the town centre and along North Bluff Road adjacent to the town centre and Peace Arch Hospital. i see page 4
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