Tuesday March 6, 2012 (Vol. 37 7N No. o.. 1 o 19) 19 9)) 9
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
Fancy that: South Surrey will be the place to be for felines and their fans this weekend, as the Cat Fanciers of B.C. get set to host a three-day cat show in the city. see page 11
Stop-work order ‘could put us on the street’ – couple
Students stage walkout
Stumped: city halts building
Teacher strike hits pavement
Dan Ferguson
Sheila Reynolds
Staff Reporter
Carrying signs that said “Victims of bureaucratic bungling” and “Solution not silence,” Ruby and Daljeet Deol took their sons, Marcus, 4, and Ethan, two months, to White Rock city hall for a noon-hour protest against the order that has halted construction of their half-built dream house. “My husband has put our life savings into this home building and I am on maternity leave,” Ruby Deol said Thursday. “We need a resolution now, otherwise we will be on the streets.” A city building inspector slapped stopwork orders on the three-storey, threegarage house in the 14100-block of Wheatley Avenue on Feb. 24, after the Deols cut down a Pacific Dogwood tree in their front yard. As long as the order remains in effect, no construction can be carried out. The Deols said the city has refused to discuss removing the stop-work Paul Stanton order even though they City of White Rock have offered compensation. “We understand we made a mistake,” Ruby Deol said. “We’re willing to do whatever it takes to solve the issue. For that one loss of one tree we’re willing to put several more on the property; on top of that, we’re willing to donate a dozen endangered species trees to the city.” The couple said they redesigned their new home to preserve a number of large, older trees on the lot, but as construction proceeded, they discovered one was blocking the entrance to their house, and they thought they had obtained the necessary permission to remove it from the provincial Ministry of Forests. White Rock director of planning and development services Paul Stanton told Peace Arch News Thursday that the couple signed a written agreement promising they would preserve the Dogwood, which is designated a “specimen” or protected tree
Black Press
Dan Ferguson photo
The Deol family, outside their unfinished dream home in White Rock. under municipal bylaws. “The Ministry of Forests has no jurisdiction over trees in the city,” Stanton noted. Stanton said the city is seeking legal advice before it decides its next move. “The stop-work order stays in effect until we work it out.” Daljeet Deol said the city’s refusal to bargain could result in the loss of his house. “They (the city) can delay it as much as possible, but I have a builder coming to me and if I don’t pay by a certain time, then they go to collection and collection goes to bankruptcy and there’s my house (gone),” Deol said. A lawsuit would be a waste of taxpayers’ money, Deol said.
“Our dollars are used against us by the bureaucratic bullies,” Daljeet Deol said as he stood outside city hall. “This is insane.” Stanton objected to the “bullying” remark. “We’re just trying to administrate the bylaws that they (the Deols) seem to have no respect for,” he said. Stanton said White Rock and Metro Vancouver municipalities are fighting a trend where homeowners ignore bylaws, cut down protected trees and simply pay the fines in order to clear space or open up a view. He added the Deols had won permission to demolish the existing older house on the view slope facing the ocean by agreeing to see page 5
Elgin Park Secondary teachers Mike Jamieson and Tim Booker would normally have spent a rainy Monday inside, teaching or preparing classes for the week ahead. But this week, they were braving the elements, among teachers who joined colleagues across B.C. in taking to the sidewalks outside their schools regardless of the weather. It was a chilly, wet beginning to their three-day strike, but like other Surrey teachers they said were heartened by support from passersby. Surrey Teachers Association president Denise Moffat said Monday she visited some eight schools that morning, and saw similar signs of support. “At several lines, people were dropping off hot chocolate and doughnuts,” she said. “And even in the worst weather, teachers were staying strong in their resolve.” The B.C. Teachers’ Federation served strike notice Thursday after a province-wide vote in favour of escalating job action. The move came two days after government tabled legislation forcing teachers back to regular classroom duties. Since September, they have refused to meet with administrators or complete report cards, and months of contract negotiations have proved fruitless. Teachers were scheduled to strike until Wednesday and return to classrooms Thursday. Moffat said Surrey teachers were not picketing per se. “They’re not restricting access to, or blocking any school sites,” she said, adding that teachers she spoke to were concerned about the impact of impending back-to-work legislation and hopeful there is still a chance for a mediated agreement. “These are not steps that teachers take lightly, but we’ve tried all of our other options. We really do want to see an end to this disruption – one that is fair for everybody: teachers, students, parents and the government.” For Dean Pacheco, a counsellor and Grade 12 teacher at Sullivan Heights Secondary, it was important to show his opposition to legislation he says will not only be hurtful for teachers, but make things worse for students.
Support Your Local Economy NOW OPEN Spend Your Money At Home Primulas .97
see page 5
32nd Ave. & 152nd St. 2124 - 128th Street, Ocean Park See our ad on page 13