The Editor,
Re: “Surrey school trustee ‘appalled’ over growth, urges city to slow down,” the Now online.
I was sad to once again read that Surrey is feeling the strain of over-development. It is unfortunate that we are putting our school board in a position to deal with overcrowding caused by ever-increasing development.
The story isn’t new. Every few months we read about the loss of yet more green spaces to make room for more condos and townhomes.
SEE ALSO: "Surrey school trustee's call to curb growth 'hit a chord'"
But I can’t help but feel that this is exactly what we should expect from our Surrey First city council.
Consider this Now article from Feb. 24, 2015: “Surrey First spent nearly $1.2 million on civic election campaign,” where the disproportionately high amount of funding raised by the Surrey First campaign was brought to our attention.
And where do you suppose all of that money came from? Well, check out their campaign disclosure statement for yourself.
The Surrey First team received more than $440,000 in campaign donations from construction, property and land development businesses alone – more than the entire campaign budgets of their two closest competitive slates combined.
SEE ALSO: "South Surrey elementary school braces for ‘massive’ kindergarten growth"
Similarly, in 2011, nearly half of Surrey First campaign contributions came from “development, contracting and construction-related businesses.”
Is it really a surprise to anyone that city council shows no sign of putting the brakes on development?
Mayor Linda Hepner says that her job is to “make sure that we balance a robust economy with the infrastructure needs.”
What she meant to say, was that she needs to balance what’s good for you and me with the interests of her handlers, which paid for her campaign, and expect a good return on their investment.
Obi Canuel, Surrey