Friday
September 18, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 75)
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
Back on ice: Semiahmoo Minor Hockey’s campaign to keep older players in the rink has been a success, as the association announced it will ice an juvenile-division team this fall for the first time in five years. i see page 31
Environment concerns
Harassment complaint revealed
Paving way for parking
Respectful workplace to apply to politicians
Kevin Diakiw Black Press
A plan to build a truck parking lot beside a fish-rich river in South Surrey has raised the ire of an environmental group dedicated to watching over the waterway. Surrey is planning to pave the way for industrial development in the South Campbell Heights area as part of a Local Area Plan (LAP) endorsed by council on Monday. The green space is 245 hectares (600 acres) – just over half the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. It is home to a second-growth forest about 100 years old, an abundance of wildlife, and the Little Campbell River, which is a spawning area for spring, coho and chum salmon. The plans are for an area just south of Campbell Heights Park, which also abuts the Little Campbell River, a project the David Suzuki Foundation called one of the worst examples in the province of salmon habitat destruction from development. On Monday, when the preparation of an LAP for the area south of 16 Avenue near 192 Street was endorsed by council, Coun. Tom Gill surprised many when he asked that an old gravel pit be turned into a truck-parking facility. He wants that done prior to the completion of the LAP. It’s unusual to push development ahead of local plans for the area, but Gill told Black Press Tuesday this is a special circumstance. “Need,” Gill said when asked about the hurry. “There is a need for truck parking throughout the city.” There are currently 1,300 big rigs parking illegally in Surrey, which impact residential areas and farmlands, he noted. The truck park would allow truckers to wash their rigs, change oil and tires, and would include washroom facilities. i see page 4
Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
Evan Seal photo
Phillip Milligan says plans for a truck parking lot near the Little Campbell are ill-advised.
The City of White Rock is planning to amend its Respectful Workplace policy to include council, raising questions from two elected officials about the reasons for the change and past practices involving council disputes. Council voted Monday to endorse Human Resources Policy 405, which aims to aid the city and its employees in “fostering and maintaining a respectful working environment that is free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.” Among amendments presented Monday is the inclusion of council, who had previously not been part of the policy. Coun. David Chesney – who was censured by council in March for comments about a fellow councillor published on his website – sought clarification of the amendment and confirmation from city manager Dan Bottrill that council was not previously included in the policy. “We’ve always expected council Helen Fathers to basically deal with the principles with respect to the Respectful Workplace policy,” Bottrill responded. “Now we’re making it formalized.” However, Coun. Helen Fathers told Peace Arch News Thursday that she felt there were more issues at play regarding the city’s inclusion of council in the policy, referring to her own attempt to Wayne Baldwin file a previous harassment complaint – not reported publicly – earlier this year. “Having myself tried to use the policy when I’ve been under attack, I was told that I couldn’t use the policy before because councillors weren’t covered,” Fathers said Thursday morning. Fathers said her complaint was in response to “awful” emails Mayor Wayne Baldwin sent to council and staff that alleged she spoke about in-camera matters in open council. i see page 4
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