It’s great to hear our premier say, “I have to think we can do better for Surrey,” (The Leader, April 22).
The provincial government has treated Surrey badly for decades.
Our need for new kindergarten to Grade 12 schools has long been ignored and so has our city’s need for more post-secondary seats, for more transit, for more hospital beds, for more police.
In each of these areas – which are vital if “the future” is going to live here – Surrey (and the rest of our South Fraser region) has received much less provincial funding per resident than in the rest of B.C.
For instance, for years Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been funded for only half the number of students per resident of its region that the other B.C. regional colleges and universities get; for trades training it’s gotten only one-third, for English language training, only one-fifth.
Provincial support for those other necessary areas isn’t much better.
So Christy Clark is right to think that she could do better for Surrey. Let’s hope she puts her thoughts into actions.
Geoff Dean
Surrey