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Optimist Delta
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YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL SPORTS, NEWS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.DELTA-OPTIMIST.COM The Voice of Delta since 1922 WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2010
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Concerns raised over possible bus cuts
Eyes on the prize!
BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Well-fed carp in the pond at the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club surface in hopes of finding something to eat.
PHOTO BY
CHUNG CHOW
Civic by-election date set
Voters go to polls Sept. 18 to fill council seat left vacant by death of George Hawksworth BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Delta voters will go to the polls Sept. 18 in a municipal by-election. Delta council set the date Monday for the by-election to fill the seat vacated by the sudden death of six-term councillor George Hawksworth in March. The Local Government Act requires Delta to hold a by-election because the seat would otherwise be left unfilled for longer than six months before the next general election, which isn’t until November of next year. Longtime Tsawwassen resident Sylvia Bishop was the first candidate to declare, announcing her intention to run two weeks ago. Bishop listed the development
proposal for the Southlands in Tsawwassen as her number one issue. Another potential candidate is former councillor Krista Engelland. First elected in 1993, Engelland lost the mayor’s race to Lois Jackson in 2008 and found herself off council for the first time in 15 years. Prior to this week’s meeting, when asked about her plans, Engelland told the Optimist she had a couple of things to consider and wasn’t prepared to announce anything at this time. Meanwhile, council hasn’t ruled out the possibility of having an opinion question regarding the Southlands on the by-election
ballot. Opponents to the development proposal on the controversial property have been demanding a referendum on the issue, saying it could take place during the by-election. CAO George Harvie told council there’s still time this summer to add a question if council chooses. However, he recommended discussion on that possibility be deferred for a couple of months. He pointed out the municipality will mail out a survey, through Ipsos Reid, containing several questions for every Tsawwassen household and business in early
June. “I want to make it clear right now, the Southlands will be the first question,” said Harvie. The results of the mail-out survey will also help the Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee determine what areas of the current area plan it should focus on when making recommendations, said Harvie. He added the survey would cost around $15,000, on top of the $60,000 already spent so far on the area plan process. Jackson said the participation rate for the survey would likely be much higher than a question on a by-election ballot. The survey will also be available for Tsawwassen residents at the Winskill Aquatic and Fitness Centre and at the South Delta Recreation Centre.
Civic politicians are concerned TransLink may be planning to reduce bus service between South Delta and the Canada Line station in Richmond. The transportation authority’s plan to control costs has made that scenario a possibility, according to municipal staff, which told Delta council TransLink hasn’t made clear how it intends to meet its cost savings goal. “They’ve given no particulars and it’s a concern for the community. We’re looking for clarification what the impact will be on this community,” engineering director Steven Lan told council. His report notes TransLink staff recently made two presentations to Metro Vancouver’s Mayors’ Council. The first gave a financial overview of TransLink, focusing on financial results of 2009 and 2010. TransLink’s stated emphasis since mid-2008 has been on cost containment and core service delivery, he wrote. The second presentation described efficiency measures called the Service Rationalization Initiative (SRI). Lan explained SRI is designed to maximize productivity by allocating resources more effectively with the goal of increasing system-wide productivity by two per cent. “The SRI is currently in the early stages and there is no indication of how its results may impact Delta residents,” the report stated. However, the concern in Delta has already been raised that increased bus frequency between the Ladner exchange and the rapid transit station in Richmond could be scaled back to reduce costs. Coun. Anne Peterson said TransLink promised greater frequency after it eliminated the direct #601 bus service from South Delta to Downtown Vancouver. “The frequency of buses to See BUS page 3