Series on mental illness continues page 12
Eagles complete sweep of Bulldogs page 26
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Thursday April 4, 2013
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Pledge made to remove traffic light bottleneck
Transit, education and health care highlighted in Surrey mayor’s annual State of the City address
Education, innovation seen as key to success
Funds tabled for interchange at Highway 91 and 72 Avenue by Jeff Nagel MOTORISTS WHO use Highway 91
by Kevin Diakiw MORE SCHOOLS, effective transit and enhanced health care were
some of the highlights of the mayor’s State of the City address delivered on Wednesday afternoon. Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts spoke to a crowd of 500 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, where she announced new initiatives to help foster improved health care, transit and education. Surrey will be partnering with the Surrey School District to create a “Campus of Learning-Active Living and Sport Excellence” in Grandview. The plan is to build a new high school next to where Surrey is building a recreation and aquatic centre at 24 Avenue and 168 Street. Both the city and school district own land there, and will be lobbying the provincial government for capital Dianne Watts funding to build the school. “This new model, we are pleased to say, can be replicated anywhere in the city,” Watts told the crowd. “This campus includes an aquatic centre, new secondary school, community campus of support services, and shared infrastructure.” The new high school would take pressure off the overcrowded Earl Marriott Secondary School at 16 Avenue and 157 Street. Watts also said more capacity for post-secondary education must be a top priority for the provincial government.
“Is this a winkwink, nudgenudge way of opening up development for MK?”
“We are witnessing and participating in the building of a very unique city.”
See INNOVATION BOULEVARD / Page 5
BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts speaks to a crowd of about 500 business and community leaders at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel on Wednesday afternoon, where she outlined new inititiatives being planned for the City of Surrey.
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may get a long-promised interchange at 72 Avenue to replace the traffic lights there that often cause long back-ups. The federal and provincial governments have pledged up to $10 million each, while the rest of the $30-million highway improvement project would be funded through local contributions. “This new interchange along Highway 91 will help relieve Eliza Olson congestion,” said Don Fast, the federal minister for international trade and Abbotsford MP. There’s no timeline for beginning work on the project, which promises a free flow of traffic on Highway 91 and to and from 72 Avenue.
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