Dr. Pauline Greaves has been nominated as the BC NDP’s candidate for the Surrey South byelection.
Greaves, who previously ran in the riding in the 2020 election, joins already announced BC Liberal candidate Elenore Sturko in the race for the provincial seat, vacant since the resignation of former Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux in April of this year.
A date has not yet been set, but under Elections BC regulations, a by-election must be called on or before Oct. 28.
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READ ALSO: Yet-to-be-scheduled Surrey South byelection must happen by Oct. 28
The announcement of Greaves’ nomination was made Monday, July 25.
A resident of Surrey for close to 30 years, Greaves teaches business at the Langara School of Management. She has also served as part of the leadership team on the Commonwealth Secretariat and on Surrey’s Diversity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee.
“The reason I’m running here is primarily the feeling that the interests of the community have not really been addressed,” she told Peace Arch News.
“I feel that not a lot has taken place, under the BC Liberals, around the needs of Surrey South.
“I’ve lived in the Surrey area for 28 years. My background has equipped me to represent the community. I’ve worked in the academic sector, I understand the issues and I know the people of the community well.”
Greaves said she feels she can be “a voice at the table,” both in representing a fast-growing community and in moving forward with projects already initiated by John Horgan’s NDP government – including building the new hospital in Cloverdale (which has been opposed by BC Liberal leader Kevin Falcon), replacing the Massey tunnel, and continuing the program of investment in new schools for Surrey students.
“Kevin Falcon said he wouldn’t continue with the tunnel – my understanding is he wants to go back to a bridge with tolls. This would create massive costs for people, like myself, from Surrey South who need to commute to downtown Vancouver.
“We’re already suffering with the rising cost of living, and now they want to take more money out of our pockets to pay tolls,” Greaves added.
She noted the Horgan government eliminated bridge tolls, saving the average family some $1,500 a year, as well as decreased ICBC costs, giving back an average of $500 to each driver.
“The tolls are all one-way, which penalizes anyone, like us, who live south of the Fraser,” she said.
She added that the planned SkyTrain extension will also help to ease traffic congestion, as more Surrey communities become able to access it.
That’s important to Surrey South residents, she said, particularly since, with the massive scope of development in the area, a lot of new families are moving into the area.
“Affordability is a huge issue, the availability of houses and rental accommodation. The BC Liberals created some of the mess in the past, by giving all these breaks to people building houses and buildings that stood empty and were not available for rent.
“The (current) speculation and vacancy tax is helping people like myself have access to houses and rental units,” she said. “We don’t want people to move away because they can’t afford to be here any more.”
Some of the key issues facing Surrey South voters, she said, are “the cost of living, the cost of travelling, and the amount of time spent in traffic.”
“We have a need for new schools close to home, a need for new hospitals close to home,” she said.
“I want to be the voice that represents the community, that makes sure we keep theses projects moving forward, and makes decisions that are in the best interests of the community.”
alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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